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DEVOTIONS
FOR April 26 - May 2, 2010
Topic:
“Honoring God in
Our Relationships”
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
April 26
Look
up and read
Psalm
139:13-16
You are God’s
Wonderful Creation
“For ___ created my
inmost being; ___ knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You
because I am _______ and _______ made; Your works are _______, I know that
full well.”(vs. 13-14) What comes to mind when you think of the word
“wonderful?” The dictionary defines “wonderful” to mean: 1.
excellent; great; marvelous 2. of a sort that
causes or inspires wonder; amazing.
That’s exactly what YOU are! You are God’s excellent, great and marvelous
creation. You are worthy to be seen as wonderful! Do you think of yourself
that way? Do you depend on approval from boys/girls to make you feel worth
something? If you were to change your perspective to see yourself through
God’s eyes, how would that affect your self-confidence? Would that change
where you find your self-worth? God made you just the way He wanted you-
His works are wonderful. Spend some time today thanking God for all the
detail He put into creating you and planning for your life. How can you
respond to Him in a way that shows you are grateful and that you are
confident because He loves you?
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TUESDAY
April 27
Look
up and read
1
Corinthians 6:18-20
Honor God with Your
Body “____
from sexual immorality…do you not know that your body is a _______ of the
Holy Spirit, who is __ you, whom you have _______ from God? You are not your
own; you were bought at a price. Therefore _______ God with your body.”
Here’s that word again we’ve seen over and over when talking about how to
respond to temptation: FLEE from sin. Why does God want us to honor Him with
our bodies? Who lives inside of us? Think about a mother who’s about to
give birth to a new baby. While she’s pregnant, she is careful to take
special care of her body- she doesn’t smoke, she eats healthy, and she is
cautious about the activities she participates in. Doctors have proven that
anything harmful that goes into the mom’s body could be harmful to the
baby. It’s the same way with us. We have something living inside of us
too- God’s Holy Spirit. When we choose to make decisions and cross physical
boundaries in our relationships, we are not only hurting ourselves, but we
hurt God living in us as well. Have you ever thought about it that way?
Knowing that God lives inside of you, how can you make sure to take good
care of yourself?
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WEDNESDAY
April 28
Look
up and read
Proverbs
4:23
Guard Your Heart “Above
all else, _____ your _____, for it is the wellspring of life.” Why is the
heart so important? Our hearts are where we have feelings and desires that
influence the choices we make. This proverb tells us to “guard our heart”
so that we make sure we concentrate on the desires that will be pleasing to
God. How exactly can we “guard” our heart? Examine yourself: do the things
you crave point you towards God? What things do you spend time thinking
about, what do you wish for? Are your thoughts pure? How easily do you let
others influence how you feel? Have you ever been disappointed because some
boy/girl didn’t like you as much as you liked him/her? God wants you to
give Him your heart. He promises to protect it and to love you for who you
are. Spend some time today examining your own heart. Who has your heart?
Are you in control of your desires, or do you let others influence how you
feel? Ask God to take control of your heart- let Him be your number one
desire.
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THURSDAY
April 29
Look
up and read
Philippians
4:8
Keep Your Thoughts
Pure
“…whatever is ____, whatever is noble, whatever is _____, whatever is
______, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent
or ________, think about such things.” The things we put into our minds
determine what comes out in our words and actions. What kinds of thoughts
go through your mind on a daily basis? Are they true, pure, lovely,
honorable, etc? What influences your thinking? What kind of TV shows are
you watching? What kind of lyrics are you listening to? What messages do
they send? When it comes to relationships- it is especially important that
our thoughts be admirable in God’s eyes. God wants us to be pure not just
in our actions, but in our thoughts as well. Would your thoughts about the
opposite sex be pleasing to God? Spend some time today focusing on God’s
word. Pray for Him to help that stay in the forefront of your mind today. |
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FRIDAY
April 30
Look
up and read
1
Thessalonians 4:3-5
Be Holy and
Honorable “It
is God’s will that you should be _______; that you should avoid _______
_______; that each of you should learn to _______ his own body in a way that
is ____ and _______ …” (vs3-4) To be sanctified means that the Holy Spirit
is living in us and making us more like Christ. We are called to control
our bodies in a way that is HOLY and HONORABLE to God. Do you ever ask
yourself whether certain behaviors are “ok” or if they are “crossing the
line?” When it comes to physical boundaries in relationships, we want to
know how far is “too far.” What if instead, we asked ourselves: is this
behavior honoring and pleasing to God? Would that change your perspective?
Think about your relationships right now. Are you honoring God in the way
you treat the other person? Are your words uplifting? Would your behaviors
be pleasing to God? Spend some time reflecting on this passage again. Ask
God to help you live in a way that honors Him.
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SATURDAY
May 1
Look
up and read
Romans
6:22-23
Be Free!
“But now that you have
been set ____ from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap
leads to _______, and the result is _______ life. For the wages of sin is
death, but the ____ of God is _______ life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We
are all going to mess up. God knew that from the beginning of time. But He
has given us a gift of grace! We are free! When we choose to accept His
offer, we no longer have to feel burdened by what we have done in the past.
God forgives us and wants us to live as free people. What does that look
like? Aren’t free people joyful? Are you joyful? Do you live each day like
you know that you have been given ETERNAL life? How does that make you feel
to know that NOTHING you do can separate you from God’s promise? Spend some
time today thanking God for the freedom and grace He offers us. Its ok if
you have made mistakes. The question is, what are you going to do about it
now? How can you respond in a way that demonstrates your gratitude to
Christ?
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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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