askers

It's time to pray. If you haven't done so yet today, stop and take a moment to talk to Jesus. Tell Him why you love Him; talk to Him about what you need; ask Him for His will.

Okay, now that we've started the right way, let's keep going:

"You do not have, because you do not ask God." - James 4:2d(NIV)

So there are a few things lately that I really need, and I must confess that I haven't been as diligent as I ought to in talking to God about them. I've kind of just been thinking and worrying and doing, but not really asking the Creator of the universe to work on my behalf regarding them. When I finally did get around to talking to Him about one of these matters, it ended up being more of a question like, "Why hasn't this been solved, yet, Lord?" He gently whispered the verse above to my heart. Guess what I did immediately?



And how about this one:

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."-Matthew 7:7-11 (NLT)

Does God want to give me the good things I ask for? Duh. Will He provide what is best for his child when I ask according to His will? I repeat: Duh.

How? I don't know yet. A lot of what I'm asking for does not have an easy solution. Most of these things are issues that no amount of brainstorming on my part will fix. Almost everything I'm asking Him for has nothing to do with anything I have the least bit of control over. I'm literally taking them to His capable Hands and dumping them. Not because I'm giving up. Because it's the best option for success.

“Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” -Matthew 19:26b (NLT)

What do you need to ask God for today? What can you dump into His hands and watch Him do the impossible? Have you asked Him to bless your group this term? Have you requested that He use you as His tool to touch lives with love and grace? Have you sought His will for your leadership?

Let's be askers - He tells us to, after all.

Next Level

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. “ – 2 Peter 1:2-8 (NLT)

Okay - I know it's a longer passage than I usually post, but I can't cut any of it out. It's all just too good! And where do I start? Who doesn't want more grace and peace? And how? By growing in our knowledge of Him (which comes, as you know, by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God - EVERY DAY!!) And we give all glory to God alone, because it is only through Him that we have anything good that we have. He has made promises to us that He always keeps, so what do WE do? RESPOND to his promises by growing to the next level. Picture this passage with me by thinking of stepping blocks, each ascending higher and higher, closer and closer to Jesus:


Love for Everyone
Brotherly Affection
Godliness
Patient Endurance
Self-Control
Knowledge
Moral Excellence
Faith

So where are you? What step do you find yourself on today? How can you grow in your knowledge of Him and His Word in order to step up to the next level?

And where are the people you are leading? How can you deliberately speak into their lives to lead them to that next level that is waiting for them? How can you teach them to receive all of the promises God has in store for them?

As we journey as a church together to the Next Level, may we all be looking at how we personally can grow in our walk with Jesus, as well as how we can bring others along with us, leading them closer to Him by the things we do and say, and by the way we allow the Holy Spirit to shine His light through us. Because who doesn't want to be more "productive and useful" for Him?