Welcome to Confident in
This! This week's blog will help you focus your daily quiet time on further understanding the topic we have been discussing in FpStudents: Made for Glory. However, you absolutely do not have to be an FpStudent to do this study. Everyone is welcome!
Scripture:
Thursday, October 17
Worship-
Study-
Last week in FpStudents,
we started a new series called “Made for Glory.” Jayson gave an awesome talk about “becoming a walking
billboard for Jesus.” If you
missed it, click here to read the sermon notes. If you were there, review your notes.
Now read the scripture
for this week.
Think-
How does this scripture
relate to Jayson’s sermon?
Reflect-
This week, Zac
challenged us to view Jesus in the way that John the Baptist viewed him. John believed in his heart that Jesus
was worth living second to. This
week, keep a running list of all the things you know about Jesus. Focus on what each of those things says
about Him. The more we know about
the awesomeness of Christ, the more we desire God’s glory.
Pray-
Praise God for who he is. Thank him for your
blessings. Pray that this
week God would teach you to serve in a way that brings glory to him.
Friday, October 18
Worship-
Study-
Reread this week’s
scripture. In this scripture, Paul
asks us to look at our motives behind service. Who are we trying to please when
we serve? When volunteering for
charity, am I doing it to show God’s love to people or to look like a good
person? When I lead worship, do I
do it to glorify God with song or am I performing for the other people there? When I help with FpKids, do I hope that
kids see Jesus through me or that someone sees what a good job I’m doing? When I write a blog post, do I hope
that people will grow deeper in their walk with Christ or that people are
impressed with my words? (Ouch!) This scripture says that your answer
cannot be both. If we are serving
to impress others, we are not serving Christ.
Think-
In what ways do you serve other people? What is your motivation for serving?
Reflect-
This week, Zac
challenged us to view Jesus in the way that John the Baptist viewed him. John believed in his heart that Jesus
was worth living second to. This
week, keep a running list of all the things you know about Jesus. Focus on what each of those things says
about Him. The more we know about
the awesomeness of Christ, the more we desire God’s glory.
Pray-
Praise God for who he is. Thank him for your
blessings. Ask God to reveal your
true motives for serving.
Saturday, October 19
Worship-
Study-
After yesterday, you
might be wondering if it really matters why you are serving as long as you are serving. We are tempted to say that because we
are serving, we are obeying his command to serve one another. However, there is more to it than
simply serving people. John 3:30 says, “He must increase, but I must
decrease.” If we are serving to
impress other people, we are glorifying ourselves, or putting ourselves the
spotlight. If we turn every act of
service to the Lord, he receives the glory.
Think-
Does the motivation behind service matter? How does motivation affect the outcome
of service?
Reflect-
This week, Zac
challenged us to view Jesus in the way that John the Baptist viewed him. John believed in his heart that Jesus
was worth living second to. This
week, keep a running list of all the things you know about Jesus. Focus on what each of those things says
about Him. The more we know about
the awesomeness of Christ, the more we desire God’s glory.
Pray-
Praise God for who he is. Thank him for your
blessings. Ask God to make your
actions speak louder about Him than they do about you.
Sunday, October 20
Worship-
Study-
For many people, wanting
to be in the spotlight is a huge temptation. That’s because we were designed for glory! We were made in
God’s image and God is glorious! The good news is, we reflect God’s glory like
a mirror! 2 Corinthians 3:18 says,
“And we all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being
transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the
Lord.” When God is glorified,
people see that glory in us and want to know the source of that glory. So we get to be glorious too, just like
we are created to be. It’s just
not our own glory. It’s a
reflection of God’s.
Think-
Would you rather have
attention yourself or reflect God’s glory? How does each make you feel?
Reflect-
This week, Zac
challenged us to view Jesus in the way that John the Baptist viewed him. John believed in his heart that Jesus
was worth living second to. This
week, keep a running list of all the things you know about Jesus. Focus on what each of those things says
about Him. The more we know about
the awesomeness of Christ, the more we desire God’s glory.
Pray-
Praise God for who he is. Thank him for your
blessings. Pray that God would use
your life to reflect his glory to others.
Monday, October 21
Worship-
Study-
Ok, I totally get it, and I do want to
reflect God’s glory… but that’s hard! Yeah, it is! How can you possibly change motivation? Most temptations are different. You think about them, but then you can
stop yourself from acting upon it.
You have to intentionally make a decision to cheat on a test or let ugly
words come out of your mouth. But
to stop yourself from having selfish motives in service? That’s seems almost impossible. And by ourselves it is. But that’s where the Holy Spirit comes
in. In John 14:26, Jesus tells us
that he sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us and remind us of all the
things that He commanded us. And
one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:23.) So we already have self-control living
inside of us. If we are struggling
with the temptation of glorifying ourselves, we can pray that the Holy Spirit
would fill us with self-control in situations in which we are tempted.
Think-
Are you being ruled by a
spirit of self-control? What would
change in your life if the Holy Spirit transformed your greatest desire to be
glorifying God?
Reflect-
This week, Zac
challenged us to view Jesus in the way that John the Baptist viewed him. John believed in his heart that Jesus
was worth living second to. This
week, keep a running list of all the things you know about Jesus. Focus on what each of those things says
about Him. The more we know about
the awesomeness of Christ, the more we desire God’s glory.
Pray-
Praise God for who he is. Thank him for your
blessings. Ask the Holy Spirit for
self-control in your thought life.
Ask God to make his glory your greatest desire.
Tuesday, October 22
Worship-
Study-
In John 14:13, Jesus says, “And I will do whatever
you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Does this mean that God is going to
answer every single prayer the way we want it answered? No! When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are praying that the prayer
would be answered in the way that brings God the most glory. Why would we want to limit a God who
can do “exceedingly and abundantly more than we dare to ask or hope” (Ephesians 3:20) by telling
him what to do? When we are
focused on God’s glory, that’s when the REALLY amazing things happen!
Think-
Do you trust that God is
“working all things out for our good” (Romans 8:28) when your prayers are not
answered in the way you want them to be?
When is a time that you ended up being thankful that God did not answer
in the way you hoped He would?
Reflect-
This week, Zac
challenged us to view Jesus in the way that John the Baptist viewed him. John believed in his heart that Jesus
was worth living second to. This
week, keep a running list of all the things you know about Jesus. Focus on what each of those things says
about Him. The more we know about
the awesomeness of Christ, the more we desire God’s glory.
Pray-
Praise God for who he is. Thank him for your
blessings. Ask God to grow your
faith in him so that you desire his best and his glory above all.
Wednesday, October 23
Worship-
Study-
Reread this week’s
verse. Then read the quote below.
Think-
Do you believe that the
reason you exist is to serve God and bring Him glory? Do your thoughts, priorities, and actions reflect this?
Reflect-
This week, Zac
challenged us to view Jesus in the way that John the Baptist viewed him. John believed in his heart that Jesus
was worth living second to. This
week, keep a running list of all the things you know about Jesus. Focus on what each of those things says
about Him. The more we know about
the awesomeness of Christ, the more we desire God’s glory.
Pray-
Praise God for who he is. Thank him for your
blessings. Pray that every part of
your life would be motivated by serving God and bringing him glory.
Cute images were borrowed from http://friskychile.blogspot.com and http://www.relentlessgod.com.
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