Some of my goals for the study are:
1. Stay committed and finish all 8 weeks.
2. Memorize at least 5 of the 8 memory verses.
3. Stay up to date with the Facebook group I lead.
This week's study was an introduction into living our lives intentionally focused on Christ. The main verses we studied were:
Ephesians 5:1--Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
Psalm 90:12--So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Hebrews 12:1--Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Ephesians 5:15,16--See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Philippians 3:14--I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
My first challenge in completing this study was figuring out a time to set aside for my bible study. I have an eight month old who is not quite on a schedule throughout the day so planning to do the study during her naptime would not work. She usually takes a three hour nap but not at a specific time (not by my choice.) So I prayed about it and 5am was what Jesus laid on my heart. I actually have been balking at this time for quite some time now (at least 6 months). My fleshly desire for sleep outweighed my desire to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit until I was desperate to make changes in my life. Since I'm doing a study called "INTENTIONALLY Focused," I think it be important I make INTENTIONAL effort to do that. So 5am it is! 5AM! FIVE AM!
So Monday rolls around and I wake up at 5am. Drag myself out of bed. And practically sprint to the coffee maker. Haha I open my laptop (it's an online study BTW) and pull out my notebook and bible. I say a quick prayer and I turn to the first scripture for the week Ephesians 5:1-14 and read. I write out verse one for my SOAP journal entry and just stare at the words for what seemed like an eternity (I'm still not fully awake.)
Then it hits me. I sent a few verses to one of the teen girls in my church about Jesus getting up and going out to pray {Luke 6:12 and Mark 1:35}. I'm reading about imitating God and those verses about Jesus getting up in the morning before daylight literally snapped me out of that half sleep mode I was in. It was at that moment I was absolutely determined to be up every morning at 5am to make sure I am able to put in the time and focus on Christ before the busyness of the day hits me like a tidal wave. I am committed to my 5am time with Jesus at my dining room table Monday through Friday.
Now that I am finished with this week's study I see a thread woven throughout the scripture passages that I studied. If you are to be an imitator of God, you need to first use your time wisely because your time on earth is so limited and you don't know how long you really have here. So you need to remain focused on imitating Christ's example everyday so that you can gain a heart of wisdom. You also have other examples of men and women of faith to learn from. The specific names are listed in Hebrews chapter 11 but you are reminded of this "cloud of witnesses" so that when you are tempted to sin you can remember how these witnesses remained faithful to God and finished the race well. To run the race well, you need to be cautious, diligent in your walk and once again pay close attention to the time you have available and capitalize on every opportunity to live for Jesus. Then, and only then, can you see the grand prize in the distance. But you can't give up. You need to continue to strain every muscle with an outstretched hand towards the finish line until you can grab hold of your prize, the heavenly call of God.
{Memory Verse}
Crystal
Post in the comment section below...
How are you being intentionally focused in your walk with God?
What are some changes you need to make in your life so that you can live more intentional for Christ? Read Psalm 90:12 and Psalm 39:4,5.
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