Weekly Devotional "Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus" 8/20/12

by Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

FIX YOUR THOUGHTS ON JESUS

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.

Hebrews 3:1

When Jesus went up to Jerusalem to the pool near the Sheep Gate, He saw a great number of disabled people lying there. They were blind, lame, and paralyzed. They were probably discouraged and defeated as well. Minds can put on many miles and thoughts can travel a lot of territory when you’re sick, sad, or up in the middle of the night unable to sleep.

One of the people that were among the sick on the day that Jesus visited was a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. His demeanor must’ve communicated hopelessness because Jesus had to ask him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6)

In his self-pity and excuse making, he said, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” (John 5:7).

When things don’t go the way we think they should go, disappointment can sink our spirits. In his mind, the way to healing was the pool. In his single-minded focus on the water, he nearly missed the presence, power, and mercy of the One standing in front of him, willing and able to provide healing.

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked (John 5:8-9). Healing comes when we fix our eyes on Jesus! Hope is restored when we fix our thoughts on Him!

Sadly, the miraculous transformation that took place in the man’s body failed to reach his soul. He walked right into trouble, but he didn’t go alone. Jesus found him. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you” (John 5:14).  

Is your soul downcast, dejected, and despondent today? Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well?” If so, by faith fix your thoughts on Jesus. And then keep your thoughts fixed on Him, not just in the moment by the pool when your legs can suddenly move again, but every minute of every day, no matter where your feet tread.

Think on it: Like the man who was focused on the pool, are you single-minded in your expectations of what you need most right now? Choose to surrender your wishes for His will.

It isn’t wrong to ask God to relieve you of your pain, but it is more important that in the midst of the pain that you rely on the promise of God to work such experiences for His glory and your good—to use these times as a means of perfecting your faith, strengthening your spirit, and transforming your life in such a way that you are becoming more like Jesus.

Joe Thorn

Weekly Devotion "Think on Your Name"

From Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

THINK ON YOUR NAME

To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

Revelation 2:17, NLT

In Bible times, names were especially important. If something did not have a name, it’s as if it didn’t exist. Egyptian documents describe the time before creation as “when no name of anything had yet been named” (Nahum M. Sarna). Within Scripture, a person’s name was closely connected to his or her reputation or identity. When God changed someone’s name, for example from “Saul” to “Paul” or “Jacob” to “Israel” it demonstrated a new direction God had given to that person’s life.

When an angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12) Gideon must’ve wondered if he had heard correctly. Gideon was from the weakest clan of Israel and was least in his family. When God gave Gideon the assignment to tear down his father’s alter to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it, he did it at night because he was afraid of his family and the men in the town (Judges 6:25-27).

Gideon is mighty? A mighty mouse maybe, but a mighty man? I just don’t see it. Obviously Gideon didn’t initially see it either as he pointed out his weaknesses to God, asked for signs, and worked at night in fear rather in daylight with boldness. God called Gideon by name, “Mighty Warrior,” and then told him to go forth “in the strength you have” (Judges 6:14). Gideon walked by faith, not sight, and is listed with the other hall of faith famers in Hebrews 11.

Jesus gave Peter his new name and said he was the rock on whom He would build His church (Matthew 16:17). Did Peter question his name and inwardly scoff at the thought of being a rock? At this point in his life the only rock-like quality he had displayed was sinking like a rock while walking on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:30). Peter also walked by faith, not sight, and “was the first great voice of the gospel during and after Pentecost” (NIV Study Bible).

God has given you and me a new name, too. Our identity should rest in Christ alone. We are His children (1 John 3:1), saints (Ephesians 1:1), redeemed and forgiven (Ephesians 1:6-8), a member of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), a partaker of a heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1), and so much more. Do you believe it? Do you believe it not by what you see, but by what you know to be true by faith?

Think on it: Think on a name that God has given to you that you struggle to see in your life. Use that name often today in the soul talk that runs through your mind.

Jesus is smiling at the very mention of your name in heaven.

Bob Goff

New Jersey Workshop

Enjoy these pictures from our August 4 NJ Workshop....

Thank you!

A big "thank you!" to all of the counselors that came to the NJ workshop yesterday.  Thank you for spending the day with us!  It was a pleasure interacting and sharing with you.  Be sure to check our "Workshop Information" link for additional resources.  If you have any questions, please contact either of us!  It is our joy & pleasure to work with all of you.  Continue to dream big counselors!!

Much love,
Amy & Lisa

Weekly Devotional - "A Gospel Mindset" - July 30, 2012

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

 

A GOSPEL MINDSET

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

Romans 1:28

In the last 24 hours, what have you thought about most? Be honest. What person, project, or possibility has taken up the most space in your thought closet? With middle daughter Stephanie’s wedding on Saturday, you don’t have to use much imagination to know what’s filling my mind!

The Apostle Paul had a gospel mindset. He was set apart for the gospel, he preached it with his whole heart, and he did all things for its sake. The gospel filled his mental space and we should strive to have it fill our minds, too.

In Romans chapter 1, Paul unpacks the thought processes of the wicked and the devastating consequences of squeezing the gospel out of your thought life.

The wicked:

·      Suppress God’s truth (v. 18)

·      Trade in God’s truth for lies (v. 25)

·      Ignore God’s truth (v. 19)

·      Refuse to think about God (v. 28)

The consequence? God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done (v. 28). Even though they knew God’s righteous decrees, and understood that their disobedience deserves death, they continued in their wickedness and encouraged others to do the same (Romans 1:32)!

Before we get too wild in pointing fingers or shaking our heads in disbelief, let’s take an honest assessment of our own thought closets. How often do we suppress God’s truth, thinking gossip doesn’t matter much if we only tell a close friend? How often do we trade in God’s truth for lies thinking that obeying God is bondage instead of true freedom? How often do we ignore God’s truth, thinking how we live is up to us, as long as we’re Christians?

These thoughts are stinkin’ thinkin’! We must power up and fill our minds with Gospel truth! Paul said, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation of everyone who believes (v. 16).

Read His Word. Memorize Scripture. Meditate on it and apply it. Let it so fill your mental space that there’s no room for any thought that is contrary to what the Spirit desires.

Think on it: How will you more fully set your mind on the gospel today?

If we will fill our souls with the written gospel, we will refuse to devote our mental space and energy to the fruitless, even stupefying and degrading stuff that clamors for our attention.

Dallas Willard

Weekly Devotion - "Mountain Thinking" July 23, 2012

From GEMS area Trainer, Lenae Bulthuis

 

Let’s think together about our GEMS theme, Think Right: Win the Fight!

MOUNTAIN THINKING

Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain,

for the LORD our God is holy.

Psalm 99:9

When was your most recent spiritual mountaintop experience? Was it at the 2012 GEMS Conference in Chicago? Maybe it was a personal spiritual retreat or a Sunday morning worship service.

On the heights our thoughts can be filled with wonder and worship, repentance and renewal, awe and obedience, surrender and trust. Our minds are renewed as we set our hearts and thoughts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1-2).

It’s been said that what goes up must come down. Maybe your mountain descent has been in dependence on God, each step surefooted in His Word and Spirit. Or maybe your decline has looked more like a downhill skiing wipe out – limbs one way, skis another, head dazed and buried in the snow. Stunned, you wonder: What’s wrong with me? How did that happen . . . again?

It can be messy and chaotic at the bottom of the mountain. When Moses descended Mount Sinai the Israelites were singing and dancing around a calf-shaped idol (Exodus 20, 32). When Elijah descended Mount Carmel he was running for his life, afraid, and praying that he might die (1 Kings 19). When Jesus and three of His disciples descended the mountain where He was transfigured, they met a desperate father of a demon-possessed son who was frustrated that Jesus’ disciples were unable to drive out the demon (Luke 9:28-43).

In the chaos, crashed at the foot of the mountain is the temptation for stinkin’ thinkin’:

·      Even when I try hard to live God’s way, I still mess up. I’ll never change. I quit.

·      God gave me another chance and then I blew it. Again. He’s going to give up on me.

·      There’s no way I can break free from these bad habits. I thought I could, but I can’t. It’s just who I am and always will be.

Idolatry, doubt, and despair are traps of the enemy. May we pray with the Psalmist, Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge (Psalm 31:4).

His grace is sufficient for you on the mountain peaks and the valley floor. Nothing can separate you from His love, neither height nor depth (Romans 8:38-39). Think on Truth at every elevation of your journey.

Think on it: Think about your spiritual journey. Identify stinkin’ thinkin’ thoughts and trade them in for Truth.

Don't let these precious hours of testing be a waste of time. You have some valleys to go through and mountains still to climb. And as I chart your progress and decide you've passed the test, then I'll erase your pain, my child, and give you needed rest.

Mariane Holbrook

Weekly Devotion "Whatever is Admirable"

From Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

 

WHATEVER IS ADMIRABLE

This is what the LORD says ­– Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.

*Isaiah 44:6

When you think about God, what thought pops in your mind first and most? What is He best known for by the words you speak to yourself and the words you speak to others? Thoughtfully answer this before reading the next sentence.

A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied that some people thought He was John the Baptist, others thought that He was Elijah, and still others thought He may be Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

Then Jesus separated public opinion from personal conviction.  He got personal and asked, “What about you? Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-16).

What you think about God is critically important. We must recognize that His Name, His works, His attributes, and His glory cannot be separated. And when we rightly think about our admirable God, we will be changed and His reputation will be on display in our lives. The ripple effect is that as His fame and reputation grows and spreads worldwide, other people’s lives will be changed, too.

Think on the admirable (Philippians 4:8) names of God.

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (*Jeremiah 32:28) Think on His name in your hardship.

I am your shield, your very great reward (*Genesis 15:1). Think on His name in your battle against the enemy.

I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you (*Isaiah 41:13). Think on His name in this moment’s worries and fears.

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more (*Isaiah 43:25). Think on His name in your guilt.

Be still, and know that I am God (*Psalm 46:10a). Think on His name now.

Think on it: What do your words and life demonstrate to the world about what you think about God?

God revealed each of His names in a specific situation where one of His people had a special need. The name that was revealed related to the aspect of His character that would provide the solution to the problem that person was facing.

Dick Purnell

*God’s names emphasized