November 29 The Best Way To Experience Our Faith Is To Do What Jesus Did.

Affirmation: My self-esteem is growing day by day. 

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Put 1Thessalonians 5:18 into practice these next 3 days and set reminders for yourself to make it a lifelong practice. Practice changing your perspective to gratitude instead of grumbling.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”                1 Thessalonians 5:18

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Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown 

Guidepost 8: Cultivating Calm and Stillness and Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle

(I had to remind myself, again today.)

Imagine you have a pot of boiling water on the stove, and you want to cool it down. So you add a block of ice to the water. This cools it down briefly, but soon enough, the heat is back and the water is boiling. So you add more ice, and the process repeats. Soon enough, you’re out of ice, and the water is boiling over.

But what if you slowed down enough to turn down the heat on the stove? Or better yet, turned it off entirely?

This is the approach many people take with anxiety. They think “Anxiety has always been around in the past, I just need a better way to manage it.”

Which is like looking for bigger ice cubes instead of figuring out how to turn off the stove.

And understanding how to turn off that stove requires space in your life for calm and stillness. This is time for emotional processing and self-regulation. To feel what’s going on in your life, question, dream, and explore possibilities.

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews 

The Guided Decision 

I will seek wisdom

Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple.

Knowing that wisdom waits to be gathered, I will actively search her out. My past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today. I will change my actions today! I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man. No longer will I bombard my mind with materials that feed my doubts and fears. I will read and listen only to that which increases my belief in myself and my future.

I will seek wisdom. I will choose my friends with care. I am who my friends are. I speak their language, and I wear their clothes. I share their opinions and their habits. From this moment forward, I will choose to associate with people whose lives and lifestyles I admire. If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will learn to soar great heights. I am an eagle. It is my destiny to fly.

Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you. Matt 7:7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will guide your steps. Prov. 3:5,6

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

November 29

The Best Way To Experience Our Faith Is To Do What Jesus Did.

“Now you are speaking clearly, and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things, and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”John 16:29, 30

When I first started following Jesus, people started trying to teach me things about faith. They said phrases like “Jesus died for your sins so you could be saved.” I didn’t really know why He had to die or what it meant to be “saved,” but I figured it was an extraordinary act of love nonetheless. I have certainly learned a lot over the decades about Jesus and Christianity, but I am not trying to become a theologian. I am trying to be more like Jesus and follow the example of His life.

I find most of the big Christians words thrown around in some faith communities distracting, so I don’t use them. I try to speak as plainly as I can so I can understand what I mean and so everyone else around me can too.

I think God understands that we need more than mere book knowledge, and insight or phrases to understand Him. He gave us the Bible, and then He became a living example of it. He chose to be born and experience toothaches, and fatigue, exclusion and oppression, homelessness and poverty. He also experienced joy and laughter and rich friendships.
Through all His human years, Jesus showed us how to live. He modeled love for us in a way we couldn’t grasp just by reading or studying. He did not come just to talk to people about heaven He came to heal people in the here and now, too.

Love found His way to us so we could find our way to one another. He said to follow His example of laying His life down for His friends so other people would come to understand what it is like to be held and protected by love. His life tells us everything we need to know about love. Our lives can teach us a bunch about our faith. Learn as much as you want about faith, but do not overlook the joy that comes from living it.

What can you do today to change your focus from your words of faith to action?“Give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”                1 Thessalonians 5:18