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DEVOTIONS
FOR May 31-June 5, 2010
Topic:
“REV It Up for
Summertime”
Don’t forget to start your devotion time with a prayer!
Ask God to speak to you through His word and that His Spirit would give you
understanding as you APPLY His truth to your life.
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Spend time with the devotions this week. Read the Scriptures and then
think how you can apply them to your life.
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MONDAY
May 31
Look
up and read
Romans 12:2
Don’t
Conform-Transform
“Do not ________ any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be _________ by be renewing of your
mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s ____ is- His
good, pleasing and _______ will.” It’s almost summertime!!! Summer brings a
break from school, family vacations, a time of relaxation and rejuvenating
ourselves from the busy year. Society pushes us to think of the summer as a
time to “slack off” and take a break from normal life. But as Christians,
we should never be in a place where we stop pursuing our mission to love God
and love others. Paul encourages us to not “conform to the pattern of the
world” – so for summer, we should not think of it as a time to slack off.
That is a self-centered attitude. Instead, we are called to _____ our minds
and focus on God’s will for our lives. How can you be intentional about
growing in your faith this summer? How can you turn the focus off of
yourself and onto others? Spend some time today reflecting on some ways
that you can use your summer to seek God and serve others.
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TUESDAY
June 1
Look
up and read
Hebrews
10:24-25
and
1
Thessalonians 5:11
Spur Each Other On!
“And let us
consider how we may ____ one another on toward ____ and good ____. Let us
not give up ______ together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
_________ one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
School’s out, but youth group is on in full blast! The author of Hebrews
tells us to “continue meeting together” so that we can “spur each other on”
and encourage one another. In order to encourage one another we have to be
in contact on a regular basis. What can you do this summer to be an
encouragement to your friends in their faith journey? How can you hold each
other accountable? Not only do we need to be an encouragement to our
friends already in youth group, but we should also look for ways to reach
out to others in our community. Are there some friends you can invite to
come youth with you? Come up with a plan of what you are going to do this
summer to encourage your friends. Be intentional to stay in touch with the
people in your small group. Make it a priority to be here whenever you are
in town; we have LOTS going on- and bring your friends!
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WEDNESDAY
June 2
Look
up and read
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Without Ceasing!
“Be joyful
_____; pray ______; give thanks in ____ circumstances, for this is God’s
will for you in Christ Jesus.” Just because we might be running all over the
place during the summer time, does that mean its ok if we push back the time
we spend in communication with God? Our habits of talking to God should not
change based on outward circumstances (like summer break). Living out our
faith is a DAILY process. The more we are joyful, the more we talk to God
and the more we give thanks – that’s when we will be more in tune to what He
wants for our lives. What can you do to remember to set aside time to pray
each day this summer? God wants to hear us anytime and all the time.
Praying continually means in the middle of activities, while we’re at the
pool, hanging out with friends, and traveling on vacation- even then, God
wants us to include Him in our thinking. Challenge yourself this week to get
in the habit of praying “continually.” When you recognize something joyful-
thank God for it right then and there! Start preparing now for a summer of
constant communication. Come up with a list of people you can include in
your prayers, and trust that God will draw near to you!
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THURSDAY
June 3
Look
up and read
Philippians
3:12-14
Press On
“….But one thing I
do; forgetting what is ____ and ______ toward what is ahead, I ___ on toward
the ____ to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.” Can you say that you are already perfect like Christ? None of us
will ever reach a point where we are exactly like Christ in our lifetime
here on this earth. God wants us to continually strive to be more and more
like Him in everything we do. In order to do that, we have to be focused on
our goal. What is our goal as Christians? What does Paul encourage us to
focus on? In order to look towards the future, Paul says that we can’t
dwell in the past. We can let go of our guilt and know that God is more
concerned with what we will become! What is holding you back from moving
forward? Spend some time today asking God to help you remove anything that
is keeping you from completely chasing after Him with your whole heart.
Pray for the strength and endurance to press on- especially this summer to
become more like Christ- loving others every day! |
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FRIDAY June 4
Look
up and read
Matthew
5:13-16
Keep Shining
“…neither do
people light a ____ and put it under a ___. Instead they put it on a ____
and it gives ____ to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light
_____ before men, that they may ___ your good deeds and ____ your Father in
Heaven.” As followers of Christ, we are the salt of the earth and we have a
light to shine. What would happen if one night the city decided to turn out
all the street lights? It’d be a lot harder to see right? As Christians,
our daily life is an example to others of how to find fulfillment in
Christ. Just like the street lights, we provide a way for them to see God’s
truth. What would happen if we decided to just take a break from
interacting with others? Who would provide the light to the world? Summer
isn’t a chance for us to step back, but instead it’s an opportunity for us
to REACH OUT and do even more to share the Good News! What are some ways
that you can “shine your light” this summer? Who are some people you can
serve? How can you show love to the people in your community?
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SATURDAY
June 5
Look
up and read
Colossians 3:23-24
Glorify God
“______ you do,
work at it with ___ your ____, as working for the ____, not for men, since
you know that you will receive an inheritance from the ____ as a reward. It
is the ___ ____ you are serving.” Have you ever thought about the fact
that EVERYTHING you do can be glorifying to God? We are called to do
everything to the best of our ability as if we were doing it for God
Himself. How can we live out our summer for the glory of God? If you have
lots of activities planned, how can you bring God into the picture? What
should your attitude be like as you interact with others? Is there some
free time that you could use to help someone in need? Do you know anyone
who might be lonely? Could you visit a neighbor one afternoon? Think about
all the time you’ll have to yourself. How can you make the most of that
time in a way that doesn’t just revolve around you? Let God know that you
want Him to be an active part of your summer! Spend some time in prayer
today and really think about how you can live out your summer in a way that
will benefit God and others.
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See you at Sunday
School, Worship and Youth Fellowship this Sunday!
Bible references provided by
www.biblegateway.com
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