Welcome to Confident in This, a blog designed especially for FpStudents, although everyone is welcome! Please join us each morning for a guided quiet time!
The definition of
sacrifice
according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
the
act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or
do something else or to help someone
Scripture
Matthew 16:24-26
24 Then
Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be
my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and
follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to
your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will
save it. 26 And what do you benefit if
you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth
more than your soul? (New Living Translation)
Luke 9:24
If you try to keep your life for yourself you will lose
it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.
Philippians 3:8
Yes, everything else is worthless when
compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake
I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could
gain Christ. (New Living Translation)
Philippians 4:13
For I can do
everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (New Living
Version)
Philippians 3:14
My eyes are on the
crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven
through Christ Jesus. (New Living Version)
Thursday
Worship:
All to Jesus I Surrender
Read Matthew 16:24-25
We sing the lyrics, “I surrender all,” but do we really think about what ALL
means? I know that I am very
guilty of not giving Jesus all I have and sometimes not even the best I have
and holding on to earthly possessions that I could sacrifice for Him. All around us we see society telling us
to indulge in things we want because “we deserve it.” The truth of the matter is we don’t deserve any of it. I know that may sound harsh, but the
only reason we have this life is because there was a man, who was also God,
that was willing to DIE so that we could have the best gift we could ever
possible receive. That gift is
eternal life with Him in Heaven.
Why are we so selfish that we won’t even sacrifice our truly meaningless
earthly “treasures” to better seek and serve the One who died for us?
Prayer: Praise God for being forgiving and merciful. Thank him for the gift of eternal life
through Jesus. Ask him to help you
discover ways you can be more selfless in your life and how to surrender your
whole self to Him.
Assignment from FpStudents Study Guide: Read Philippians 3:7-8. Spend 5 to 10 minutes meditating on what this passage means to your life.
Friday
Worship:
Lose My Soul
Read Matthew 16:26
What does this verse really mean when it says gain the whole world? There are so many things in this world
that we strive for. We want more
money, the nicest house and car, new clothes to wear every day, the latest
technology, fame, prestige, and the list could do on and on. The problem is, even when we gain as
many of those things as we possibly can, there is no true happiness found in
them. Our true happiness comes
from the One and Only God who created, loves, and guides us. He put our souls in this earthly body
for a short period of time, but ultimately we should be striving to get back to
Him. We should be seeking His will
for our lives, not all of the earthly possessions we think are going to satisfy
us. Is it worth losing sight of
our Lord and Savior to collect a bunch of “stuff” or earthly experiences? No way!
Prayer: Praise God for being your Creator and the Keeper of your soul. Thank him for giving you what you need
to live and work for Him. Pray
that He will show you the areas in your life that are hurting your relationship
with Him because of a love for earthly possessions.
Assignment from FpStudents Study Guide: Read Luke 7:36-47. Spend some time reflecting on if your life looks like the Pharisee or the prostitute.
Saturday
Worship:
Take My Life
Reread the whole passage Matthew 16:24-26 and Luke 9:24
Sacrificing for God doesn’t mean you have to give up absolutely everything
you have. God is not calling us
all to be without a home, transportation, clothing, or money. Although there
are times he does call people to get rid of some of those things. What it does mean is that we should be
willing to give up something that gives us security and replace that material
security with security in Christ. When
we seek God’s will for our lives, we know how to use the blessings He has
provided us in a way that glorifies him, and we know when to sacrifice those
things. When we are totally
surrendered to Him our desires are in sync with His desires. The song today says, “Take my life.
Take my mind. Take my soul. Take
my will. I am yours now, and I give
it all to You.” When we say this,
and really mean it, those earthly possessions and experiences become less
important to this life and God shows us how He wants us to use what he has
given us for His glory.
Prayer: Praise God for His loving guidance and presence in your life. Thank him for blessing you in the ways
He has. Pray that He take your
life, mind, soul, and will. Tell
him you and everything you have is His.
Ask Him to show you how he would have you use your blessings to glorify
Him.
Assignment from FpStudents Study Guide: Spend 7 minutes in prayer. (No distractions.) Read James 1- Does this passage help you know how to find wisdom?
Sunday
Worship:
Holiness is What I Long For
Read Philippians 3:8
In this verse Paul says that everything is worthless compared to knowing
Jesus. Do you live your life like
your relationship with Jesus is your most valued possession? Would you be willing to give up
everything that gives you security, your friends, boyfriend/girlfriend,
allowance, car, job, etc. if it is what God wanted from you? Do you put more value on those things
than the Will of God? What Paul
said is so true, but it is so hard to accept because we want to be
comfortable. We don’t necessarily
want to suffer for Christ, but He seriously suffered for us. Wow!!! That just personally hit me hard! Why am I not willing to be a little uncomfortable and step
into the unknown for the One who gave His perfect life for me? The song today says that holiness,
righteousness, and purity are what we long for. As believer, we do long for those, but the song also says
those things are what God wants from us.
If we give everything over to God in holiness, righteousness, and purity
then we will find our comfort in those very same things.
Prayer: Praise God for being Holy, Righteous, and Pure. Thank Him for providing for you. Ask Him to help you make your
relationship with Him the most valuable thing in your life.
Assignment from FpStudents Study Guide: Come to Faith Promise! Worship up front! Go cray cray!
Monday
Worship:
Glory to God
Reread Philippians 3:8
Do you ever complain about things that you really shouldn’t complain
about? I know I am guilty of
this! When I think about Paul, I
think of someone who experienced tremendous suffering. Yet the tone in this verse is anything
but a complaint. If someone was
ever going to complain about the way he was treated or the things that happened
to him, one would think Paul would have reason. He basically says that no matter what, all he cares about is
doing whatever he has to do to gain Christ and all glory goes to God. We should really have that kind of
attitude when it comes to seeking God’s will in our lives. Instead of complaining about things
that don’t go our way, we should be giving everything over to Him, saying that
all glory goes to God, and thanking him for giving us the opportunity to know,
love, and serve Him.
Prayer: Praise God for being in control. Thank Him for giving you some hardships in your life that
have caused you to draw closer to Him and for giving you the opportunity to
have a relationship with Him through Jesus. Ask him to help you better know, love, and serve Him with
everything you have inside and out.
Assignment from FpStudents Study Guide: Read Matthew 20:1-16. What do you think Jesus was trying to get across in this passage?
Tuesday
Worship:
Who Am I
Read Philippians 4:13
We are not always sure of ourselves in seeking, following, and serving
God. What we need to remember is
it is not because of who we are that God works through us but because of who He
is. Paul was just a man like any
of us, but he made a commitment to allow God to work through him no matter what
happened to him or what he had to give up. The strength to do this didn’t come from within Paul as a
man. It came from God within
him. The verse today states it
best. We can do EVERYTHING with
the strength of Christ. This
includes sacrificing our own comfort and possessions to fulfill the will of
God. We have to be willing,
like Paul, to give ourselves over completely to God’s Will in order for it to
be fully completed. What is
holding you back from giving yourself over completely? How can you get that out of the way to
be able to commit yourself fully?
Prayer: Praise God for being the Light of the world. Thank him for knowing your name,
feeling your hurt, and helping you up when you are down. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you and to
others through you. Ask him to
help you see what it is that holds you back and to help you let go and be able
to fully commit your life to Him.
Assignment from FpStudents Study Guide: Read Matthew 18:21-35- Does this make you rethink how you are to forgive those around you?
Wednesday
Worship:
There Will be a Day
Read Philippians 3:14
Paul writes about his eyes being on the crown. What do you think of as the crown in this life? Is it something that happens here on
earth? Is it being recognized for
an accomplishment or being able to buy a big ticket item with all of the money
you make? Paul wasn’t speaking of
a these earthly treasures when he said he was talking about the crown. He was referring to our Heavenly
prize. When this life is over, we
will get to be reunited with Jesus and experience far more joy, peace, and
comfort than we could ever imagine here on earth. We need to stay focused on that now though. We shouldn’t take our eyes, thoughts,
actions, etc. off the end reward that it will be being in Heaven with
Jesus. Let go of the things that
take you on any other track and stay focused on fulfilling God’s will in your
life.
Prayer: Praise God for being
graceful when your eyes become distracted from the crown. Thank Him for giving you’re the assurance
of eternal life in Heaven. Ask him
to help you stay focused on the real crown and not all of the shiny
distractions you encounter everyday.
Assignment from FpStudents Study Guide: Invite someone to church! Be the difference in this world who NEEDS the light that you have!
Revival starts with you!
