June 12: THE HIDDEN COST OF OUR FAITH IS…

Affirmation: I am doing my best and that is enough.

Shame isn’t God’s plan for you. He is rooting for you each step of the way and is always cheering you on. When you mess up, talk to Him and set it right, then get moving again. Focus on 1 Corinthians 16:13,14 below.

~~~~~~~Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Continue to ponder and meditate on 1Corinthisns 16:13,14. How does this apply to you? What are you doing pretty good with? What do you need to focus your attention on? For me , it is “Do everything in love.” I do pretty good…then I get angry and lose my focus on love. What is it for you?
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬~~~~~~~~
Reading for Today
Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

                     June 12

THE HIDDEN COST OF OUR FAITH IS THAT EVERYTHING DOESN'T GET TO BE ABOUT US ANYMORE. 

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 
MATTHEW 6:33 

We live in a world pretty obsessed with celebrity. We have celebrity chefs, celeb­rity pastors, celebrity gymnasts, and celebrity athletes. You can be a celebrity if you eat the most hot dogs or bake the biggest cookie. It seems most of the world around us says the pinnacle of existence is to become a celebrity at something. The same dynamic plays out on social media platforms. They become a measure of our popularity and influence-the more followers the better. We've engineered our world to amp up ourselves.


But Jesus had a way of making life about everyone else. Think about your birthday. It's a day you get to revel in the attention. For Jesus, His birthday is an annual reminder that He came to give Himself to others. He gave up the heavens to come be with us in the mess we had made. There was no day in His life when Jesus was all about Himself; His concern was always the lonely and forgotten. He did incredible, new, worthy things in people's lives, and He usually whispered to them, "Tell no one." This was His plan for self-promotion.


The hidden cost of our faith is that everything doesn't get to be about us anymore. Being like Jesus means giving up our comfort and security so we can widen the circle to include more people. Not just the "cool kids." Following Jesus means we don't get the last word anymore; we defer to others instead.


The great thing about following Jesus is that we don't have to worry about self-preservation or popularity, because our purpose shifts from promoting our­selves to helping other people. To whatever degree people look to you, you don't need to deflect attention. Instead, reflect your faith by skipping the curtain call and getting back in the crowd to lift up more people. If we make everything about us, it'll never be about Jesus.

 

What would shift inside you if you focused more energy and perspective on pursuing God's kingdom today? 

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