Love J esus!
Love O thers!
Love Y ourself!
This month, we're talking more about loving Yourself.
I was challenged by Steves's sermon, yesterday, as he looked at the life of David and his relationship with God. Steve made some implications for our own lives.
There were times when David was:
5) A Non-Believer – Read 2 Samuel 12:1-15
- Satan was after David’s relationship with the LORD! What if Nathan hadn’t come?
4) A Pretender – Read 2 Samuel 11:14-25
- David had a hardened heart! How could adultery & murder be no problem to him?
3) A Coaster – Read 2 Samuel 11:1-5
- It was the spring of the year and David should have been – WHERE? Why wasn’t he?
2) A Survivor – Read Psalm 42 and/or Psalm 31
- There were times in David’s life he was barely hanging on! Can you relate? Explain.
1) A Pursuer – Read Psalm 119:62,72,82,92,97,102,112
Steve asked for each of us to circle the one that applies to each one of us. Try this: with the idea of "more of self" being the highest - #5 NON-BELIEVER and "more of Jesus" is the lowest - #1 PURSUER.
Go ahead... which one?
- #5 - NON-BELIEVER?
- #4 - PRETENDER?
- #3 - COASTER?
- #2 - SURVIVOR?
- #1 - PURSUER?
Steve encouraged us to love ourselves enough to love the LORD in such a way that we PURSUE HIM!!!!
We've definitely talked about the importance of this during the month of February, on this blog. What did Steve suggest? He shared what our teens had been challenged to do when they went to Winterfest last week, in Tennessee. This is certainly worth meditating on:
Am I spiritually disciplined in pursuing God? Is it time to work on spiritual disciplines in my life? Richard Foster's book divides them up into 12 disciplines, in this way:
- THE INWARD DISCIPLINES
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Study
- THE OUTWARD DISCIPLINES
- Simplicity
- Solitude
- Submission
- Service
- THE CORPORATE DISCIPLINES
- Confession
- Worship
- Guidance
- Celebration
- IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
- Blessed are the poor in spirit...
- Blessed are those who mourn...
- Blessed are the meek...
- IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND OTHERS
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...
- Blessed are the merciful...
- Blessed are the pure in heart...
- IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD
- Blessed are the peacemakers...
- Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness...
- Blessed are those who rejoice in persecution for righteousness...
Oh, the JOY of loving Yourself enough to PURSUE JESUS! It takes time, but the transformation is worth it!
~Oh, the JOY!~
No comments:
Post a Comment