Month: December 2013

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Lection Reflection 12/19/13

Verse
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG)

My Word or Phrase
Encouragement

My Image
I see myself in a hard, long race, but the sidelines are lined with those who went before us cheering and encouraging me to finish strong. It is their encouragement that helps me finish and not only that. It finish well. I remember my marathon.

My Invitation
My invitation is to listen to those encouraging me along my race and to be an encourager to others as they compete in their own race.

How are you at accepting encouragement along your journey? I know there are times when I ignore it or don’t give it a second thought. Remember, God has put those encourages in your path to cheer you on so that you can finish strong.

At the same time don’t forget to be an encourager to those people God has placed in your path.

Who encourages you? Who can you encourage?

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Winter Awakening

GRBSP-19 A few months ago I was journaling about how I felt that my soul was in a cold, dark time of winter hibernation. In a sense I was living off my spiritual reserves. I was alive but like winters in Minnesota there were really no external signs of life. There were, are parts of me that really enjoy this time alone with myself and God but it is not healthy to continually be in this dormant state.

Spring seems to have arrived for my soul. The stirring of the Spirit, the prayers of others, and simply the passage of time has led to this rebirth of my soul. I have started to send green shoots up into the sky – a tweet here, a brief blog post there – announcing that I am once again alive. Alive is not the word, I have always been alive, rather words like awake, aware, present, or active perhaps better describe my state now.

GRBSP-21Like the picture of the flower about to bloom, it is still not summer, but it is simply a matter of time before I will be in full bloom again. I can’t wait to see what this seasons blossoms will look like.

 

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Lectio Reflection 12/17/13

Verse
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for . They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:1-6 ESV)

My Word or Phrase
Overcome

My Image
I remember running my only marathon and being nagged by physical problems, but I overcame them and finished the race. We at times are nagged by the world but with the help of the Spirit we can overcome the world’s nagging.

My Invitation
To quit worrying about what the world thinks and push forward guided by God through the Spirit to do what God is calling me to do.

My question for you is who are you listening to, God or the world? Are you distracted by what the world is telling you? Remember, “he (the Spirit) who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”