God is the same yesterday, today, and forever
It's amazing to see that God's way with us has been consistent throughout the Bible. To compare Deuteronomy to Matthew, to look at the way God walked with Israel in both seasons of their lives, to look at God's pursuit of Adam and Eve in the garden and to compare it to the hope God gives us for eternity with Him in Revelation...it's amazing.
Is it any wonder that in God's invitation to follow Him that He would want our lives, our homes, our activities, etc., to be like His? Not at all.
Let's think through this lifestyle a bit more.
How can we cultivate a disciplemaking way of life and intentionally lean in to Jesus together in mutual community?
The first thing we need is a fresh walk with Jesus. You certainly don't need any more of me, but rather, more Jesus flowing out of me; so that, when I bump into people "as I am going" Jesus splashes off on them.
Bible: This fresh walk is cultivated by spending time with Jesus, together. It's one thing to spend time reading the Bible and praying, but we have been invited into a community of disciplemakers by our God who Himself, exists in community. We need to study and wrestle the word of God together. There is a beautiful blessing to listen to the Holy Spirit speak through others as we read the Bible and hear God speak.
Prayer: To pray together, to listen and converse with God together, is the next part of a fresh walk with Jesus. This opportunity gives us the chance to communicate with God together, sharing our hearts and listening to God's as we can be still and know that He is God.
Love one another: To love is to seek another's blessing. As we experience the love of God, and begin to understand and see how God sees us, we are able to--with new eyes and ears, and a soft heart--begin to understand who we are because we more clearly understand how God sees us. This is fact helps us to better understand how God sees others, and in turn, changes how we see others. This leads to us be able to more and more compassionately take next steps together with Jesus.
Worship: To celebrate who God is and what He is doing. The opportunity to share what we are learning about God, to remember who God is, to be thankful for what He is doing--together, is amazing. God is a God worthy of our worship, and this is something that must be shared with others, it just cannot be contained. God is amazing!
These mark a holistic understanding of a fresh walk with Jesus, and it is something we were created to do together with Jesus. We cannot do one only, or miss two and be complete. Also, this is something that we cannot do as a checklist, and be complete. It is the reality of doing this TOGETHER, and the reality of doing this together WITH JESUS that makes it so. It is a way of life. It is God's power working in and through us that accomplishes this. We have been invited to follow Him. We have been invited to abide and remain (John 15) and like the branch, we get to hang out with God. How do we love God?
"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"
-Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NIV www.biblegateway.com
There are two things I want to ask you to consider:
1.) Who are you keeping your walk with Jesus fresh with?
2.) And, who are you splashing off on?
Since God has created us for such a time as this; and, since He has prepared in advance good works for us to do; and, since you are made in the image of God; and, since we are called to follow Him; and, you and I are where we are in life...
I assume that there are people in each of our worlds that God has intentionally placed us around. Since we get to splash off on people (new and shiny moments--I'll explain this in an upcoming post) who is in our lives? And, who is in our lives that we are missing?
I have an exercise for you:
Take a piece of paper and write down all the people in your life. Take about 10 minutes to do so, before reading on. Then scroll down for the second part...
Didja finish?
OK, ready.
Now, I want you to take the list and pray and ask God to open your eyes, and open your ears, and soften your heart to be able to see the people that you missed.
When He shows you these people, add them in a second column in your list.
Spend the next week doing this, and we can talk about this then.
I'll be praying with you.
In Christ
Eric
[Again, I am deeply grateful for the Garda's and CadreMinistries--these ideas have come from them, their input, their walking a disciplemaking life with me together with Jesus. Check them out at
www.cadreministries.com ]
Is it any wonder that in God's invitation to follow Him that He would want our lives, our homes, our activities, etc., to be like His? Not at all.
Let's think through this lifestyle a bit more.
How can we cultivate a disciplemaking way of life and intentionally lean in to Jesus together in mutual community?
The first thing we need is a fresh walk with Jesus. You certainly don't need any more of me, but rather, more Jesus flowing out of me; so that, when I bump into people "as I am going" Jesus splashes off on them.
Bible: This fresh walk is cultivated by spending time with Jesus, together. It's one thing to spend time reading the Bible and praying, but we have been invited into a community of disciplemakers by our God who Himself, exists in community. We need to study and wrestle the word of God together. There is a beautiful blessing to listen to the Holy Spirit speak through others as we read the Bible and hear God speak.
Prayer: To pray together, to listen and converse with God together, is the next part of a fresh walk with Jesus. This opportunity gives us the chance to communicate with God together, sharing our hearts and listening to God's as we can be still and know that He is God.
Love one another: To love is to seek another's blessing. As we experience the love of God, and begin to understand and see how God sees us, we are able to--with new eyes and ears, and a soft heart--begin to understand who we are because we more clearly understand how God sees us. This is fact helps us to better understand how God sees others, and in turn, changes how we see others. This leads to us be able to more and more compassionately take next steps together with Jesus.
Worship: To celebrate who God is and what He is doing. The opportunity to share what we are learning about God, to remember who God is, to be thankful for what He is doing--together, is amazing. God is a God worthy of our worship, and this is something that must be shared with others, it just cannot be contained. God is amazing!
These mark a holistic understanding of a fresh walk with Jesus, and it is something we were created to do together with Jesus. We cannot do one only, or miss two and be complete. Also, this is something that we cannot do as a checklist, and be complete. It is the reality of doing this TOGETHER, and the reality of doing this together WITH JESUS that makes it so. It is a way of life. It is God's power working in and through us that accomplishes this. We have been invited to follow Him. We have been invited to abide and remain (John 15) and like the branch, we get to hang out with God. How do we love God?
"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"
-Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NIV www.biblegateway.com
There are two things I want to ask you to consider:
1.) Who are you keeping your walk with Jesus fresh with?
2.) And, who are you splashing off on?
Since God has created us for such a time as this; and, since He has prepared in advance good works for us to do; and, since you are made in the image of God; and, since we are called to follow Him; and, you and I are where we are in life...
I assume that there are people in each of our worlds that God has intentionally placed us around. Since we get to splash off on people (new and shiny moments--I'll explain this in an upcoming post) who is in our lives? And, who is in our lives that we are missing?
I have an exercise for you:
Take a piece of paper and write down all the people in your life. Take about 10 minutes to do so, before reading on. Then scroll down for the second part...
Didja finish?
OK, ready.
Now, I want you to take the list and pray and ask God to open your eyes, and open your ears, and soften your heart to be able to see the people that you missed.
When He shows you these people, add them in a second column in your list.
Spend the next week doing this, and we can talk about this then.
I'll be praying with you.
In Christ
Eric
[Again, I am deeply grateful for the Garda's and CadreMinistries--these ideas have come from them, their input, their walking a disciplemaking life with me together with Jesus. Check them out at
www.cadreministries.com ]
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