Monthly Archives: October 2017

Honor God With Your Body

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Life - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 - Honor God With Your Body - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Life – 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 – Honor God With Your Body – Growing As Disciples

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.  1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NIV}

Flee

What did it cost for me to redeem your life? What did I need to do so that you could be set free from your sin? You sent your Son Jesus Christ as payment for my sin. Yes, I did. Was that an easy thing for me to do for you? No, I’m sure that sending your Son into the world to die on the cross for my sins was not an easy thing for you to do. It had to be a very painful act on your part. It was. 

How do you feel in knowing that I paid such a costly price to redeem your life from sin? I am awestruck. I am dumbfounded. I am so grateful and thankful for all that you have done for me. How grateful and thankful are you really? Well, I have turned my life over to you. I know that I am no longer my own. I was bought with the costly price that you paid for me. Yes, you were. What do you mean by saying that you have turned your life over me to me? I have two things in mind. Like what? I have left my old life of sin behind. Your payment has set me free from the power that sin held over my life. So, I have turned my back on my life of sin. Was that a hardship for you? Do you miss your old life of sin? No, leaving my old life of sin behind was not a hardship and I don’t miss it one bit. Does sin no longer have any appeal to you?  I wouldn’t say that. As long as I live in this body I will still be subject to temptations to sin. I must continually be on guard against temptations that might cause me to sin. How do you guard yourself against temptations to sin? Your Holy Spirit works in me, for me and through me to help me to stand against temptation. Often times your Holy Spirit will take your word and apply to my life in ways that help me to stand against temptation. Yes, He does. I’ve noticed you have used the word stand quite a bit. Do you actually stand around temptation to fight against it? No, I don’t stand around temptation. Yes, I stand against temptation. But, one of the best ways to resist temptation is to immediately flee temptation before it fully arrives. Why is that? I know that temptations can be very alluring. So, I don’t hang around to check them out. That’s good. I also don’t allow myself to be in situations or places that will likely feed sinful temptations and desires. That’s very good.

What else do you have in your mind? What is the second part of turning your life over to me? Turning my life over to you involves both turning away from evil and turning towards you. When I flee from evil I run to you. When I determine not to think, say or do things that are sinful I also have determined to think your thoughts, speak your words and do what pleases you. I know the life I don’t want to live. I also know the life I do want to live. The new life that you have given to me has replaced the old life I have left behind. Now, I am all yours. Now, I am at your disposal. Now, I am ready to be used by you.  Use my life to honor and glorify you. Yes, I will.

 Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ to redeem my life. I was bought with a costly price. I am not my own. I am all yours. Holy Spirit, help me to honor and glorify God in all my thoughts, words, and actions. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Life – 1 Corinthians 6-18-20 – Honor God With Your Body – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

A Discerning Heart

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Prayer - 1 Kings 3:7-9 - A Discerning Heart - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Prayer – 1 Kings 3:7-9 – A Discerning Heart – Growing As Disciples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3:7-9 (NIV)

My Help 

What do you want from me? What would you like to ask of me? What do you think you need? How can I help you? I am so glad that you are asking me these questions. Why is that? The task that you have given me to do for you is overwhelming. I will start by saying that I am so glad that you have called me into your service. I couldn’t be more pleased to be given something significant to do for you. It is the desire of my heart to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I will give you every ounce of my effort to do all that you are asking of me. I am completely at your disposal. I also know that I can’t possible do what you are asking of me without your help. If I tried to serve you with my own efforts alone, I would fail miserably. Yes, you would. I am very pleased that you know that you cannot serve me with only your own efforts. You know that you desperately need my help. Why do you think I have given you such a large assignment? You have given me such a large assignment so that I will know for sure that I must rely on you for your help. You want me to pray for your help every step of the way as I serve you. Yes, I do. That’s right. Can you think of any other reason why I might have given you such a large assignment? I have told you that I want to bear an abundance of fruit for your kingdom. Bearing an abundance of fruit requires a large assignment. A small assignment would bear a small amount of fruit. Your giving me a large assignment is an answer to my prayers. Yes, it is. Can you think of any other reasons why I might have given you such a large assignment? You want me to know for sure that you are working in and through my life. You want me to know that you are using me to bring glory to your name. That is also correct. Can you think of one more reason why you have been given a large assignment that is beyond your abilities? You want everyone to know that it is you who has been working in and through my life. You want me to be a bold and bright witness for you in this world. Only you can help me to do what I cannot do. That’s right. Others will be drawn to you as they see that you are working in and through my life. You will receive all the glory as you work in and through me. Yes, I will. Will you rely on me completely as I work in and through your life? Will you continually ask for my help? Yes, Lord, I will. 

Lord, thank you for rescuing me from my old way of life. You have given me a new heart and mind. It is now my joy to love and follow and serve you. I ask for your wisdom and power and all that I will need to faithfully and fruitfully serve you. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Prayer – 1 Kings 3-7-9 – A Discerning Heart – Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Comforted

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Be - Matthew 5:4 - Comforted - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Be – Matthew 5:4 – Comforted – Growing As Disciples

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

Mourning 

What breaks your heart? What causes you to mourn? What has brought sadness into your life? Sadness and mourning has come into my life when I have experienced loss. I have discovered that I don’t like change nearly as much as I thought I did. How so? I mourn the loss of relationships. I mourn the loss of what once was but can never be again. I mourn the passage of time. I mourn the passing away of friends and family. I mourn the loss of opportunity. I mourn the fact that I am aging. I mourn the loss of my youth. I mourn my own sin. I mourn sin and suffering and evil that is in the world. What has all your mourning caused you to do? My mourning has caused me to come to you. My mourning has caused me to draw near to you so you can draw near to me. That is very good. That is a good result of mourning, isn’t it? Yes, it is. You have allowed me to bring my comfort into your life when you have been mourning. It is very good that you mourn over your own sin. What do you do when you mourn over your sin? I confess my sins to you. What do you receive when you confess your sins to me? I receive your comfort, forgiveness and cleansing. What do you do when you mourn over sin, and suffering and evil that is in the world? I work against sin, suffering and evil in the world. I go where you guide me. I do what you ask of me. You allow me to see sin, and suffering and evil in the world so that you can use me to stand against it. Yes, I do.

Your perspective on mourning is not all good and positive. What do you mean by that? You mourn parts of life that have gone by. It would be better to rejoice and be grateful over what you have enjoyed in life rather than to mourn that past days are gone. Do you think that the best of life is all behind you? Is that why you mourn? Is that what you think? Yes, my perspective has not been good. I have good days ahead. I have eternal life with you in front of me. That should be a great source of comfort and joy for you. Yes, it is. What will you do differently because you know that you have eternal life, with me, ahead of you? I live my life with more urgency and expectancy. Why is that? I know that I have very little time left to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. I want to make the best use of the time. So, you don’t have much time to mourn, do you? No, I do not. Be comforted with the life I have given to you now and forever. Let me use you with the time you have left in this life. Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, I hope my heart breaks over what breaks yours. I want to mourn when you mourn. I mourn over my sin and will confess it. I mourn over sin, suffering and evil in the world and will work against it. Comfort me when I mourn so I can also comfort others. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Be – Matthew 5-4 – Comforted – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Shown Mercy

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Be - Matthew 5:7 - Shown Mercy - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Be – Matthew 5:7 – Shown Mercy – Growing As Disciples

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 (NIV) 

Merciful

I want to be like you. I want to live like you lived. I want to go where you went. I want to do what you did. What exactly do you have in mind? That is a good question. I want to have your heart and mind. I want to love others like you loved. I want to think your thoughts. I want to know and do your will. You have shown me your kindness, mercy and love. I know that it is your will that I become like you. I know that you want me to do what you did. I know you want me to go where you went. I know that you want me to become like you. So, I am telling you that I want what you want. That is very good.

What will you do with those who have hurt and harmed you? How will you respond to those who are less fortunate than you? What attitude will you have to those who are feeble and weak? How will you act toward those who are full of pride and arrogance? How will you relate to those who are self-indulgent, self-sufficient and self-centered? Those are all good questions. Each one of those questions places a test before me. In every case, I will need to affirm my commitment and desire to live like you lived and do what you did. That’s right. Without your help, I would not pass these tests. I cannot love like you loved without your love living in me. I would not be able to show others your mercy without being grateful and thankful for the mercy that you have shown to me. I have not earned your forgiveness. I do not merit your love. You have shown me your kindness, mercy and love even though I have certainly not deserved it. You have not shown me your anger and judgement even though I have deserved it. I am thankful. I am grateful. I know that I love you because you first loved me. Oftentimes, you have used others to show me your love. Your kindness, mercy and love overflowed others’ lives and allowed them to be a witness in the world for you. I am someone else’s fruit. I came to you partly through you living in and through the lives of others. Yes, you did. Well, that’s exactly how I want you to use me. I want your kindness, mercy and love to flow through me, so that others can be drawn to you. Help me to be merciful to others just as you have been and continue to be merciful to me. That is a very good prayer that I will certainly hear and answer.

Lord, you have shown me your kindness, mercy and love. You have forgiven my sins and cleansed all my unrighteousness. You have not given me what I deserved. You have given me what I did not deserve. Help me now to show your abundant mercy to others. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Be – Matthew 5-7 – Shown Mercy – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Not Become Weary In Doing Good

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Let Us - Galatians 6:9- Not Become Weary In Doing Good- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Let Us – Galatians 6:9- Not Become Weary In Doing Good- Growing As Disciples

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (NIV)  

Reap A Harvest

You are in a battle. What kind of battle am I in? You already know the answer to that question of yours. Yes, I do, but I was hoping that you might describe or bring some clarity to the battle that I am in. Why don’t you start by describing the battle that you are in?  I’m weary and worn out. I feel like I can go no further. I have worked long and hard and I’m ready to give up. I’d like a new assignment. Give me something fresh and exciting. Do you really think that would be a good idea? No, I suppose not. Tell me why it wouldn’t be a good idea to leave your assignment now for something new and different? Well, I have worked long and hard on this assignment and I have not yet reaped a harvest. There has been some fruit along the way that’s for sure. But, I’m pretty sure that you had a much larger harvest in mind when you gave me this assignment. Are you just pretty sure? No, I’m positive that you want me to reap a rich harvest as a result of this assignment that you have given to me. Has your being positive about your assignment from me kept you going strong? Yes, it has, otherwise I would have given up and quit long ago. How long must my labor be before I can reap a rich harvest for you? What do you think? That’s a question that there is no quick and easy answer. What must you continue to do then? If I want to reap a rich harvest for you, I must keep on working and not give up. There is a season of planting. There is a season of working. Then there is a season of harvest. Yes, that’s right. Do you think that I will give you a new assignment now? No, I don’t think you will give me a new asignment now. Why won’t I give you a new assignment now? If you allow me to quit, I will never reap the rich harvest that you intended. No, you will not. If I quit early now, I would probably quit even earlier in my next assignment. You want to develop patient endurance in me. Yes, I do. 

Let’s talk about your being weary and worn out. Do you think it is my plan for you to be weary and worn out? No, I think you want me to be strong, energetic and full of life. Yes, I do. There is nothing wrong with being tired from hard work. No, there is not. But, there is something not quite right with my being weary and worn out. What do you think is the problem? Somehow, I have started to rely on my own strength to do the work that you have given me to do for you. That will never work. Why is that? I will always give you work that is beyond your ability. Do you know why that is? Yes, you want me to rely on you. Yes, I do. There is another just as important reason. I’m not sure why that is. I want you to know that I am working in and through you. You will never be alone in doing the work that I have given you to do for me. Will knowing that I am working in and through your life encourage you? Yes, it will. Will knowing that I am working in and through keep you going and doing the good I have given you to do? Yes, it will. Then be encouraged and don’t give up. Keep doing the good work that I have given you to do. Yes Lord, I will. Then you will reap a rich harvest for me.

Lord, I will not grow weary. I will keep doing good. I will rely on you to sustain and strengthen me in doing the work that you have given me to do. I will wait and keep on working until I reap a harvest for your kingdom and glory. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Let Us – Galatians 6-9 – Not Become Weary In Doing Good -Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

For Those Who Persecute You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide- Prayer - Matthew 5:43-44 - For Those Who Persecute You - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Prayer – Matthew 5:43-44 – For Those Who Persecute You – Growing As Disciples

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)

Enemies

If you had asked me, I would have said that I did not have any enemies. It certainly is my goal to not have any enemies. I don’t want to regard anyone as my enemy. I don’t want to harbor anything against anyone. I want to love everyone. I want to serve everyone. I want to pray for everyone. Those are all good desires. Do you know that I also had all those desires in my heart? I am certain of that it was your desire to love, serve and pray for all your enemies. That’s right. But, what makes you so certain that I wanted to love, serve and pray for all my enemies? Beyond, what you have said in your word? Yes, beyond what you can read in my word. The desires of my heart come from you. It is only because I have drawn near to you and as I am coming to know you, that these thoughts have become the desires of my heart. Prior to coming to know you, I was certain that I had enemies. Prior to coming to know you, I wanted to get revenge against every one of my enemies. I hated my enemies. I wanted to pay each one of them back with the same evil that they committed against me. You can be sure, that in those days, I kept a close score and a precise recall of everyone who had harmed and hurt me. That’s not good. I know.

I did have enemies, you know that? Yes, I know that you had many enemies. At times, it must have seemed like the whole world was against you. Yes, it did. Why do you think I had enemies? You were in this world. You were not of this world. You lived a righteous life in an evil world. Evil hates good. Darkness hates light. Lies hate the truth. The world is everything you were not. The world rejected you, your words and your deeds. Yes, it did. As you become more and more like me, do not be surprised when the world hates and rejects you. Don’t wonder how or why you could possibly have any enemies. I won’t. 

What will you do when you recognize that you do have enemies? I will do what you did. What did I do? You loved your enemies. You went out of your way to serve your enemies. You prayed for your enemies. You laid down your life for your enemies. You made it so your enemies could one day come to you, to be your friends and followers. Yes, I did. I was once one of your enemies. Yes, you were. You loved and prayed for me, so I could come to you. Yes, I did. I will love and pray for my enemies, so that they can also, one day, come to you. That will be very good.

Lord, I didn’t think I had any enemies. Now, I know that I have enemies. Help me to know how to love my enemies. Show me how I can pray for my enemies. Help me to be your witness in the world. Help me turn my enemies into your and my close friends. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Prayer – Matthew 5-43-44 – For Those Who Persecute You – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com