Saturday, January 24, 2015

SO NOW WHAT?

PHILIPPIANS 1:6

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

I love this verse from the Apostle Paul. As he wrote to the believers at the church in Philippi he had a deep confidence that the Lord would continue the work He had begun in each of their lives. As I sit here at my desk penning this final devotional, I feel the same way. There is no denying that God has started a good work at Casa View in 2015...and as a student pastor I have had a front row seat!

Verve Youth Church returned last Sunday from our annual Winter Chill retreat. We took almost 90 students and leaders! And man did the Holy Spirit work powerfully! God wasn’t done at Winter Chill though...this past Wednesday in our midweek service we had 12 young people give their lives to Christ! Can I say it again...God has started a good work!

So as we come to the end of this twenty-one day journey, I want to express what a joy it has been. Just a few short weeks ago we resolved that 2015 was going to be more than the changing of the calendar. We declared that this year is going to be the changing of a season. Just like the earth has seasons, sports have seasons...this is our season for experiencing God in an unprecedented way. As a church we resolved that we would yield our lives to God in a way we never have before, going ALL IN with the promise that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (see James 4:8).

So the question I want to leave you with is this—SO NOW WHAT? Will you go back to “business as usual” or will you continue to remain ALL IN? We have been repetitious in stating that the goal of the ALL IN campaign was to “jump start” a new journey of faith for us as a church, and for you personally. Pursuing God like never before. Having faith for the impossible. Connecting intentionally with our church family. Releasing our talents and finances for the glory of God. My hope and prayer is that you would not look at this three week journey as something you can now check-off of your “to do” list. Instead, choose to view this time we have had together as a catalyst to ignite a deeper level of dedication and passion.

Since I will not be sending out daily readings each day, I would like to make you aware of some resources to keep you going on this exciting new journey. I know some of you access your devotionals in different ways. I am hopeful that one of these three options will get you going!

If you are “old school” and like reading from an actual book that you hold in your hand, here are some great daily devotionals:

The One Year Bible
Jesus Calling (Sarah Young)
My Utmost For His Highest (Oswald Chambers)
Experiencing God (Henry Blackaby)
Sieze the Day (Dietrich Bonhoffer)
Unto The Hills (Billy Graham)

If you prefer reading devotionals on your computer or laptop:


If you have a smart device and wish to use an app:

YouVersion
Lucado Life Lessons Mornings With Tozer Streams In The Desert Jesus Calling
Daily Bread

I hope this helps you! Remember...the Christian life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Run to win! Make every step count! I will see you out there on the road. Love you guys!

No comments:

Post a Comment