A Life of Sacrifice..Craig Denison Ministries

 A Life of Sacrifice

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

The Christian life is meant to be marked by simplicity. Jesus summed up our purpose with two statements: love God and love people. But in our humanity we have made complex what God designed to be peaceful, purposeful, and simple. A. W. Tozer remarks in The Pursuit of God, “Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all. If we would find God amid all the religious externals, we must first determine to find Him, and then proceed in the way of simplicity.” May we discover the peace and joy that come from pursuing a simple Christianity this week.

Scripture:“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” - Luke 9:23

Devotional:

Living for our own gain adds stress, pressure, and chaos to life, successfully robbing us of all the transcendent peace available through sacrificial living. We were never created to be our own provider or sustainer. We were never meant to develop our own source of joy and purpose. The only place we will find lasting peace is in complete surrender to God’s intention for us: a life of total sacrifice.

Jesus was our perfect model. He did everything according to the perfect and pleasing will of the Father. And Jesus said in Luke 9:23-25, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” Jesus makes it clear that sacrifice is the gateway to finding the life God intends for us. It’s the pathway that leads to the perfect will of our heavenly Father.

If you’re like me, living life sacrificially initially sounds terrible and unattainable. It feels impossible based on past experiences and present selfish desires. But, we need to take time to know the God to whom we are sacrificing our lives. We need to renew our mind to the perfect love of Jesus who would lay down his own life for us before ever asking us to follow in his footsteps. The life God intends for you is better than anything you could discover on your own. If he’s asking you to live sacrificially it must be wholly and perfectly for your benefit.

We are not sacrificing our own wills, plans, and dreams to a God who has less satisfying plans for our lives. We are not surrendering a happier, better life for something less, boring, or meaningless. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” God has plans greater than we could ever ask or imagine in store for us if we will lay down our dreams to make space for his. He has inexpressible joy for us if we will exchange what has made us temporarily happy for his dreams and visions that are full of purpose, meaning, and adventure.

Jesus willingly laid down his life and received everything he had dreamed of: restored relationship with you. What’s waiting for you on the other side of sacrifice today? Find out as you engage in the act of surrender during guided prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Jesus’ command for you to live your life sacrificially. Reflect on God’s desire to lead you to abundant life through surrender and sacrifice.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” - Luke 9:23-25

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” - John 10:10

2. What do you need to surrender to the Father? What dream, idea, person, or possession is robbing you of the abundant life God intends for you. Where do you need to live sacrificially to experience more of Jesus? Surrender whatever stands in the way of you and the abundant life God has for you.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” - 1 John 2:15

3. Choose to live sacrificially today. Ask the Holy Spirit to make the will of the Father known to you as he did for Jesus, and commit to following whatever he is asking you to do.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” - Philippians 2:5-8

Taking up your cross isn’t a weight designed to burden and constrain you, but an opportunity to live in the presence, peace, and purpose of God. There is freedom in store for you through sacrifice. There is purpose and joy in laying down your life for God and others. If you will receive the perspective and courage to pursue God’s will for your life, you will discover more peace, consistency, passion, and direction than you ever thought possible.

Extended Reading: Philippians 2

The High Cost of Wavering Faith..Dr. Charles Stanley

 The High Cost of Wavering Faith

Dr. Charles Stanley

Deuteronomy 1:19-40

God has given believers personalities, abilities, and spiritual gifts which will equip them to accomplish His specific plans for their lives. But each one must choose to step out in faith and obedience. At times the Lord challenges us to do something that seems beyond our ability, but if we back off, we’ll miss His awesome blessings.

Let’s learn from the Israelites who made several choices that led to unbelief, resulting in a lifetime of aimless wandering. They . . .

• Listened to the wrong voices. To walk obediently with the Lord, we need to guard ourselves from being swayed by those who don’t understand the greatness of our God. Not only that, but we must also learn to recognize the lies of Satan. He wants us to become ineffective, accomplishing little for the kingdom of God.

• Relied on human perspective. At times trusting God conflicts with human reasoning. But those who choose to trust Him—even when the external evidence points to an impossibility—will find that He is bigger than any obstacle.

• Let feelings overcome faith. Perhaps the biggest hindrances to obedience are fear and inadequacy. An internal focus is a trust killer. The way to overcome our feelings is to rely on the Lord and His promises. He will equip us for whatever He calls us to do.

Every challenging call to obedience is a fork in the road of our lives. To go the way of unbelief will lead to a lifetime of regret and aimless wandering, but to courageously trust God and do what He says will result in the greatest blessing of your life. The choice is yours.

How to Love Anyone..Whitney Hopler

 How to Love Anyone

By Whitney Hopler

“‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35 NIV 

A prayer retreat leader encouraged us to turn to the person sitting next to us – even if it was someone we had never met before – and say “I love you” to that person. My pulse began racing at the thought. I hadn’t even greeted or made eye contact with the stranger next to me. Suddenly, she was embracing me in a spontaneous bear hug and saying she loved me. I hesitated to respond, wondering how I could express love to her without knowing her and how she could do the same without knowing me. Although I struggled, I wanted to accept the challenge. So, I told her, “I love you too,” and returned her embrace. Immediately, a warm feeling washed over me, as if simply saying those words had moved me closer to truly feeling love for her. 

“God loves us all completely and unconditionally,” our retreat leader told us. “The best way we can grow spiritually is to learn how to love God, love ourselves, and love each other more.” Her words reminded me of what Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-39 NIV, when he replies to a teacher who asked him about which commandment is most important: “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

As I practiced expressing love for other people I didn’t know at the retreat, I found the same dynamic happening. I first expressed love and then felt love for them after that. Each time that happened, I thought of how every human being is a beloved soul made in God’s image. Even people I didn’t know or people I knew but didn’t like were worthy of my love because God loves them. Even when I made mistakes and felt unlovable, I was worthy of other people’s love because God loves me. God doesn’t put barriers on love. If I wanted to love like God does, I realized I must choose to act in love no matter what.

Love is more than just a feeling. It’s an action. When we choose to act in love toward others, we welcome God – the source of all love – to send his love flowing through our lives.

Thankfully, God will help us act in love. We never have to wait until we feel like loving someone to actually do so. Instead, we can simply choose to love, out of gratitude for how God chooses to love us no matter what. We can make the choice that Jesus urges us to make – to love one another as he loves us. Then we can trust him to help us carry out that choice. Since Mark 10:27 NIV tells us that “… all things are possible with God”, it’s possible to love anyone. God will give us love for others whenever we choose to love.

Intersecting Faith and Life: 

As you reflect on how to love anyone, consider these questions: 

• How does choosing to love someone no matter what reflect God’s character?
• What would it be like for you to walk up to a stranger and say, “I love you.”?
• Think about some difficult people you know. How hard does it seem to love them, with all their flaws? 
• When were you in a situation recently where it was challenging to choose love? How did you handle it, and what could you do differently the next time you’re in a similar situation? 
• Consider some times when you’ve felt unlovable yourself – maybe after you’ve made mistakes or after others have been unkind to you. How does it feel to know that God loved you at those times anyway?
• What are some practical ways you can plan to put love into action this week? 

Further Reading:

• Mark 12: 28-31
• 1 Peter 4:8
• 1 John 4:7
• Romans 12:9-10
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

5 Verses to Gather from Psalm 25 When Life Gets Heavy ..Kristi Woods

 5 Verses to Gather from Psalm 25 When Life Gets Heavy

By Kristi Woods

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: "In you, LORD my God, I put my trust." - Psalm 25:1

God and His word are faithful – even in times of heaviness, even when we might question whether He or His word could do a single thing to help us. Psalm 25 is a place I once landed when life became heavy. It quickly became a respite and refuge, a landing pad of hope. In fact, Psalm 25 in its entirety became a prayer, one offered to God Almighty often. But His word isn’t only for some of us. It’s for all of us.

Here are 5 verses from Psalm 25 we can gather when heaviness rears:

1. Verse 15

My eyes are ever on Yahweh, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Psalm 25:15

It’s all about focus.

It’s often easy to focus on problems. If we listen closely, we can hear it in conversations often. The recount of the day’s troubles and woes slip off our lips or sit firmly in our minds without hesitation. We think about the problem and wonder why, how, and why again. But what if we changed our focus from the issues at hand to Yahweh, our God - the One who has all the wisdom of the world? What if we purposed and willed ourselves to keep the Lord, His saving ways, and past miracles in focus?

2. Verse 17

The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Oh bring me out of my distresses. Psalm 25:17

It’s all in the ask.

Sometimes it’s as simple as asking. Maybe that makes it sound far too easy, and there may be a battle in the midst, but unless we ask for help, we are lost. Hoarding our need is like trusting ourselves far more than safety deems wise. We can find ourselves in the waters of daily life, flailing alone among the pounding waves, or we can ask God for help.

3. Verse 18

Consider my affliction and my travail. Forgive all my sins. Psalm 25:18

Asked to be forgiven lately?

Isn’t forgiveness at the heart of much? It’s at the core of Jesus returning to earth. It’s the purpose of love, His walk with man, and our eternity. It’s at the heart of His ascension, and it’s certainly at the heart of our day-to-day. Sitting with the Lord, asking Him to consider our afflictions and troubles sits solidly with faith. Asking Jesus for forgiveness is its building place.

4. Verse 20

Oh keep my soul, and deliver me. Let me not be disappointed, for I take refuge in you. Psalm 25:20

Where do you take refuge?

Imagine a hurricane or winter storm descending on our location. What if we bounded out the front door and sat on the lawn, our legs crisscross as we watched the storm brew? Can you feel the harsh elements pelting our cheeks, causing them to grow increasingly rosy with each sting? We’d either find ourselves chilly with the frigid, northern temperatures or soaked silly in one big puddle as the army of raindrops continued to their battle. Sitting stark in the elements, choosing to withstand the conditions versus seeking shelter, seems silly, doesn’t it?

Where we take refuge is paramount – both in the natural and in the spiritual.

Choosing not to seek God’s refuge or heading to the wrong shelter, such as sin or an addiction, can cause the sting of the pelting adversary to grow worse. Our Father’s refuge is a safe haven.

5. Verse 21

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Psalm 25:21

Wait lately?

It’s safe to say waiting isn’t at the top of most people’s list of favorites. Simply look at rush hour traffic or lines at the grocery store – folks don’t love to wait. Christians aren’t exempt. When God calls us to wait, we sometimes find it hard, uncomfortable even. Waiting simply doesn’t feel natural. It seems like wasted, lost effort. In reality, it might be one of the strongest “moves” of faith we ever make.

Waiting on God is righteous and overflowing with wisdom. It’s His way of guiding us faithfully, and it’s the building place of trust. Instead of reaching for our own preserver, what if we reach for His? What if we allow integrity and uprightness to preserve us as we wait on Him? What if we cling tightly, determine to simply wait on the Lord, holding hope in Him?

Yes, what if. And what if we gather Psalm 25, especially these five verses and walk solidly with God when life gets heavy.

A Prayer to Find the Good in Suffering..Emily Rose Massey

 A Prayer to Find the Good in Suffering

By Emily Rose Massey

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV).

What word comes to mind when you reflect upon suffering, trials, storms, pain, difficulties, and struggles? Most likely, the word “good” seems a bit out of place to describe such life challenges. Yet, we see in the life of Job that although he experienced tremendous pain and loss in his life at the hand of the enemy, God allowed it to happen and used it for good so that Job would know the Lord more deeply. 

The “double for his trouble”(that Job received double the material blessings for his suffering) teaching that you hear so often in the prosperity gospel message tries to take the focus off the entire point of the book of Job that reveals to us the beautiful attribute of God’s sovereignty over all things that happens in our world, including pain and suffering. When we try to give more power to Satan than we should, we infer that he “got one passed God” like God was completely unaware it was going to happen. The fact of the matter is that God allows suffering and pain to come into our life for a reason.

God will use all things to conform us to the image of Christ, and often in the life of the believer, that includes pain and suffering. In times of suffering, we can pray for God’s mercy to come and cry out for His help in time of trouble, yes, but we must remember Jesus promised that “in this life, there will be trouble” (John 16:33). Yet, we know that He overcame the world for us, and we will one day taste of that victory in full when we meet Him face to face!

The Apostle Paul in the book of Romans reminds us that even in the midst of our suffering, we can keep our mind set upon the future glory that awaits us in heaven one day:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV).

That is why we must keep our eyes fixed upon the hope of eternity and not on this life. And that is why faith in God is so important because it is the rock on which we stand when trials and the storms of life come because they will. We must remember that our faith in Him means that because of the cross, we are forgiven and now we can have the hope that He never leaves our side and walks with us through the valley and the mountain top experiences, and we have the ultimate hope that there is a glorious eternal life that awaits us in Christ Jesus. That is our anchor…the hope of eternity. There is a day that awaits believers where all pain and suffering will cease. But until then, we continue to declare “And if not…He is still good” and trust our life in His sovereign hands no matter what comes our way and know that He is working all things for our good because we love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28).

Let’s pray:

Father, 
Please help me find Your mercy and goodness when trials and the storms of life come my way. If I am prone to grumble and complain, may the Holy Spirit convict my heart quickly and remind me to be thankful for Your promise of eternity because of the cross. May I look for opportunities to comfort those around me who are suffering as well, so we can help hold each other up. We live in a fallen world, and although we cannot escape suffering, we know that heaven is our home and that the crown of life awaits those who stand firm in the faith, trusting that you have overcome the world and there is no reason to fear. Help me see the good that will come out of me walking through every dark trial. I give You praise and thanksgiving that You will never leave me alone to walk through suffering by myself.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.