The Process – December 17, 2008

The Process

1 Peter 1:5-8

Jim Stephens

12-17-08

 

Scripture:

 

5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life.  Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence.  A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6 Knowing God better leads to self-control.  Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (2 Peter 1:5-8 NLT)

 

Observation:

 

Simon Peter had gone from being an impulsive, emotion-driven good-old-boy, to being the rock-solid man of God Jesus had named him to be.

 

It was a process of living and learning, outspokenness and correction, stumbling and getting up again.  It was a process.

 

Application:

 

My life as a Christ-follower is also a process.  It began with a spiritual new-birth.  It continues with a day-to-day process of living and learning, disobedience and discipline, mistakes and correction, obedience and growth.

 

One term for this life-long process is “discipleship.”  Jesus Christ is the master and I am his “disciple”,  his student for life, his student of life.  He is the teacher, I am his student.  He is the journeyman, I am the apprentice.  He is the expert, I am the novice.

 

Prayer:

 

Father, thanks for apprenticing me to Master Jesus.  Jesus, thanks for your patient teaching, your patient example, for never giving up on me.  I submit to the process.  Amen.

 

In My Life – December 7, 2008

In My Life

Colossians 1:9-10

Jim Stephens

12-07-08

 

Scripture:

 

9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. (Colossians 1:9-10 NLT)

 

Observation and Application:

 

If I can understand what God wants to do in my life and if I can receive and develop Godly wisdom, then how I live will bring honor and not shame, pleasure and not disappointment to Jesus.

 

It will also mean that as I allow him to do what he wants to do in my life, I will do good and kind things for others and not merely live for my self, my ambitions, and my own achievements.

 

In this process, instead of just becoming better at working and winning, I’ll be getting to know God better and better.

 

Prayer:

 

Father, so much of my thought and energy goes into getting things done and trying to be prepared for what comes next.  Please, in this season of my life, help me focus on a better understanding of what you want to do in my life.  I trust that fruitfulness will grow out of responding to your inner work in my life and in getting to know you better.  Amen.