How to Share the Gospel with Integrity: Two Halves of a Whole {Part 2: Practical Integrity}3/13/2014 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” Colossians 2:6 {ESV} In the first part of this article we walked through some simple practical ways to be prepared to be the feet of the Good News especially in effective communication. I called this ‘Integral Practice’. However this preparation is incomplete because sadly, the eternally changing, radically transforming power of the Gospel is easily lost in our lives. This often translates to a dullness that strips us of the fullness that we are intended to know, first and foremost for ourselves, SO THAT we might compellingly live and speak the message. So the second essential I am calling ‘Practical Integrity’. Integrity is defined as The state or quality of being entire or complete; wholeness; entireness; unbroken state. As we prepare to express the words necessary to clearly explain the Gospel, we also seek the wholeness the Gospel brings to every area of our lives. We pursue the completion of ourselves through its truth. We allow the light of the Gospel to illumine our hearts, lives, our very selves. Thus we receive the healing from our brokenness. So, how do we pursue this practical integrity that sees us emanating the life-giving truth we long to share in every way? Meditate on the Gospel : We train our hearts towards what Christ has done for us. We allow His forgiveness to become the standard of our lives. We make much of Him in our hearts by combatting the lies, doubt and fear about who we really are through embracing again, and again, and again and again the truth of our wholeness through the complete righteousness of Christ given to us for all eternity. We become so familiar with ‘preaching the Gospel to ourselves’ {Jack Miller} that when we are NOT doing this, it feels very wrong and so we return to gospel-rooted life. Live the Gospel where it is hardest: This most often means the applying the radical forgiveness we have received to those who have hurt us. Often, our greatest hurts are from family or other close relationships. We can easily allow roots of bitterness and hardness to form which are in stark contrast to the Gospel love that constantly flows to us through the work of Christ. We all need to make it a discipline to search our hearts for any way we are not being true to the Great Love we have received. As we are convicted we confess to the Lord and if necessary the other. Share the Gospel at all times: The famous quote “preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words” {attributed to St. Francis of Assisi} is lovely truth and I agree! However, as anything, it can be distorted and somehow justify not sharing with our words. It is a confusing world and there’s lots of universal grace that tickles ears and love that does the same. But Jesus? Full of Grace and Truth? Not so much. So, it is important to have our interactions and communication with others be seasoned with Him. His Gospel becomes so much a part of our self-talk, our relationship lifelines, that it naturally spills forth. We share the Gospel that changes because it IS changing US. We allow the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ to become what we behold and therefore readily reflect. We spill forth the love we are receiving to encourage anyone we can. Sometimes we are lifting up a brother or sister and other times we are showing a non-believer what life can be. We ooze Gospel. Jesus in us. His life. His Name. It’s all throughout us and in us and flows out of us in its inability to be contained, meant to be shared for it is the essence of the message. Life given for the world. Life sent to the world. Life meant to transform the world. About AbbyAbby is a small-town loving, big city adventurer. She and her husband have worked with high school students most of their lives! Since their internship in Budapest, Hungary in 2005-2006, they have been working with the ministry of CRU. In May of this year, they moved to Hungary answering God's call to work long-term with the students of Central and Eastern Europe. Abby loves to laugh, especially at herself, has a passion for God and making Him known and is ever learning how to do that with three small children, ages 5, 3 and one month. She wouldn't trade the journey for anything! She blogs regularly at Fan the Flame Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top. Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs
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“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15 We live in confusing times. The lines of morality blurred to the point of oblivion. There is virtually nothing sacred that cannot be easily swept away by the surging tide of culture. The church, while standing strong at certain times and places, faces an identity crisis where the debate is easily mired in the surrounding confusion. But our God is NOT a God of confusion. And the timelessness of His nature, His Word supremely manifested in the fulfillment of the Gospel of His Son propels us to walk ahead as those who fearlessly, resolutely, and clearly share the Good News. I believe that there are two halves that form the whole of our integrity as those who embody and proclaim the Gospel before a watching world. The first half I would call Integral Practice {Preparation}. By this I mean that we combat the confusion, and cut through the debates of how’s, when’s and our fear-filled if’s by simply being prepared. Prepare your communication: It is essential that we can clearly, succinctly and fully explain the essentials of the Gospel with words when the Holy Spirit leads us to exactly the right time to speak them. If you are reading this and you are wondering if you could explain the Gospel with simple, truth-filled, Bible-breathed clarity, I propose a quick exercise: Take five minutes RIGHT NOW and explain to a mirror, or write on paper with words and possibly pictures, exactly how you would share the Gospel. How did it go? Are you prepared? Even if you think you are ready, we can all grow in our ability to effectively share the Gospel. Some or even many of you know you are ill-prepared for something so important. Just as no athlete would enter a game or match without having disciplined himself or herself to practice, so we must approach something infinitely more important. Here are some tools to prepare yourself to ‘give an answer for the hope in you’. ·A five-minute video tutorial {and written explanation} for a pictorial and Scriptural representation of the Gospel called the Diagram. ·The Knowing God Personally booklet and here you may order your own copies to carry with you and leave with those with whom you share. Prepare your life: I believe that the LORD will lead you in opportunities to clearly communicate the Gospel through words. An excellent resource is available. The Your Personal Ministry website helps you map out your life and brings clarity to the opportunities currently before you and for which the Lord is preparing you in the future. Practice Prayer Perpetually: When there is a chance to share the Good News, the most natural thought must be to bathe it in prayer. This will become second nature if your communication preparation and life preparation are also covered in prayer. The truth is that our God will always, always, always answer and give us opportunities to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. It is also true that He calls us to pray without ceasing. This is a power-packed duo that NOTHING can stand against! I pray now, that you, friend, are simply encouraged to be prepared. Pray against the guilt or doubt or whatever else might keep you from a sense of expectation as to what our Great God desires to do through YOU! I hope you will join me for Part Two of this series ‘Practical Integrity’ as we look at what it means to carry deep in our heart of hearts the truth of the Gospel we eagerly hope to share. About AbbyAbby is a small-town loving, big city adventurer. She and her husband have worked with high school students most of their lives! Since their internship in Budapest, Hungary in 2005-2006, they have been working with the ministry of CRU. In May of this year, they moved to Hungary answering God's call to work long-term with the students of Central and Eastern Europe. Abby loves to laugh, especially at herself, has a passion for God and making Him known and is ever learning how to do that with three small children, ages 5, 3 and one month. She wouldn't trade the journey for anything! She blogs regularly at Fan the Flame Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.
Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs I have no desire to go to Dominican Republic tomorrow. Though my carry-on is filled with clothes, will they warm my spirits as we rise over the continent? And I know…for a short-term missionary; not feeling “spiritual” about a mission’s trip is probably “unrighteous” to announce to anyone…especially a bunch of other mission-minded women. I also know…I probably should be boasting about how God-full I am, and how holy and righteous this God-call is. But I can’t. For I am finding, some God-journeys come with tingles and feel good emotions, others require obedience, the kind found absent of “Sound of Music” lyrics playing in the background as we pursue them. I mean…it’s not fear. I have laid hands on babies in China hours before they died, seen the lice literally crawling on the orphans alongside the railroad track children of Guatemala. I am not new to suffering. But sometimes God calls us to rise, motivated by nothing more than the choice of obedience alone. And regardless of what Hollywood and modern day media might want us to know; obedience doesn’t always “feel” good. Sometimes obedience just requires taking one blind-step after another, before we ever even “get” or understand where God is leading us. Still friends, please know, it doesn’t matter who you are, we all practice some level of obedience. · Every time we pick up toys, wipe the counter, make our bed, or do what He asks of us, rather than watch t.v. or scan through Facebook…that is obedience. · Every time we change diapers, tend to waking children (yet again), or lavish love on our husbands even though we were the ones who have had a long day…we are practicing obedience. · Every time we rise and go to church when we don’t necessarily “feel” like it, or pick up our Bibles and read because we trust disciplines like this feeds us…we are choosing obedience. · Every time we reject what’s “easy” and work to simply love those who don’t deserve it….we are walking in obedience, instead of letting “feelings” dictate us. And if we really want to be Missional Women, eyes fixed on the God-task before us, armed and equipped with the full arterial of Spiritual blessings, we need to take on the world and let our feelings be our tails, rather than the head that leads us. And what about Jesus? Didn’t He go to Calvary out of love and obedience? Ether pleading for her people, Daniel facing the lion’s den, all because they were willing to be obedience. So, what if we got small? What if we chose His will, His desires, His call above our own? What if we stopped leading, and followed instead wherever He might take us? How might our lives look different? I wrap my toiletries, grab my passport, and in a few hours follow my husband to the country God clearly called him to. I don’t “feel” inclined to go. I can’t even say I “want” to go. But I will choose to lay down my will, doing and going because I have learned to trust a God who knows what can’t see. And God’s dreams are always so much bigger than our own. Where has God been leading you lately? Is it in big leaps, or the slow, faithful journey as a wife, mom, or an employee? As I board my plane, going to a land of so many uncertainties, will you join me in praying, “I choose to trust you in this journey…not what I feel. Out of love and obedience Lord, not my will…yours alone, I choose to pursue.” About JenThough born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations. Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios. Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s. Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family. You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda . Jen is also on facebook. Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.
Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs God created us for boldness. Recently I began noticing areas our view of boldness has been slightly warped by culture. God wants us to be bold in our witness and to have a lifestyle that runs against the tide of society. God’s idea of boldness is when we choose to honor God instead of placating our flesh. Here are 6 ways our idea of boldness may be warped by our culture: 1. Worldly Boldness: “I'm going to stand up for my rights!” Godly Boldness: I'm going to lay down my rights & be more consumed with His Glory. 2. Worldly Boldness: If I want it I will do whatever it takes to get it (or) make it happen. Godly Boldness: Lord, my wants, my dreams, my plans they are yours. Place within me the desires of your heart. I trust that you know not only what I want but what I was created for and that I need that will fulfill me. 3. Worldly Boldness: "Oh, I'm not afraid to say it. If I think it, it's true and it deserves to be said." Godly Boldness: Lord, my eyes, my emotions and my thoughts deceive me. Place a seal over my tongue. Place a Holy seal over my thoughts, protect my heart. I pray that your wisdom will guide my actions. 4. Worldly Boldness: If I'm not happy, nobody's happy and somebody deserves to pay. Godly Boldness: My happiness cannot be found in others or based upon my circumstances. When I am following God absolutely nothing happens by accident. I choose to take this situation, no matter how painful & pray that God will show me a deeper side of his character during this as I patiently walk with Him through it. 5. Worldly Boldness: If I want it this badly it can't be wrong, so I'm going to take it (or) do it. Godly Boldness: My natural desires are filled with lies that leave me chasing after things that will harm myself and others. God remove these desires from me. Give me the strength to run in the opposite direction. Don't allow anything in my life that could take me away from the shadow of your wings where I find my peace. 6. Worldly Boldness: “I don’t care about what other people think of me!” Godly Boldness: “Lord, I pray that every aspect of my life honors you. I pray that my life is a reflection of your Holy Spirit building Your character in me. Help me to be more concerned with how you view me and not to become consumed with how others perceive me.” There is a stark contrast in each of these views. I pray that as we continue throughout our day the Holy Spirit will continue to shape our world views to become more like His own and not as a reflection of the culture that surrounds us. About MelissaMelissa Bradley is married with two small children. She is a co-founder of a City-Wide Women’s Ministry, The Well. She currently serves and assists in various churches around her community. The burden of her heart is to see the churches in her city come together to be the hands and feet of Christ. She is passionate to live every day missionally. You can also find Melissa at www.Melissa-Bradley.com. Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.
Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs Want to know a secret? I’m horrible at getting to know my neighbors. Sure I write about easy ways to connect with your neighbors but the truth is I’m really bad at it. There are a lot of reasons for this but I’ll share my top three: I’m an introvert, I’m scared, and it’s not easy. Do any of those resonate with you? If so I have a simple solution for getting to know your neighbors. I like to call it “front yard living room.” My husband and I stumbled upon this strategy purely on accident. We moved to a home without a front porch. In our previous home we had enjoyed many evenings on the front porch either talking, watching a favorite show on our laptop, or enjoying drinks with friends. So instead of relegating ourselves to the back yard at this new home we simply set up our swing and fire pit in the front yard. Little did we know that our little “front yard living room” would be a great way to meet with people and engage with neighbors on a less than friendly street. People are more willing to say hello when you’re lingering in the front yard and are harder to ignore. Also neighbors are more likely to engage in conversation with you in this approachable casual setting. Are you ready to get to know your neighbors and engage your neighborhood on a regular basis? Here are my four simple steps for setting up your own “front yard living room:”
About JoyJoy is a missionary to Downtown Orlando with her husband, Jason, and drool covered Bassett Hound, Sam. She has a degree in Church Leadership and formerly helped manage the Church Planting office of Converge Worldwide. She teaches women how to intersect their faith and life through intentional missional living at joybrudolph.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.
Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs About a year ago, I was at a women's retreat with other women from our ministry. We had an afternoon where we did a prayer mosaic - going to different stations and praying through different things in our life, and also praying for different people. I got to the station about praying for different people on campus that needed to accept Christ and asking God what our next step was with these people. I found around 10 girls in my phone that I had either been sharing with or had recently met that I had yet to share the Gospel with that year. (Check out the Top Ten Prayer FREE Printable) I could share multiple stories from not only praying for these girls and me sharing with them, but to save time, I'll just let you know I got to share with 6 out of the 10 after that retreat. I even got to share with someone completely new because of setting up an appointment with a gal on my list! This girl who came in on our conversation just kept telling me, after I had shared the gospel with her, "Wow! I have never heard this before! Wow!!" But here is my favorite story (so far) from this prayer list. I got to share the gospel with Nicole at our second retreat last year, and I knew another lady on our staff team was also sharing with her consistently. But I hadn't been as faithful to pray for her to be saved until I put heron my list. By our first retreat this fall, she made the decision to put her trust in Christ!! Later this semester, she came to a prayer night we had at our house. I encouraged everyone there to write down 5 people at home who needed Jesus and 5 people from school, then ask God how to reach them. I then share how Nicole was on my list for under a year until she accepted Christ. During the break, Nicole pulled me aside and told me, "I just wanted to say thank you for praying for me! I had no idea that I was on a list or that someone cared for me enough to keep praying for me." You should have heard her reaction when she found out it wasn't only me, but our whole staff team and her closest friends praying for her too! And little does she know that there were even more when it came to all our supporters and the supporters of our staff also praying. And little do we know who else was involved in this miraculous event for Nicole's life to go from death to life!! I share this story because prayer is powerful! I have been so unfaithful when it has come to prayer, but God has changed my view of prayer by seeing how much He has done in the lives of a a handful of people just because I specifically prayed. James 5:16b says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." We often believe the lie that our role in prayer is minimal, where scripture shows us that our prayers are actually effective and powerful. Knowing that our prayers are powerful and effective, the next question that comes to mind is "How do I pray to the God of the universe?!" This is how I like to relate it to the girls I work with on campus: How do you talk to your friends? Do you have a formal way of talking to them? Probably not! You start by saying "Hi!" and end with "See you soon!" and in the middle you discuss the things that are important to you. Prayer is simply talking to God. In John 15:15, Jesus claims that we no longer are considered slaves but we're considered friends to Him. So it might be helpful to think about your prayer time with God as a coffee date with your best friend. Next question that may come to mind is, "So, what do I pray for?" Jesus lined it all out for us in Matthew 6:9-13, which says: Just like when you make a mental list to make sure you bring up certain things to talk about with your friends, there are 4 things to keep in mind when to God which we line out in the ACTS acronym. A - Adoration : Verse 9 shows us that we acknowledge God, His power and dominion, the truth about Who He is, and attributes certain qualities to God and let's Him know about it. Many people regret sharing how much they loved and appreciated others before they die. Just like we should continue to tell our friends what they mean to us, we need to daily tell God what He means to us. We need to praise Him - He is truly worthy of it, right?! C - Confession : Verse 12 clearly shares how we need to ask for forgiveness for our wrongdoings. I don't know about you, but when I do something wrong to someone - or if I think I did something to hurt someone else - I feel really out of whack until I ask for forgiveness! I have a difficult time moving onto until I make things right between me and the other person. First John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We need to agree with God on our sin, ask forgiveness, and HE is faithful to forgive and help us move on from the wrong. T - Thanksgiving : Not only do we need to praise God for Who He is, but thank Him for what He does! James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Just like if your friend gives you a gift - anything that shows that they know you and your current situation - you are emphatically thanking them for being so considerate! God has given us EVERYTHING we need, and even quite a few things we want. Why wouldn't we spend time thanking Him?! S - Supplication : Supplication is a fancy word for presenting requests. Verses 10, 11, and 13 all are forms of supplication. We need to ask for God for His will to be done in our lives, for our daily needs, and for the the strength and ability to fight through the temptations thrown at us. First John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know we have what we asked of him." Asking for people to come to know Christ, that we would become more like Him, that we wouldn't worry, etc. - these all are a part of God's will. First Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." We can pray for the things that cause us anxiety, like tests result, school, troubling issues with children, marriages - you name it! The best way to know how to pray according to God's will is reading God's word to know what His will is! For example, it's not God's will for us to just attain more material wealth (1 Timothy 6:9-10), so praying for a new car or TV because you're tired of what you have isn't God's will. But God does want people to be saved from their sins (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:8) and He wants us to share the gospel with others (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). If you need a vehicle to get to the place where you're sharing the gospel, or if you need a TV in order to show the Jesus Film in a different language, He wants to meet ALL your needs according to HIS riches (Philippians 4:19)! The last question you may have is, "How often should I pray?" First Thessalonians 5:17 says, "...pray continually..." He wants us to keep in continual communication with Him! Sometimes when I pray, I think of it kind of like Snap Chat or a text message. I see someone, "God, I pray that they will know more about you today." I get into a frustrating or awkward situation, "God, what do I do?! Help me get through this in the most Christ-like manner!" I judge someone in my heart, "Oh God, please forgive me for not loving that person the way you have called me to!" I see an amazing sunset on the mountains, "Wow God! Thank you for letting me see this! You are an amazing painter!!" Short and sweet to keep our conversation going throughout the whole day. In summary: - Prayer is powerful and effective, and we have a powerful and effective role. - Prayer is talking with God, and we don't have to be intimidated on what we say. Think of you daily prayer times like a sweet coffee date with your best friend. - Remember the ACTS acronym. Adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication should be things you incorporate in your conversation with Jesus. - Pray continually. Give God a snapshot of your day throughout the day after your daily "coffee date." Dear God, thank you for teaching me the importance of prayer! Forgive me for having the wrong attitude about prayer in the past - forgive me for not believing You and what you say about prayer!! You are such a huge, amazing powerful God, Who has given everything I need for life and godliness by giving me the Holy Spirit. Thank you for Nicole and all the other girls who have come to know you this past year!! I pray that they will continue to grow more and more in the knowledge of You. I pray that I will be more diligent in the area of prayer. I will need your help to make our coffee dates sweet every morning! In your name I pray. About LeahLeah works with Master Plan Ministries at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Other than watching college students' lives change, she enjoys getting her mind blown by God and His Word, watching sci fi, baking cupcakes, and spending time with her hunky husband. Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.
Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs There it lay, in black and white, front page of our city’s Herald, “guilty”. This caging adult male, not just any offender, but a relative of the foster daughter we had for a year. His girlfriend is also in jail, thirty years. It’s one thing to read about suffering…it’s quite another to hold scared hands, wipe pain-stricken tears, or hear first-hand the real-life nightmares of a little girl looking for Jesus. Justice is served, but my rejoicing gets cut short. Our foster daughter’s victory, gets stepped on by headlines a few pages over… ”Five day old baby starved, appearing to be mistreated; taken into custody.” The headlines can pierce us, and sometimes the pain of it all is so daunting we want to close our eyes, and turn away, so the travesties of it all won’t suffocate us with grief. I open my hands and let the paper slip to the floor; the low place, Christ sees. “You cannot save them all”…my Dad’s words ring through this Savior complex. And I wonder if flying to the imprisoned children of China, sitting in orphanages in the dirt of Guatemala was easier? At least orphan care cross culture allows escapism, freedom, the return home, when anguish and hopelessness wants to crush us. But with time, our comfy beds of contentment can go from a refuge, to a prison; and the contentment found in “not knowing” actually paralyzes us in fear, hindering us from entering others stories. We close ourselves off; dispensing compensations that don’t dent us, to ease our guilty consciousness, justifying our avoidance of it all. And oh how I have tried tokens, charity, and tossing crumbs instead of getting my hands dirty; until the One who got low and traded His cloak for work clothes, a servants rag, found me. Leaving heaven, He entered our pain, delivering us, a broken people from our hopelessness. Shouldn’t we go and do likewise? Kneeling low, He washed feet. And of anyone…Jesus could have run, isolate from the pain. But, He didn’t. He stepped into the pain, into the hurt of other people. He didn’t fear, retreat, while justifying His distance…like we do. He touched the lepers, lifted the helpless, reached to the ones forgotten; lost, most broken and begging desperately. He wrote in the dust, picked up the cloth, and entered the tomb, bravely facing the cross, for us. He was God. Didn’t He count the cost? Of course He did. Scripture tells us… “Be imitators of me, as I imitate Him.” 1 Cor 11:1 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matt 16:24 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to turn from the pain. Picking up the paper fallen, I read every word of it, shutting out the voices whispering tauntingly, “stop reaching”. But still, I will keep reaching those He puts in front of me, and stop keeping heartbreak at arms distance; out of protection or because it makes me feel better. I want to hear their stories, nurture their wounds, but most of all point people to a Jesus who walked among the heartbreak and offered the healing balm of His love. For I was “the least of these” and I thank God…He didn’t keep me at arm’s length. Who can you reach out and share Christ’s love with today? About JenThough born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations. Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios. Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s. Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family. You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda . Jen is also on facebook. Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.
Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs Not About Me November was such a challenge, which I truly believe it should be! We are naturally sinful and selfish people - making everything in life not about ourselves is going against our natural way of being. I took a challenge to ask, "What would Jesus do?" before my actions in the month of November. And there were many interesting results. First thing I noticed is how evil my flesh can be even for the best intentions. Especially at the beginning of the challenge, the first few days were spent in responding to "What would Jesus do?" with "Well, He would do what I'm doing right now, okay?!" Then I would keep doing what I had been doing. I realized that my decisions to not put Christ on the throne were willful defiance to the God of the Universe. Second thing I noticed is that when I made the decision at the beginning of the day to truly do what Jesus would do, I would actually follow through and do what Jesus would do! One morning, I woke up right away and made sure Christ was on the throne. I sprang out of bed after hitting my alarm only once or twice (big deal for me), made Malcolm coffee, breakfast, and lunch for the day! It's not that I never do those things, but I often forget to in the morning because I'm so focused on myself! The third thing I noticed was that when I would put Christ on the throne and depend on Him for the day, He would completely show up! One morning I had a bad attitude and I was not super excited to go on campus. Then this question popped into my mind as I was about to leave the house, "Would Jesus have this attitude this morning?" Nope! He sure wouldn't! I put Christ on the throne, and asked for His help to have the right attitude. And sure enough, He did! I sat on campus for my first hour seeing how the awesome things God has been doing on campus in the lives of students, and then I got to spend time asking others how I could pray for them. I even cried with joy - which I don't do often! Thinking back on my time, I realized how much I suck at making my actions what Jesus would do! I spent so much time fighting with my flesh over control for the day. Even as I write this, I'm struggling with going to coffee and sleep for my dependance over trusting on the Holy Spirit to provide for my needs. I struggle so much on my attitude, my thoughts, my sleep in the morning, my serving others - I have a LOOOOONNNNNNNG ways to go in looking like Jesus!! But the other thing that greatly encouraged me during this time is that it was one month in light of the possible years I have to come. I still have time to ask this question every day for the rest of my life. How different would my life, my ministry, my attitude, etc. look when I daily surrender to what Jesus would do over what I would do? I'm glad that Jesus promises in Romans 12:1-2, Galatians 2:20 and Philippians 1:6 that He will continue to make me look like Him - as long as I continue to surrender control daily to Him!! About LeahLeah works with Master Plan Ministries at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Other than watching college students' lives change, she enjoys getting her mind blown by God and His Word, watching sci fi, baking cupcakes, and spending time with her hunky husband. Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top. Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs "Why did You make the law of entropy?" Is a question I find myself asking the Lord often. He obviously loves order. The entire universe down to our very cells held together are perfectly ordered. He planned that. So why in the world would He create His perfect design to go from order to disorder? That silly law which I despise. "I just cleaned/picked up, how did it get messy again so fast!?" Could it be that God, who purposed His Son to die before the foundations of the world, wanted to remind us that we are desperate for Him? That it is not about us. Oh the realization that no matter how hard I try at things, they will again go to disorder. But the Lord, the Sustain-er of Life is able to hold things together. Well Lord, as much as I am not a big fan of Your law of entropy, I suppose Your perfect law of entropy is good and I praise You for it. Thank You for the reminder of how desperate I am for you. Help my stress of a messy house drive me to You, to depending on and calling out to You, rather than clinging to my "I gotta get it together self-sufficiency." Lord, help me see mess as a beautiful opportunity to run to You and embrace Your grace, to see my need for You the bringer of beauty from ashes. Please show me what this would even look like that the burden on the shoulders would be lifted for Your burden is light. Check out the rest of the Not About Me November Series About LauraLaura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has four kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Staff Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks to college and women's groups. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site. Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs.
Can't we all use the reminder that this life is not about us but rather about making the invisible God visible. There are so many things in this life that clamor for our attention, so many things that point us back to our desires that sometimes it seems we live in this world where we are trying to make everything be just as we want. It's been said vision leaks so we need to be reminded often of why we really exist. We hope this month of Not About Me November will be a challenging encouragement for you as it is for us. I believe as we train ourselves to think through the lens of it just not being about us, it will begin to change the way we think about a lot of things and begin to change how we act and even what we are investing so much time and energy into that really are just not worthy. Lord, use this month's focus to give us a reality check. So us when we are thinking, acting and living as though it's about us and draw us to repentance and dependence on You. Have your way in us Lord. The Not About Me November Series Evangelism Shattered Hearts Discipleship Parenting Luxury and Poverty Emotions Gluten Free My Crock-pot My Kids Behavior Identity Family Life Ministry Life Mess Sunsets In His Steps What I know Legacy Reality Christians Identity Marriage What I Do Rawness Loving My Husband About Laura Laura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has four kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Staff Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks to college and women's groups. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site. Want to read more from this contributor? Put her name in the search box at the top.
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