Preparing for 2014 with God

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.   Ephesians 3:20-21  NIV

   The end of the year is a natural time to reflect.  It is also a great time to imagine what life could be like as we partner with God in the coming year.  This gives us a vision of the good God wants to accomplish in us and it increases our motivation to partner with Him.

  What would it look like if you partnered with God as he works to fill you with His goodness?    What would it look like if you partnered with God to love your wife as Christ loved the church?  What would it look like if you fully believed God's unfailing love for you rather than trying to live up to the world's ever-changing standards of beauty?  What would it look like if you partnered with God to nurture your children and have regular conversations about God with them?  What would it look like if you partnered with God to treasure Him and let go of material things as your hope for peace and happiness?  What would it look like if your life was filled more and more with God’s peace?

   Partnering with God includes a simple trust that He is with you and He is working in you for your good.  This week, set aside some time to write down some “belief” statements about what you will believe about partnering with God in 2014.  For example:

   - I believe that God will fill me with more and more of His goodness.

   - I believe that God will help me pray with my kids.

   - I believe that God will help me be more generous like Him.

   - I believe that God will help me rest in His peace and trust His wisdom.

After you have had time to reflect on the beliefs you have written down, you can set some reachable goals for partnering with God.   All you need is simple next steps to help you move forward with Him.  Don’t be discouraged by stumbling or struggling.   These are opportunities for our trust in God to grow stronger.  Simply confess your failure to God and ask for grace to cooperate more with His good work in you.  You’ll be encouraged by how partnering with God helps you move farther forward than if you had just set goals by yourself.

The Greatest Gift God Has Given Us Is Himself

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  

         Romans 1:25  NIV

   We know that gratitude is wonderful.  We enjoy being thanked for gifts we give and God enjoys it when we sincerely thank Him for the gifts He gives.  

   We also know that the gifts we find under the tree this Christmas will not make us permanently happy.  These gifts have limits.  They might break or wear out.  They may even be designed to bring us a one time experience of happiness.

   Acknowledging the limits of the gifts we receive is the prompt we need for a greater gratitude in our hearts: the gratitude that is thankful for the Giver of the gifts more than the gifts themselves.  The best way we can start the Christmas day is with praise to the almighty, all-knowing and faithfully loving God.  It’s good and right to thank Him for His amazing gift of salvation in Christ and the many other gifts He gives, but it's even better to to praise Him for being everything that we need for a full and good life.  This is the kind of praise that helps to detach us from our materialism and helps to strengthen our trust in the absolute goodness of God.  On Christmas day, set aside some time at the very beginning of the day to praise Him for his goodness, mercy and love.  Praise Him for His faithfulness.  Acknowledge that in revealing Himself  to us and in giving Himself to us, God has given us the greatest gift of all.  

A Helpful "Centering Prayer"

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.    

Romans 15:13  NIV

   From time to time it is good to be reminded of the practice of “centering prayer”.  A centering prayer is a prayer that brings trust in God back to the center of our heart.  When trust in God gets pushed out of our heart, anxiety or anger take its place.  If we “catch” ourselves being anxious or angry, we can use a centering prayer to reaffirm our trust in God, so that His joy, peace and hope can refill our hearts.   Below is a good example of a centering prayer.

      “Father in Heaven, I trust You.  I believe that You love me and that You are always working for my good.  I believe that You are working for my good right now and that You will ultimately make all things good for me and for all of your people.  Please give me grace to trust You and please fill me with Your joy, peace and hope.”

   Write this prayer down on an index card.  Carry it with you and pray it at various times of the day throughout this week, especially if you sense anxiety or anger rising in your heart.  In some situations, you may need to pray the prayer several times to help you focus your attention on God.  Keep in mind that these are not magic words.  Your prayer must be a sincere expression of your heart.  

Believing in Jesus for our Friends

Some men came, bringing to Him [Jesus] a paralyzed man, carried by the four of them.      Mark 2:3  NIV

   Do you believe that Jesus can revolutionize and transform the lives of your friends?   If so, how is your belief demonstrated by your actions?  Are you as desperate for your friends as these men were for their friend?   They tore a hole in the roof of someone’s house just to get their friend to Jesus.

   What can you do to bring your friends to Jesus this Christmas season?  Could you invite them to a regular worship service or to a Christmas Eve celebration?  Could you commit to praying for them everyday between now and Christmas?  Could you introduce them to other Christian friends so they have more friends who care about  them getting to know Jesus?  Could you simply ask God for an opportunity to share your story of faith with them?

   One of the best gifts we can give our non-believing friends is to believe in Jesus’ power for them.  That won’t save them, but it will increase our desire bring them to who can save them.  Believing in Jesus’ power for them may also give us the boldness to do something daring on their behalf.  Take some time this week and ask God to give you a burden for one of your non-believing friends and then ask God for opportunities to bring this person to Jesus.

God's Life Flowing Through Us to the Hurting and Discouraged

 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. 

  Isaiah 42:3  NIV

    Jesus described the life that He gives through the Holy Spirit as "rivers of living water."   If we want to experience more of God’s goodness in our lives, we must understand that Jesus does not share His goodness just so we can consume it for ourselves.  He gives it so that we can enjoy it as it flows through us to others.   If your goal for wanting more of God’s love, joy and peace is to make your life easier or more comfortable, you will dry up.  If your desire is for God’s goodness to flow through you to bless others, you will experience God’s goodness more deeply than you expected or even imagined.

   Isaiah prophecies about Christ’s love for bruised people and people whose light is fading.  In other words, Jesus had compassion for hurting and discouraged people and He sought to bring them hope.  Authentic followers of Christ live with this same mission and compassion.  They step into the rivers of living waters and open their hearts to God's goodness knowing that God's life will give them joy as His life fills them and overflows to others for their encouragement and strength.

  Who are the people in your life with bruises or smoldering wicks?  How can you bring them encouragement and hope?  More specifically, how can you help them find encouragement  and hope in the message of Christ?  This week, ask God to lead you to a hurting or discouraged person and ask God to flow His goodness through you to them so they can find encouragement and hope in Him.

God Awareness and Gratitude

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.       Proverbs 3:5-6  ESV

   What does it mean to acknowledge God?  It means to recognize His presence.  It’s easy for us to go through the large part of our days and weeks and not recognize that God is present everywhere we are.  This proverb teaches us that if we acknowledge God, He will direct us on straight paths.

   Thanksgiving week is a great week to begin the regular practice of acknowledging God in all your ways. We can combine recognition of His presence with gratitude for His gifts at various times throughout the day.  This week, try this experiment to help you recognize God’s presence.  It will only take a few moments each time.

1.  As soon as you get up (and can think straight), say “God is here.”  Say it loud enough so you can hear it.  Say it slowly so that it sinks in.  Say it again throughout the day as often as it comes to your mind.

2.  Each time you acknowledge God's presence, thank Him for something.  Keep it simple.  Say, "Lord, thank You for..."

After this brief acknowledgement of God, go back to doing what you were doing.  You will likely be surprised at how acknowledging God changes your perspective.  For some extra learning, make note of how many times you do this each day and see if you begin to develop a habit of acknowledging God in your daily life.

Becoming Aware of God's Presence in His Created World and His Written Word

1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.           Psalm 19:1,7  NIV

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote:

        “Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes – the rest sit round it and pick blackberries.”

Our world is full of the evidence of God’s presence, but somehow we miss it and go through life getting lost on the trivial stuff that only seems to be important.  What can we do to be more aware of God’s presence?  

Psalm 19 gives us some help.  The created world of God and the written Word of God have been given to us to keep us attuned to our loving Creator.  Try this simple experiment to help you live with a greater awareness of God this week.

   

1. Sometime during the course of each day, let something created  draw your attention to God.  It won’t be difficult. It might be the sunrise or some brilliant gold autumn leaves.  It might be the look on your dog’s face or frost on the window of your car.  It probably already happens a couple times each day, but you are used to rushing right by it. This week, slow down for a few moments and enjoy the gift you’ve been given.

   

2.  As you read a small portion of Scripture each day, ask God to refresh your soul with it.  Ask God to give you something fresh from His Word that will help you be more aware of His presence throughout the day .

Each time you are aware of God, invite Him to fill more and more of your life with His goodness and trust that He will do it.