Welcome to week two in a series of blog posts taking us through the book, MORE. Our hope is you will explore that as a child of God we are called to weigh the cost of surrendering the kingdom of me to the Lordship of Jesus and putting Him fully at the center of our lives. We need to see that our core identity is found in surrendering to Jesus, being His disciple, and becoming more like Him. There is a freedom in knowing that God calls me first to a relationship with Him; not to do or accomplish more for Him. That said let’s dig in to week two.
Start here | Prayer
God, I want to live a full and abundant life. Help me to surrender fully to the Lordship of Jesus. Show me the things that I have not completely surrendered to You. As I put You in the center of my life, I pray that I will see more clearly my core identity. Thank you for calling me into a relationship with You before all else. This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture |
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 NLT
“See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 NLT
“So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” Luke 14:33 NLT
“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.” 1 Peter 1:15 NLT
Observations |
What is Jesus calling you to when He says, “Turn from your selfish ways”? What selfish things get in the way of you fully surrendering to Jesus?
What is Jesus calling you to when He says, “Take up your cross”?
What is Jesus calling you to when He says, “Follow me”?
What does it mean to you that God calls you His child? How should that change the way you live every single day?
It is very easy for us to fall prey to “cultural Christianity.” It is the idea that we are only Christians because of our culture, but that it doesn’t actually have an impact on our everyday life. We aren’t fully transformed by it, because we compartmentalize faith. I have a box for everything and this one is for God. What thoughts come to mind when you read John 14:33? How does what Jesus says there compare to cultural Christianity? Can you compartmentalize faith and still be a disciple of Jesus?
We are called to live a “holy” life. The primary definition of holy is “set apart, distinct.” Peter calls us to live a holy life, a life that is set apart and distinct from the world around us. Are you living life in such a way that completely blends in with society around you? Or are you living a set apart, distinct lifestyle?
What other thoughts or observations come to mind for you?
Application |
Our primary calling as identified in the book, MORE, is to be a child of God, to be a disciple of Jesus, to be in relationship with the Father. What step do you need to take to more closely align your life with that call to relationship with God?
- Maybe you need to be baptized
- Maybe you need to spend more time with God
- Maybe you need to wrestle with pain in your past that prevents you from seeing yourself as a loved, and valued, child of God.
- What is one thing you can surrender to Jesus today so that you can live more fully for Him and His Kingdom?
Examples: your own pride/selfishness, marriage, finances, parenting, an addiction, etc.
As you have made observations through these Scripture references, what is the one thing you are going to do about it this week?
Who is one person you will share your next step with so that you have accountability as you move forward?
Next Steps |
What are some next steps you can take after going through this? If you are having problems thinking so some, here is a short list of practical next steps you can take as we walk this path together.
Join us on Sunday mornings as we discover MORE together
- @ the nZone – 8:00, 9:30, 11:00am
- @ Piney Branch School – 9:30, 11:00am
- Online @ https://watch.newlife.church – 8:00, 9:30, 11:00am
Join a life group
Find info at newlife4me.com/groups
- Order a copy of the book, MORE
- Download a copy of the study guide for Week 2
Join the conversation. What were some thoughts that stuck out to you during this devotional? Share below as we all process this together.