Reflection after reading "Change Your Life with Just One Word"

Reflect

• What are some things you would like to change about yourself? 

 I wish I could be more confident, more generous, and do not live on the expectation of peoples around me.

• What distracts you from focusing on the change or the spiritual formation you desire?

Busy life spend for entertainment, food, drinks... and without persistent and focusing. 

• Think about your past attempts to change. Have you made resolutions or sweeping promises to change? How well did it work?

I'm learning still, although there is an improvement seem to be, but progression is slow. I'm not persistent with the resolution and changes. 

• Often our desire to change is fueled by regret — does regret generally propel you forward or hold you back?

Some regret that I have in me did propel me forward, but some hold me back. 



My one word is: CONFIDENCE
My verse is:

Hebrews 13: 18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 

Parallel Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
13:16-21 We must, according to our power, give to the necessities of the souls and bodies of men: God will accept these offerings with pleasure, and will accept and bless the offerers through Christ. The apostle then states what is their duty to living ministers; to obey and submit to them, so far as is agreeable to the mind and will of God, made known in his word. Christians must not think themselves too wise, too good, or too great, to learn. The people must search the Scriptures, and so far as the ministers teach according to that rule, they ought to receive their instructions as the word of God, which works in those that believe. It is the interest of hearers, that the account their ministers give of them may be with joy, and not with grief. Faithful ministers deliver their own souls, but the ruin of a fruitless and faithless people will be upon their own heads. The more earnestly the people pray for their ministers, the more benefit they may expect from their ministry. A good conscience has respect to all God's commands, and all our duty. Those who have this good conscience, yet need the prayers of others. When ministers come to a people who pray for them, they come with greater satisfaction to themselves, and success to the people. We should seek all our mercies by prayer. God is the God of peace, fully reconciled to believers; who has made a way for peace and reconciliation between himself and sinners, and who loves peace on earth, especially in his churches. He is the Author of spiritual peace in the hearts and consciences of his people. How firm a covenant is that which has its foundation in the blood of the Son of God! The perfecting of the saints in every good work, is the great thing desired by them, and for them; and that they may at length be fitted for the employment and happiness of heaven. There is no good thing wrought in us, but it is the work of God. And no good thing is wrought in us by God, but through Christ, for his sake and by his Spirit.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 18. - Pray for us: for we trust (rather, we are persuaded, πειθόμεθα) that we have a good conscience, in all things willing (i.e. desiring) to live honestly. When St. Paul uses the plural ἡμεῖς he usually at least, if not always, includes his colleagues (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Colossians 4:3). So probably the writer here, especially as there is a transition to the singular in the following verse. Whoever he was, he associates himself in sending the Epistle with his fellow-laborers, i.e. with others of what we may call the Pauline circle, who were engaged with him elsewhere. Both this and the request for prayer, and also the assertion of integrity, which seems to imply suspicion of possible mistrust, are quite in St. Paul's way, and confirm the view that, though the author may not have been St. Paul himself, it was at any rate some one who was, or had been, closely connected with him.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Pray for us,.... Who are in the ministry; your guides and governors; since the work is of so much moment, and so arduous and awful, and you have such a concern in it; See Gill on 2 Thessalonians 3:1.
for we trust we have a good conscience; there is a conscience in every man, but it is naturally evil: a good conscience is a conscience sanctified by the Spirit of God, and sprinkled by the blood of Jesus; here it chiefly respects the upright discharge of it in the ministerial work: this the apostle often asserts, and appeals to, and which he here expresses with modesty, and yet with confidence; and which he uses as an argument for prayer for them:
in all things willing to live honestly; not only as men, but as ministers; faithfully dispensing the word of truth, without any regard to the favour or frowns of men, as good stewards of the mysteries of God; which contains in it another reason for prayer: the phrase, "in all things", is so placed, that it may be read in connection with either clause; and the sense is either that they exercised a good conscience in all things, in which they were concerned with God, or man, and among all persons, Jews and Gentiles; or that they were willing to live honestly in every respect, as men, Christians, and ministers.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. Pray for us—Paul usually requests the Church's intercessions for him in closing his Epistles, just as he begins with assuring them of his having them at heart in his prayers (but in this Epistle not till Heb 13:20, 21), Ro 15:30. "Us," includes both himself and his companions; he passes to himself alone, Heb 13:19.
we trust we have a good conscience—in spite of your former jealousies, and the charges of my Jewish enemies at Jerusalem, which have been the occasion of my imprisonment at Rome. In refutation of the Jews' aspersions, he asserts in the same language as here his own conscientiousness before God and man, Ac 23:1-3; 24:16, 20, 21 (wherein he virtually implies that his reply to Ananias was not sinful impatience; for, indeed, it was a prophecy which he was inspired at the moment to utter, and which was fulfilled soon after).
we trust—Greek, "we are persuaded," in the oldest manuscripts. Good conscience produces confidence, where the Holy Spirit rules the conscience (Ro 9:1).
honestly—"in a good way." The same Greek word as "good conscience." Literally, "rightly," "becomingly."
Hebrews 13:18 Additional Commentaries

SELF- CONFIDENCE

Topical Bible Verses

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Topicalbible.org

Greek

212. alazoneia -- boastfulness
... boasting, pride, arrogance. From alazon; braggadocio, ie (by implication)
self-confidence -- boasting, pride. see GREEK alazon. (alazoneia) -- 1 Occurrence. ...

4006. pepoithesis -- confidence
... 3982 , "persuade, be persuaded") -- properly, ; used of human confidence (deluded self-persuasion in Phil 3:4), but more commonly of (2 Cor 3:4; Eph 3:12). ...


4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... faith") for the believer is "God's " ?�� and therefore distinct from human belief
(confidence), yet involving ... self-control; against such things there is no law ...


4100. pisteuo -- to believe, entrust
... derived from 3982 , "persuade, be persuaded") -- (affirm, have confidence); used
of ... the context indicates whether 4100 ("believe") is self-serving (without ...

 

Library

Knowledge and Self-Confidence
... KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-CONFIDENCE. Knowledge of the civil law will, likewise,
be necessary for the orator whom we have described, and ...

The Words of Abbot Serapion on the Decline of Thoughts that are ...
... Chapter XI. The words of Abbot Serapion on the decline of thoughts that are
exposed to others, and also on the danger of self-confidence. ...

The Self Life.
... understand about the glory, "Thou art the Son of God;" but about the cross and the
death he could not understand, and he ventured in his self-confidence to say ...

Letter xxi. --Things Painful to Nature.
... a great risk of remaining for a long time subject to all these defects, filled,
almost without suspecting it, with vanity and self-confidence without either ...

The vicariousness of Prayer
... In these, experience brings facility, a sense of mastery in the subject, self-satisfaction, self-confidence; but in our subject the more we pursue it, the ...

Vain Confidence and Self-Deception.
... ORIGINAL HYMNS HYMN XXXVI. Vain Confidence and Self-deception. 8.8.8.8.8.8 ... Vain Confidence and Self-deception. Let not the strong, the, rich, the wise,. ...

Peter's Repentance
... But with what self-confidence Peter said: "Though all should forsake thee, yet will
not I. I am ready to go with thee, to prison and to death" (Mark 14:29 ...

Carnal or Spiritual?
... Self-will, self-pleasing, self-confidence. ... I am under the power of the flesh and
all the self-confidence, and self-will, and self-pleasing that marks my life.". ...

By Grenville Kleiser
... HOW TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE IN SPEECH AND MANNER A book of practical inspiration:
trains men to rise above mediocrity and fearthought to their great ...

How to Speak in Public
... The moral side of the public speaker will include the development of character,
sympathy, self-confidence and kindred qualities. ...

Change Your Life with Just One Word by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen

So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. — Psalm 90:12 NASB



I don’t have enough time to live my own life!


I reached this conclusion after trying to follow all the advice given
on a morning news show one week in January. It seemed like a smart way
to start my day. I figured I’d tune in, get the forecast, learn the
headlines, and maybe hear a celebrity interview. I wasn’t expecting all
the show segments telling me how to live my life better.


Most of these segments offered the promise of deliverance: “Financial
Freedom Is Closer than You Think” or “Four Secrets to Better
Communication.” Others, I decided, were designed to scare the socks off
of me: “Six Health Risks Every Person Faces” or “Thieves You Cannot See —
Avoiding Identity Theft.” Motivated by this combination of hope and
fear, I compiled a to-do list of ways to improve my life and its
management according to the experts. The more I listened, learned, and
listed, the more behind schedule I felt.


The topics on my list ranged from health maintenance to home
maintenance to car maintenance. I was informed I need to eat certain
foods every day: four veggies, three fruits, two proteins (preferably
chicken or fish), and I think a partridge in a pear tree. I also need to
get enough fiber, calcium, Vitamin D, B, C, and
Beta-something-or-other.


I need thirty minutes of cardio a day (but apparently with the right
exercise product this can be done in ten), fifteen minutes of strength
training, and ten minutes of stretching. Plus, some extended time for
meditation so that my body and mind could align. I’m told a
germ-resistant mat is needed for that. I need to bust my stress, nurture
my creativity, and improve my posture.


I need to pay attention to my finances. Save and invest. Spend
frugally — yet somehow also buy the cool gadgets they review on the
show. Apparently extreme couponing is the way to afford it all, but it
takes a lot of time to save 80 percent on your grocery bill. I need to
check my credit report regularly. Shred important documents. Back up my
computer. Meet with my financial planner. And read the information that
comes with our kid’s (underfunded) college fund.


The list continues….

Suddenly I realized: I don’t have time to live my life!

Looking at the list of things I was supposed to do to live my life
right, or well, or whatever all this was going to do for me, I felt
defeated. The list that was going to improve my life left me
overwhelmed. I’m sure you can relate; you’ve made lists too. Lists of
things you want to start doing or stop doing — things you want to change
about yourself. Lists of ways to improve your life and your character.


Maybe you’ve only listed them in your head. But I bet they come to
mind each January. Nearly two-thirds of America’s population has made
New Year’s resolutions. I am one of them. And you’ve probably found,
like I’ve found, that each day keeps blurring into the next while we try
to make some progress with our many good intentions. Yet very little
actually changes. That ball keeps dropping in Times Square each New
Year’s. And we keep dropping the ball on our resolutions to improve.
Only 20 percent of resolution makers report achieving any significant.


When I open my Bible, I find more lists. Things a follower of Christ
should do. Things a follower of Christ should resist doing. Traits a
follower of Christ should display — all the truly important stuff that
never makes it onto morning show segments.


When was I going to get to any of this? I decided to drop my list of
ways to get the most out of my life. I realized I needed to find a new
way to approach personal change.

Losing the List, Picking a Word – My One Word

My first journal entry in 2004 was a single word: FLOW. Not merely
written on the page, but etched in bubble letters about three-quarters
of an inch tall. The letters are heavily outlined, surrounded by a thin
border, and colored in gray. It took me about ten minutes to draw and
color the word FLOW. But it took three weeks to narrow all that was
bubbling up in me down to that single word.


I’d been writing in a journal for years, but here was something I had
never done before. Instead of blasting paragraphs on a page to capture
my thoughts and insights, recording my steps and setbacks, I decided to
meditate on just one word.


I wrote this word FLOW in response to something Jesus said. He said:

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’. – John 7:38

That struck a nerve.


There were times when I felt the living water flowing with ease from
my heart. But there were other times, more times, when it felt forced.


The idea of FLOW drew me forward. It didn’t have the trappings of
regret or the pressure of sweeping promises to change like my
resolutions did. It awakened something in me. Not a compulsive desire to
change born out of being sick of the way I was, but a desire to live an
authentic life that flowed from my relationship with Christ.


Could my life really flow from my heart? The question sent me on a search anchored by the four letters of this one word.


If what Jesus said was true — pause for the obvious answer to arise —
then I’d need a way to pay attention to my heart on a daily basis.


I decided looking at and concentrating on this word FLOW would remind
me to do that. In the months to come, I paid attention to FLOW and used
it to gauge my heart and my life. I discovered I could tell the
condition of my heart based on what was coming out of it into my life.


And slowly, over time with this word FLOW, I learned to reverse that
process. Instead of looking at my life and actions to realize the state
of my heart, I proactively addressed the condition of my heart. That
changed my life.


In looking through the lens of a single chosen word, I found a new
approach to personal change and spiritual formation — one that is
doable, memorable, effective, and sticky. The results have been greater
than I expected.

A Movement Rises

In January of 2007, I challenged my church, Port City Community
Church in Wilmington, North Carolina, to ditch their New Year’s
resolutions and each pick a word to focus on that year. I titled the
series and the project “My One Word.” People quickly embraced it. Within
a few years, My One Word embedded itself into the DNA of our church.
It’s how we now approach personal change and spiritual growth.


In January 2009, the nation’s most notable Christian radio station
called my office. K-LOVE had heard about My One Word and invited me to
come on the air to tell their listeners about the project.


I shared My One Word with half a million listeners that month. And I
returned to the K-LOVE airways to talk about My One Word in 2010 and
throughout 2011. A movement caught fire.


The movement didn’t become a movement because K-LOVE called me, but
because God has called each of us. This is not a movement of me or my
church, but a movement of God. And of His people wanting to be
transformed into His image.

Focus Is Required

Our lives are fast-paced and demanding. Our attention is divided. The
normal, natural pace of our lives will not likely lead us toward
spiritual formation. We have so many things to focus on that spiritual
formation tends to fall to the wayside, along with our good intentions
to rotate our mattress or wax our cars.


Most of us feel overwhelmed at the idea of embarking on a grand plan
for spiritual formation like reading through the Bible in a year or
memorizing a verse every week. We’d like to, but it just hasn’t
happened. Enter My One Word. It’s easy, doable, and surprisingly
powerful, mainly because it supplies narrowed focus.


This study (and my book) will give you a simple but effective plan to
effect personal change (spiritual formation) by allowing a single word
to become the lens through which you examine your heart and life for an
entire year.


Your single word will force clarity and concentrate your efforts. And
as you focus on your word over an extended period of time, you position
yourself for God to form your character at a deep, sustainable level.


We’re so busy with the surface-level things of life that we forget to
number our days and tend to our hearts. We become so preoccupied with
getting our lives to a manageable point or a better future that we miss
both the moment right now and the reality of a coming eternity. Yet God
calls us to use our days to develop a heart of wisdom. And that’s what
this My One Word project is ultimately about.


In my book I’ll outline how to pick a word for the year and how to
focus on it. I’ll discuss what you can do to drive it deep into your
character and what you can do to apply it in your life. The goal is a
transformed heart.


At the close of each chapter you’ll find directions and questions for
personal reflection. Grab a journal and spend some time with the
questions to help you get the most out of your year with your one word.


I invite you to join us this year on the My One Word journey. Change
is possible. But focus is required. It’s time to get singleminded and
single-worded about your resolution to change

Reflect

• What are some things you would like to change about yourself?
• What distracts you from focusing on the change or the spiritual formation you desire?
• Think about your past attempts to change. Have you made resolutions or sweeping promises to change? How well did it work?
• Often our desire to change is fueled by regret — does regret generally propel you forward or hold you back?

This My One Word project is designed to channel your attention and
effort with laser-like focus over an extended period of time. This is
key to lasting change, and it will forge your character at a deep,
sustainable level. All you have to do is pick a word. But there’s more
to that process than you might imagine. So grab a sheet of paper, your
journal, or write on the pages here, and I’ll walk you through the
process.

Pick Your One Word

What Kind of Person Do You Want to Become?

When considering changes we want to make, the tendency is to think in
terms of specific behaviors. Typically, we give voice to our negative
behaviors. I want to stop running late every day. I need to stop
overeating. I want to stop looking at pornography online. I’m tired of
being disorganized. I hate that I always say things I regret.


Then, to formulate a resolution, we usually phrase it as a positive
behavior. I’m going to manage my time better. I’m going to eat healthier
and lose weight. I’ll resist turning my computer on when I’m home
alone. I’m going to organize my entire house room by room. I’m going to
learn to bite my tongue.


This is regret-based decision making. Regret can be a powerful
motivator. Extremely powerful at times, depending on the severity of the
consequences we’ve faced. But it’s not always the best source of
vision.

Vision, Not Regret

We want to move forward with vision, not regret. Without vision, the Bible says in Proverbs 29:18,
we tend to throw off restraint. We become unfocused and undisciplined.
Regret doesn’t stimulate forward-moving motion like vision does. And
regret doesn’t sustain the formation of new character the way that
vision can. So we’re going to craft a vision of the type of person we
want to become this year.


Putting aside what you’ve done in the past, you’re going to try
something different. Instead of focusing on regrets and specific
behaviors, I want you to spend some time with the question, Who do I
really want to be? Or rather, How do I really want to be?


Approach this patiently. An important part of the change process is
allowing questions to remain questions for some period of time — so that
truth can arise.


Spend a week or so reflecting on who you wish to become. We tend to
define ourselves by what we do. I teach school. I’m a dentist. I own my
own restaurant. I’m in college. I’m a surfer. I’m a soccer coach. I’m a
single mom. We tend to define who we want to be the same way. I want to
be the area’s top realtor. I want to be married. I want to be a
marathoner. This tendency is precisely why we need to dive deeper.


Resist the pull to provide a surface-level answer to the penetrating question: Who do you want to become?


Consider the condition of your heart, your character, your soul. This
requires a fierce commitment to being gut-honest with yourself. What
you need is character formation, not to just stop doing this or start
doing that.


Character formation and behavior modification isn’t quite the same
thing. Don’t focus on the latter at the expense of the former. Our goal
is not to live restrained but to effect true change.

Identify Characteristics

Do you want to get along better with your peers, your family, your
boss, or your employees? What kind of person would get along with them?
What characteristics would that person display? Do you want to be more
disciplined about how you live your life physically, spiritually, or
financially? What kind of person would live a disciplined life? Describe
that person. What drives them? I think you get the idea. Don’t just
think about behaviors; think character and characteristics. In a
notebook or on a piece of paper, make a list of the characteristics of
the person you want to become. In other words, describe the traits and
motives of a person like that. Don’t be intimidated into thinking, I’ll
never be that way. Just try to determine the kind of character required
for you to live like you wish to live.

Reduce and Define

As you slowly gain a vision of the kind of person you want to become,
you’ll keep adding words and phrases to your list that capture the
characteristics of that person. You might list nouns, adjectives,
adverbs, or verbs — “being” words or “doing” words. Interestingly, we’ve
found females tend to gravitate toward “being” words while males tend
to pick “doing” words.


There is no wrong way to do this. Your list will be highly personal
and unique. It may even contain words that only make sense to you. My
list usually includes words I like and words I don’t feel excited about.
I try not to self-edit the list as I come up with it. Deleting words
off the list later is easy, plus it doesn’t cost a dime to write them
down. So fill a page if you need to. Once you feel you’ve completed the
listing process, pray, look over your list, and begin marking off all
but ten or so of the words.


Remove the ones that resonate the least with you. Don’t worry about
whether you “really need to work on that.” If it doesn’t resonate
strongly with you right now, cross it out. Get your list down to ten
words or less.


Once you have your short list, write a brief description of what
those words mean to you. Look them up in the dictionary. Note their
definitions. Look at their synonyms. And look them up in the Bible.


In this stage of the process you may find a related word you like
better than the ones on your list — that’s fine, write it down. You may
also decide there’s a word or two on there, after researching them, that
you definitely don’t want to choose. That’s fine too — mark them off.

Pray

Ask God to guide you and give you clarity of thought and mind as you
spend a few days thinking over your short list. Weigh each word and the
implication it might have on your life. See if one of them manages to
rise to the top. Ask God to bring one to the forefront.

Pick Your Word

Now go ahead and pick your word from the list. Don’t panic. This
exercise is not about changing everything that needs to be changed but
focusing and purposing to do something about one thing. Seminary
professor Howard Hendricks has said, “The secret to concentration is
elimination.” In order to concentrate on one thing, we’re going to push
others to the back burner for now. This is what we must to do to focus.
Change is possible, but focus is required.


You might worry about picking the exact “right” word. Or picking the
word “God intends” for you. Don’t stress. If you went through the
process outlined above, all of the words on your list are right for you.
Your word, whatever it is, will have farther-reaching effects than you
can imagine now. While I didn’t want you to choose the first word that
came to mind at the start of this process, I also don’t want you
paralyzed by the idea you’ll somehow pick the wrong word. At this point
you’ve thought, reflected, journaled, researched, and prayed. Now take a
step of faith — pick one word. And choose a verse to go with it.


My one word is: ____________


My verse is: _______________


It is better to do something about one thing than nothing about
everything. That is what this elimination process is about — that’s what
this whole project is about. I am going to help you do something about
this one thing this year. And I fully believe you’ll be amazed at what
you discover by engaging with your one word in the months ahead.


Below you’ll see the top ten most-often-picked words in the My One
Word movement according to our website (myoneword.org), where nearly
five thousand people have posted their words. And in the chapters of my
book (which I hope you will pick up) you’ll learn how and why I chose
some of my own one words.

The Top Ten Most-Often-Picked Words:

1. Trust
2. Patience
3. Love
4. Discipline
5. Focus
6. Faith
7. Surrender
8. Peace
9. Listen
10. Joy

Reflect

• What kind of person do you want to become this year?
• What drives your desire to be this kind of person?
• Describe the characteristics of this kind of person. Make a list of words based on this description.
• Reduce your list to ten words or less and research those words. Use the dictionary and your Bible, perhaps a thesaurus.
• Choose one word from your list to be your one word for this year.
• Also choose a Bible verse that speaks to you about your chosen word
  and memorize it. This will provide a foundation of truth you can
  continually return to and will fuel your hope to change.
• What initial expectations do you have regarding the impact of your word?

* * *

Your Turn

What will your one word be for 2015? Remember the aim is for you to
use your one word to get into a focused posture and remain there while
you depend on Christ. Change is possible. Focus is required. And should
you fall off your one-word wagon at some point, you climb back on. Not
with renewed willpower so much as renewed commitment to depend on
him. Come join the conversation on our blog! If you’ve decided what your
one word is, we would love to hear about it!

20122014

That's suppose to be a happy day as my beloved sis and her daughter -Abigial is back.

Sad thing was I really try hard to have a good conversation with my bro in law. That's really make me sad and mad on myself. It just like going back to the last two years that we are having some kind of misunderstand and our relationship screw up. I really hate this kind of feeling. It really mess up my day.

God, honestly I doesn't want this back to my life once again. I hate this kind of feeling. I can't allow one of my relationship breakdown like this. No matter that's my friend, my family, even those I not really know the person, I also wish that I could not mess up any of the relationship with them.

Lord, tell me and show me what's I'm suppose to do? Do I need to leave it like this? I can't manage it, could you lead me??? I can sense something wrong behind the scene, but I don't know why.... All I can do now is pray and surrender all to you once again. Beside, that's caught my attention was my bro - Philip. I know something happened on him that I can't really help him, but yet God please help me to take care of him, and sent the angels to look after him. 

Tonight and tomorrow will be another busy day. God, I need your presence and strength in me. Guide be through, I wish I won't me lost and worry. I know whatever thing may happened as your plan and I choose to obey, that's it. In Jesus Christ name I pray. Amen. 

17122014

Today is the second day of my fasting day. 

I plan on my fasting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday before Christmas Eve as to pray for those I have invited and those in need. 

As God said: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

That's my prayer and I know God will take care of the rest of my life. 

I fast on my beloved coffee, Facebook and my dinner (only fluids allowed). 

Many temptation happened when I start on my fasting prayer. 

My parents keep asking me to go for my beloved Tom yam at the first two days on my fasting period. 

My friend drinking coffee infront of me. 

Gosh.... But through God's word, I scored. 

My reward from the early morning .... A cup of greentea starbuck. 

I can't imagine that my friend could sent a cup of greentea starbuck for me as I'm not requesting her to sent me starbuck (without coffee). It would happen that she sent me a cup of caffeine frappucino, I think my fasting could be screwed up. 

Thanks God for knowing me well. That's the booster dose for me in lightening my fasting day. 

Let's start on my devotion.

My today words from God. 

Let it be as you say, Jesus. 

I'm reading based on the scheduled devotion plan, I received a devotion plan on Mary's life.

I'm wondering how a little woman could used by God for his purpose as most of the great people in bible is a man. I need a model to follow. Who can I learn from? God let me learned from Mary (Jesus's mother)

She is great obedience person. 

She never sought her own comfort. 

She lived entitled to nothing.

She expected suffering rather than being surprised by it.

She waited and responded to God rather than trying to control any outcome.

She submitted to her husband’s leadership over and over again.

She received whatever the Lord had for her with joy.

That's what a woman could do for God. I know it, there's not too late to learn about that and I know God will change and help me to be more and more obedience and more like him. 

Praise Lord. 

Prayer:

My Heavenly Father, I'm surrending all my plan, my life, my cares to you Lord. I know you love those who obey you and that's the way I can win your favor. From now I'm seeking your kingdom and your righteousness in everything that I do, please strengthen me and help me to be more close to you and show me your plan. I'm waiting to respond on your call rather that trying to control over the outcome. Thank you Lord, I really wish to be a great women as according on your plan, to help my future right man,submitting the leadership over him but God please lead him as well. I also receiving whatever you had for me with joy for now. In Jesus Christ name I prayed, Amen.

Fellowship- James MacDonald

Day 1 The Discipline of Fellowship 

A lot of people don’t realize fellowship is a spiritual discipline. It’s not just something helpful, but something commanded. And one of the surest barometers of the quality of your Christian life is the quality of your Christian relationships. 

Acts 2:42-44 summarizes the life of the early church by saying, “They devoted (or they continued steadfastly) in the apostles’ teaching (and what?) the fellowship.” Now what is fellowship? Fellowship basically means “our common life together.” 

I kind of grew up thinking fellowship was something that happened after the service down in the church basement, with cherry punch and cheesy conversations. That’s not what made the early church so powerful. They took fellowship to a new level—the level we want to be at! 

The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. Koinonia is translated in the New Testament partnership or sharing. Sometimes it’s translated communion or fellowship. Fellowship is a relationship between individuals which involves (this is key) active participation in a common interest. And, as a result of our participation in the common interest, we have a residual interest in one another. 

Harvest meets regularly on seven campuses. We are one church in several locations bound together by a common purpose. As we engage in that common purpose, the relationships that are the result of that engagement produce fellowship. What holds all of this together is the Spirit of God working through the Word of God, and our service to God binds us together in love toward one another. That is what fellowship really is; our common life together. And it deepens as we persist in our common life together. 

Prayer – Father, You included fellowship as a key component of the newborn church. Forgive us for dumbing, lightening, and trivializing fellowship. Help us not to be satisfied with counterfeit fellowship, but to seek You together. Lord, we want the world to see our love for one another, and the genuine common life You intend for Your people. That kind of fellowship brings You glory and draw others to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, (Acts 2:42-44 NKJV)

Day 2 The Center of Fellowship 

1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Our primary fellowship is with Jesus Christ. The residual fellowship is the relationship we have with other people who share that relationship. You say, “Well, James, I feel it’s going a lot better with me and the Lord than it is with me and other Christians.” Sometimes that’s because we bring secular ways of relating into our Christian relationships. We can see this in the level and pace of our conversations. 

Surface level — That’s where you talk about stuff like weather, sports, and other interests that aren’t (shocker here) central to life. 

• Personal level — There doesn’t have to be another Christian to have this conversation about your health, your career, your family. “We’ve been thinking about you. How’s it going with your son?” 

• Spiritual level — This is where fellowship really begins, where you’re having conversations you can’t have with anybody else. This level often includes prayer. It should definitely include Christ. 

• Don’t rush — It’s alright to start at the surface or personal levels—but don’t get stuck there. 

• Go first — Demonstrate you can be trusted by trusting. Show them fellowship is two-way by disclosing something from your life in relation to God. 

• Be specific — Don’t use spiritual phrases or terms simply for effect. Be cautious with “Praise the Lord!” or “God is Good!” if you’re not ready to talk about what you mean. 

God help all of us to deepen the level of our interaction with one another. 

Prayer – Father, thank You so much for all three levels of conversation. But thank You most for designing us to yearn for depth in relationships. Thank You for meeting us as we meet each other in honesty, integrity, and transparency before You. Thank You for the privilege of intimate fellowship with Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, (I Corinthians 1:4 NKJV)

Day 3 Fellowship and Unity 

A commitment to fellowship is a commitment to unity—one mindedness. Notice how Paul uses “mind” twice in this verse. This doesn’t mean we agree in lock-step on everything; it means we agree deeply on the most important things and we give one another a lot of latitude on what’s not so important. 
In Philippians 2:1, the phrase “participation in the Spirit” uses the Greek word koinonia, which is often translated fellowship. This is the third of Paul’s five signs of genuine life in the body of Christ (encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, fellowship in the Spirit, affection, and sympathy). If all this is going on between us and God, things are going to be really happening between us! 

Ephesians 4:3 says we should be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” God’s Spirit wants our church to be unified. God’s Spirit wants us to love and forgive and forbear with one another (see Ephesians 4:2). 

But genuine unity among us isn’t going to be maintained if we are not first deeply connected and living in fellowship with the Spirit ourselves. There are all kinds of examples in Christian history of groups who have tried to impose unity because it was a good idea. Our role isn’t to create unity; that’s God’s job. Ephesians 4:3 tells us we need to be attentive, committed, and “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.” When we sense things going sideways, our prayer should be, “Father, am I maintaining or am I disrupting the unity of Your Spirit?” 

Prayer – Father, point out anything in me that disrupts or blocks the unity Your Spirit is going for in my church. Keep me from committing sins or omitting service that harms unity in Your body. Remind me each day You are the decider of what place and role I am to carry out in Your body. Lead me into faithfulness that preserves the unity of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (Philippians 2:1-3 NKJV)

Day 4 Fellowship and Honesty 

Fellowship requires honesty. When there is pretense there can be no genuine fellowship. John begins his first letter with such a good picture of this truth about the nature of fellowship. People who can’t or won’t be honest with each other are people who will never experience the kind of nurturing fellowship God desires among His people. 

And just calling it fellowship doesn’t make it so. We mock God’s character and power if we claim to be intimate with Him but our lives are a mess. When God’s around, the lights are on! Walking in the darkness means we may bump into each other, but we won’t have fellowship. 

When we see ourselves and one another clearly under God’s clarifying and purifying light, we are in position to appreciate each other, observe the cleansing work Jesus performs in one another’s lives, and experience the common ground that creates fellowship. 

John is clearly pointing to the heart of authenticity in these verses. Authenticity requires honesty—not putting on a mask; not coming to church and acting okay when I’m not. It is weeping with those who weep; rejoicing with those who rejoice; bearing one another’s burdens, and so fulfilling the law of Christ. God forbid our churches would ever become a place of pretense and mask-wearing and acting like I’m fine when I’m not. 

Prayer – Father, put Your finger on the places in my life infected with pretense and false conclusions. Help me to be genuine in confessing my sins—the ones I can see as well as the ones I must be shown. Lead me to others who want to live transparently, and allow us to experience the remarkable fellowship of Your presence together. In Jesus name, Amen.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:6-9 NKJV)

Day 5 Fellowship and Pain 

Fellowship hurts sometimes. That’s why Paul said this, speaking of Jesus: “That I may know him (Jesus)—and the power of his resurrection, and may share (the word share tries to convey the Greek koinonia translated, in many Bibles as fellowship of) his sufferings.” The fellowship of His sufferings is the relational connection born out of your mutual experience. People suffer financial loss, health problems, and family break up. Those difficulties are not the fellowship of His suffering unless they are the direct result of our following Christ. 

Jesus Christ paid the debt for your sin. He took upon Himself the punishment for your sin. Question: Did He deserve that humiliating and painful death? (No!) Could He have avoided it? (Yes!) But did He take it? (Yes!) I experience the fellowship of His suffering when I accept a pain I do not deserve. 

Now, I’ve done plenty of things where I deserved what I got. But in addition to my own failings, there is the pain of misunderstanding and betrayal and rejection; the things Christ experienced. Listen Christian, when you absorb injury for the sake of others, you know Jesus in a new and deeper way. You know Him in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering. He took what He did not deserve. In order to become more like Him we will have to learn the fellowship of His sufferings. 

Prayer – Father, remind me that the command to forgive one another assumes there will be things which must be forgiven—like hurts. If I’m growing into Your likeness, Lord, I will be developing a capacity for accepting the pains that come with that growth. I desperately need Your help in growing that way, Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, (Philippians 3:7-10 NKJV)

Day 6 Ministry and Fellowship 

Fellowship is about partnership in ministry. It’s not just about all the benefits that flow to us as a result of fellowship between us. Ultimately, it’s about what God wants to do for others as a result of our fellowship. 

Galatians 2:9 records some of Paul’s earliest memories of what occurred after he began to follow Jesus. “And when James and Cephas (another name for Peter) and John. . .” Peter, James, and John. These were the main leaders in the early church. They “perceived the grace that was given to me,” Paul said. In other words, when they figured out I was saved, “they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me.” 

So, what’s this right hand of fellowship all about? The leadership welcomed Paul and Barnabas, and sent them out! What better indication of their seeing God’s Spirit in Paul and Barnabas than to entrust them with a mission! 

The point of welcoming new members into a local church is not to be able to put a larger number on the billboard out front—it’s to enlarge the ministry! New members haven’t really joined until they have found a place to actively connect; a spot where they are needed; a role where they can serve. Imagine the next guy who joined the Jerusalem church and was placed in a small group with James, Cephas, John, Paul, and Barnabas. They held each other accountable for ministry. Notice how they gave each other direction and caution. “You two go after the Gentiles; we’ll focus on the Jews.” “Don’t overlook the poor.” The by-product of genuine fellowship is effective ministry. 

Prayer – Father, keep me from acting like a parasite on Your body. I desperately need the fellowship and ministry from Your body in my life, but I know You intend to use me and work through me within Your body as well. Help me not only find but also give myself to my place in Your church. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. (Galatians 2:9-10 NKJV)

Day 7 Fellowship in Action

Fellowship involves sharing what I have. 

2 Corinthians 8:3 describes fellowship in action as people who “gave according to their means.” What they had, they gave. 

What do you have? I have time. I have experience and wisdom. I have compassion. Yes, I have certain resources. That’s were fellowship in action begins. In the passage above, Paul told the Corinthians what a good example the Macedonians were in giving. Here’s what was going on. Because of persecution and famine, some of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were starving. So some of the churches in Asia Minor took up offerings for them. But amazingly, people who gave really didn’t have—humanly speaking—very much to give. Paul says, “You’ve got to hear about this grace that’s been given.” Look at verses two and three. It wasn’t the biggest gift, but it may have been the biggest sacrifice. Everyone’s “means” are different. God multiplies the products of an attitude of giving, no matter the size or nature of the gift. Remember what Jesus did with a boy’s sack lunch (John 6:1-12)?

Don’t you want your church to be a compelling testimony of the power of the Gospel in the way people love and care for one another? Every time you write a note, each time you make a meal for someone who’s hurting, and every time you give what you have to meet someone’s need, you are practicing fellowship. It’s a powerful thing! 

Prayer – Father, open my eyes to see needs You have provided for me to help meet. Who I am and what I have come from You, and I want to be directed by You in how I use all You have given. Help me never lose sight that I belong to You and can be an instrument in Your hands for Your work in the world. Open my eyes, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. (II Corinthians 8:1-4 NKJV)

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Today thoughts.

Early morning I'm having a good time spending on meditation. 

Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:10-11 NKJV)

That's about Moses refused to be God’s messenger of deliverance, wallowing in his own inadequacy. I’ve done that too... 

While reflecting what I had done for today, I feel ashamed on me. 

God do give me his words at the first place before I get to know the bad news.

He did give me a booster of courage before I get to know the so called "bad news".

Well, I still stuck in a panic and worries condition while I'm getting to the "bad news". This great new really mean to me. My plans for 2015 has changed. 

Last night, while chit chatting with my secondary school buddies and her family, they keep motivate me to go out of my comfort zone and and move on to my dreams - working holiday in New Zealand.

The next day, which is today at the same the time I received a bad news, my plans stuck... My mind was totally blank and collapsed. I really don't know what's suppose to do. I got no idea who should I share with. I cry out with my prayer and kneel down. 

On that moment, I know I'm totally mad with it and my hand is shaking as I'm worry. While I'm praying, something flash on my mind. Is God's word!!! 

"There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand." (Proverbs 19:21 NKJV) 

Is time to let go all my plans... Besides it, I also reflect back on what God has done to me. 

For the past three years, I experienced the same thing.  I keep on planning for my own. I wish to have my degree... I wish to get my things done within my planning. All around my own will. But at last, that's not under my control. I know the best yet to come, I know I'm not suppose to follow my own way, but i like planning... 

I'm sure that God's planning is always the best, yet I still follow my own desire. For this reason, God make something beyond my expectation. He is holding on my master plan, I know something happened behind the scene that I would know maybe just after few years times. 

As I share with my best friend Wendy, God allowed such thing happened in my life should have a great reason behind. Although that's not the right time to let me know, but I do trust in him. 

A verse came my mind again....

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

That's one of my favorite verse that bring me along the hard time in my life.

To make myself feels better, my friend and I keep telling ourself that we still under covenant of the grace. God didn't place me at the situation like Joseph. I'm not sold as a slave or put in the jail... I'm better than him anyways. God didn't forsaken him, so am I. He loves me so much. 

Another point of view I saw today!

While I'm hanging around my nearest shopping mall from my house, I get to a new place. Is the roof top of the mall. 

Sunny Friday with a nice weather.

I really didn't expect I could have a great view from the top. I really get shocked!!!

I thought the white cloud and the blue sky will just appear in New Zealand. But today, I get to capture a great view with my eye and my smart phone. Impressed. 

I know it really mean to me to think of it, to pray and to enjoy the great creation from God. 

While I'm planning to have my jogging time, it's rain! That's really heavy rain. 

Hmm..., what's next? 

Before I get in bed, I review back the devotional plan that I sign on. 

And I found this:

I did follow the prayer as below:

Prayer: Father, I confess that my first instinct is to refuse Your call and even try to run away. I realize that I’m stuck sometimes in fearful, horizontal thinking and forget that You invite me to look at everything from Your vertical point of view. Help me remember that Your call always comes with whatever else I need to do and be what You ask of me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Oh God, I did make a prayer like this! Why I still refuse to obey at the first place? Forgive me Lord. I knows I should look at everything from your vertical point of view! I had miss it... That make me speechless when I saw this prayer. 

God, you are amazing! Praise Lord.