Sunday, January 5, 2014

Day 5: The True Source



Reading: Psalm 4:1-8

True security is only found in God, and yet we continue to try and fill our lives with peace and happiness through success and possessions. This Psalm is filled with David questioning why people look to other things for their security. Even though David faces continual hardship, we see that he remains confident that God will hear him the instant he calls out to Him, because his heart is filled with joy from the Lord. When we try to solve our problems with things and success, we will find ourselves falling again and again, and the cycle will continue into a downward spiral. Until we finally realize that peace and security only come from God, we will find it quite miserable to cope with the life that is thrown at us. What are you chasing after and what is the center of your life? Perhaps the heartaches you carry are the center.

What do you chase in this life, other than God?


How can chasing after God and His mission for your life make things less complicated?



Reading: Matthew 4:23-5:20

Where are you finding the ultimate happiness? Many people will find it in money, fame, experiences, drugs, possessions, looks, men, women, etc. but we read in the sermon on the mount that Jesus says He is the only true hope and happiness. God blesses all who mourn, all who are poor, all who are humble, all who hunger for justice, all who are merciful, all who have pure hearts, all who work for peace, and even all who are persecuted and mocked in His name. Seems pretty backwards from our get all you want now society. We live in a world that glorifies sex, violence, immediate gratification, gadgets, technology, and money. Yet in Matthew, we are told that Jesus blesses the poor, the pure and the humble. So which of these do we follow? Something that will leave you longing for more later? Or the One, true happiness that will leave you with unimaginable, eternal rewards?

 What makes it so hard to put God first in our society?



How do you think people would react in today's society to the Beatitudes? 



Reading: Genesis 9:18-11:9

There is something about created names for ourselves in life. Success and being remembered for greatness are big in today's world, but we read that God wants us to strive to glorify His Name and His honor. In the case with the tower of Babel, we read that the people wanted to build a mighty tower so that they may be remembered and glorified. When we strive for success for our own name and miss the point of where our true success and name come from, we will fail and find ourselves empty in the end. Only God can grant such success in our lives, and we are to glorify Him for our success.
One of my favorite artists of all time is Christian hip-hop artist, Lecrae. I find his words to be blunt and just what our world needs in a country that is losing it's bravery and value in Christianity and in Jesus. For a country that is the safest and is the most free for attending church and sharing faith, we are surely the most fearful. Lecrae doesn't care what people think of his words. Take these lyrics into consideration as we look into today's topic:

 "He (Satan) lies to us all, told Adam he could ball
'Why you following God when you could have it all?"
I tell you what's better, or better yet, worse-
Chasing your own glory, while doing the Lord's work
So holla if it hurts, but we were made for greater
Our greatest satisfaction is making His Name famous..."

Though we might hear the lie that we can have it all without God in this world, the truth is with the world, we will never have it all.

What are you chasing in this life that you believe will fill you up?


What lies does the media try to sell us that isn't biblically accurate?



There are so many lies we can buy into in this world. Media is full of them, and even though we believe they will fill us up whole, the truth is, we are left unsatisfied in the end. The only consistent security and happiness in our lives comes from God.

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