Hello my dear friends! My earnest hope and prayer for each of us is that the Christ of Christmas is filling our hearts with worship of Him. This week's Psalms of Discipleship is a wonderful reminder of how much our Lord desires to have a relationship with His people. He wants us to "fear" Him and to take His instruction in the way we should choose.
O Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Merry Christmas,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #50
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
Psalm 25:12
Core Value: Prayer
“What should I do?” “Where should I go?” “Who should I marry?” “How will I know what to do and when to do it?” These are examples of the kinds of questions a disciple of Jesus may wrestle with on life’s journey of faith. All good questions, for sure. Here is the good news: the pressure is off! We do not have to resolve these kinds of questions on our own. Listen carefully to the counsel of the Psalmist:
“Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.”
Receiving supernatural direction for life is simply a matter of cause and effect: If we fear the Lord (give Him reverence, respect, hold Him in awe), then He will instruct us in the way we should choose. Note: He will not turn us into mindless robots. We still must make a choice to obey and walk it out in faith.
It is through the means of prayer we discover that “answered” prayer is more than getting what we want from God. Prayer is only a means to an end; that we might get to know the Lord better as we dialogue with Him. Getting direction from Him is best accomplished when we have a growing relationship with Him. Richard Foster adds this important contribution to the importance of relationship when he writes,
“Slowly, almost imperceptibly, there is a shift in our center of gravity. We pass thinking of God as part of our life to the realization that we are part of His life.” (Pg. 15) Foster, Richard. 1992. Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco.
May each one of us who are disciples of Jesus come to a fresh realization that we are an important part of God’s life. He wants to have a relationship with His children. Because of His desire and our need for relationship, may we take every life choice we face before His Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16)
Principle #50 & Personal Application: The Quality disciple of Jesus Christ cultivates a disciplined habit: every life choice that is made is bathed in prayer.
When we fear (greatly respect and honor) the Lord . . .
• It will have a significant impact on how we pray.
• We will be so close to hearing His heart that we are willing to seek His will, and not our own.
• We will have a blessed assurance that the path we choose will be the correct decision.
• We gain a fresh perspective of why God sent His Son to our world: to provide a way for us to experience eternal life. This is the wonderful story of Christmas. God made a choice…so must we.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
What does my life look like as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Do I live my life in fear of the Lord; do I greatly respect and honor Him?
How do I know for sure that the life choices I make are at the center of God’s will for me?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, teach me how to fear God in the right way. Teach me how to respect and honor You. May my life be marked by a life of prayer that governs the choices I make. May I never seek my way as a replacement for Your way. May I be the kind of disciple who knows Your heart so well that I instinctively follow Your instruction on the way I should choose.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.
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