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Give And It Will Be Given To You

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Identity - Give And It Will Be Given To You - Luke 6:36-38 - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Identity – Give And It Will Be Given To You – Luke 6:36-38 – Growing As Disciples

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:36-38

 Giver

What am I like? You are unlike any other. How do I treat you? You don’t give me what I deserve. Instead, you give me what I don’t deserve. What do you mean by that? You give to me based on who you are and not based on what I have done. What have you done? I have sinned, wandered away and ignored you. I’ve done worse than that. At one time I was your enemy. I took your name in vain and even mocked you and your followers. I had no interest in you at all. So how did I treat you then? Well, there were a lot of negative consequences that I experienced as a result of my sin. When I was in deep pain, I cried out to you and asked for your help. Did I judge you? Did I condemn you? Did I turn you away? No, you did not. That is what I deserved. What did you receive instead? You gave me forgiveness. You welcomed me to you with your arms opened wide. You showered me with your kindness, mercy, and love. How did that feel to you? It felt great. I couldn’t believe it. I felt so loved and accepted. What did my kindness, mercy, and love, motivate you to want? I wanted to follow you. I wanted to be like you. I wanted to treat others just like you have treated me. Is that what you still want today? Yes it is.

Tell me how you want to treat others? When I am wronged, I will give forgiveness. When others don’t act like I would expect I will give acceptance rather than judgment. Instead of condemnation, I will give kindness, mercy and love. Why would you be willing to do this?  Because that is exactly what you gave to me. I want to be like you and do what you have done and are still doing today.

What do you think will happen as you treat others with kindness, mercy, and love? I think that I will be a tool in your hands. I will be like a vessel through which your love can pour. My life will become like a signpost pointing people to you. Has that been happening in your life these days? Yes, I believe that even people who have regarded themselves as my enemies can see your life shining through me. Do you want more of this to happen? Yes, I do.

Father, change my heart and mind. I want to think and act as you do. Instead of judgment and condemnation I want to freely give kindness, mercy and love to others. Use my life as a signpost that points people to you.  Amen 

Key Question…  How has the Lord demonstrated generous giving to you so that you wanted to follow His example?

Living It Out… Give to others the same kindness, mercy and love that He has given to you.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Lord will help you to give to others the kindness, mercy and love that the He has given to you.

Get Ready To Share…   Share with another person or your small group how God has used you to show His kindness, mercy and love to others.

Prayer To Bless Others…   May you freely give love and kindness to others so you can be a witness and signpost that points them to God.

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

Identity – Luke 6-36-38 – Give And It Will Be Given To 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

Do Not Judge Or You Will Be Judged

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide -The Virtuous Life - Day 230 - Matthew 7-1-5 - Do Not Judge Or You Will Be Judged - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – The Virtuous Life – Day 230 – Matthew 7-1-5 – Do Not Judge Or You Will Be Judged – Growing As Disciples

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

In Return

Have you heard the expression, “What goes around comes around?” Or how about, “You get what you give?” Or even, “If you live by the sword, you will die by the sword?” Yes, I have heard all those expressions. Do they sound a little like, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged?” Or “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you?” Or how about, “Do to others what you would have them do to you?” Yes, they sound quite similar. Do you have any doubt about the truth in each of these expressions? No, I have no doubts. That’s good. So, how do you want to be treated? How will you treat others? Aren’t those two very good questions to help guide your life? Or I could ask you these questions? How have I treated you? How will you treat others? What example have I set before you to follow? Will you think and speak, and act like me? I want to think and speak and act like you. I want to live like you lived. I want to follow your example. How so? I want to give like you gave. I want to serve like you served. I want to love like you loved. My primary motive and most fundamental desire is that I want to be able to know and do your will. I want to live a life that is pleasing to you. I want what you want. You want me to become like you. You want your life lived out, in and through me. You want others to be drawn to you because they see your life shining through my life. Yes, I do. So, if I don’t treat others just as you have treated me, I will be living a life that is not pleasing to you. Of secondary importance, but still a worthy consideration, is that I will suffer greatly if I don’t follow your example. Give some negative examples. If I treat others harshly, I can expect harshness to come back to me. If I gossip against others, I can expect others to gossip against me. If I am angry and short tempered toward others, I can expect to receive those same attitudes to return to me. Give some positive examples. As I give, so I will receive. If I give out kindness and mercy and love, it will come back to me. If I am gracious and forgiving, that is what I will receive. Are there any other considerations? I am not qualified to judge others. Why is that? I am flawed. I have my own issues. How so? I make mistakes. I take missteps. I sin. I act inappropriately. I think and speak and act in ways that are not pleasing to you. And you would like to be forgiven? You would like to be treated with kindness and mercy and love? You would like to receive grace and forgiveness? Yes, and that is exactly what you have, are now, and will always give to me. So, will you do the same for others? Will you lavishly love others with my love? Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, why do I tend to be judgmental of others? Why is it that I can easily see flaws in others but not in myself? Help me to extend to others the same grace that you have lavishly extended to me. Help me to love others just as you have loved me. Use me Lord. Amen

Key Question…  Why can you be sure that you will receive back what you have given out to others?

Living It Out…  Make it your habit to lavishly extend grace rather than judgment to others.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Lord will help you to lavishly extend grace to others.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how you have received back what you have given to others.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you not judge others, or you will be judged.

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

The Virtuous Life – Day 230 – Matthew 7-1-5 – Do Not Judge Or You Will Be Judged – 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

Do Not Judge

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Character - Matthew 7:1-2- Do Not Judge - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Character – Matthew 7:1-2- Do Not Judge – Growing As Disciples

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV) 

My Job

I am certainly not qualified to be a judge others, of that I am positive. I have no doubts about that in my mind whatsoever. Why do you say that? I have made so many mistakes. I have gone where I shouldn’t have gone. I have done what I should not have done. I’m not talking about a rare misstep or an occasional mistake. No, I have repeatedly gone astray and missed the mark. I have stepped out of bounds. I have sinned against you and others in my thoughts and words and deeds. I have even known what would be the good and right and true thing to do and I have deliberately gone and done just the opposite. Where did that lead you? All my sin led me straight to rock bottom. It was then and there that I cried out to you. You brought me to my senses. You turned my life around. You forgave my sin and cleansed me of my unrighteousness. You set me on a new path of loving, following and serving you. Yes, I did. But, I have not forgotten about where I was when you rescued me from a life without you. I was without hope in the world. You have given me a completely new life to live in you. That’s right. So, I have it firmly established in my mind that I am not qualified to be a judge of anyone else. Beyond that, I have no desire to be the judge of anyone else. Why is that? Judging others is just not my job.

What is your job? If you don’t want to get involved with judging others, what do you want to do? Instead of judging others I would like to bless and encourage others. Instead of dragging others down and discouraging them with judgement, I would like to spur others on to bigger and better things in life. Like what? I would like to help others to come to love and follow and serve you. I would like to help others to come to know you and walk in your ways. I would like to help others to discover the joy there is in doing what is pleasing to you. These are the desires of my heart. These are the things that I want to do. These things are part of my job. How do you know this is your job? How did you come to receive this assignment? This is the work that you have given me to do for you. Doing these things have become the desire of my heart that you have given and will grant to me. That’s right. As you bless others in these ways your life will reap rich blessings from me. You will bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name. I will use you to accomplish my purposes and fulfill my plans. That is what I want.

Lord, I have plenty of my own flaws. I have made mistakes. I have taken missteps. I have missed the mark. I have sinned. Nothing would suggest I am qualified to be a critic who judges others. Help me to bless and encourage others rather than judge them. Amen

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

Character – Matthew 7-1-2 – Do Not Judge – 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