Good Morning Girls

Glorifying God With Our Money

Jen Thorn — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:01:35 +0000

We all have money and we all have stuff. We have also all been tricked into the worlds way of thinking about our possessions. The world says we need more and we believe it. How many of us have stood before a full closet of clothes bemoaning the fact that we have nothing to wear? The world says old is not good you need some things new and we agree. How often do we buy new things even though the old ones work fine but look a little worn (electronics, furniture, shoes, kitchen items). The world says you have worked hard for your money you deserve to spend it on yourself and we listen and become greedy, selfish and stingy.

Luke 16 is all about the love of money. Wealth, in and of itself, is not bad. Luke himself was a doctor and would probably have been well off. Possibly one of the wealthiest of Jesus’ disciples. Other people in the Bible were wealthy, like Abraham, but they knew the place money and wealth had compared to godliness.

The Pharisees, on the other, despite all their religiosity, were very money minded. They wanted to look good and believed that wealth was a sign that one was blessed by God.

So the stories that Jesus tells were designed to expose what was inside the Pharisees hearts, specifically in regards to money. One of these stories is about a very wealthy man who was covered in the best clothes and lived in luxury while a very poor man, Lazarus, was covered in sores laying at the rich man’s gate hoping for some scraps of food.

Both of these men die. Lazarus goes to heaven and the rich man goes to hell. While in hell the rich man asks that Lazarus wet his lips with some water. When he realizes that all is lost he asks that Lazarus be allowed to warn his brothers. Abraham says “They have the word of God, that is what they need to listen to”. But the rich man doesn’t think that is enough. He thinks that if his brothers could see someone come back from the dead then they would repent but Abraham knows the condition of man’s heart. He tells him that if they don’t believe God’s word then they won’t believe even if someone comes back from the dead.

A real man named Lazarus did come back from the dead and the Pharisees did not believe. Jesus himself was raised back to life and people have continued to reject him.

People’s hearts are set on the wrong things and therefore do not believe or follow God. We can also fall into this same trap. We become preoccupied with the pleasures of this life over the life to come. We are more interested in the gifts then the giver. How do we avoid this pitfall? We must place money and our possessions in their proper place.

1. Remember

We must always remind ourselves where all the good things we have come from (James). But we must also look beyond the material things and realize that it is God who has given us and our spouses the talents, brains and desires to get an education or find a job that brings in the money that allows us to buy things. Is it possible that God allowed all of these things to fall into place so that we could help others?

If we want to curb our [ungodly] passions we must remember that all things are made for us, with the purpose that we may know and acknowledge their Author. We should praise his kindness toward us in earthly matters by giving him thanks. – John Calvin

2. Stay Thankful

Thankfulness will keep us humble and it will protect us from abusing or misusing the good gifts that God has given us. It will keep us from turning our material possession and our money into idols. We must protect ourselves from stinginess as well as wastefulness and being thankful will help us.

3. Look for opportunities

We must look for opportunities to serve with our finances as well as with our material belongings. Could you bless a missionary with a package? Are there people in your lives whom you could spoil with a home cooked meal and an evening of fellowship? Maybe we can donate items in our house that are sitting around collecting dust. Don’t hold on to things thinking that maybe, one day, when the kids are grown, you could use it again. Trust that God will provide for you when the times comes and give those things away to someone who can use them now.

God has called us to love and care for others. The things we own and the money we have will not last forever, but what we do with them can have eternal consequences both for good or for bad.

Looking to Jesus,

Thanks for joining us this spring as we study the book of Luke 9-16 together! Here are the documents you will need for our study! {ENGLISH RESOURCES} 1. {ENGLISH}Living & Leading Like Jesus 1. {ENGLISH}Living & Leading Like Jesus Reading Plan 1. {ENGLISH} Living & Leading Like Jesus- for Kids 1. {ENGLISH} How to use The Dig for Kids with your GMG Study Guide 2. {AFRIKAANS}Leef en Lei soos Jesus 2 2. {AFRIKAANS} Leef en Lei soos Jesus Leesplan 3. {CROATIAN} Živjeti i voditi kao Isus(1) 3. {CROATIAN} Živjeti i voditi kao Isus 4. {CHINESE}Living and Leading like Jesus cover- Chinese version 4. {CHINESE}Living nad Leading like Jesus book mark Chinese Version 5. {CZECH}Living and Leading Like Jesus Study Guide CZECH(1) 5. {CZECH} Reading Plan CZECH(1) 6. {DUTCH} Living and Leading Like Jesus study guide 6. {DUTCH} Living and Leading Like Jesus Reading Plan 7. {GERMAN} Leben und lehren wie Jesus 7. {GERMAN} Leben und lehren wie Jesus Leseplan 8. {HUNGARIAN} Tanulmányozó oldalak L&L Like Jesus 8. {HUNGARIAN} Bookmark - Könyvjelző 9. {INDONESIAN} Living and Leading Like Jesus Study Guide 9. {INDONESIAN} Living and Leading Like Jesus Reading Plan 10. {PORTUGUESE} Vivendo e Liderando como Jesus 11. {RUSSIAN} Russian Living_and_Leading_Like_Jesus 11. {RUSSIAN} Russian Living and Leading Like Jesus Reading Plan 12. {SPANISH} Guia de estudio Lucas 9-16 12. {SPANISH} Reading Plan-Spanish 13. {SWEDISH} Leva och leda som Jesus studiehandbok 13. {SWEDISH} Leva och leda som Jesus läsplan 14.{FINNISH}Ela ja johda kuin Jeesus 14. {FINNISH}Living and Leading Like Jesus Reading Plan (Finnish)

{Luke 16} Changed, to live a life that’s faithful…

WhitneyD — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:21:11 +0000

It was January 2010, and a massive earthquake had just shattered the streets and lives of Haiti. And while the world watched the struggling country’s tragedy unfold, an internal struggle was going on inside of me.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” ~ Luke 16:10

I had been praying for God to change me.

Ever feel like you’re in a slump, and you’re not even sure why? That was me. Spiritually, emotionally, even physically.

But by His grace, God used the events in Haiti to catch my attention that day. From my journal:

I can’t do one thing throughout the day without the pictures

of devastation flooding my mind.

I think of the dark, sad eyes of rubble-covered, filthy orphans

when I wipe my baby’s face.

I scrape the extra food off of her highchair and think of their hunger.

I cringe at a paper cut and then remember their wounds. Their pain.

I climb into my comfortable bed and pray for them to be able to sleep,

somehow, under the stars.

I get overwhelmed with the clutter of toys, while they yearn for the basic necessities of life.

I long for a moment of peace in the midst of a chaotic full house,

and think of those who long to have their loved ones back.

My mind went back to 1995, when I stood on those dirt roads, handing out pencils and gum and hope to hungry, hurting children. When life was much simpler and mercy seemed to come more quickly for me. My mind wasn’t cluttered with the things of this world as much. At least not that week of Spring Break, when I got to witness for the first time what life – and poverty – was like outside of my small college world.

While I was working my tail off to avoid taking out student loans, people were starving to death in that small little village in Haiti.

A good friend named Tyler (who would later become my husband) was on that trip too. We sat on the steps outside our apartment building together each night, listening to the Voodoo chants of the neighboring village. We sat in pure darkness; no electricity since the generators had already shut down for the night. He would play guitar. We would sing a little, then pray a little. And wonder how a place – a people – that was so lost, could ever find God.

And now, all these years later, I’m thankful that it’s God who does the finding.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging…” ~ from Psalm 46

Not that the crisis was about me, but God was doing a work in me because of it. He answered my prayers and my pleading for His Word to come alive to me in a fresh, new way. I wanted to long for it like I did on those Haitian steps almost eighteen years ago. Overwhelmed with grief and the guilt of my selfishness, I sat on my bathroom floor during one nap time with tears streaming down my face, soaking up the Psalms as I read them aloud. God met me there. And His Word did come alive.

It had been too long.

When had I become so discontent in all of God’s provision for me? When did I stop managing well all that God had entrusted to my care?

Something had to change.

A few nights later, I sat on my bed, grabbed hands and formed a circle with my husband and three boys, and one by one, we lifted up the people of Haiti to the One who is our “ever-present help.” It was the first of many nights that we began consistently, passionately praying again for someone – something - other than ourselves. And it felt good. Really good. A baby step to be sure, but a freeing one out of our self-absorbancy and pride.

I watched a few days later as my boys – all on their own – raided their Ziploc bags full of lost-teeth-and-birthday-money. They marked separate tithe envelopes “for Haiti,” and stuffed in their money, in a most unorganized way. Later we sat and looked at pictures of Haiti online, and my oldest, convicted and full of compassion, brought down another dollar. Their nineteen dollars seemed so minuscule, but for the work it did in their hearts? Priceless.

I remember thinking, “I don’t want to forget all of this a week from now.” And I still pray against forgetting every.single.day. When it’s clear that it’s not about me and I’ve had little sleep and my patience is not what it should be.

I want to live changed, so that I can live a life that’s faithful.

Don’t you?

He changes lives, you know. The very God who created the universe. Who allows things that we don’t understand to fulfill His plan and purpose. And He’ll meet you where you are. Even if it’s a bathroom floor, or a pit that you think you’ll never get out of. If you’ll let Him.

Oh to be changed, so that we will be faithful in little, so that we can be faithful in much.

Jesus, help me not to forget…

At His feet,

Costly Mistakes

Tricia Goyer — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:00:34 +0000

When it comes to parenting, what’s more important God or money? It may be easy to say “God” until our kids make a costly mistake . . . it’s then our true colors come out.

It happened to us just a year or so ago. Our teenage daughter was right behind us in her car, driving home from church, when we received a phone call. She’d been cresting a hill just five houses down when she hit the back of a parked car. Thankfully, she and her brother—who was in the car with her—didn’t get a scratch. The other car had some damage, but my daughter’s car was totaled. (Can you hear the dollar signs?)

John and I had sacrificed by giving her our old car instead of selling it or trading it in. Not only that, we’d just spent nearly a thousand dollars in engine repairs, and since we only had minimal insurance on it, it was all gone. Add to it, we had to buy another (used) car since we had two teen drivers who needed to get to school and work.

In Luke 16:15 Jesus said, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts.” John and I strive to be good, godly, loving, forgiving parents, but inside I wanted to rant. Our daughter should have been paying better attention. Her irresponsibility just robbed us of that money we’d worked so hard to save.

While I ranted (mostly internally), my husband John offered our daughter grace. He dealt with the totaled car. John also spent weeks searching for another used car. More than that, He used that experience to share about God’s grace. God gives us what we don’t deserve, and He’s there to pick up the pieces when we mess up. My husband’s words explained this. His actions proved this.
My soul settled down after a few hours, but this event really showed me I had given money a prominent place in my mind and heart. This wasn’t the only time one of my children caused a costly life lesson, and like my friend Phil shares in our co-authored book Lead Your Family Like Jesus, it’s what your child learns from the mistake that matters most.

Moving Beyond Mistakes

Grace-filled family leadership is all about turning mistakes into opportunities for growth. Jesus modeled this when, after His resurrection, he encountered Peter—who three times had denied even knowing Jesus after the latter’s arrest. It could have been a humiliating rejection for Peter, but Jesus made sure it wasn’t … (You can read about it in John 21:7-9, 12-19)

Instead of dressing Peter down or giving him the silent treatment, Jesus restored him to service. We need to do the same with our children. It’s easy to say, but hard to do—especially when you see one of your kids make a very costly mistake.

I remember one such time when my son, who was then in his twenties, dropped out of law school. It could have been a defining moment—in a bad way. My response could have set him up for failure.

But I helped him step back and say, “There’s a lesson to be learned here.” Yes, a lot of money had been spent in an unsuccessful venture, but maybe some life lessons could be learned from the experience.

“What positive things did you learn about yourself from law school?” I asked him. He said he learned he could work hard and that he was smart enough to do the work. He shared other positive things, too.

I then asked, “What could you have done differently?”

He replied that when he received feedback on his performance, he didn’t use the information well. When he did better on a test than he expected, he celebrated; when he received what he expected, he didn’t investigate it further. If he got a lower-than-expected grade, he didn’t go back to the teacher and ask what he could have done better. Instead of talking to the people who were grading the papers to find out how to be successful, he consulted his friends. In the end they were not a reliable source of the advice or help he needed.

We talked about communication, pride, starting new projects, tackling the routine parts of a job before the exciting parts, not majoring in minors, and seeking feedback.

Perhaps someday you’ll need to help your child work through an expensive life lesson. If so, remember that disappointments may be God’s appointments to draw us closer to Him. While we want to protect our children from hardship, that’s impossible. Instead, we may be called to lead by walking them gracefully through the valley and guiding them through the shadows.

What about you? Has your child made a costly mistake? How did you react?

Jesus knows our hearts, yet our heart-loves are often revealed during a costly mistake. Pray today and ask God to help you serve Him as master above all!

{Week 8} Luke 16 ~ Eternal investing versus earthly gain…

WhitneyD — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:10:24 +0000

Investing in the Kingdom of God with the money we have been given on earth…

Are you doing it? Am I doing it? Luke 16 forces us to take a good hard look at how we view money as followers of Jesus.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” ~ Luke 16:9

Now I know what some of you might be thinking… not the “money talk” again. Let me encourage you to resist sneaking out of the back of the “sanctuary” this week while everyone else’s eyes are closed during prayer. Money is a touchy subject, yet a hugely important part of our daily lives. And it drives and consumes the world - and often us – so much, that God knew He’d have to talk about it a LOT in His Word. When something (like money) is repeated so many times in the Bible, if we’re wise, we’ll settle into our pews, and open our ears and hearts to what He has to say…

{If you are unable to see this video, you can view it here.}

Some of you might be frustrated today, thinking, “If money wasn’t so tight for me right now, I’d give it to God in a heartbeat.” Let me encourage you with John MacArthur’s words regarding investing in eternity:

“The truth is circumstances don’t determine faithfulness, character does. You hear people say, “If I had more I’d give more.” No you wouldn’t. It doesn’t matter how much you have. The widow who had nothing gave everything. People who have everything give nothing. It’s never about circumstances. It’s a view of heaven and a view of earth. It’s a perspective that has captured your heart.” ~ John MacArthur

What is capturing your heart today, friend? The things of this world, that are so very temporary and will ultimately fade away? Or the things of God, which produce an eternity of reward in heaven one day?

At His feet,

{Week 8} Weekly Challenge: Take a few minutes to make a list detailing where your money is going. Are there obvious eternity investments, or do the majority of your finances go towards earthly gain? Pray that God would show you any needed adjustments, and ask Him to give you strength to put your faith and your finances into action to further His Kingdom this week!

{Week 8} Reading Plan:

{Week 8} Memory Verse:

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Jen Thorn — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:01:20 +0000

Most of us are very familiar with the parable of the prodigal son. In this story there is the outright rebellious younger son who asks for his inheritance early. By doing so he was basically wishing his father were dead. He had no regard for what was right and lived a selfish life of partying, luxury, and immorality which resulted in destruction and misery. In the end he returns home, a broken man, and is joyfully embraced and accepted by his father.

Then there is the older son who was morally upright, hard working and a rule follower. He did everything he was supposed to, outwardly respected his father, and yet his heart betrayed his good works. He was filed with bitterness towards his brother, a love of things over the love of his father and self righteousness.

The two brothers reflect the two kinds of people in the word. Those who are openly rebellious towards God and do not think they need him, and those who are self-righteous and don’t believe they really need him. One of the truths in this parable is that everyone is lost. The religious as well as the rebellious are dammed without Christ. The Pharisees, with their religious rule-keeping and the prostitute with her immorality both need to be rescued. There is no one righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10)

Can you identify with either of these brothers? I can identity with the older one. I was always the rule keeper, the “good girl” who never got in trouble. It was easy for me to try and rely on myself more than on God. It was easy to think “I’ve got this.” But there is no one good enough in the eyes of God. We all need Christ and the work he did on the cross.

Did you know that there is actually a third son in this story (Driscoll). This is the son who was neither rebellious nor religious. He was not selfish or greedy. He wasn’t immoral or self righteous. He was perfect. Actually he is the one telling the story. While we may be able to identify ourselves with one of the two imperfect brothers, it is in Christ, the perfect Son, in whom we must find our identity. It is Jesus who saves us and leads us in the right way. We need him for everything. Just like both brothers needed to be saved from the sins of self-righteousness and blatant unrighteousness so we need to be saved from our sins.

Our dependence on Jesus goes deeper than we can ever comprehend. Through his death Jesus accomplished our salvation but a person’s need for Jesus doesn’t stop there. He gives us a righteousness that we cannot earn and a power to live godly lives and overcome sin that we cannot muster up on our own. He gives us wisdom that we can’t learn on our own, and grace for every moment of our day that we don’t deserve. He holds our very lives together by his word. He wisely and sovereignly determines when we are born and where we live. He is master over the weather and has the power to give and to take away. We are nothing without him.

Can you identify who you are–the older or younger brother? Until you can you will not be able to identify your savior who rescues you from your sin and yourself.

Check out Tim Keller’s book “The Prodigal God” as well as his free sermon series by the same title.

Looking To Jesus,

Prodigal Sons, Prideful Hearts and Hollow Trees

Angela — Wed, 08 May 2013 05:45:09 +0000

Last week some high winds raced through my backyard and in their gushing and twisting and turning…..a large tree limb broke off and fell to the ground.

It’s amazing what’s discovered when storms race through our backyards and sometimes even our lives.

On the outside, the tree looked beautiful, strong and solid.

Yet through the pressure of the winds pushing the tree limb in one direction and then another…..it finally was too much. After years of “holding it all together”….the limb broke off and crashed to the ground.

I heard the noise from my kitchen as I was cleaning up from dinner. I rushed to the window to see what could cause such a disturbance. The sound was so loud I thought it was a car crash of some kind. To my surprise, I saw the large tree limb lying on the ground in my backyard.

Upon investigation of the limb, my husband and I noticed the inside of the tree branch was hollow. A disease had been eating away on the inside of this tree for years, unnoticed by those of us on the outside.

Today we had men come and cut the rest of our large, old, beautiful tree down. After having it evaluated by a tree specialist, it was recommended to have the tree removed for fear of further damage it could cause when another storm hits…..because there is always another storm coming.

As I thought about this tree, how beautiful it looked on the outside, yet on the inside was wasting away, my thoughts turned to the Pharisees we’ve been reading about in Luke these last few weeks. On the outside they looked perfect. They obeyed all the rules. Dotted every “I” and crossed every “T”……yet through their actions what was going on in the inside of their hearts was revealed. Their pride, self-righteousness and own sins were eating away at their hearts…..making them hollow.

In the next few days we will be reading one of my favorite parables…..The Prodigal Son. Normally I always focus my attention on the main characters of the story…..that of the father and his wayward younger son. Yet this time, I want to challenge you to focus your attention on the oldest son and his response to his father.

The oldest son in this parable is very much like the Pharisees we’ve been reading about. He was the “good” one. He stayed home. He worked the fields. He obeyed. Yet we see at the end of the story……..his motives weren’t pure. He did all these “good works” not because of his love for his father, but rather because of what he could get from his father. In many ways, this older brother was very much like his younger brother. He too wanted the father’s “things” rather than the father.

My sweet friends, as we live and lead like Jesus……let’s make sure we obey his commands out of our love for our Lord, rather than out of what we can get from him by “being good.”

False motives will in time be made visible, like hollow limbs falling from a tree.

Let’s push back against the pride and self-righteousness that can poison our hearts and make them hollow.

Our Lord is a loving father to both prodigal sons and prideful sons. He desires a relationship with both…..so much so he was willing to eat with them and die for them. He was willing to give his life to save them…to save us…to save me.

Love God Greatly!

Look at what else we found inside the tree…:)

PS: Don’t forget about our upcoming summer Bible study starting June 3rd! Click here to find out more details! Invite some friends and join us!

Do You Pray Your Child Will Someday Turn To God?

Tricia Goyer — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:00:11 +0000

I can clearly remember the day my 14-year-old daughter can home from youth camp. She’d gone as a junior counselor, but she came home a changed girl. Leslie grew up in church, she loved God, and she tried to be obedient to her father and me, but at that camp she repented of her sin and accepted Christ for herself. When she returned home, she was hungry to know God more and to read His Word. She asked her dad and me hard questions about the Bible (we had great conversations!) . . . and she shared God’s truth with her friends.

Luke 15:8-10 talks about the woman who lost one of her silver coins and then rejoiced when it was found. I love verse 10. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

You can bet there was much rejoicing with my husband John and me to see the transformation in our daughter! And the truth is, although God used the camp as the moment of my daughter’s repentance and salvation, that moment came after years of John and me modeling a relationship with Christ to her. It came after years of teaching her the Bible and explaining God’s plan for His people. It came after prayers for my daughter—too many to count—that started from the day I found out I was pregnant with her.

Do you pray that your child will someday turn to God?

Yes, we can hope and pray our children will have their own relationship with Christ, but we also must strive to be intentional about sharing our faith and about modeling abiding in Him in our daily lives. My co-authors and I talk about this in our book, Lead Your Family Like Jesus:

Time to Follow the Leader
Jesus was a model for “being in the moment.” I don’t think training His disciples was a hit-and-miss thing. Since Jesus was intentional about all He did on earth, the leading of the men closest to Him was no doubt done with thoughtfulness and an understanding that can only come from a heaven-sent vision. As He walked together with His disciples on the journey of life, Jesus observed them in the moment, listened to them, and answered their questions.

I’d like to think that the time Jesus spent walking to and from work alongside his earthly father, Joseph, resting in the midday for a meal with him, and asking him questions helped to prepare Jesus to offer the same kind of relaxed fellowship to His disciples. Like father, like son—in more ways than one.

That doesn’t just apply then, but also now. Remember what Jesus said:

For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them. (Matthew 18:20)

The grace of Jesus’ presence can be with us today. Two thousand years after He walked on earth, His beckoning voice still calls, saying, “Come to Me,” and “Abide in Me.”

Young children live fully in the moment. They aren’t thinking of the past or looking toward the future. Crying, skipping, or jumping up and down, they live in a real-time world and hunger for you to be there with them.

One of my favorite images of a parent in the moment with a child is my sister-in-law, Susanne, talking with her children when they were young. Because of a hearing loss, it’s a challenge for her to understand what people are saying unless they’re faced directly toward her.
So whenever her little ones wanted to speak with her, Suzanne would kneel down, lovingly hold their face with both hands, and listen with her eyes and ears to what they had to say. It’s a beautiful picture of listening that we can incorporate into our parenting.

I also like to think of Jesus doing the same thing as we turn to Him for help. Can you picture the tenderness in His eyes? Can you imagine His desire to lead you with tender care?

Sometimes as moms we may feel weak when we have to turn to God over and over and over again, but He wants to be there for us. He wants us to come to Him for help. We only do our role as leaders well, as parents well, when we are following Jesus. It’s then we walk in a way that is worthy of our children following.

Hoping that our children will turn to God is not enough, we must put feet to our prayers. We must live in the moment with our children and turn to God in the moment to gain the help He is more than willing to give.

More about Lead Your Family Like Jesus
Does your family need a five-star general at the helm? A psychologist? A referee? Ken Blanchard, best-selling co-author of The One Minute Manager and Lead Like Jesus, points to a better role model: the Son of God. Joined by veteran parents and authors Phil Hodges and Tricia Goyer, renowned business mentor Blanchard shows how every family member benefits when parents take the reins as servant-leaders. Moms and dads will see themselves in a whole new light—as life-changers who get their example, strength, and joy from following Jesus at home. This user-friendly book’s practical principles and personal stories mark the path to a truly Christ-centered family, where integrity, love, grace, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness make all the difference.

Order your copy here, and for more from Tricia, visit her website.

Luke 15- Jesus still searches for lost “sheep” {Plus GMG Mentor Leaders Program}

Angela — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:33:44 +0000

(Click here if you can not see the video)

I LOVE that Jesus is in the search and rescue business.

I love that He came to seek and to save the lost. He came for me, and He came for you. In the first 7 verses of Luke 15, we see Jesus doing many things. We see how He values relationships and time spent around the table talking and sharing a meal together. Jesus invested His life in those who held His same values as well as those who did not. Jesus never sinned, yet sinners and tax collectors felt comfortable enough to gather around Him to hear Him speak. Those two points challenge me to live like Jesus did. As I go about my days……am I on my true mission in life?

Am I, like Jesus, seeking the lost?

Am I spending time with those who do not hold my same values and beliefs?

It’s so easy to protect ourselves, to shelter ourselves……but it’s not healthy for us. For when I remove myself from the world to much…..my desire to make a difference in this world and reach the lost dies. Modeling our lives like Jesus, we need to “break bread” with those who are lost. We need to spend time investing our lives into their lives. When we do, God enlarges our hearts and plants seeds of love for them that in time grows and grows.

You see, every person we would consider a “sinner” is really someone’s child. As a mother, it breaks my heart to think of a child being lost in this world. As Christians, we are called to be a light in this dark world and use our lives to point others to Jesus.

In today’s parable found in Luke 15:3-7, we see Jesus searching for the sheep, finding the sheep, carrying the sheep and rejoicing in it’s return! Wow, what a loving God we serve. Like Jesus, let’s live our lives reaching out to the lost by looking for opportunities to show them God’s love.

Questions for today:

How has God used someone in your life to bring you back to Him? Share your story! We’d love to hear it!
Before reading today’s parable of the Lost Sheep, how did you view God’s response when you repented?
Now after learning that God REJOICES and celebrates with the angles when we repent and turn back to Him, does the knowledge of that truth change your view of the importance of repenting? How?

Week 7 Challenge: We are on the same mission Jesus is on……we are to seek the lost. How in your life are you seeking those who are lost around you? This week focus on praying over one person in your life who is not saved, every single day. Be intentional with her. Reach out to her. Invite her to dinner or on a playdate with the kids. Help her, serve her, be Jesus’s hands and feet to her. Look for ways to show her love and spend time with her if you can. Don’t make this a week long challenge, but a challenge for a lifetime. Don’t just stop after this week……continue to reach out and seek the lost with Jesus.

Week 7 Reading Plan:

Week 7 Memory Verse:

The GMG Leadership Mentoring Program is about to start again! The program is for new or current leaders who wish to enrich their leadership skills, as well as deepen their understanding of their value as women of God.

Participants in the program will participate in a small group and complete a two week Bible Study, led by their Mentor. The study dates are May 20th to May 31st.

Due to the nature of this study and group size, we are only able to accept a limited number of participants. We do our best to create a spot for everyone, but that is not always possible.

To apply to join this study, please click on the link below and fill out the form.

Applications will close on May 14th.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JbjSWU708Zz5gTwhvSUtKiHuW_-Ybh01FFP0i3R7Z84/viewform

If you have any questions concerning the GMG Mentor Leaders program, please feel free to ask in our comment section.

Love God Greatly!

Summer Bible Study Announcement!

Angela — Sun, 05 May 2013 07:01:45 +0000

We still have 2 weeks left of our current Bible Study: Living & Leading Like Jesus…….but as we’re nearing the end of this session, I wanted to let you know what we have planned for this SUMMER! I think you’re going to LOVE IT!

Our summer book club selection is this year’s Christian Book Award Winner for the category New Author, Anything by Jennie Allen!

I read Anything this past year and loved it so much I had to share it with you!

Anything is a book that will challenge the prayers that we pray. It will challenge the life that we are living, the choices we make and move us to deepen our relationship with God. It’s a book that makes you honestly look at the life you are living and ask yourself……”Am I willing to pray an ‘Anything’ prayer?”

(Click here if you can’t see the video)

I pray you will invite your friends and join us this summer as we move from praying safe and comfortable prayers to prayers that come from lives that are surrendered and courageously living for our Lord!

I’d love for you to meet Jennie and hear her heart! I had an amazing opportunity this past week to actually met her in person and all I can say is she is as passionate and on fire for God in her real life as she is in her books and in this video. She inspires me to live a life completely sold out for Jesus…….and I pray she does the same for you.

(Click here if you can’t see the video)

Summer Session Info:

Dates: June 3rd-July 26th (8 weeks)

Will the format of this summer session be the same as our previous studies? Yes, this summer we will still have a daily reading plan……we will still be in God’s Word EVERYDAY, we will still interact with God’s Word by SOAPing our daily verses, we will still have a study guide and we will still have our memory verses.

How will this summer session be different? Instead of reading a complete book of the Bible this upcoming session, we will be reading verses in many different books of the Bible, reading verses from the Old and New Testament as well as purchasing the book Anything. Truly our session will run the same as all of our past sessions except that we will be purchasing a book to go along with our study.

Will there be a Children’s Bible study available to go along with our summer study? I’m so excited to announce that YES we will also have a corresponding children’s study for you to use with your kiddos this summer!

What’s the cost? The study on our end is FREE all you will need to do is purchase the book Anything. On May 20th, when our sign-up session begins, we have been given a discount from LifeWay to purchase the book for only $8. I do not have the code and links at this time but will provide them for you before our sign-up session begins! The reading plan, study guide and children’s resources that correspond with the book Anything will all be available for free and located at the bottom of every GMG email. (Note: If you are not a blog subscriber, please make sure to subscribe in order to receive these wonderful resources!)

Please feel free to email me with any summer session questions you may have! I’m here to help!:)

Love God Greatly!

A Call To Be Salty

Jen Thorn — Fri, 03 May 2013 06:01:33 +0000

In our last post Courtney asked if we are “committed to living a life devoted to Jesus.” This whole chapter in Luke focuses on this question. In the second half of Luke 14 Jesus talks about his expectations of those who belong to him.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Lk. 14:27

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Lk. 14:33

These are shocking statements and that is exactly what Jesus intended them to be. Obviously Jesus is not telling us that we need to hate our family. This would contradict his command to love each other (Jn. 15:12) and honor Father and Mother (Eph. 6:2), but he is saying that our love for Him should surpass everything else we love in this world. We should be willing to give up everything, including our families if necessary, in order to live for him.

It is this radical love and devotion to him that causes us to be “salt” in the world.

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 14:34-35

Salt is very noticeable. If you cook without salt everyone will be able to tell because the food will be a bit bland. If salt were to lose its saltiness it would become useless. Jesus is saying that we need to make sure that our lives as Christians are not useless.

Did you know that you could be useless? This is not something we like to think or talk about much, especially in our day of positive self-image that says everyone is unique and worthy regardless of how we live. Jesus’ words will make us uncomfortable, and that is exactly what his words should do. Words that are hard are easy for us to ignore. Instead, we focus on the things that are nice and sweet and easy. Thankfully Jesus won’t let us, he wants us to focus on truth and sometimes truth is hard, like the fact that we can lose our saltiness and become useless.

So in what ways can our usefulness grow weak?

1. By pretending to be Holy

We do this when we are not honest about our struggles and sins. We put on a facade of having our life under control, and present ourselves as having it all together. This false righteousness make us seem unapproachable and maybe even fake. Saltiness is not about perfection. True saltiness admits and confesses sin and weakness. It doesn’t hide it.

2. By focusing on the external

This can happen in a number of different ways. Perhaps we read our Bible simply so we can check that off of our to-do list, but the words never reach our heart. Maybe we focus on looking the part of the godly Christian woman in order to be accepted, or to be thought well of. Maybe we focus on the way we dress, how we worship and how we perform the right Christian rituals. We try hard to restrain our temper, to speak with a kind tone, and to squeeze Bible verses into our conversation in order to appear more righteous.

Focusing on the external reveals in us selfishness, laziness, a lack of motivation, a weak faith and pride. Saltiness has to do with a lively, internal faith that produces love and works. Godliness is not produced from the outside in, but it comes from the inside out through the work of Christ. (John Koessler) Saltiness is not about the external, but the internal qualities of faith in Jesus who saves and sanctifies.

In the world a salty person is someone who uses bad language or speaks about inappropriate topics. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But to be a salty Christian woman is to be identifiable as a Christ follower. Her language and her life is filled with grace and truth, but she is also real. What distinguishes such a women from the rest is not pretending or performing, but a deeply dependent faith in Jesus that calls us and encourages us to walk with him daily.

How do we remain “salty” Christian women?

1. Know The Lord

Study everything you can about him. How do the Old Testament stories point to Jesus? What does it really mean to fear the Lord? How patient is God really? How deep does his grace go? Read the scriptures and read good books by godly people whom God has given special insight and understanding on certain subjects. And do not settle for knowing the facts about God, but seek to know him relationally. Trust him. Worship him.

2. Fight Against Unbelief and Sin

Following Jesus is not a stroll in the park, or a picnic on the beach. Not yet anyways. When he calls us to follow him he is inviting us to participate in a war.

“Conversion is not putting a person in an arm-chair and taking them easily to heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory”. J.C. Ryle

We must actively fight against our enemies of sin and the devil by finding safety in Christ, by running to him with our weaknesses in the midst of great temptations. While the outcome is already secure, the battles still need to be fought. We must fight against our love of ease, our self righteousness and pride. We must put to death laziness and our love of man’s approval.

Jesus does not want “lukewarm” or bland followers (Rev. 3:16). He calls us to be salty. To be seen and known as his own. Confessing our sins, growing in grace, giving him all the glory.

Looking to Jesus,