From Lenae, GEMS Training Manager
PASSION
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Within the concise, but commanding book, Stand – A Call for the Endurance of the Saints, Randy Alcorn writes about when he and his wife Nanci attended a thirty-year reunion of their church college group. He recorded that forty came and five of their original group had died. He hinted at the losses that many had experienced in their lives, yet there was beauty in that night as person after person talked about God’s faithfulness.
Some were unable to attend the reunion due to practical challenges like scheduling conflicts, distance, and poor health. Others intentionally stayed away because their love for Jesus had grown cold. Why didn’t these saints endure Randy asked. His answer? “Their hour-to-hour and day-to-day choices set them up for spiritual distraction and failure.”
The choice to sleep in or to set the alarm clock earlier than yesterday so we can talk to God will determine if we’re going to be women of apathy or of action. The choice to go with the flow of the culture or to move in what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction” will guide us into casual Christianity or Christ-like living. The choice to just live life as it comes or to establish and persevere in spiritual disciplines will lead to warming the pews or feeding the fire.
To be women of PASSION that love God and serve Him by serving others there are six spiritual disciplines that we must add to our heart’s fire. (We’ll dig deeper in the weeks to come.)
Pray constantly. Make the day-to-day choice to talk and listen to God (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
A is for And,
Study God’s Word. Make the day-to-day choice to read your Bible to learn how God wants you to live (Psalm 119:9).
Serve others. Make the day-to-day choice to serve others no matter what the task (John 13:14-15).
Interact with God’s people. Make the day-to-day choice to encourage one another in the Lord (Hebrews 10:25).
Open up and talk about God. Make the day-to-day choice to tell people about Jesus’ love (Matthew 28:19-20).
Notice God in the ordinary. Make the day-to-day choice to seek God and to take note of all the tender ways He cares for you (Jeremiah 29:13).
PASSION Step: What PASSION discipline will you choose to establish this week?
1 Timothy 4:16
Within the concise, but commanding book, Stand – A Call for the Endurance of the Saints, Randy Alcorn writes about when he and his wife Nanci attended a thirty-year reunion of their church college group. He recorded that forty came and five of their original group had died. He hinted at the losses that many had experienced in their lives, yet there was beauty in that night as person after person talked about God’s faithfulness.
Some were unable to attend the reunion due to practical challenges like scheduling conflicts, distance, and poor health. Others intentionally stayed away because their love for Jesus had grown cold. Why didn’t these saints endure Randy asked. His answer? “Their hour-to-hour and day-to-day choices set them up for spiritual distraction and failure.”
The choice to sleep in or to set the alarm clock earlier than yesterday so we can talk to God will determine if we’re going to be women of apathy or of action. The choice to go with the flow of the culture or to move in what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction” will guide us into casual Christianity or Christ-like living. The choice to just live life as it comes or to establish and persevere in spiritual disciplines will lead to warming the pews or feeding the fire.
To be women of PASSION that love God and serve Him by serving others there are six spiritual disciplines that we must add to our heart’s fire. (We’ll dig deeper in the weeks to come.)
Pray constantly. Make the day-to-day choice to talk and listen to God (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
A is for And,
Study God’s Word. Make the day-to-day choice to read your Bible to learn how God wants you to live (Psalm 119:9).
Serve others. Make the day-to-day choice to serve others no matter what the task (John 13:14-15).
Interact with God’s people. Make the day-to-day choice to encourage one another in the Lord (Hebrews 10:25).
Open up and talk about God. Make the day-to-day choice to tell people about Jesus’ love (Matthew 28:19-20).
Notice God in the ordinary. Make the day-to-day choice to seek God and to take note of all the tender ways He cares for you (Jeremiah 29:13).
PASSION Step: What PASSION discipline will you choose to establish this week?
We never grow closer to God when we just live life; it takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness.
Francis Chan
No comments:
Post a Comment