on the walk

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John 10:7-10

In Christ we can have abundant life now and forever. We live life on the edge of eternity. We live now with purpose and one day we will live forever in God’s kingdom. They way to live a life so that you can die with no regrets is to live as if you had one month to live. In the world, a long range plan may be 10 , 50 or even 100 years. In Christ, you can have a long range plan of abundant life both today and for all eternity.

Today’s Challenge:

Accept the gift of abundant life that God offers. Are you ready to make a pledge to never settle for a mediocre life of postponement and regrets? Are you ready to Live Passionately, Love Completely, Learn Humbly and Leave Boldly? Don’t take anything less than the eternal abundant life that God wants to give you.

Textual Reflection:

To get a sense for this text, it is probably worth reading the whole chapter to to get the context.  Jesus is trying to explain who he is and what he has come to do.  To do this, he uses a variety of images. He introduces these images through a collection of I AM’s.

With this image of the gate Jesus clarifies two very important claims. First he clarifies any confusion about his claim to centrality.  Jesus claims that he is at the center of what God is planning to do.  This is a claim of sharp particularity and if we are tempted to negate this claim we do so at great risk to the teaching scripture.

Secondly he claims that he comes to secure life for all those who will “enter through him.”  I often need a reminder of what God in Christ  intends for me.  Lies speak in my head to say, “there is a better life than this. That short cut won’t matter.”  Into that lie come the words of Christ.  There is one way to enter the life for God made you and me.  That one way is the through the forgiveness and lordship of Jesus Christ.  That is why Jesus came.  Jesus came to save those who are dead in our sin and to give us life.  And not just any life, but the full life for which we were created.

on the walk

-Ethan

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Ephesians 5:8-20
How many chances will you get? How many more times will you get to talk to your parents or play with your children? How many more conversations will you have with your friends? How many more days are you willing to waste in the sinful patterns that are so comfortable to you? If you had one month to live you would be naturally compelled to “make the most of every opportunity.” You would not waste a conversation. You would not waste one moment. Imagine how boldly you could face death if you knew that you had not wasted a single breath

Today’s Challenge:

Take a look at your life. From an eternal perspective, which moments are you wasting? Perhaps those moments are being wasted in sin, or by pursuing wealth and power. Perhaps they are being wasted because you are resisting God’s will for your life. Write down two ways you are wasting your life. Pick one and make a plan to replace that waste with fruitful living. Continue Reading »

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Romans 12:1-2

There is a secret to using a Jell-O mold. Those who know the secret can shape Jell-O into to a visual delight. Like a Jell-O mold, our culture works to box in our thoughts and give shape to our attitudes, expectations and actions. Christians must master the secret of resisting this conformity and instead be transformed into the shape (likeness) of Jesus Christ. We do this by letting God’s word renew and mold our minds.

Today’s Challenge:

Become a critic of the Jell-O mold of your culture. Write down how you “fit in” to the world around you. Ask God to help you break free of that mold. Commit to read God’s word and ask God to transform you to the standard of Jesus. (If you need a place to start, try the books of Mark or Luke.) Continue Reading »

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Psalm 23

God doesn’t want you for anything you can do or accomplish. God wants you for you. God wants to be with you and for you to be with God. Sometimes this will mean forging into a dangerous mission and risky service. Sometimes this will mean giving away your possessions and offering up your life. But often this will mean sitting and praying, reading and talking. Even when you are not seeming to accomplish anything, you are with God and that is God’s desire.

Today’s Challenge:

Carve out an hour of silence this week. Do not bring a journal or a book. Turn off your cell-phone. Tell your plans to a friend who can hold you accountable. Spend a full hour with no agenda but to invite God to be with you. Write down your reflections here.

Continue Reading »

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Acts 18:18-28

You still have things to learn. If that sentence shocks you, then you may need to look again at the story about Apollos in the book of Acts. Even with all his credentials (which are pretty impressive) he had something to learn from two Corinthian leather workers. If he had ignored their teaching he would have missed an opportunity to serve God in a powerful way. Likewise, if we are too proud to learn from such surprising teachers, we may miss what God needs to teach us.

Today’s Challenge:

Write down some things that you sense God wants to teach you this week. Admit before God and others that you don’t have all the answers. Ask someone you trust to give you an honest appraisal if you are teachable. Do something with the answer. Continue Reading »

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Philippians 3:10-16

Change and growth are hard. Trying news things and learning new things are never easy. But the alternative to growth is death. This is true in our physical bodies and in our spiritual life. Even Paul, the greatest evangelist and church planter of the first century, recognized that he had not made it to the place God wanted him to be. He wrote the letter to the church in Philippi late in his life and still he saw the need to press on and keep growing. Paul had accomplished a lot and could have rested on that, but instead he looked forward to the growth God has planned for him.

Today’s Challenge:

Even with one month to live there is growing to do. Don’t let yourself get proud about where you are. Keep your eye on the horizon ahead of you. Write down four ways you would like to grow in God’s direction. Pick one growth goal to keep in front of you during the One Month to Live challenge. Make a plan to press on toward that goal. Continue Reading »

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Aaron ran into the plague to save the people. He stood between the living and the dead. You can do that today. Loving others completely will include sharing the good news about what Christ has done. To avoid mentioning the truth that could save someone’s life may be socially polite, but it is not love.

Today’s Challenge:

If you had one month to live, who would you need to tell about Jesus? What is stopping you? By staying silent, are you loving them completely or just doing what is easy? Pick one person you need to talk to about Jesus and commit to a friend that you will tell them in the next thirty days.

Textual Reflections:

This is a fantastic story.  In the climactic moment we are told that Aaron stood between the living and the dead. The plague was not his fault.  The people had rejected God, and yet God was not willing for God’s wrath to be fulfilled.  But someone was needed to stand in the way.  Can you imagine the fear that Aaron must have felt?  Running out into the death.

That is the fear I often feel when I take the risk to tell someone the good news that can save their life.  But unless I am willing and unless you are willing to face this fear, who will stand today between the living and the dead?  I want to be that one.

on the walk

-Ethan

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Matthew 18:21-35

When a major company is in trouble with overwhelming debt they usually ask for a bailout. Our relationships need the same thing. Forgiveness is the art of offering a bailout those who have wronged us. Some wrongs can never be set right. Unkind words can never be unsaid. The only way to repair the damage to you and the person who wronged you is to forgive the debt. This is what God has done for us and what God calls us to do for others.

Today’s Challenge:

What relational debts are you owed? How would you experience freedom if you released those debts? What relational debts do you owe? Are you ready to ask for forgiveness? If you had One Month to Live who would you seek out for reconciliation? Why wait? Continue Reading »

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Philippians 2:1-13

“Me first, me first,” children call out as they run to the front of the line at the slide or at snack time. As we age we learn to be more guarded, but many of us never lose that attitude. But Jesus has a different strategy! Jesus’ strategy calls us to love completely by placing the needs of others ahead of our own. You can do this because you can trust God to take care of your own needs.

Today’s Challenge:

Who have you hurt because of your “selfish ambition”? Whose needs are you called to make a priority? How can you let God work in you to accomplish God’s good purposes (v. 13)? Continue Reading »

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John 13:34-35

Life is about relationships. No one sees this more clearly than those who see death fast approaching. Jesus was approaching death when he taught his followers this new commandment, “Love one another like I have loved you.” The command to love others was not the new part. The new part of this is the command to love like Jesus. Jesus love is complete love even to the point of sacrificing himself. Jesus teaches us that when we love like that, everyone will know whom we follow.

Today’s Challenge:

What priorities get in the way of the relationships you need to value? If you had one month to live, what practical changes would you make to demonstrate that relationships matter most? Which of those changes can you put into motion this week? What relationships need an hour of your undivided attention? Write down one person that you want to start loving as Jesus loves you, AND how you plan to show that love. Continue Reading »