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November 2, 2011

This weekend is the beginning of daylight savings time. In the Spring, we “sprang forward”, meaning we lost an our of our day. But in the fall, we “fall back” and actually gain an hour back. This Sunday, we get an hour we already have used back! Most of us will use that hour to catch up on our sleep.

But I have challenged our LifeSpring Leadership Team (LLT) to do something different this year with that hour. Maybe you would be interested in joining us. Here’s the challenge:

Take 15 minutes a day on Wednesday 11/2/11, Thursday 11/3/11, Friday 11/4/11, and Saturday 11/5/11 (15 minutes a day times 4 days equal 1 hour) and do the following

1) Take 5 minutes & read 2 Peter chapter 1 and jot down anything God shows you. (Read expecting God to show you something). Continue to do this for the whole 5 minutes.

2) Take 5 minutes & memorize Proverbs 3:5-6 (speak it out loud as you practice)

“Trust I the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

3) Take 5 minutes & Pray about what you have read, and memorized. Ask God to guide you and your church to becoming the loving, serving, & encouraging individual and community of believers that lead others to life changing encounters of Jesus love. Pray about whatever God lays on your heart.

Here is a sample of what I jotted down after reading 2 Peter 1:

Vs. 1. Peter identifies himself with Jesus as “a servant” and “an apostle” of Jesus Christ. As I looked at this , I realized that Peter is putting these words, these labels, in a certain order.

- Peter sees himself as a “servant” of Jesus before an “apostle”.

o Though the title of “apostle” or “disciple” may seem to carry some authority and power behind it, Peter seems to rather be identified as a servant of Jesus Christ first.

o Maybe I should do the same.

§ Would I rather have on my tombstone to identify what I did with my life …. “Pastor” or “Reverend” or “Husband” or “Father” or “Friend” or “Servant of Jesus Christ”.

o As I look at these words in print, I realize that in order for me to be the pastor, reverend, husband, father and friend God desires me to be, I must FIRST be the Servant of Jesus Christ that God calls me to be.

2 comments:

  1. Here's what stood out to me this morning:
    "So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others." (2 Peter 1:5-7 MSG)

    The questions I'm looking at is, where do I see these qualities being developed in my life? And how do I need to yield to the Holy Spirit to allow these qualities to be fully developed in me?

    This is important to me because I believe if I "possess these qualities in increasing measure" they WILL keep me from being "ineffective and unproductive in [my] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8 NIV)"

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  2. Hey Dorsia! Thanks for this challenge! It has been really good for me to do this. I like the Proverbs verses because it speaks to humility and obedience which are both things that I struggle with but want so badly to improve upon. I need to "get out of my own way" so to speak and let God work in my life. Memorizing the verses have just really helped to keep those things in the forefront of my thoughts this week. The chapter in 2 Peter is just so jam packed with good stuff, I read something new in it each time I go through it. I feel like verses 5-9 are just a very clear directional of what we are supposed to be doing...what we are called to do. We need to remember that our sins are forgiven and forgotten as far as God is concerned which means they should not be holding us back from doing his work. If they are holding us back it is our doing, not His. I want to possess the qualities spoken about in that passage so that I can be EFFECTIVE and PRODUCTIVE in my knowledge of Christ. Action...
    -Deb

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