SummerStudy Blog

Week 7: How has God spoken to you regarding being a servant?

Joseph — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:55:56 GMT

Serving can be a sore spot in the local church. More often then not, 10% of the congregation steps up to do 90% of the work. These faithful people then get burned out and "ministry" can begin to feel to them like a ball and chain. The joy is lost, and the focus can shift to attitudes of resentment toward those being served and those who are capable of helping but remain uninvolved. Some people are afraid of ministering. An opportunity to get involved will be brought up, and their response is like that of Moses when God called him to go talk to Pharaoh. "I can't do it! I don't have the skill! Please send someone else." The truth is that God wants us to be serving. The body of Christ needs EVERYONE to pitch in and do their part. If you have not taken the steps to get involved here at CDOBC, why not? Are you fearful you don't have what it takes, or maybe unsure of where you could best be used? Remember, God likes to use the weak things of this earth to shame the strong, and Scripture is full of examples of unimpressive men and women God used in mighty ways. If God give you a job, He will surely give you everything necessary to do it. If you are unsure where to begin, one of the secrets of serving is this: DO IT! Maybe you don't know what your gift is, but if I can speak plainly, you might never know unless you start getting involved. Do you already know what your gift is and for whatever reason have made the choice to not get involved? What is holding you back? DO IT! Take the plunge and experience the joy of God using you. If you are currently involved in serving, be careful to guard against burnout and bad attitudes that easily creep in. Are you trying to carry this ministry in your own strength and not trusting God for the results? Have you lost the joy of serving? Talk to God about it! One last thought. Serving does not equal church programs or ministries. A good place to get plugged in with serving is to visit the website serve page, but remember--we serve the Lord and other people. Maybe you just need to pick out a family or individual that you feel God pushing you to go reach out to and see where it goes. Ask God where He wants you and get going!

Week 6: What decisions will you begin making today in order to grow?

Joseph — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:55:14 GMT

We live in a "get-it-now" culture. As Warren states in chapter 29: "We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the on-the-spot solution. We want a sermon, a seminar, or an experience that will instantly resolve all problems, remove all temptation, and release us from all growing pains. But real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving. Growth is gradual." It is easy to get discouraged in the Christian life if we allow the "instant" mentality to form our expectations of how we should be growing in our likeness to Jesus. If we take a hard and honest look at our hearts, we will likely discover that we have a long road ahead of us as we strive toward Christlikeness. The good news is that God's Spirit lives inside of us--giving power to overcome sin in our life and helping us to desire the things of God. But God doesn't do everything for us. We are the ones who make choices every day, forming habits that either draw us closer to God, keep us stuck in a rut, or even cause us to slide backwards. What decisions will you begin making today in order to grow?

Week 5: What do we need to do in order for God to change the way we think?

Joseph — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:34:25 GMT

"To change your life, you must change the way you think. Behind everything you do is a thought. Every behavior is motivated by a belief, and every action is prompted by an attitude." If belief in God and His Word is not at the core of who we are, we really don't have much of a chance of living our lives the way God intended us to. Again: If belief in God and His Word is not at the core of who we are, we really don't have much of a chance of living our lives the way God intended us to. I was really challenged by the example Warren gave of trying to change the direction of the speedboat that is on autopilot. How many times do we as Christians try to "force" ourselves to be like Christ only to get burned out and lose hope when we revert to our status quo? We need to "change (our) autopilot--the way (we) think." This is both a conscience effort on our part (wanting to change, taking steps to change), but also a constant reliance on God as the agent of change. How have you achieved this balance in your own life of human effort and reliance on God? What are some ideas on how to better do this? Remember, none of us are perfect, and we all could use help!

Week 3: How do our emotions affect our walk with God, and how can we use them to grow?

Joseph — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:55:32 GMT

I am an emotional being. I know that I need to get up when my alarm goes off in the morning so I can hit the gym. But I don't always feel like it. I know I should be limiting myself from fatty foods high in sugars. But it's been a long day, and I deserve the junk food. All of us our emotional beings. So how does that affect our walk with God? How do we relate to Him when we are second-guessing His sovereignty? What do we do when we know we haven't spent time with Him lately but are feeling lazy and would rather watch some TV? How about when God feels distant? Our emotions are a gift from God, but sometimes they can just seem to get in the way. How can our emotions help us grow closer to God? Feel free to comment on anything else from this week's reading too!

Week 2: How do we faithfully live as ambassadors of heaven here in this material world?

Joseph — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:00:31 GMT

We live in a material world. A world in which we have legitimate needs for food, clothing, shelter, health care, transportation--the list goes on. Here in Oro Valley, we might add some other "needs" to this list: vacations, luxury vehicles, a nice retirement fund, having a large home with a great view of the mountains, eating at fine restaurants... Ok, so maybe those aren't really needs. But they can sure feel like it in this affluent community when we look around and see what our neighbors, friends and family possess. It's easy to get attached to this world and this attachment develops very naturally. We live in a material world! Now let me ask you this question: If you were to stop, take a moment, and imagine going to heaven, what do you see yourself doing? If you are like me, this exercise is quite revealing. It is much easier to think of earthly things than the eternal. And yet, as we read today in chapter 6, our earthly life is incredibly fleeting when compared to eternity. It's a drop in the bucket. And on top of that, God has a specific purpose for us to be followed over the course of our short lives. So where is the balance found in living here on this material planet, and also living as God's ambassadors--trusting in the life to come? Does this world have such a grip on us that eternity, and our earthly "marching orders" are not even on our radar? Have we grown apathetic trying to find a balance between getting all the comfort and pleasure we can while still living the good Christian life? This is a challenging chapter, and I look forward to all of your thoughts!

Why do you think we as believers struggle with our sense of purpose?

Joseph — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:35:50 GMT