Well, are we brave enough to continue? Let's pray for courage!
Lord, I am grateful for everyone reading this today. Give us willing hearts to continue searching for Your kind of love. Fill us with insight and aha! as we open our bibles. Let us be truly changed by what we learn. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Do you ever consider helping someone out and then immediately wonder "what's in it for me?" or "am I going to enjoy this or not?" I used to follow those kinds of thoughts with something along the lines of "well, I am earning God's favor or pleasure by what I'm doing so chalk up another heaven point for me." Even in striving to serve God, I considered the benefit to myself as a reason to take action.
As we discussed yesterday, God's love is not earned and is not contingent on our behavior. Neither is our salvation. God loved us before we were even born. Our salvation has nothing to do with our gifts or sacrifice, it has only to do with accepting Jesus' gift of sacrifice. If we are seeking to obey God for our own glory, we are still off-track.
I still struggle with wanting others to know when I am doing something good. It's my daily prayer for God to help me let go of the approval and acceptance of others, and seek only His. People are fickle: what's good today is bad tomorrow. Only God remains the same.
Read Mark 10:29-31. Jesus promises what kinds of rewards for anything we must sacrifice in order to follow Him? __________________________________________________
Did you include the "reward" of persecutions? Are trials and troubles a reward any of us would enjoy?
Why is it that Jesus amended His descriptions of all that God would provide for those who gave up the comforts of home and family in order to follow Him and be at His service, with being persecuted for their trouble?
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Have you ever heard the term "nothing worth having comes easy?"
In the journaling section of chapter three of The Love Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Guide,we are asked to imagine having a conversation with Jesus about rewards and servanthood, like he did with his disciples in Mark 10:42-45.
Read those verses and ask yourself what might Jesus say about your life in regards to servanthood, sacrifice, and your current plans for life? Would he lovingly correct? What scriptures come to mind?
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I look forward to reading your comments as you honestly explore your own motives for helping others, and begin to understand that with great reward, comes great responsibility, and all too often, great sacrifice. Still want to be great??
With love, Karen
Photo by djcodrin, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
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