7 DAYS TO BE MORE CHRIST LIKE
PSALM 15 Day 1: The Source of Christian Character
DAY 2: DOING THE RIGHT THING
2. What did reading Psalm 15 1-2a meant to you? O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right” Psalm 15: 1-2a
3. What did reading this passage reveal about you own heart?
4. Think back to a time when you didn’t do the right thing. What held you back? What thought kept you from doing the ‘right thing’?
5. Do you have wise counsel in your life? Who can you turn to for biblical truth?
DAY 3: OUR WORDS AND SPEECH 1. What does speaking truth in love look like to you? How do you speak the truth without judgment?
2. Reflect on your listening skills. What is your speaking to listening ratio? 25/75? 50/50? How can you work to increase your listening and decrease your speaking?
3.Think of a time when someone’s words really encouraged you? How did you feel?
4.Brainstorm one way you could intentionally encourage someone with your words. Who is it? What will you say?
Day 4: Loving Others 1.Define love in your own words. -Love is being able trust and get along with each other. It’s forgiving others wrong. It’s loving someone even when you’re upset with them. Loving others may be the hardest thing you do at times. It means loving and accepting who have hurt us and praying for those we have and hoping they love us back. 2. If you could no longer speak, how would the people in your life know you love them? How do your actions communicate love? -My love language is mostly speech, so it might be hard to show love by my actions (this is a struggle & I really need to work on this.) 3. Brainstorm some ways you can be Jesus to your community this week. How can you give of your time, talent and treasure to others? By being kind and patient. I can pray for others. I can tell them how much they mean to me. I can write encourage not and blog about love and kindness. Day 4: Honoring Our Promises
2. Think of the most reliable, trustworthy person you know. Why do you think that about them? What actions make you feel like they are reliable? -Barrett is the most trustworthy person I know. He always says and does what he means. And he loves me though I don’t always hold up my end of the deal. 3. What is one area of your life that you could be more trustworthy and reliable in? Your beliefs? Your time management? Your follow-through?
-Pray, put them first always say what’s on my mind. `Day 6: Stewarding Our Money
-no, I’m selfish with money.4. Brainstorm some ways you could create more space for charitable giving into your budget. -By tithing and giving where it’s needed Day 7: The Purpose of a Godly Character
3. What areas of improvement did this study help you identify? What ways can you work to improve your character? O my, I need to be more loving and make sure my actions line up with my words.
0 Comments
When I was born, like most babies, turned my parents' world upside down. I was raced from by ambulance from Memorial Hospital to Vanderbilt. They were being IF I survived, I'd probally be mentally challenged, deaf, blind and imobile. That news, of course would shock any parent to their core. Philippians 4:13 says "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (NIV) I hace been very blest in my life to get the physical and educatonal help that I needed. I've done things that even I didn't thing I could do. Philippians 4:13 is on of those "go to" verses in the bible. A lot of people know by heart and name it and claim it, which is great, However, I think a lot or people who do this, may not truly understand what this verse means. It doesn't means if you child has cancer the won't die. It doesn't mean you won't have trouble in your marriage. It doesn't you get you get you dream job with the luxurious lifestyle style style that goes with it. You may, but you may not. I think this verse is telling us that we can fulfill His will by the strength He gives us. He's telling us to trust Him. I was not created to be a NBA player or a famous movie star. I was created to be a woman with a disability...a wife...a mother...a writer...I was created to be me & to live my life telling about a God who loves me. A God who took a sick little baby allowed her he to grow up and testify of all He's done for her. Do you that ONE person in you life that you can tell ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to? That person that you can call, crying at 2 AM, and they"ll talk to you for an hour; even though they have to get up at 5 to get the kids up and off to school so they can be at work at 8. It may be your spouse, a sibling, a parent or a treasured friend. We all need at least one person like that. Someone we can go to in the bad times (and the good) who will just listen and not judge us. We need to understand that we can always go to God like that. He wants us to feel freedom to approach Him. I wrote in another post about going BOLDLY before the throne of God. We don't have to make an appointment and wait for an invitation. Now, I'm not saying He will never rebuke us. Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version (NIV) says; "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." It's like knowing your parents will still love even after you tell them you totaled your brand new car. It can be very hard too see yourself as God's handiwork when is seams like you're the odd man out; when it seams like everyone ones can do stuff better than you can. We all have days where whatever we do seams to end in disaster. God say were created to do go works in Christ Jesus. We all have gifts and talents that are unique to. No to people will severe God in the exact same. It has more to do with your attitude than it does the physical act of what you're doing. Too often we compare ourselves to others and we get frustrated because we feel like can never measure up to that person; and we can't because that's not the person who God created us to be. We've got to trust that God is doing a good work in us and he won't stop until it's completed. It is really hard for me to grasp the concept that I'm on their level as Christ is. Romans 8:17 says
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." There's a saying; "God doesn't have grandchildren, He only has children. Now please don't think I'm blasphemy, Obvious, there are things Christ can do that I can't but I'm still His child and loved by Him. My Daddy was a plumber. I've got brother who can run pipes and dig ditches with the best of 'em. That was something I could never physically do. My daddy didn't me any less than the boys. I was as much of his child as they were. (In fact, there are privalges to being the only girl in a houseful of boys. & yes I know I have 2 sisters but since I'm 19 years older than them so I'm sticking to my claim that I was the ONLY GIRL in a houseful of boys!!) Anyway, I'm truly honored seated with Christ in Heavenly. Does it ever make you sad that Christ chose to die for you? I'm glad and and very appreciative, but sometimes to think about it just brings me to tears. You see Mary as she was portrayed as she was in The Passion of the Christ and it just breaks your hear two. We almost lost Dalton about six years ago and I did lose a nephew last year. As a mother there are no words to describe what it's like to see your child hooked up to all those machines, not know if he'll ever wake.
Jesus was physical abused beyond belief. Not only was he beaten with straps but was flogged. From how I understand flogging, it where they take a spiked object and beat you so hard it tears the skin. Then they nailed Him to a cross. It is that He actually died by Asphyxiation (suffocation) because He was to exhausted to push Himself up enough to catch a breath. Just sitting writing about makes me queasy. But His death was the only the only way to get to God. I don't understand why He had to die such a horrible death for me But He did and I'm forever greatfull. I wrote a little about being God's temple in i-belong-to-god.html. I thin many of us struggle with being called God's Temple because we don't feel worthy. When I thing of God's temple, my mind goes to King Solomon as was describes in 1 Kings 6-7. It took 7 years to build; he built it before he built his own house. It would 3 - 6 billion dollars if it was built today. It was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high. The building was massive; that's not even mentioning the furnishings or the decor. It was Empire State Building and The Effie Tower of its day. But it's nothing compared to the human body. In Mathew 6:28-29 (ESV) Jesus said;
"And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." While this verse is generally spoke of in terms of not worrying, I thing it fits here saying that we'e are importain. I think if God ~ and the bible said He did ~ took the time to instruct Solomon on how to build His temple, then don't you think He's even more concerned with us and our bodies> It can be really hard to understand our purpose sometimes.
It mat seam like everything you do causes calamity. You can't make anyone, let alone everyone, happy. You may be at the end of you rope. But wait, you find a glimmer of hope in Philippians 1:6. God isn't done with you yet. You aren't here just to make everyone happy; (EASIER SAID THAN DONE, ESPECIALLY F YOU'RE A PEOPLE PLEASER). God created us to have fellowship with Him. Life isn't suppose to bet this hard. It's hard because of our sin, but that doesn't change the fact we were created for God by God. Our is to love and become a little more like Him each day. We're never going to be perfect in this life and that's NOT what Philippians 1:6 is saying. God's has a purpose for each and everyone of us. Being disabled, I often times lose sight of this. It easy to say I'm tired and I don't want to burden anyone. I remember when the kids were little and I couldn't drive. We have been very fortunate that we had Barrett's daddy and a lot of friends' parents that helped us along the way. I cam one being so mad, yelling in my laundry room; "It's one thing that I can't drive; its a whole other thing that my kids have to miss things they need or want to do, because I can drive. In a still, quiet voice God said "Don't you think I knew when I gave you these babies that you couldn't drive? Haven't I always taken care of you?' Now, I'd like to tell you I never got mad about not driving again; but I can't. However, when I do have periods doubts about my disability or just my purpose in general, I have this memory and thousands like it to remind me: God's not done with me yet! |