Wednesday, October 4, 2017 The Inner Heart of the Kingdom of God: The Discipline of Simplicity, Part 4 (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)
Good morning! I am so excited to share with you today. I pray you are richly blessed by God's Word today. Thank you for joining me!
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
The Inner Heart of the Kingdom of God: The Discipline of
Simplicity, Part 4 (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)
Scripture:
Matthew 6:31-34
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying,
‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For
after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that
you need all these things.33 But seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Therefore humble yourselves under
the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting
all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Colossians 1:15-20
15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn over all creation. 16For in Him all things were created,
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for
Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold
together. 18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the
beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have
preeminence. 19For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell
in Him, 20and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood
of His cross.
Devotional:
Seek first the Kingdom. As a believer, this phrase has been part
of my DNA as long as I can remember. It was one of the early memory verses we
learned as very small children in Sunday School, and was a chorus in most of
the churches our family attended. As an adult believer, this phrase has taken
on such new meaning. As I mentioned before, I have known true poverty, even
homelessness, in my lifetime. I have also been so thankful to come out of that
state of poverty into a place of milk and honey. I can tell you that there is
no answer to life in poverty, nor is the answer to life in abundance.
The passage on simplicity in Celebration of Discipline today
continues to pull us to the true meaning of this life: to seek the Kingdom of
God. Putting aside anxiety over our needs and centering in on God’s desire for
His world and His people is a lifelong pursuit! Daily, hourly, by the minute
and second our energies can be concentrated on returning to the heart of God in
all situations. He is there, He will
care for our needs. This is a freeing truth, and gives a new meaning to the
popular assumption that simplicity means lack or minimalism. Maybe God is
calling us to live without something, but we must seek His kingdom about it.
Maybe He is calling us to be the storehouse of great wealth so that He can
bless others through our Godly stewardship—but it must be by His leading, as we
seek Him.
Christ reigns supreme, my sweet brothers and sisters! Let’s
allow Him to reign supreme in our homes as we seek his kingdom.
Prayer:
Thanksgiving:
Father, I am so grateful to You that Your Kingdom is
available to me and to my family! I love You, dear Father. Thank You, Jesus,
for Your supremacy and deity over this beautiful home, Earth.
Confession:
Father, I confess to You that I am a sinner in need of a Savior.
I give my heart and life to You. I am thankful for the place of daily confession
that allows me to remain free and flow with Your grace and mercy, and to extend
that grace and mercy to others. (For me today: I confess that I have a tendency
to try to control my world, and in particular my husband and children. I desire
to release that control to You. I pray that You will replace that control with surrender,
Lord. I give this to You.)
Supplication:
God, I am here to seek You. I ask that You will reveal Your plan for me today, and on the large scale, that I might be walking always in the center of Your will. I thank You that You have trusted me with these children, and I desire to walk our days out with Your kingdom as our focus.
God, I am here to seek You. I ask that You will reveal Your plan for me today, and on the large scale, that I might be walking always in the center of Your will. I thank You that You have trusted me with these children, and I desire to walk our days out with Your kingdom as our focus.
Intercession:
I lift my children to You today. I ask that You woo them
into Your kingdom more each day. (Journal needs, concerns, victories and
progress. Chloe today: She has been growing into a lovely young lady, and is a
great model for me in how to persist in making friends. She is struggling with
disrespect and rudeness. Show me how to train her. Touch the heart of
selfishness and entitlement that is beneath it. Lead me in training her and keep
me from trying to address it by controlling the behavior. Christian: He is
using words more every day! He is connecting with us in a deeper way too,
making eye contact and requesting and giving affection. He is still struggling
with toileting. I pray that You will break through the barrier that keeps him
from choosing to use the toilet when he needs to. Strengthen me and my husband
to be patient when we have multiple daily accidents. Give us wisdom.)
Consecration and Thankgiving:
Lord, I lift this time to You and thank You for Your hand in
our home. Bless our day, and teach us to know You more. I love You, Lord! I
lift You up and give You glory and honor. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.
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