9/15/2023 0 Comments Pointing Others to GodGod calls us to not only give sacrificially to the church but also to the world outside of the church. As the church body we are the actual hands and feet of Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul calls us Christ’s ambassadors; we speak for Christ! How would you feel if every time you did something good at work or home your boss or sibling was praised for it? That would be frustrating, yet this is how we are to live, in such a way that God gets the credit for “our” good deeds. Our “good deeds” should point others to our heavenly Father. After Jesus healed the blind man, the healed man and the people watching did not bow down and worship Jesus, even though he would have deserved that, they began praising God the Father. Jesus’ life always pointed back to the Father. This is what sacrificial giving looks like, giving without receiving the “reward” of praise and adulation for our giving, as Jesus did.
Questions for further thought: 1. Where am I “taking credit” that actually should go to God? 2. In what ways can I be an ambassador for Christ in my everyday life? Challenge: Think of one person you encounter throughout your week that does not know Christ. Pray for God to show you how you can be an “ambassador” by giving sacrificially to that person in a way that will point them to God.
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9/14/2023 0 Comments Loving the Church SacrificiallyDo you know a family that you envy? A family you know well enough to see behind the “Facebook” curtain; and you want to be a part of that family because they love each other so well? The Bible says the world knew the early believers were followers of Jesus because of the love they showed for each other. Jesus tells us we are to love each other the way he loves us! Jesus’ love was a sacrificial love, it included laying down his very life for us! While God is probably not calling most of us to lay down our actual lives, he does call us to love sacrificially. This starts with our church family. This can be hard; we already feel overextended in our lives. How do we find the time and energy to love those outside our immediate family? We are not called to do this alone, but as a unified church body. When we sacrificially give alongside others, it no longer feels like a burden, but begins to feel like a deep joy. Are we loving each other in a way that makes others want to be a part of Christ’s family?
Questions for further thought: 1. In what ways are you loving the people of your church body? 2. In what ways could you contribute to making your church body a place others will look at and want to be a part of because they see Christ’s love? Challenge: Think of one way this week that you can show your love for your church body; take a meal to a single mom or a senior citizen, send an encouraging note to someone, etc. 9/13/2023 0 Comments Contributing to the Church BodyPaul describes the church as a body with many parts. No ONE part is any more important than another. “…. each of you is a part of it (the body)”, not just some of us, not just the pastors and elders and teachers, but EACH of us. The church body can function without each person contributing, just as our bodies can function with some of its parts not working. However, just like our bodies, the church will not function to its highest potential without each part functioning properly. God has a special part for you to play, a part only you were designed for. When we function in the unique roles God has designed for us we experience the deep joy of being able to participate in God’s plan for the church as a whole.
Questions for further thought: 1. If you were not a part of your family or your work community what would that community be missing? 2. Is God asking you to fulfill a similar role in the body of the church? Challenge: If you don’t currently know how to find the “part” that fits you best, talk to one of the church leaders to see where your unique desires and abilities can be used to meet unmet needs. 9/12/2023 0 Comments Deepening Family BondsWho are the people you would say know you most completely? For most of us that is our family, whether the family we grew up in, our spouses and/or children or the “families” we have created out of our friends. We often use family descriptors for those people such as, “he is like a brother to me,” “she is my second mother,” etc. Jesus uses the language of family when he talks about his followers, calling them brothers, sisters, and mothers. He expects the church to function as a family. Part of being a family involves spending time together and knowing each other well. Jesus calls us to sacrificially work alongside each other to bring the good news about him to the world. It is difficult to really give sacrificially alongside others without first building a foundation of love and trust with those we are working with. Developing those relationships requires time and energy, but that time and energy will be well spent. Just as with the other “family” relationships in our lives, we will find that we often receive back much more than we give.
Questions for further thought: 1. Who can I name that I would consider close members of my church family? 2. In what ways am I working to develop deeper relationships with my church family? Challenge: If you are not currently involved in a small group setting find a group you can participate in. On the church center app you will find a variety of small groups such as Bible studies, fellowship, and service groups where you can get to know other church members on a deeper level. 9/11/2023 0 Comments Division in the ChurchIn Matthew 10:2-4 the writer lists the twelve disciples. In that list he gives a few descriptors such as James son of Zebedee, James son of Alphaeus, etc. Most of these descriptors are benign, often using family relationships as a way of identification. But then he includes a couple of less benign descriptors. Descriptors that identify more than family relationships. He points out Simon the zealot and Matthew the tax collector. Why these descriptions? Partly to distinguish one Simon or Matthew from another, but I think there is a larger story here as well. Simon and Matthew could not be further apart on the political spectrum. Zealots, such as Simon, actively, sometimes violently, opposed working with the government while Matthew, a tax collector, not only worked with the government, but assisted the government in exploiting his fellow Jews. As fellow disciples these two were now brothers, in the deepest sense of the word. Called to come together as one in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to the world! Jesus very clearly calls us to be one body, united in love together before the world. He says that through this unity we will show the world who Christ is. In our current political climate, how seriously do we take this command? How often do we let ourselves be divided from our fellow believers over our politics? How often does the world look at us and see our politics rather than our heavenly Father?
Questions for further thought: 1. Do the people around me know more about what I stand for politically than they do about my relationship with my heavenly Father? What would it look like if I were as vocal about my faith as I am about my politics? 2. How am I letting politics create divisions between myself and other believers? Challenge: Seek out someone (maybe even a fellow believer) who you know holds different political views than you do. REALLY listen to why they hold the views they do. DO NOT respond to try to “bring them over to your side.” See what common ground you can find with each other. Jesus was about being compassionate to everyone. We have the ability (and the command) to share about how God has blessed us. First Christ died on the cross for us, but also the Holy Spirit shows compassion to us every day.
Questions for further thought: 1. Name a pre-Christian who needs to hear about God’s compassion. 2. What can you share with them? Challenge: Go ahead and contact the pre-Christian this weekend and have a loving conversation with them about God’s compassion. Be compassionate with them during this conversation. 9/7/2023 0 Comments Compassion by RestorationZacchaeus met with Jesus and had a heart-to-heart talk. Jesus talked to him about giving back to the poor and the refunding all that he cheated from his tax collecting. Zacchaeus would pay back four times the amount he overcharged. In turn, Jesus gave his blessing on Zacchaeus and his household for understanding he needed to restore his wrongs.
Questions for further thought: 1. Who is someone you have wronged and need to pay back? 2. How can you restore that wrong with that person? Challenge: Determine the steps needed to do the restoration. Follow through with those steps, and let others know so they can keep you accountable. 9/6/2023 0 Comments Compassion in GriefThe widow had just lost her only son. She was grieving. The last thing she needed was to be surrounded by a crowd without compassion. Yet there was one man in that crowd, Jesus, who showed compassion. He loved on her during her time of grief.
Questions for further thought: 1. Who was someone shown you compassion during a time of grieving? 2. Is there someone you know who is currently grieving? Challenge: How can you show compassion to someone currently in grief? Can you pray for them? Comfort them? Allow them to share their thoughts with you? There are many ways to be compassionate to them. 9/5/2023 0 Comments Compassion by HumilityJesus showed tough love to the tough man by correcting his thinking on what it takes to obey God. The rich man was prideful in his accomplishments, but Jesus advised him he needed to re-focus his priorities. He needed to learn humility.
Questions for further thought: 1. Who is someone who shows humility around you? 2. How is that person humble? Challenge: We are called to serve each other in humility. Who can you serve in humility? 9/4/2023 0 Comments Compassion in ConfusionWhen Jesus was traveling through the Holy Land preaching in different towns, He saw many people who needed a leader. Jesus showed compassion to them by leading them. Through the Holy Spirit, we have a leader who gives us the guidance on how to show compassion to others, just like Jesus showed to the people in His time.
Questions for further thought: 1. What are some examples of how Jesus was compassionate? 2. How has someone shown compassion to you? Challenge: Find a way to show compassion to someone else. |
AuthorThis devotional is written every week by Hillcrest members. Archives
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