Discipleship Network Forum

    Some time ago, I decided to stop making new year's resolutions.  I had been faithfully making resolutions, and watched as year after year, I failed to follow through with much of them.  I then would make the same ones the next year, and on, and on, with no success.

    I prayerfully.decided instead, to begin to set realistic goals for myself, and then create a journal of my activities as per these goals.  At year's end, I am able to go over the journal, and see where I've been successful, and where I have failed to live up to my goals.

    This has worked for me, and I am able to see where I have grown spiritually, and the areas where more prayer, and discipline are needed.  It is a great way to keep track of the important things in my life that matters, and certainly helps me to be more purposeful in prayer.

    The best way to begin the year, for those of us who trust in God, is to invite Him into every area of our lives.  Therefore this is always the number one goal, for it is only with His guidance and direction, that we are able to accomplish anything.

    So, as we enter this new year, let us begin by focusing our eyes on Jesus, as He is the one that begins, and ends faith.

Pastor Jean. Davy

While I love to read, once I’ve finished a book, I usually don’t want to read it again. Except for one book–God’s Holy and Living Word. This morning in Genesis 19, I discovered something new about Abraham’s brother Lot. When commanded to flee Sodom (an openly wicked city), he was told to take his family and run to the mountains.

“After they brought them out of the city, one of the men said, ‘Run for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Run to the mountains, or you will be destroyed’” (Genesis 19:17, New Century Version).

Amazingly Lot negotiated with the two men who were sent to save him. His excuse? “I can’t make it.” Rather he wanted to run to the little town Zoar because it seemed “reachable”. The men agreed and paused Sodom’s destruction until Lot’s family arrived safely. Soon Lot feared staying there.

“Lot was afraid to continue living in Zoar, so he and his two daughters went to live in the mountains in a cave” (19:30, NCV).

Spiritually we often settle for “little,” especially when we’re depending upon our own logic and strength. God’s plan always involves rock solid faith found in his mountains of truth. When obedience is at stake, little doesn’t work.

 Cultivate Your Writing

So, there I was in Mark, Chapter 4 this morning, all nice and comfortable - smug even because unlike the disciples I knew what the parables meant - even as I was about to move on to Chapter 5 I was still feeling a little superior because I could answer the question. You know the one, "Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!" (Mk 4:41). Silly disciples, isn't it obvious that this is God's Son with all the power and authority of God.

But then, this little voice is going, "That's not the question Ray, that's not the question, Ray, that's..." You get the idea. What is the question in Mark 4? It's "Am I cowardly? Do I still not have faith?" Because at first that answer seems obvious, of course I have faith, faith in Chist as my Lord and Saviour. But, the voice kept asking.

So here's the question: Was Christ asking whether they had faith enough to trust that they'd get through the storm or was he asking why they didn't have faith enough to do what he'd just done and command the storm? To be or not to be? That is always the question.

I am always being dragged away and enticed by the world and Satan, that dog who won’t go away but hounds me constantly. I feel like I am constantly fighting with hardly any relief. The best relief that I have found always comes from the Scriptures. God’s Word is the best anti-venom for counter-acting the poison of sin. The writer of Hebrews says this about temptation: “For because He [Jesus] himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18.

I don’t always think of “suffering” through temptation. I usually think of temptation as annoying and bothersome, like being outside when the mosquitoes are really bad. But this verse says that Jesus “suffered” through temptation. He had to endure it and it was not pleasant. But we don’t like pain, we crave pleasure, we avoid pain at all costs. So we give in to temptation because it is more pleasurable (at least in the short run) than suffering and enduring through and not giving into temptation. But we must see the reality of life in a fallen world, where the battle rages for our souls.

The reality that temptation will always be present (until Jesus comes back) and so we will always be in a constant state of suffering, of enduring and fighting off temptation. Suffering in this life is inescapable, but thanks be to God who has given us a Savior who not only can empathize with our suffering but gives us the grace and strength to endure it and fight it off. I John 2:15-17 shows us the Truth:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

Ask the Lord to give you strength and grace to suffer and not give into sin just because it seems more pleasurable – for ultimately sin kills and destroys us – only holiness and purity bring life and this is what Jesus has clothed us with. Pray that God will satisfy you with Jesus and His overwhelming love rather than the passing things of this world. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper

All for Jesus,

Fletch

In my vocation, I do problem-solving, performance improvement work.

Over the years, I have worked in healthcare, state/federal governments, non-profits, engineering and construction, and biotechnology. One of the biggest challenges I have faced is to get those with whom I engage/consult to see improvement as a process and not an event.

Many in the church are likewise disinclined to see discipleship as a process instead preferring to see it as an event. Much like the proverbial child in the backseat of the car on a long trip (to them!), we keep crying out, "Are we THERE yet?!" In our 60 second sound bite, attention deficit, and etch-a-sketch world, it is challenging - at best - to stay on The Way for the long view.

So much of the Bible speaks to this proclivity of believers to get weary, want to stop, to turn around and go back to our own personal "Egypt," or to just plant ourselves at some point in development as a disciple that we can look back and see we are "better" than we were (than others are) and that we can look forward and see there is yet a place for us to grow up/in to so we have a built in excuse of, "I'm not THERE yet."

Just me...