5/17/2019 0 Comments TrustThese are perhaps my "go-to" verses in times of trial. I often need to be reminded that God really does have a plan for me and has my best interest in mind. It is extremely difficult to remember this when life is falling apart, when we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders and we feel like no one understands. Trust that God has "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
1. What is God's plan for you? 2. Do you look for good in all situations? Challenge: Trusting God is really hard when it seems He has abandoned you. Pray for the ability to trust through all circumstances and know that He has the power to make wrongs right again.
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5/16/2019 0 Comments The Worst Happened to the BestJesus is sinless. He has always been and will always be perfect, blameless - sinless. And yet the most evil act ever carried out was committed against Him. Satan convinced sinful men that Jesus had to be stopped and put to death. If this could happen to the most innocent man who ever lived, how can we possibly believe that we can skate through life unscathed? We will all have hard times, times where we are treated unfairly, times where we are persecuted for any number or things. Jesus knows how it feels. He has been there.
He has a plan to bring glory from our trials. 1. Do you believe Jesus can bring glory from tragedy? 2. Do you believe He did that on the cross? Challenge: Jesus suffered the most deplorable treatment on the cross because of His great love for us. His supernatural resurrection is the reason for great joy and celebration. Thank Him today for His gift and ask for the strength to follow Him no matter the cost. 5/15/2019 0 Comments Turning Bad to GoodThe story of Joseph (Genesis 37) is a great example of God's using bad circumstances for an ultimately greater good. Joseph, a good, righteous boy was betrayed by his brothers because he happened to be the "apple of his father's eye." After being sold into slavery, Joseph later was used by God to rescue his entire family from starvation and death in the wake of a terrible famine. Joseph recognized that his earlier suffering and injustice was God's plan to save his family.
1. Have you ever seen God turn harm into blessing? 2. Do you even think that is possible? Challenge: Joseph's faith is one we can learn from. Oh, that we could develop the kind of faith that recognizes that God will use our suffering for His glory. Pray for that kind of faith and heart. 5/14/2019 0 Comments This World is Not the EndPaul faced many hardships during his many ministry trips. Beatings, imprisonments and a particular "thorn of the flesh" were his constant companions. Even though Paul suffered constantly, he had an amazing ability to see past the hardships and focus on the prize - eternity. He took Jesus at His word and served Him wholeheartedly, even through the worst of circumstances.
1. Do you have a "thorn of the flesh" that is an issue for you? 2. How are you dealing with it? Challenge: Paul is an amazing example of working through adversity. In and through all things he praised and exalted Jesus for what He has done. He believed that Jesus did things for a reason and trusted Him even in bad times. (Psalm 34:18-20) Can you say the same of yourself? 5/13/2019 0 Comments JobJob, by all accounts, was a pretty good man. He is described as "blameless and upright." He feared God and shunned evil. Even after God allowed Satan to plunder all that Job had, he still didn't curse God. It is hard to understand why God would allow this kind of thing. Job didn't understand it either, but he was convinced that God was good and therefore continued to trust Him.
1. Have you suffered wrongs you didn't feel you deserved? 2. What (if anything) did you learn from that experience? Challenge: How in the world are we supposed to look for the good in the most tragic of circumstances? The illness or death of a child, a mass shooting, a fatal car crash? We need to remember that God's ways are not our ways. He has a much different perspective than we do. Read Isaiah 55:8. 5/10/2019 0 Comments When Pride Pushes BackRecent research shows that in any given week, 70% of people needed help but didn’t ask for it. Those who love to provide help are often the worst at seeking it. In order for there to be givers, however, there have to be receivers. Too much independence keeps us self-reliant, when we need to be moving steadily toward God-reliance. And God often provides the help we ask Him for in the form of people.
1. Think of a time in your life when you needed help and found it difficult to ask? Why was it hard? 2. Do you believe that asking for help can, at times, be good for us? Why or why not? Challenge: A very simple challenge. The next time someone offers assistance—and you need it—accept it graciously. Even if you prefer to do it yourself, this is a great way to bless them while building a bridge or strengthening a relationship. 5/9/2019 0 Comments Worthy or UnworthyWe are wired to judge. We look at or listen to a person and we immediately begin to categorize them. We rely on previous experience and the “wisdom” we’ve inherited from parents and friends to determine how we will deal with them. Fortunately, God gives us the opportunity and the power to go beyond our stereotypes, and to help others without judging. Every human is one of His creations—just like you and me.
1. Can you think of an individual or group of people that you believe aren’t worthy of God’s—and therefore, your—help? 2. If you answered yes, how did you become convinced of their unworthiness? If no, do your thoughts and actions toward them match up to your stated convictions? Challenge: Do you have a negative bias toward an individual or group? Admit it to God. Pray and ask God to help you see them as He does. Work to come to the point where you could willingly serve them in God’s name. 5/8/2019 0 Comments Inconvenience or Opportunity?Need doesn’t follow a schedule. How often do we dismiss the chance to help another that God lays in front of us because we have more pressing business to attend to. At least, that is how we rationalize it. While it is true that we do have obligations that must be met, there are also many times when God asks us to change our plans so they align with His. An opportunity to help is truly an opportunity to encounter God.
1. Can you think of a time when you were certain God was calling you to help another but you kept to your schedule instead? How did that turn out? 2. On the other hand, can you think of a time you kept that divine appointment? What was the outcome? Challenge: This week, watch for an opportunity to help someone, even if the timing doesn’t seem right to you. Trust in God’s agenda rather than yours. 5/7/2019 0 Comments Made for ThisSalvation is only the beginning of the journey for the believer. The Spirit goes to work transforming us into, among other things, helpers. Helping, or doing good works, is what we are re-created in Christ to do. When we truly become God’s handiwork through Christ’s sacrifice, He already has things lined up for us. We just have to be listening and looking to see where He wants us to help.
1. When you think of helping others, what sort of situation do you picture? 2. Can you think of a time or times when you clearly saw the task God had prepared for you to do? Challenge: Evaluate all the areas of your life that involve service to others. How is the balance of self-interest versus outward focus? If you’re right where God wants you to be, great! If not, there are plenty of helping opportunities. Ask our pastors, Outreach elder Jessi Copeland or Human Resources elder Jackie McNamara for help taking the next step. 5/6/2019 0 Comments Follow the LeaderI love me some me, that’s for sure. When I stop to think about it, so many of my thoughts and so much of my time and effort are focused directly on me—my plans, my needs, my problems, my happiness. That’s not the model Jesus set for us. Though He would have been well within His rights to focus on Himself, He set His rights aside and put us first, to the point of death.
1. If you had to guess, what percentage of your time is spent thinking of yourself versus thinking of others? 2. What does the fact that Jesus was just as willing to die for your neighbor as He was for you mean to you? Challenge: Pick a day this week and make a conscious decision to focus on everyone you encounter—at work, at the store, at home. Think about their situations. Listen to their interests and concerns. Don’t think about how they might impact you. Focus on how you might serve them. |
AuthorThis devotional is written every week by Hillcrest members. Archives
April 2024
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