Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Psalms of Discipleship--Principle #2--Grace--January 21, 2012
Hello my dear friends! Blessings, the Lord's blessings upon you today. The longer we walk with the Lord and experience His amazing grace, we come to realize that everything that is good comes from Him. In a world where so many are living empty lives, He has touched us and caused us to grow. This is what the Psalmist is testifying about in this week's Psalms of Discipleship: It is personal, it is praiseworthy, it is powerful. It is grace.
Learning with you,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #2
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. 9 I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. Psalm 52:8-9
Core Value: Grace
As believers, we do contribute to our spiritual growth through our faithful obedience to practice “the spiritual disciplines” like worship, Bible study, prayer, being in community, serving others with our gifts, and sharing our faith. But at the end of the day, if God is not intimately involved in all of these, we are only busying ourselves with religious activities. It is God who always gives the growth.
and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NASB95)
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth is “like a green olive tree in the house of God.”
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth places his “trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.”
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth gives “thanks forever [to the Lord], because You have done it.”
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth is patient with God: “And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
How do I know for sure whether or not I am growing as a disciple of Jesus?
What are some of the spiritual disciplines that I need work on in order to grow in my faith?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, because of You and Your grace that is at work in my life, I am able to experience spiritual growth. May I always trust in Your lovingkindness forever. May I always give You thanks forever because You are the One who is bringing spiritual maturity into my life. You are very patient with me. Please help me to be patient with You.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
What others are saying about A One Year Journey With The Shepherd:
“Denny hit a home run in Psalms of Discipleship, his sincerity in writing brings you into an atmosphere of worship and learning.” Jeff Hoffart. Upper Level Manager, Business Consultant
“I am consumed with excitement and a fresh love for the Lord after reading A One Year Journey With The Shepherd!!! . . . The personal application sections are thought provoking, and attainable. I believe they are challenging in a way that creates a desire, instead of being out of reach for the growing believer.” Ericka Miller, MA Clinical Counseling
Now available in print and eBook formats. See http://www.dennybates.com/Home/OneYearJourney.html for how you can purchase your copy today!
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
Learning with you,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #2
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. 9 I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. Psalm 52:8-9
Core Value: Grace
As believers, we do contribute to our spiritual growth through our faithful obedience to practice “the spiritual disciplines” like worship, Bible study, prayer, being in community, serving others with our gifts, and sharing our faith. But at the end of the day, if God is not intimately involved in all of these, we are only busying ourselves with religious activities. It is God who always gives the growth.
and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NASB95)
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth is “like a green olive tree in the house of God.”
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth places his “trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.”
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth gives “thanks forever [to the Lord], because You have done it.”
• The disciple who is experiencing spiritual growth is patient with God: “And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
How do I know for sure whether or not I am growing as a disciple of Jesus?
What are some of the spiritual disciplines that I need work on in order to grow in my faith?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, because of You and Your grace that is at work in my life, I am able to experience spiritual growth. May I always trust in Your lovingkindness forever. May I always give You thanks forever because You are the One who is bringing spiritual maturity into my life. You are very patient with me. Please help me to be patient with You.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2012 All rights reserved.
What others are saying about A One Year Journey With The Shepherd:
“Denny hit a home run in Psalms of Discipleship, his sincerity in writing brings you into an atmosphere of worship and learning.” Jeff Hoffart. Upper Level Manager, Business Consultant
“I am consumed with excitement and a fresh love for the Lord after reading A One Year Journey With The Shepherd!!! . . . The personal application sections are thought provoking, and attainable. I believe they are challenging in a way that creates a desire, instead of being out of reach for the growing believer.” Ericka Miller, MA Clinical Counseling
Now available in print and eBook formats. See http://www.dennybates.com/Home/OneYearJourney.html for how you can purchase your copy today!
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Psalms of Discipleship--Principle #35--Worship--September 10, 2011
Hello my dear friends! Today's Psalms of Discipleship will be an encouragement to all of us, no matter our where we are (or have been) in our journey with the Shepherd of the Psalms. We all have experienced great times as well as having gone through the dark waters of discouragement and personal failure. Thankfully, the Lord is present in each and every circumstance.
Learning as I go,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #35
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. Psalm 42:5
Core Value: Worship
In his classic novel, A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens targeted the tension between good and evil when he wrote these famous words:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”
Those same words could be written today as we seek to navigate dangerous waters. In our case, the tension is between trusting in the Lord or allowing fear of our circumstances take control of us. All that surrounded him disturbed the psalmist. Words like “despair” and “disturbed” had become a part of his vocabulary. Many people, even believers, fail to move on from these kinds of words. They surrender and settle for spiritual defeat. This was not the case with the psalmist. Instead, after showing his transparency and confessing his inner struggle, he made a choice to move on to a far healthier perspective. His circumstances, for the moment, had not changed but his vocabulary did. He goes from “despair” to “hope in God,” from “disturbed” to “I shall again praise Him.” He rests in the fact that the presence of the Lord will help him.
May we all be honest to God on how we really feel. But may we also, through grace, have the faith to hope in Him and praise Him, even in the most challenging of circumstances. For even in the worst of times we can experience the best of times if we are trusting Jesus to take care of us.
Principle #35 & Personal Application: The quality disciple has chosen to worship God even in the midst of challenging circumstances.
• Even when our soul is in despair and has become disturbed, worship of the Lord must be our first response.
• Our hope is not in our wisdom, nor in our human strength, and certainly it is not in the citadels of political power. Our hope must be in God.
• It requires faith, not faith in one’s self, but faith in God to praise and worship Him.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
How can I begin to make the transition in my spiritual journey where praise and worship of God becomes my default setting (in other words, “my habit”) as I respond to Him when I face difficult circumstances?
Everyone goes through difficult times. Have I ever had an experience where I sensed the presence of the Lord as I began to praise and worship Him?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there have been times in my life where my soul has been in despair and very disturbed. And yet, You have offered me grace. It is by Your grace that I can hope in my God. It is by faith where I can praise and worship You. May my life be marked as a disciple who has the habit of worshiping You.
PS. Thanks to all of you have given your input on a new project I am working on called Psalms of Discipleship: A One Year Journey With The Shepherd. I'm going to close out the survey on September 17. If you have not taken the opportunity to respond, please do so this week. It is ten questions in less than five minutes. This link will take you to the survey. Thanks again!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6HBT759
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2011 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
Learning as I go,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #35
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. Psalm 42:5
Core Value: Worship
In his classic novel, A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens targeted the tension between good and evil when he wrote these famous words:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”
Those same words could be written today as we seek to navigate dangerous waters. In our case, the tension is between trusting in the Lord or allowing fear of our circumstances take control of us. All that surrounded him disturbed the psalmist. Words like “despair” and “disturbed” had become a part of his vocabulary. Many people, even believers, fail to move on from these kinds of words. They surrender and settle for spiritual defeat. This was not the case with the psalmist. Instead, after showing his transparency and confessing his inner struggle, he made a choice to move on to a far healthier perspective. His circumstances, for the moment, had not changed but his vocabulary did. He goes from “despair” to “hope in God,” from “disturbed” to “I shall again praise Him.” He rests in the fact that the presence of the Lord will help him.
May we all be honest to God on how we really feel. But may we also, through grace, have the faith to hope in Him and praise Him, even in the most challenging of circumstances. For even in the worst of times we can experience the best of times if we are trusting Jesus to take care of us.
Principle #35 & Personal Application: The quality disciple has chosen to worship God even in the midst of challenging circumstances.
• Even when our soul is in despair and has become disturbed, worship of the Lord must be our first response.
• Our hope is not in our wisdom, nor in our human strength, and certainly it is not in the citadels of political power. Our hope must be in God.
• It requires faith, not faith in one’s self, but faith in God to praise and worship Him.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
How can I begin to make the transition in my spiritual journey where praise and worship of God becomes my default setting (in other words, “my habit”) as I respond to Him when I face difficult circumstances?
Everyone goes through difficult times. Have I ever had an experience where I sensed the presence of the Lord as I began to praise and worship Him?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, there have been times in my life where my soul has been in despair and very disturbed. And yet, You have offered me grace. It is by Your grace that I can hope in my God. It is by faith where I can praise and worship You. May my life be marked as a disciple who has the habit of worshiping You.
PS. Thanks to all of you have given your input on a new project I am working on called Psalms of Discipleship: A One Year Journey With The Shepherd. I'm going to close out the survey on September 17. If you have not taken the opportunity to respond, please do so this week. It is ten questions in less than five minutes. This link will take you to the survey. Thanks again!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6HBT759
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2011 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Psalms of Discipleship--Principle #30--Bible Study--August 6, 2011
Warm greetings to you, my dear friends! Today we are going to discuss a topic that, for some, may be a struggle: learning how to gain a better handle on Bible study. For these, it has become a legalistic ritual. For others of you, you have found the mother lode of spiritual growth and continue to strike it rich. The psalmist gives us his perspective. May we learn and apply what he experienced.
Learning with you,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #30 (Bible Study)
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8
Core Value: Bible Study
My way, or His way? My will, or His? This is the cosmic game of tug of war that every disciple of Jesus participates in everyday. One of the great resources the disciple of Jesus has to draw from is the Word of God. We need to study it, meditate upon it, and obey it. And yet, there is an important consideration for why we need to do this: it is not so we can become experts at Bible trivia. It is not so we can fill ourselves with knowledge, for knowledge’s sake. We approach God’s Word, through grace, because we want to know Him in a far deeper way, to embrace a more intimate relationship that will cause us to become more like Jesus.
There are at least two ways in which believers approach Bible study. One way is the way of the Pharisee. They know a lot, but are dead on the inside. Words like “should” and “must” constantly haunt the spiritual Pharisee. Bible study or a “quiet time” is done out of guilt or pride and is completely void of joy. It is this kind of legalism which drives them to performance, seeking not to only impress others who are watching, but ironically, even trying to please God in a sort of twisted way.
There is a far better way to approach Bible study. It is the way of grace. Grace draws us closer to Him. We come to learn a lot about the ways of the Lord, and a deeper knowledge of Him makes us alive on the inside. Words like “may” and “can” fill our hearts with a passion to know Him more and gives us a deep appreciation that God would reveal Himself to us on such an intimate level. Bible study or a “quiet time” is done as a “delight” as we experience a joy in His presence that only He can give (Ps. 16:11).
It is this kind of grace-driven life that draws us into a life where our imperfections are covered by the blood of Christ and where we find acceptance by Him and by those who love Him too.
Principle #30 & Personal Application: The quality disciple is so consumed by the Word of God that it becomes the only grid for how life is lived.
• Bible study, done for the right reasons, will produce a right desire: “I delight to do Your will, O my God.”
• Bible study, done in the right way, will produce a right reason to gain more knowledge of His Law: not to know more about Him, but to know Him better.
• Bible study, done with the goal of a right life, will produce a right course for life because of God’s Word that “is within my heart.”
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I read my Bible and come across a verse that challenges me to submit and obey, how do I usually respond to it?
What is my plan this week to place more of God’s Word within my heart?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I always find delight in doing Your will. I confess, I often want my way but grant me the grace to want Your way more today than I did yesterday and even more tomorrow. May I make a fresh commitment today to place more of Your Word within my heart.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2011 All rights reserved.
Looking for a Bible study this summer for you and your small group? Check out this link on how you can download Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace and make it available to your small group for FREE!
http://bit.ly/lwpzNU
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blog spot.com/
Learning with you,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #30 (Bible Study)
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8
Core Value: Bible Study
My way, or His way? My will, or His? This is the cosmic game of tug of war that every disciple of Jesus participates in everyday. One of the great resources the disciple of Jesus has to draw from is the Word of God. We need to study it, meditate upon it, and obey it. And yet, there is an important consideration for why we need to do this: it is not so we can become experts at Bible trivia. It is not so we can fill ourselves with knowledge, for knowledge’s sake. We approach God’s Word, through grace, because we want to know Him in a far deeper way, to embrace a more intimate relationship that will cause us to become more like Jesus.
There are at least two ways in which believers approach Bible study. One way is the way of the Pharisee. They know a lot, but are dead on the inside. Words like “should” and “must” constantly haunt the spiritual Pharisee. Bible study or a “quiet time” is done out of guilt or pride and is completely void of joy. It is this kind of legalism which drives them to performance, seeking not to only impress others who are watching, but ironically, even trying to please God in a sort of twisted way.
There is a far better way to approach Bible study. It is the way of grace. Grace draws us closer to Him. We come to learn a lot about the ways of the Lord, and a deeper knowledge of Him makes us alive on the inside. Words like “may” and “can” fill our hearts with a passion to know Him more and gives us a deep appreciation that God would reveal Himself to us on such an intimate level. Bible study or a “quiet time” is done as a “delight” as we experience a joy in His presence that only He can give (Ps. 16:11).
It is this kind of grace-driven life that draws us into a life where our imperfections are covered by the blood of Christ and where we find acceptance by Him and by those who love Him too.
Principle #30 & Personal Application: The quality disciple is so consumed by the Word of God that it becomes the only grid for how life is lived.
• Bible study, done for the right reasons, will produce a right desire: “I delight to do Your will, O my God.”
• Bible study, done in the right way, will produce a right reason to gain more knowledge of His Law: not to know more about Him, but to know Him better.
• Bible study, done with the goal of a right life, will produce a right course for life because of God’s Word that “is within my heart.”
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I read my Bible and come across a verse that challenges me to submit and obey, how do I usually respond to it?
What is my plan this week to place more of God’s Word within my heart?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, may I always find delight in doing Your will. I confess, I often want my way but grant me the grace to want Your way more today than I did yesterday and even more tomorrow. May I make a fresh commitment today to place more of Your Word within my heart.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2011 All rights reserved.
Looking for a Bible study this summer for you and your small group? Check out this link on how you can download Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace and make it available to your small group for FREE!
http://bit.ly/lwpzNU
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blog spot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)