|
What do you do when you aren’t sure what God wants you to do? A couple of weeks ago and Sunday, Pastor Joanna talked about 8 things you can do when you don’t know what to do--all from Mark 9. Below is a list of other scriptures about those 8 things. This week, take time to look up some of these scriptures and ask God how you might put at least one of these into practice in a new way in your life.
Questions to ask as you read each scripture: What does this Scripture mean? What is God saying to me through this Scripture? What might God be asking me to do through this Scripture? If one scripture specifically speaks to you, write it on a card and post it somewhere to remind you of God’s word to you. Listen to and download the full sermon here:
0 Comments
5 Day Devotional Day 1: Read all of Mark 10. Feel how the individual stories flow together instead of seeing them all separately. Feel the excitement of all that is happening. Think about what someone who is observing Jesus do and say all these things might be thinking. What words would you use to describe Jesus from this chapter? The next 4 days read these small sections of Mark 10 and each day answer the 4 questions following. Day 2: Mark 10:1-16 Day 3: Mark 10:17-31 Day 4: Mark 10:32-45 Day 5: Mark 10:46-52
1. What do I learn about Jesus? Nini nimejifunza kuhusu Yesu? 2. What do I learn about people? Nini nimejifunza kuhusu watu? 3. Now what? What might Jesus be saying to you through these verses? Sasa je? (Ni nini Mungu ananizungumuzia kwa neno hili? Namna haya yapata na maisha yangu?) 4. Who can I tell about what I learned? Ni nani nawez kueleza haya nilyojifunza kwa juma hii? Try something different: If you have a smartphone, you can download the YouVersion Bible app. Not only does this app give you many different versions of the Bible to read and compare, but it also has the Bible in many languages...including Kiswahili. AND many of the versions have audio as well! So you can drive and listen, walk and listen, or do dishes and listen. It’s a great way to get God’s word into your heart and mind. In English we like the Common English Bible (CEB) and New Living Translation (NLT). NLT has audio. In Kiswahili we like the Biblia Habari Njema (BHN) version which uses different voices, music, and sounds. Listen to and download the full sermon here:
Background: We had a Celebration Sunday at Central celebrating how God has provided for us and celebrating that we are a church family. Let’s continue celebrating through giving thanks this week. Many years ago, I was feeling convicted about a complaining too much and praising too little. Both in my relationships with others and with God. I realized that I came to God with my list of what I thought I wanted or needed and that was the majority of my prayer time. God led me to a month long practice of only thanking in my prayer time. And what a practice it was! It set me on a path that over many years has changed my heart and my mind to look for the good and look for God more often and more naturally. It jump-started a lifelong transformation. That means I’m by no means perfect yet, but I’ve improved a whole lot! My challenge for you this week is to take a week long THANKS challenge. I’ll give you prompts for each day, but would you consider taking a week and just thanking God? Don’t ask him for anything. Just thank him for what you have already received. Day 1: Thank God for basic needs that have been provided. Food, shelter, clothing, etc. Day 2: Thank God for family. This is harder for some than for others, but ask God to show you what you can thank Him for. Day 3: Thank God for friendships -- now and in the past. Thank Him for how friends have encouraged, challenged, influenced, loved you. Day 4: Thank God for your challenges. Ask God to show you ways to give thanks for the hard things you are encountering right now. Has He given you strength? Has He showed you one step? Has He given you a new friend? Has He miraculously provided a resource? Day 5: Thank God for all the world He has created. Take a walk or sit by a window where you can see all the varieties and details. Ask God for new eyes to see the created world and thank Him for each one. Listen to and download the full sermon here:
 Way back in my high school years, my English teachers required us to make Quote Notebooks. We had to find quotes from books we had read and copy them in creative ways to remember what we had learned. Those quotes often stayed with me a long time. My devotional challenge for you this week is to meditate on one of these quotes each day and then copy it in some creative way. Take time to read it slowly and carefully 2-3 times thinking about the words and the meaning and what God might be saying to you today. Then design a social media post, write it in fancy writing, create an artwork, or just copy it slowly and neatly. 5 Day Devotional: Day 1: Mark 9:7: Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him!” Day 2: Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said to him, “‘If you can do anything’? All things are possible for the one who has faith.” At that the boy’s father cried out, “I have faith; help my lack of faith!” Day 3: Mark 9:29 Jesus answered, “Throwing this kind of spirit out requires prayer.” (and some translations add “and fasting”.) Day 4: Mark 9:35 “Whoever wants to be first must be least of all and the servant of all.” Day 5: Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me isn’t actually welcoming me but rather the one who sent me.”
|
LCFMCHere you will find audio files of sermons, reflection questions, and blogs from our Pastors. Archives
July 2020
Categories
All
|
||||||||||||||||
RSS Feed