Devotionals
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MONDAY:
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Well, we are here. It may not be what you dream about. But it is home for the week. It might not be who you would have picked to hang with, but it is your family. It may not be what you wanted to eat, but at least you had food. It may not, it may not, it may not, BUT IT IS.
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Our lives are full of these realities. It may not be, but it is! Pretty deep I know. But let’s stop thinking about us for a second and start thinking about God. How often is He what we expected. From our very first encounters as humans, He has always done things differently. He has loved us in ways we would have never thought. He has fought evil different than we would have. He has listened and cared when we never would have. HE HAS…
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Read Isaiah 55:8-11
We will not understand what God is doing. It’s what makes Him God. What we can do is trust that he knows what he is doing, and work with him.
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This week we will be working with people and families who live in a state of “it may not.” Not having enough food, being treated different, not having a home, not having money, not getting a break. This week God is choosing to use you to be His “BUT” However, the sentence is more like – It may not be, but I AM! He is listening, working, caring, reminding, and loving. God is! This week he wants to use you to fill the gap and make people aware of his presence. He is using you to move from disappointment (it may not) to acknowledgment (I AM – IMMANUEL-GOD WITH US). God still is at work and he isn’t done yet.
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What is one way you can be the “BUT” this week and help people see what God is doing?
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TUESDAY
This week is about your heart. What are you doing with it? What have you done with it? What will you do with it? Those are big questions we can look at later. Right now I want to focus on a simple action of the heart called love. Love is a verb. Love is action. It requires doing to make it work. Many people have had many things to say about love. Our Bibles do too. I want us to look at two in particular.
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Read I John 3:16-18 - that’s 1st John 3:16-18 just in case you thought it was a typo.
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In case you weren’t sure what love is John tells you immediately. In verse 18 he goes on to let us know that love is not something we say it is something we do.
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Read I John 4:7-12
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Yeah those are some awesome verses about love. But the end of verse 8 always sticks out to me. GOD IS LOVE. He is action. He is moving. And if we are his followers then we better get moving if we are gonna keep up with him. This week you will be loving with your actions and service.
Ask God to help you use your heart to love these people in a special way.
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WEDNESDAY:
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Read Romans 12:9-21, don’t just read it to read it. Read slowly and take it in.
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Some of the greatest instructions for life with others is right here. Sometimes we struggle in our relationships because we don’t put these ideas into practice.
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Write two other lessons on relationships with others you have learned that you could add to this scripture.
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As you spend time within your own group today, find one person who you could develop a better relationship with and practice these ideas with them.
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THURSDAY:
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What breaks your heart? What is it that makes you wanna do something to change it? Where do these desires and anger come from? How can these really be used to show me what I am called to do?
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Used incorrectly our passions can become destructive. But, when our passions for justice and love are in tune with God’s heart, they can become a Holy Anger and a driving force for our lives. Look at what Jesus did with his anger.
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Read John 2:13-17
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Jesus uses his frustration to bring about fairness in the temple. He used it to teach them about who he was. How will you use your passions?
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Write down what you feel God is calling you to do –
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FRIDAY:
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You have been chosen. Chosen to carry the love of God into the world. Chosen to share His story. Chosen to cherished by God. Chosen to be His adopted children.
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Read Ephesians 1:4-5
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Along with our choosiness is our blessedness. It doesn’t mean blessed in material things but in spiritual things. We have been blessed. Our call from God is to bless others through this.
Read Genesis 12:2-3
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Abram was told he would be blessed so he could bless others. Aren’t we to do the same? And what about God’s forgiveness of us and giving us a new heart? What do we do about that?
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Read Psalm 51:13-15
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David used his voice and his actions to let others know what God had done for him.Today and for the rest of your life, remember, you have been chosen by God, saved by God, and loved by God so that you will do the same for others.
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