Week of 2/5 Scripture to Memorize: Hebrews 11:1-3 Day 1 Reflect ...
Week of 2/5 Scripture to Memorize: Hebrews 11:1-3 Day 1 Read: Matthew 6:25-34 Reflect: What anxieties are you feeling right now? How are these worries working against your trust in God? Take a moment to reflect over how God has provided in your past. Consider: While stress and worry are the natural state of so many in our world, Jesus is calling us to place our faith in something greater than ourselves. Stress tells us we need to work harder and longer but promises no hope. Faith in our creator and sustainer God will not bring empty returns. Even when all seems to be in turmoil, we can rest assured that God is good (Ps 107:1), in control (Ps 23:1-4), and working for our good (Romans 8:28). Respond: Will you move your trust from self to God? Are you willing to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and allow God to rule and reign in your life? What do you need to release control of today to take a step on this journey? Day 2 Read: Matthew 14:22-33 Reflect: What was Jesus showing His followers by walking on the waves? How does Peter’s request (v.28) reveal faith? How does Peter’s sinking (v. 30) show a change of heart? Consider: How do you respond when Jesus says “Come!”? So often, we cry out in prayer for God to reveal Himself and show us what to do – but how do we handle God’s answers? Jesus promises a powerful faith (one that can move mountains) yet are we willing to journey with Him? Following Jesus is a bumpy, rocky, thorny road but it is the road to eternal life. He is the way - only way. And sometimes this way calls us to step out on the waves. Respond: Are you willing to step out of the boat? Are you willing to follow Jesus where fear, danger, and uncertainty reside? Are you willing to step out of the norm of your daily life to live as Jesus lived? What step can you take today to respond to the burdens/passions/ needs of those around you?
Day 3 Read: Matthew 8:5-13 Reflect: Why is Jesus so impressed with this man? Why do you think Matthew made sure to include this account in his Gospel? Consider: “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (v.8). Talk about someone who truly believed in the power of Jesus to change lives. This army commander understands power and as he looks at this traveling teacher Jesus he sees power. His request is simple, say it and it will happen. The faith of this man works against convention, calling for the illogical and yet it is that very faith that heals his servant miles away. Respond: Jesus tells us plainly in Matthew 7:7-10 that God responds to those who ask. So start asking! Share with God your needs/worries/fears/hurts. Ask and believe that He can and will respond to you. Day 4 Read: Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-40 Reflect: Take a moment to reflect on 2-3 of the stories that are referenced in the reading and reflect on the faith of the ones involved. Consider: For a lot of us who have been on the journey of following Jesus for many years, sometimes the idea of faith is overshadowed. We see our belief in the unseen as normal and mundane, but it is anything other than that. When we surrender our lives to follow Christ, we are putting aside our hopes, dreams, and wishes to chase solely after the invisible God who promises us an eternal home. On the journey, we will experience trials, heartache, and like many in Hebrews 11 an ending short of fully experiencing what we have set out to find, but this does not mean life is wasted. As Christians, we live not for this world, but for a “better country…a heavenly one” (11:16). Faith will be tested in this world, but we rest in the truth that faith will be rewarded in the next. Respond: What in your life requires Faith? What area of your life requires God to show up each day? Finish today by taking a moment to look past your current trials and consider the great day when you are united with Christ, at home with the Lord. Day 5 Read: James 4:13-17 Reflect: What does James want us to understand by calling life a “mist” (v.14)? How does the statement in v. 15 differ from v.13? Consider: Most of us are planners. We plan our meals, weeks, and vacations. But often life has a way of disrupting our plans. James is revealing to us here that no matter how much we plan or how good of a planner we may be, we must understand that we are not in control. Our plans hang in the balance awaiting God’s sovereign hand. Understanding our situation in light of God’s position is a healthy practice for us. We must place our plans under His supreme hand. In doing so, we are better able to see His great power and our great need for Him.
Respond: Confess to God the ways in which you have moved without Him. Praise God for His awesome works and amazing love towards you. Ask Him to speak to you today. Ask Him to guide your heart, mind and soul to the place where He is working and where He wants you to join.
Day 3 Read: Matthew 8:5-13 Reflect: Why is Jesus so impressed with this man? Why do you think Matthew made sure to include this account in his Gospel? Consider: “Only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (v.8). Talk about someone who truly believed in the power of Jesus to change lives. This army commander understands power and as he looks at this traveling teacher Jesus he sees power. His request is simple, say it and it will happen. The faith of this man works against convention, calling for the illogical and yet it is that very faith that heals his servant miles away. Respond: Jesus tells us plainly in Matthew 7:7-10 that God responds to those who ask. So start asking! Share with God your needs/worries/fears/hurts. Ask and believe that He can and will respond to you. Day 4 Read: Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-40 Reflect: Take a moment to reflect on 2-3 of the stories that are referenced in the reading and reflect on the faith of the ones involved. Consider: For a lot of us who have been on the journey of following Jesus for many years, sometimes the idea of faith is overshadowed. We see our belief in the unseen as normal and mundane, but it is anything other than that. When we surrender our lives to follow Christ, we are putting aside our hopes, dreams, and wishes to chase solely after the invisible God who promises us an eternal home. On the journey, we will experience trials, heartache, and like many in Hebrews 11 an ending short of fully experiencing what we have set out to find, but this does not mean life is wasted. As Christians, we live not for this world, but for a “better country…a heavenly one” (11:16). Faith will be tested in this world, but we rest in the truth that faith will be rewarded in the next. Respond: What in your life requires Faith? What area of your life requires God to show up each day? Finish today by taking a moment to look past your current trials and consider the great day when you are united with Christ, at home with the Lord. Day 5 Read: James 4:13-17 Reflect: What does James want us to understand by calling life a “mist” (v.14)? How does the statement in v. 15 differ from v.13? Consider: Most of us are planners. We plan our meals, weeks, and vacations. But often life has a way of disrupting our plans. James is revealing to us here that no matter how much we plan or how good of a planner we may be, we must understand that we are not in control. Our plans hang in the balance awaiting God’s sovereign hand. Understanding our situation in light of God’s position is a healthy practice for us. We must place our plans under His supreme hand. In doing so, we are better able to see His great power and our great need for Him.
Respond: Confess to God the ways in which you have moved without Him. Praise God for His awesome works and amazing love towards you. Ask Him to speak to you today. Ask Him to guide your heart, mind and soul to the place where He is working and where He wants you to join.
