PRAYER PRACTICE
Cup Prayer –
This prayer will help you pour your heart out to God (Ps. 62:8). Begin with
your hands folded together like an upside-down cup. Pour out before God all
your fears, anxieties, guilt, sin and shame. Tell Him what troubles you. Take
time to be specific. When you feel like you’ve poured out your heart, flip your
hands over, folding them like an open cup, ready to receive from God. Sit in
silence, asking God simply to fill you with His Spirit. If your mind runs back
to sin, shame, anxiety or concerns of the day, flip your hands back over and
pour it out to the Lord. When you are finished praying, read today’s Scripture
and listen as God shares His heart back with you.
DAILY READING
DEVOTION / REFLECTION
Count the Cost
by Judy Webb
This Daily Worship devotion is designed to encourage us to meet with Jesus (in His Word)
every day. Building a habit like this could change the path of our life. God's Word transforms us from the inside out.
"...those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 4:33)
Max Lucado wrote: Putting Christ first in all things takes practice and persistence. Day after day we learn to follow him. I am learning this in a new way right now. I have been on a Spiritual journey of fasting from sugar. I am using a book by Wendy Speake which provides daily (40 day) scripture and challenges on this endeavor. I am learning that sugar is an idol for me. Actually, I am becoming aware of a number of idols in my life that I need to demolish.
I want to count the cost - say 'no' to self and reject the idols I have identified. I must cast aside all my addictions (sweet, media, TV, etc.). I must be ready to die to all personal desires. I can't give up this quest mid-stream.
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
Living for Jesus requires risk, selflessness, sacrifice and sometimes suffering. Discipleship is a love relationship. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19). Calvary is the proof of Jesus' love for us. Humility, commitment and servanthood are signs of our love for Jesus.
Dear Jesus, Please, reveal my idols and give me the desire and strength to turn from them. I want to be a disciple, no casual commitment. I want to be totally sold out! Amen
2 comments:
Good afternoon, Judy.
I don't know whether to thank you for today's blog or act like I never read it. Very convicting for me at the moment. Like you, I love sweets. My desire for sugar multiplied a hundredfold after I quit drinking 37 years ago(a much needed decision). So, I have been eating sugar free chocolates and other candies with no sugar__BUT__i sprinkle in some of the real stuff justifying the action as no big deal since it is not even 25% of the total treat intake. Now you come along with today's blog and present me with sacrificial decision making. UGH! Now I have to actually do something about my choices and self denial.
The truth of the matter is that sacrificial living is the real issue, isn't it? Paul Ulring said years ago "show me your checkbook and calendar" and I will know your level of discipleship. Diana and I are "disciplined" but are we living as disciples? Living sacrificially? No! We are comfortable and our stewardship doesn't cause hardship or denial of anything we decide to do our buy within our lifestyle, which is, in our opinion, reasonable. We will need to pray about what that looks like for us.
Seriously, thank you for sharing today's message. I have developed a new Covid habit of playing online poker for free in the evenings. It is fun but a waste of time. I need to give this new habit up and replace it with more time with Jesus. Today I begin this new commitment.
Robin Lorms
Thanks Robin,
I am grinning at your words about either thanking me for forgetting you ever read the piece. About 10 days in to this fast (a first for me), I was starting to wonder the wisdom in challenging myself like this. The withdrawal headaches and the longing for the comfort of sugary treats was making me question why? Then I began to do what 'fasters' do and I turned to the Word. This action didn't make it physically easier, but it made me realize this was a necessary part of my spiritual discipline. It realized it wasn't suppose to be easy, but it would be fruitful. I can't begin to tell you a few of the benefits I reaped, as a few of them are very personal, but God was moving.
Thanks my friend, for you kind encouragement these days. ---Judy
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