Tag Archives: discipleship devotional

A Solitary Place

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 141 - Mark 1:35 - A Solitary Place- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 141 – Mark 1:35 – A Solitary Place- Growing As Disciples

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35 (NIV)

Withdraw

Is there any place you would rather be? Is there anything you would rather do? No, there is no place I would rather be. No, there is nothing I would rather do. It is my honor and pleasure and joy to meet with you. That is very good. In your presence, you have been changing me. In your presence, you have been molding and shaping me. In your presence, you have been making me to be more like you. I welcome anything and everything you want to say to me. I welcome anything and everything you want to do in and through me. I am happy to have withdrawn to this quiet and solitary place so we could be alone together. I am thankful to be able to withdraw from the crazy and noisy and busy pace of life. Why is that? In my hectic day to day, on the go and busy life, it is not easy to hear your voice speaking to me. It is not easy to receive your guidance and follow your instructions. I need to leave the busyness of life to focus my heart and mind and life on you. Yes, you do.

I have something more to say about drawing near to you. What’s that? I want more of you. I want to live in a more intimate relationship with you. I hunger and thirst for a closer relationship with you. Every time I draw near to you, I am satisfied and yet left hungry for more. I want to be more reliant on you. I want to be more used by you. I want to bear more fruit for kingdom and bring more glory to your name. Most of all, I want to become more like you in all that I think, say, and do. I want to fully live the life that you have called me to live with and for you.  That is very good. But don’t be impatient. Keep on drawing near to me. Keep on listening to me. Keep on doing what I ask of you. These desires for more do come from me. I have given and I will grant your desires for more. So, day by day, I will keep on withdrawing to solitary places to meet with you. I will keep on allowing you to do whatever you want to do in and through me. I am all yours. Here I am, right now. I am glad that you have come to meet with me.  

Lord, here I am. I have withdrawn at this time to this quiet place so that I can be all alone with you. I have left the distracting, busy and noisy pace of life so that I can hear from you. Speak to me Lord. I am listening. I am very glad to be here with you now. Amen

Key Question… Why must you develop a habit of meeting with the Lord if you want to hear from Him?

Living It Out… Go to a solitary place to meet with the Lord in prayer.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will meet with you when you go to a solitary place to pray.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group when and where you go to a solitary place to pray.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you withdraw to a solitary place to meet with the Lord in prayer.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 141 – Mark 1-35 – A Solitary Place – 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

Not Give Up

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 140 - Luke 18:1-8 - Not Give Up- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 140 – Luke 18:1-8 – Not Give Up- Growing As Disciples

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!'” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

Keep On Praying 

Don’t do that. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Don’t lose heart. I’m not sure what you are talking about. Can you be more specific? Keep on praying. Keep on asking. Keep on coming before me. Persistently with day and night consistency keep on making your needs known to me. Why is that? I will hear and answer your prayers. I will supply what you need. There is something that you must know about me. What’s that? I am both the giver and granter of prayers. What does that mean? Do you think that your prayers originate with you? Are you the author of your prayers? I have never thought of that question before. Do you have an answer now? I doubt that many of my prayers originate with me. I am surely not the author of my prayers. I would say that many if not most and maybe all of my prayers have come from you. How does that thought change your thoughts about prayer? You want me to pray. You want me to come to you. You want me to enter into your presence. You want me to live in an intimate relationship with you. You want me to walk and talk with you moment by moment and day and night throughout my entire life. There is no matter that is too small or too large to become a subject of prayer. That’s right. Will you keep on coming to me? Will you never give up? Will you live in an intimate relationship with me? Will you keep on consistently and persistently praying the prayers I will give you to pray? Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good. 

Lord, I will keep on praying. I will keep on crying out to you. I will keep on making my needs known to you. Day and night, I will keep on coming before you. I won’t quit. I won’t lose heart. I won’t give up. Thank you, that you will hear and answer my prayers. Amen

Key Question… What prayers are you now persistently praying with day and night consistency?

Living It Out… Day and night keep on being persistent in your prayers to the Lord.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will hear and answer your prayers as you consistently and persistently pray to Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are remaining persistent in your prayers to the Lord.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you not give up, but keep on praying to the Lord.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 140 – Luke 18-1-8 – Not Give Up – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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

Into The World

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 139 - John 17:18 - Into The World - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 139 – John 17:18 – Into The World – Growing As Disciples

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. John 17:18 (NIV)

Send Me

Go ahead. You can do that. I can do what? You can send me wherever you want me to go. I will go and do whatever you ask of me. I have already sent you into the world. You are to be my witness right now, right where you are. There is no need to watch and wait for something more, something bigger or something else. If you do that, you will miss going and doing what I have for you right now. Now, don’t hear me incorrectly. I want you to be watching and waiting for my activity in and around you at all times. I want you to live in a moment by moment intimate relationship with me. In that sense, I want you to always be watching at waiting and listening attentively for me. I just don’t want you to miss the here and now for what you might think or want to happen in the future. I understand. That’s good.

I have more to say. I’m listening attentively to you. A day will not go by that I won’t have something for you to do for me. Every day, I will use you as my witness in the world. Every day, I will give you opportunities to be of service to me. Every day, I will be asking you to love like I loved, give like I gave and serve like I served. I will be asking you to follow my example. You will need to keep your eyes and ears open. Watch and listen for the opportunities that I will give to you. Listen to my voice speaking to you. Follow the prompting of my Holy Spirit living and working in and through you. That I will do. It will be my honor and privilege and joy to live like you lived and do what you did. That will be very good.

There is something you can be sure. What’s that? You will not be alone in your efforts. You will not be operating under your power. How so? I will be with you. I will help you to accomplish everything I ask you to go and do for me. I’m positive that I will need your help. That’s good, because you certainly will need my help. Apart from me you can do nothing. You will need my help in what seems to be small and what seems to be large tasks. Rely on me at all times. Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, I will follow your example. I will do what you did. I will think and speak and act like you. Use me as your witness in the world. Help me to live like you lived. Help me to love like you loved. Help me to give like you gave. Help me to serve like you served. Amen

Key Question… How have you come to know the Lord more intimately has you have done what He asked of you?

Living It Out… Allow the Lord to send you into the world to be a witness for Him.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord has sent you into the world to be a witness for Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord is using you as His witness in the world.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you go into the world and do what the Lord asks you to do for Him.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 139 – John 17-18 – Into The World – 4 Page 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

The Word Of God Is Living And Active

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 138 - Hebrews 4:12 - The Word Of God Is Living And Active - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 138 – Hebrews 4:12 – The Word Of God Is Living And Active – Growing As Disciples

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

Your Work 

I welcome you to do your work in me. How do you think I will do my work in you? What tool do you think I will use to do my work in you? You will use a wide variety of tools to do your work in me. That’s true. But, do I have a primary tool that I will use to do my work in you? Yes, you do. You will use your word to do your work in me. I’m glad that you know this to be true. Why is that? Some believe that they can take or leave my word. Some think that it is up to them to accept or reject portions of my word. What do you think about that? I think that if I reject portions of your word I do so at my own peril. I would never set myself up as an authority that has the wisdom to accept or reject portions of your word. I am not the evaluator of your word. Your word is the evaluator of me. I am not the corrector of your word. Your word is the corrector of me. To think otherwise would be incredibly foolish and prideful. No, I will humbly accept all that your word has to say to me. It is my delight to take your word deep into my heart and mind and life. I am thankful that you have been using your word to form all my thoughts and words and actions. You have used your word to guard and guide the entire course of my life. Your word has been changing my heart and transforming my mind. Your word has made me able to resist temptation and stand against evil Your word has richly blessed my life. I can’t get enough of your word. I delight to hear you speaking to me. I will hold on to your word. I will believe your promises. That is very good.

I have more to say. I’m listening. Your word has helped me to come to know and to love and to follow and serve you. For that, I am thankful beyond what my words can express. You have revived and refreshed and restored me by your word. You have lifted me up and encouraged me with your word. It is the delight of my life to meet with you daily in your word. Speak to me Lord, I am listening. Yes, you are and that is very good. 

Lord, your word is true. Your word is right. Your word is trustworthy. I will rely on your word. Use your word to do your work in my life. Use your word to form all my thoughts, words, and actions. Guard and guide the entire course of my life with your word. Amen

Key Question… How has God used His word to guide and guard the course of your life?

Living It Out… .Allow God to use His word to do His work in you.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that God will use His word to do His work in you.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how God has used His word to do His work in you.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you allow God to use His word to do His work in you.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 138 – Hebrews 4-12 – The Word Of God Is Living And Active – 4 Page Discipleship 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

Many Parts

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ - Day 298 - 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 - Many Parts- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 298 – 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 – Many Parts- Growing As Disciples

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 (NIV)  

Spiritual Gifts

It has been quite a process to discover my spiritual gifts. How so? Over the years, by lots of trial and error, I have discovered and been able to use the spiritual gifts you have given to me. That’s very good. Not only have I discovered what are my spiritual gifts, I have also discovered what are not my spiritual gifts. Sometimes, I’m sure that the process was comical. Why is that? Well, I have made many feeble attempts to function well outside of the gifts you have given to me. Can you give me an example? Yes, I can. At one time, I helped lead worship and I can barely sing at all. My singing was definitely not music to anyone’s ears. Your singing is like a joyful noise that I enjoy hearing. Ha, thank you, for that. I’m serious. Let me ask you a question. I’m listening. Who would need more faith to worship me with singing, a gifted singer or someone who can’t carry a note or keep in tune? I understand. Keep on worshipping me with singing. I delight in hearing your voice. Thank you, Lord.

There is something I do need to confess. There is something I would like to talk to you about. I’m listening. I have not always been completely happy or fully satisfied with the spiritual gifts I have been given. Why is that? I have looked around and compared myself with others. That is always a mistake. I know that now. But I wanted the spiritual gifts of others. I was envious of what others had been given. How about now? What do you think now? I am content. I am at peace. I am grateful and thankful. It is my delight and joy to fully use the spiritual gifts you have given to me. It is my hope and prayer that you will help me to bear an abundance of fruit for your Kingdom and bring much glory to your name as I use the spiritual gifts you have given to me. That I will do in and through you. Keep on fully using all the spiritual gifts I have given to you. Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, thank you for giving me spiritual gifts with which I can use to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Forgive me for being envious of others who have different gifting. Help me to be content to faithfully use the gifts you have given to me. Amen

Key Question… What kind of process has it been for you to discover and begin to use your spiritual gifts?

Living It Out… .Discover and use the spiritual gifts you have been given to serve others as a member of the body of Christ.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord has given you spiritual gifts to be used to serve others as an integral part of the body of Christ.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has given you spiritual gifts to use to serve others.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you faithfully and fruitfully use the spiritual gifts you have been given.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 298 – 1 Corinthians 12-12-20 – Many Parts – 4 Page 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

He Who Has Ears To Hear Let Him Hear

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 136 - Luke 8:4-8 - He Who Has Ears To Hear Let Him Hear - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 136 – Luke 8:4-8 – He Who Has Ears To Hear Let Him Hear – Growing As Disciples

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:4-8 (NIV)  

Following And Obeying

How will you hear my word? How will you take my word into your heart and mind and life? What effort will you make to hear my word? What will be the true indication that you are in fact hearing my word? I will meet with you in your word on a daily basis. I will set aside a special time and place to meet with you. I will not let anything crowd your word out of my life. The cares of this life will not thwart the growth of your word in me. The pursuits of this life will not lead me away from your word. The trials of this life will not cause me to abandon your word. Rather, I will meditate on and memorize your word. I will keep your word ever before me. I will allow your word to feed my thoughts, form my words and foster my actions. My heart and mind and life will be guarded and guided by your word. It is my prayer that you will cause your word to grow and flourish within me. I will hear and answer that prayer. But let me go back to one of your questions. Two things will indicate that I am truly hearing your word. One, I will be continually putting your word into practice. If I am following and obeying your word that is a very good sign that I am really hearing your word. Yes, it is. Two, if my life is bearing abundant fruit for your kingdom then that is also a very good sign that I am really hearing your word. Both, taken together will clearly help me to know if I am really hearing your word. Is that correct? Yes, that is certainly true. If you hear and put my word into practice, your life will bear abundant fruit for my kingdom. That is what I want. That is my desire. That is very good. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, I will make myself available to hear your word on a daily basis. I will take your word deep into my heart and mind and life. Cause your word to grow and flourish in me. I will put your word into practice. Use your word to make me abundantly fruitful for you. Amen

Key Question… How has hearing and putting God’s word into practice made you able to bear fruit for the Lord?

Living It Out… .Make sure that you are hearing and putting God’s word into practice.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that your life will bear fruit as you hear and put God’s word into practice.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are you making yourself available to hear God’s word.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you hear and put God’s word into practice.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 136 – Luke 8-4-8 – He Who Has Ears To Hear Let Him Hear – 4 Page Discipleship 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

How You Listen

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 135 - Luke 8:16-18 - How You Listen - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 135 – Luke 8:16-18 – How You Listen – Growing As Disciples

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” Luke 8:16-18 (NIV)  

Listen And Hear

How will you know if you are really listening to me? How will you make sure that you are really hearing what I want you to hear? I will make time to hear from you. I will not race through life making myself unavailable to hear from you. I will sit at your feet. I will quiet myself before you. I will give you my undivided attention. I will make listening to you the absolute and highest priority of my life. I know that there is a difference between casually listening and really hearing. What’s the difference? If I am only casually listening your word might go in my one ear and out the other. Such listening would have no real and lasting impact on my life. It probably would be better to not listen at all than to casually listen. Why is that? Casually listening might fool me into thinking that I was really hearing you. That’s true.

How will you know if you are really listening and fully hearing me? I will put into practice all that you are teaching me. My thoughts and word and actions will be quite different if I am really listening and fully hearing you. How will you know if your thoughts and words and actions are quite different because you have heard from me? I will be shining brightly in the world for you. I will be a bold and bright witness for you. Others will have been drawn to you through the brightness of your light shining in and through my life. I will be receiving all that you want to give me. I will be growing into the person you have called me to become. Is there anything else that you might have missed? Well, it almost goes without saying that I will not be walking in darkness. I will be letting nothing prevent the brightness of your light form shining in and through me. If I have really listened and heard from you, I will be continually walking with you in the light. I will be continually separating myself from darkness so that I will be able to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Yes, you will. That will be very good. 

Lord, I want my life to shine brightly in the world for you. I do not want your light in me to be hidden. I will guard my life against any darkness that hinder my light from shining brightly for you. I will listen attentively to you. Give me all you want me to receive. Amen

Key Question… How are you listening carefully to all that the Lord wants you to hear?

Living It Out… Listen attentively to the Lord so that you will be able to shine brightly for Him in this dark world.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will shine brightly through your life as you listen attentively to Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the light of your life is shining brightly in a dark world.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you listen attentively to the Lord so you will shine brightly in the world for Him.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 135 – Luke 8-16-18 – How You Listen – 4 Page 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

Is With You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ - Day 296 - Zephaniah 3:17 - Is With You - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 296 – Zephaniah 3:17 – Is With You – Growing As Disciples

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

Rest

That definitely does not come naturally to me. What does not come naturally to you? Rest does not come naturally to me. Why is that? I am much more likely to be doing things. I have liked to be busy. I liked to go places and do things. Does rest seem like a waste of time to you? Does rest seem to have no good purpose to you? I suppose it sounds pathetic to admit, but yes, rest has seemed like a purposeless waste of time to me. You couldn’t be more wrong. I have had that suspicion. What would you think if I were to tell you that resting is not easy? I would be interested in hearing more. Rest can actually be a form of hard work. How can that be? If you were to set aside all your urges to be busy doing things would that be easy or hard for you? That would be exceedingly difficult for me. There you go then. You understand some of the difficulty of entering my rest. I guess I do. Yes, you do.

Would you be shocked to learn that you will not come to know me unless you enter my rest? No, not really. It is my hope and desire for you that you come to enter my rest. Would you like a preview of what you will learn as you enter my rest? Wow, a preview! I love previews. I always want to know what is coming next. As you enter my rest you will come to know that I love and care for you. As you enter my rest you will better understand how I have rescued and saved you from a life without me. As you enter my rest you will know that I delight in you. I delight in you so much that I rejoice over you with singing. On the day that you gave your life to me there was rejoicing in heaven. Does that blow you away? Yes, it certainly does. You, the God of the universe, who made everything, have all these thoughts and feelings toward me. Who I am? You are my child. I am your Heavenly Father. Come to rest in my love. Let my love quiet all your fears. Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. Come to rest in my presence. Come now. Yes, Heavenly Father, I will. That will be very good.

Heavenly Father, thank you for being with me to help me. You rescued me from a life without you. How wonderful it is that you love and care me. How fantastic it is that you delight in me and rejoice over me with singing. I love you with all that is within me. Amen

Key Question… How has God’s love for you put life into perspective and quieted your fears?

Living It Out… Allow God to show you how much He loves and cares for you as you rest in His presence.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that God will help you to come to know and live in an intimate relationship with Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how God’s love for you has quieted your fears.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you rest in knowing how much your Heavenly Father loves and cares for you.

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

Day 296 – Becoming Like Christ – Zephaniah 3-17 – Is With You – 4 Page 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

Had Done Before

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ - Day 295 - Daniel 6:10-12 - Had Done Before- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 295 – Daniel 6:10-12 – Had Done Before- Growing As Disciples

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands–in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” Daniel 6:10-12 (NIV)

Pattern

That is what I want to develop in my life. What do you want to develop in your life? I want a daily pattern of meeting with you in prayer to be developed every day in my life. That is a very good and ambitious goal. I don’t think of it as a goal. Why is that? I think of a goal as being aspirational. I think of a goal as being something to hope to achieve. A goal may or may not be attainable. I may not meet every goal that I establish as a priority. Meeting daily with you in prayer will not be an aspirational goal that I hope to achieve. Why is that? I want meeting with you daily in prayer to be an established fact. I want meeting with you daily in prayer to be a rock solid, never ending pattern in my life. Not meeting with you daily in prayer will be unthinkable and inconceivable to me. You are very sure of your desire. Yes, I am. That’s good.

What steps will you take to establish our meeting daily together in prayer? I will set a time and a place to meet with you in prayer. Why is that essential? Life is busy. Life gets hectic. Life places almost limitless demands on my time. If I only meet with you in prayer when I get around to it, we will not see or hear from each other very often. That would not be good. That won’t happen, because meeting with you in prayer will be my first priority with everything else being a distant second. That’s good.

Why do you so desperately want and need to meet daily with me in prayer? I want to live in an intimate relationship with you. I yearn to live and walk closely with you. I want to live my life in a constant and ongoing dialogue of prayer with you. Weren’t you only going to meet with me in a set place at a specific time? That is just the starting point. That is just the beginning. It is my hope and desire and plan that our specific times of prayer will carry over to every moment of everyday of my life. That will be very good. Yes, it will be.

What do you hope to receive from me as we meet together in prayer? I hope that you will teach me to pray. I hope that you will give me prayers to pray. I hope that you will sustain and strengthen and guard and guide my life as we meet together in prayer. I hope to hear your voice as I meet with you in prayer. I hope to make known all my praise and thanks and worship to you as we meet together in prayer. I will certainly do all these things in and for you as we meet together in prayer. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, I will make it my daily pattern to meet with you. I will withdraw from the busyness and demands of life to draw near to you. Help me to live in an intimate relationship with you. Sustain and strengthen and guard and guide me through all the difficulties in life. Amen

Key Question… What spiritual disciplines have become a consistent and ongoing pattern in your life?

Living It Out… Develop a life of prayer with the Lord so you can live in an intimate relationship with Him.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that it will be well worth your time to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are developing an intimate relationship with the Lord.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you meet with the Lord in prayer on a daily basis so you can live in an intimate relationship with Him.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 295 – Daniel 6-10-12 – Had Done Before -4 Page 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

Wait For Him

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ - Day 294 - Lamentations 3:21-26 - Wait For Him - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 294 – Lamentations 3:21-26 – Wait For Him – Growing As Disciples

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:21-26 (NIV)

Wait

That has not been my strong point. That has not been one of my gifts. What has not been one of your strong points? What has not been one of your gifts? I have not been good at waiting. That’s probably a dramatic understatement. Being constantly on the move and running ahead of you would better describe my life. I have been impatient. I have been impulsive. I have been reactive. In the past, I have seldom waited quietly before you. What problems has all of this caused you? I can’t begin to tell you all the foolish decisions and dumb mistakes I have made by racing ahead of you. I have made a well-worn path out of retracing my steps and starting over because I have not waited for your guidance or received your instruction. I have certainly wasted a lot of time and expended a lot of energy because I have not quieted myself before you so that I could hear from you. Yes, I know.

You mentioned the words, “in the past”, what are you now doing differently? You have done a work in my life. I am not who I once was. How so? You have made me able to sit quietly before you. It is now my joy to rest in your presence. It is my delight to taste of your goodness and kindness and mercy and love as I meet with you in the morning. I never thought words like that would ever come out of my mouth. But there is no place I would rather be than in your presence. There is nothing I would rather do than listen to you. That is very good. I will tell you one thing I have learned, without a doubt. What’s that? No time is better spent than the time I spend meeting with you. Why is that? You love me. I love you. It is so good to recall how you have led and guided me through life. You give me comfort. You fill me with hope. My heart and mind and life is filled with thanks and praise to you when I consider all your goodness to me. You have been faithful to me. You encourage me. You lift me up. You keep me moving forward with you. You lead me to where you want me to go. You give me what you want me to do. You hold on to me as I hold on to you as we walk together through life. Could anything be better than that? No, it could not. Could I hope for more? No, I could not. So, I will keep on quieting myself before you, as I wait for you. All my hope and joy and peace is in you. That is very good. You are very good. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, I have been impatient. I have had a hard time sitting still. I have wanted to be on the go. I have wanted to make some moves. Frequently, I have run ahead of you. I have not waited before you. I have not sought you. Help me to wait and listen to you. Amen

Key Question… When has being impatient and impulsive caused you to make foolish mistakes?

Living It Out… Wait for the Lord to guide your life along the path that He has laid out for you to walk.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will guide your life as you wait quietly before Him.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you are waiting for the Lord to guide you through life.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you wait for the Lord to guide you through life.

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

Becoming Like Christ – Day 294 – Lamentations 3-21-26 – Wait For Him – 4 Page 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