Choosing a Center..Craig Denison Ministries

 Choosing a Center

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

This life is marked by a single choice: who or what will we center our lives around? This choice takes each of us down a path of decisions that shape who we are, what we feel, who or what we value, and what we will have accomplished at the end of our days. To center our lives around ourselves or the things of this world leads only to destruction. But, to center our lives around meeting with God fills each moment with the glorious abundance of God’s love, provision, and transcendent peace. May your life be marked by union with your Creator as we explore what it means to center our lives around meeting with God this week.

Scripture:“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

Devotional:           

What would our lives look like if we truly centered our time, energy, emotions, and pursuits around meeting with God? All of us choose to center our lives around something or someone. Every decision is made through the filter of what we most value. For some of us, we center our lives around ourselves. For others, we center our lives around the opinions of others. Still others choose to center life around a notion or concept, believing it to be of the highest value. My prayer is that we as the body of Christ would begin to center our lives here on earth around meeting with our Creator because he is absolutely the most worthy recipient of our highest value.

To center our lives around meeting with God is to place value on the absolute best thing. Psalm 84:10-12 says, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” When we place our trust and value in God, we position ourselves to live in blissful communion with the Father who loves us. Our God longs to meet with us. He longs for us to taste and see his goodness. It’s only in living for communion with our Creator above all else that we will experience the incredible, abundant life God longs to give us.

For most of my life I would have told you God was my center. I would have said that Jesus was my highest value. But my actions, time, thoughts, and emotions in no way reflected those statements. You see, we spend time with those we most love. We center our emotions, actions, and thoughts around whatever person or thing we most value. Unless our lives truly reflect a posture of being centered around Jesus, we must take an honest assessment of ourselves and ask God to help us make changes. We must bring our brokenness and sin before God and ask for his perfect help in transforming us into children marked by his presence.

Centering our lives around anything but Jesus will only lead us to disappointment and dissatisfaction. This world has nothing good to offer us. To center our lives around ourselves will only increase the burdens and stresses of this world. To center our lives around people will only lead to an emotional rollercoaster driven by the brokenness and frailty of others. And to center our lives around an idea or concept will only store up treasure as lasting as this already passing world.

Take time today to look honestly at your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any ways in which your life isn’t centered around meeting with God. Confess any worldly or selfish pursuits and seek to center your life around incredible, boundless communion with your good and loving heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of centering your life around meeting with God. Allow Scripture to stir up your heart to place the highest value in communion with your Creator.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

2. Where is your life not centered around meeting with God? Where have you been placing your value, energy, time, and emotions other than Jesus?

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recenter your life today. Ask him to show you what it looks like to truly center your life around meeting with God. Make the decision to value relationship with God above all else.

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” Psalm 84:10-12

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” Proverbs 8:17

To truly center our lives around God is to free ourselves from the constraints of both the world and religion. God does not desire legalism in meeting with him. He is not angry with you for spending time with friends, entertainment, or other things you enjoy. He simply wants to be the chief longing of your heart. He wants to be with you as you spend time with friends, family, entertainment, and anything else your heart desires. Of course he wants you to meet with him in the secret place. Of course he wants you to follow his leadership if he guides you away from something. But as your heart grows to be truly his, you will begin to want the things he wants. You will begin to spend your time as it can best be spent. And you will begin to truly center your life around the goodness you can only find in the presence of your heavenly Father. May your day today be marked by the simplicity and joy of communing with a good, near, and loving God.

Extended Reading: Psalm 84

Love the Lord with Your Body..Amanda Idleman

 Love the Lord with Your Body

By Amanda Idleman

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Our bodies are the most tangible forms of ourselves. We also are made up of a heart that feels, a soul that connects with our spiritual selves, and a mind that helps us reason. Our bodies are what we see, feel, hear, and process this world with. It is flesh that God formed from dust and breathed life into. Our bodies are profoundly significant.

The Bible articulates the significance of our bodies in many places. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” God calls us temples of the Holy Spirit! He calls us His. He tells us we are valuable because God gave so much so we could find freedom here on Earth in the skin we are currently in. 

Our culture throws so many mixed messages about how key our bodies are to how we feel, experience pleasure, find peace and comfort, internalize shame, and cultivate health. 

Many of us are sold the lies that our flesh is the boss of us. It does not need to surrender to the loving guidelines the scripture lays out for how we use our bodies. When we find something that makes our bodies feel good that is what we should chase after. Our flesh is our leader and our god. 

Others are living under the weight of the lie that you should live in shame over what your bodies look like. Living always striving for that perfect shape, color, style, hair, and more. Sadly, this lie from the enemy seeps into our minds so much younger than we can imagine. Studies show that children as young as three can begin to develop body image issues. 

No wonder we are all confused, struggling to find the right way to be in a body as a believer. The devil is on the move distracting us from God’s truth that we are HIS, valuable because we were bought at a price and called to be a holy temple that reflects God’s own nature with our lives.

Be a good steward of the body God has given you because it is a gift. 
God has called us to care for our bodies because we are precious vessels, not out of shame. He wants us to honor our bodies with our habits because he wants us to be free from shame, and he wants us to enjoy this tent he has given us as much as we can. When we approach our diet and lifestyle goals, we need to break up with the message of the world that says you need to do this because you are failing or aren’t good enough, or aren’t loveable. These are lies! You are loved! You are enough! You are beautiful! 

Let’s invest in our health, in caring for ourselves, in feeding ourselves well, moving our bodies, allowing space to rest, and making room for community and more because we want to be good stewards of the gift of life God has given us. We don’t have to be compelled by shame but can see our daily movement or our green salad for lunch as a choice that we make because we know we are so loved. 

Your body is a vessel created for worship. 

1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Our bodies are connected to our spiritual journeys therefore, what we do with our bodies matters to God. When we begin to view how we use our bodies as a matter of worship, we gain a healthy lens to filter our desires through. Proverbs 14:12 warns us that there is a way that appears right to man but, in the end, leads to death.

God’s lens of truth that we find in the Bible guides us and tells us that we should be careful what we consume (Ephesians 5:18), it gives us parameters on how our sexuality should be expressed (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), it instructs us to be mindful about what we watch avoiding worthless things (Psalm 101:3), God encourages us to use kind words because our tongues are powerful (Ephesians 4:29), and more! 

Basically, our bodies are the way we express our faith. Every part of how we use them is a part of our worship of God. When we see our lives this way, we realize the grace that comes into our lives when we walk surrendered to God and not to our sinful passions. 

Our bodies need rest. 
We all need a rhythm that includes daily time to rest and connect with the Lord. This can look like morning coffee, reading, and journaling. Whatever it looks like for you it should be a time of daily rest and connection with our living God. We need a weekly Sabbath. This is a day of worship and relaxation. We honor God when we honor our body's need for rest. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Take time to reflect on the beliefs you hold about your body and how they connect to your faith. Are you living in shame? Have you failed to surrender your desires to the Lord? Have you neglected caring for your body? Pray and ask God to help you love him with your body well. 

Could a God Who Allows Suffering Truly Be Good?..Chris Russell

 Could a God Who Allows Suffering Truly Be Good?

By Chris Russell

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” - Genesis 50:20

Today’s passage gives us a beautiful glimpse at God’s amazing plan, which was set into place before the universe began. Joseph had to go through incredible heartache as a result of the horrible sins that his brothers committed toward him. They hated him with a perfect hatred. They sold him into slavery, and they hoped to never see him again. It appeared that there was no hope that Joseph would ever again be happy again.

But God was able to take an event even as terrible as this and use it for something beautiful. Through Joseph’s slavery, God was able to rescue the entire family of Jacob and turn them into the great nation of Israel. Wow! What a plan!

There is no such thing as random pain. God has a divine purpose for everything, and He can often accomplish things through suffering that He would not be able to accomplish in any other way.

Because God is omniscient (He knows everything),  He truly sees the big picture. He truly knows what’s best for us. He knows what will bring the ultimate good for mankind.  And He allows suffering at times to bring about that ultimate good –- in mankind in general, and in your life in particular.

As a parent, I occasionally have to do the same thing with my kids. My daughter may not understand why we would have to take her to the doctor to get a shot, but that medical treatment would be for her ultimate good. I can see the big picture in a way that she does not always fully understand… yet. At some point she will… perhaps.

One thing in this life about which you can be sure is that God loves you dearly. And the suffering that you experience is somehow related to His love for you. And this can only be understood fully as it is seen from His eternal, “out-of-this-world” vantage point.

TODAY’S BIG IDEA:  “Suffering can be an extension of God’s goodness when it is viewed from the perspective of God and eternity.”

A Prayer for the Elderly..Emma Danzey

 A Prayer for the Elderly

By Emma Danzey

1 Timothy 5:1 says, “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers.”

Over and over in Scripture, we see a common command of God to respect those who are older than us and to not forget them in their old age. There is such beauty in learning from the generations who have come before us. We all have things that we can take away from each other. Many times we can see disrespect and people begin to ignore those who are older; however, we know from the Bible that there is great benefit in listening to godly wisdom from those with gray hair.

1 Timothy 5:1 tells us not to rebuke those who are aging but to encourage them. This can mean when we are teaching about the newest technologies, we honor them with the way we share. This can mean when we are getting impatient at someone’s slower pace, that we ourselves slow down and be respectful. This can mean when we have relatives who are older we value them and give them a place of honor. Today, we are going to take some time to pray over the elderly.

Let's Pray:

Lord,
Thank you so much for the ability to pray on behalf of those who have lived years before us. We are grateful for their knowledge and experiences. God, we pray for those who do not know you and never made a decision to accept You as Savior. Would you help them to know today that it is not too late and they are not too far gone? Give them the courage to trust what You have promised that anyone who calls on Your name will be saved. Help them to notice their aging bodies and take immediate action for their spiritual condition. Reveal Your love to them and help them to become Your children.

We pray over those who feel forgotten today, whether this is intentional or unintentional from their family and friends. God, would you give them a sense of being seen by You even when they feel alone? Would you help those in their lives to remember to reach out and visit? Give them confidence in their identity and purpose in You. Help them to find joy in the everyday regardless of circumstances. We ask that their awareness of Your presence would be so great that they do not feel alone but know that You are always with them. We ask that their prayer lives would be lively and rich. We pray for them to know You deeply.

God, we pray for those who are just trying their best each day to serve You despite ailments and frustrations. Would you remind them that they are valuable to Your kingdom's work today and always? Would you grow their faith and trust in You through this and provide incredible ministry opportunities for them? Help them to feel wanted and useful in the body of Christ. Give them ministry platforms in this season of their lives.

Lord, we pray over those who are caring for the elderly. We pray for family members, neighbors, friends, and nurses who spend their time investing in the health and well-being of these people. We pray for them to have grace, understanding, compassion, and kindness. Bless these people who choose to honor You, Lord, in their love of others. Thank You for their calling and passion to love those who are often forgotten.

We pray for strength and wisdom in decision-making for the elderly. We ask that you would make living arrangements, healthcare, and community clear for them. Give them the best quality of life possible. We ask for Your peace to transcend their understanding and as they prepare to meet You in eternity, would you give them an even greater boldness to share Your gospel and proclaim the truth of your love to those around them? Bless them with rest, renewal, and strength. Help them to give themselves grace each day and to find their joy in You.

Thank you for the elderly people who You have placed in our lives. Help us to honor them today and every day. Amen.