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One Way to Live More Intentionally in 2014

by | Faith | 11 comments

Has anyone asked what your one WORD is for the year?

I met with someone last Friday who shared how her one word is PEACE, pointing to Isaiah 55:

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace…
Last year, my word was SEEK. And this year, my word is SEEK, based on Matthew 6:33:
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Quite frankly, I was ready for a new word but based on recent convictions from the Holy Spirit, scripture, and other divine inklings, it was clear I needed to stay put in 2014. 
One of those inklings came while reading Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker. This line stood out as I sought the Lord for an answer to a very important decision:
If you seek answers you won’t find them, but if you seek God, the answers will find you.
Every desire, request, answer—everything—kneels before God’s kingdom and his righteousness. 
I realize choosing a particular word may seem gimmicky to some but for me, it has to do with intentionality. That’s how I want to live, and not just for the here and now but for the future generations to come because the decisions we make today will impact others — even those we may never meet on this side of heaven. 
So I choose my word (or maybe the Word chose me) and I will keep it before me as a reminder of my priorities. Of my first Love. 
Yet I hold this against you: 
You have forsaken the love you had at first. 
Revelation 2:4 
Have you chosen one word for 2014? Please share! 
 

Awaken the Wonder of God Within

by | Faith | 6 comments

Experiencing the wonder of God isn’t about landing a crazy story 
to tell our friends or experiencing pimply goose bumps. 
The wonder awakens us to dive even deeper 
in our relationship with God.
– Margaret Feinberg, Wonderstruck, Awaken to the Nearness of God
In preparing to facilitate Wonderstruck next week, I consider Revelation 2:4 ESV:
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Remember how it felt when you first began falling for your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend? The relationship had a sense of awe about it. We clung to their every word, spiffed up our wardrobe, flossed a little longer, and smelled, well…quite nice. 
But over time elasticized sweats, increased volume via headphones, and a lack o’ floss can tarnish even the brightest of beginnings. 
Likewise, when I’m not in step with the Spirit, the wonder and awe of God I first realized and celebrated as a Christ follower can gradually fade against the backdrop of a cluttered life. 

Keeping the wonder of God awakened within us requires intentionality and a willingness to refuse the seduction of surface living. 

++++++++++++

An invitation to dive deeper: Jot down three moments today in which you encounter the wonder of God and His handiwork. 

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 
Galatians 5:25 NIV

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