INTRO
In today’s devotional, we’re going to invite God to renew within us a true sense of purpose. Throughout the day I find my heart wandering to all sorts of purposes, some good, and some bad. But every day life teaches me that the one purpose that leads to the greatest measure of life and joy, is the pursuit of God. Not the pursuit of religion, but the authentic pursuit of relationship. May the Holy Spirit reveal within us the true reason we were created, and guide us down the path of purpose today in his presence.
SCRIPTURE
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”
John 15:16
DEVOTIONAL
You and I were born with a deep desire to live with purpose. As children, we dream of doing something significant with our lives. We dream of being a person who makes a difference in the world. Inherent in all of us is a longing to make a deep and lasting impact. Our longing for purpose only becomes a problem as we begin seeking out its source. Most of us live our lives in constant pursuit of finding out why we’re here, seeking the answer to the question: “What am I uniquely made for?” And we look for the answers in all the wrong places. We look for our purpose in each other, in the ever-changing whims of society, or internally, in what seems to make us feel good in the moment. But God has a better purpose for our lives than we could ever find in the world. He has a purpose so great, so powerful, and so lasting that when we get a glimpse of it, we will forever be changed. God has a page in his grand narrative written just for you, to use you to make a unique and eternal impact on the earth.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Let us not miss the importance of what God would reveal to us today because we’ve heard something before. Instead, let’s dive in deeper and see what God’s word would reveal to us about that purpose. In John 15:16 Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” You are chosen by God. You aren’t secondary to someone else in God’s kingdom. He has formed you and chosen you to “go and bear fruit.” And Jesus desires that our fruit would “abide.” He has chosen you to make a lasting impact on the earth.
So, what lasting fruit does God intend for you here? Answering this question should start with the words of Jesus. Allow God’s commandments to lay the defining foundation of your purpose. In response to the question of what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Your purpose here on earth is to love God and love others. God has chosen to use love to bring about salvation. He’s chosen to use love as the catalyst for spiritual awakening. It’s love that is God’s driving force, and it’s love that he longs to instill in us as our highest goal. Understand today that you are formed and called to love above all else.
Scripture also tells us that we have been chosen to be carriers and ministers of the kingdom of God. Jesus said in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” God’s kingdom is here on earth. And Revelation 5:10 says, “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” We are not purposed to merely suffer and wait for heaven. God’s kingdom is here on earth, and we are his workmanship. We are his priests. Acts 26:16 says, “Rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.” Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Your life here is of eternal value. A life spent simply waiting for heaven is a life wasted. God has placed an eternal purpose on your life, a purpose meant to be pursued and lived out every minute of every day. You don’t have time to waste. And the compelling truth is, you will never be satisfied until you devote your life to ministering this incredible gospel of restoration and love. Until you pursue seeing God’s kingdom come through your job, relationships, and time, you will never experience the joy and passion only God’s purpose can bring you. God doesn’t have a cookie-cutter mold he tries to fit all believers into. He’s formed you for a specific and unique purpose no other believer will be able to accomplish. His plans for you are your own and no other’s. So choose today to live your life for your heavenly Father. Work with him in all that you do. Love him and others with every fiber of your being. And experience the joy of making a deep, eternal impact with all that you do. May God renew your sense of purpose today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.
PRAYER
1. Meditate on God’s desire to use you for an incredible purpose.
“And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:10
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16
2. Reflect on your own life for a moment. In what ways have you been living out of a purpose other than God’s? Confess those sins to your loving heavenly Father. Let his forgiveness transform your heart.
3. Now commit your life to God’s plan and purpose. Choose to love with all you have today. Line up your heart with God’s word, and pursue the life he has in store for you. Give him your job, your family, and finances. Ask him how he would have you use them.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.” Acts 26:16
AS YOU GO
What will God say about your life when you get finished here? Will your life have been spent in pursuit of him and his kingdom or in building up a small kingdom here that will pass away like the changing of seasons? Will your life be of fleeting or eternal impact? Only you can choose how you will live your life. May you make the choice today and every day to live the only life that truly matters. God has incredible plans and purposes in store for you if you will simply open your heart and your hands to him and say, “Use me.”
Thursday, October 13 | Renewal of Purpose
October 13, 2022
Sunday, October 9 | God's Plan for Renewal
October 9, 2022
INTRO May God teach and guide us into daily renewal as we make space every day in preparation for His filling leading up to and beyond Refuel October 16-19. DEVOTION- God has an incredible plan for renewal in your life. He knows better than anyone the trials, circumstances, and people that wear you down. And He knows that you need time to be refreshed by him. Often, we seek rest and renewal from people and entertainment. Our friends, family, and entertainment can be great sources of fun and rest to be sure, but the only consistent and true source of renewal we have is spending time with our heavenly Father. Only He knows to the full extent what you need. And only He can give it to you. So, before we dive into the process of having specific areas of our lives renewed by God this week, let’s allow Him to simply reveal how to rest in His word and presence. First, let’s look at what Scripture says about our need for renewal. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Because of the nature of sin and separation from God, we as humans will not live in our fleshly bodies forever. Genesis 3:19 says, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” But we also have the promise of Jesus in John 11:26 that “everyone who lives and believes in [him] shall never die.” We live on the earth knowing one day our earthly bodies will pass away, and we will at the same time be taken from this world to the next. But God’s desire is that while you are here in this body you would be renewed in your spirit every day. Though your body will grow weary, He desires to strengthen your spirit with the hope of an everlasting life with an all-loving God who cares for you. You can meet with God every day. You’ve been given the ability through the Spirit to rest in God’s presence, to know his nearness and love. You can have the same experience as Paul in being “renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). So, how can we experience God’s promised renewal? How do we rest in God’s presence and allow Him to revive us? First, it starts with trusting that God will reveal His love to you when you meet with Him. In Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17, He asks God to love us with the same love with which He loves Jesus (John 17:26). When you ask Him to show you His love, He will. When you make space to encounter Him, He will fill you with His presence. Trust that God loves to meet with you and renew you. Also, foundational to experiencing renewal is engaging in worship. You and I are created to worship. It is both our highest goal and greatest success. When you engage in worship daily, you will experience a renewed sense of purpose and direction. Lastly, spend time reading God’s word, allowing it to change you and lead you to obedience. You must experience renewal in areas of your life that are not aligned with God’s word. You have to spend time allowing yourself to be shaped and transformed by what God says is best for you. So much of being renewed by God is choosing to believe His word over our experience of what we feel is true. Let your faith be stirred to encounter your heavenly Father today. You can earnestly desire to meet with Him without any fear or reservation that you won’t experience His renewal. Know that when you wake up every morning, God has a plan for the time you spend with Him and the ability to reveal it to you through the Holy Spirit. God earnestly desires to renew you this week. He longs to heal the wounded and dry places in your life. Spend time today meditating on God’s promise of renewal, and allow your desires to be stirred to receive all that your heavenly Father longs to give you. PRAYER: 1. Meditate on God’s promise for renewal. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 2. Reflect on areas in your life that seem dry or weary. Where do you need to be renewed today? 3. Rest in God’s presence and allow his love to renew those areas of your life. Spend time in His presence. Spend time worshipping. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you God’s specific plan for renewal in your life. Look up Scripture that applies and let it mold and renew you. “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16 AS YOU GO ABOUT YOUR DAY: May the prayer of your heart today be like David’s in Psalm 63:1-3: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” Just as David looked upon the Lord in His sanctuary, you can see God daily. Just as he beheld God’s power, glory, and love, you can experience God. May you be renewed today as you step out into the world, and may God’s strength be your source as you seek to live in light of His glorious nearness. Extended Reading: 2 Corinthians 4 .
Monday, October 10 | Renewal of your Mind
October 10, 2022
May God guide each of us down the path to renewing our minds in His presence, and through His word today, that we might experience a greater measure of abundant life in Him. INTRODUCTION In the second day of our series on renewal, today we’re going to invite God to renew our minds. Our minds are the gateway to our emotions, decisions, and perspectives. How we see the world around us, the assumptions we live with, the lies we believe, and where we choose to focus our attention, make all the difference in our daily experience. May God guide each of us down the path to renewing our minds in his presence, and through His word today, that we might experience a greater measure of abundant life in Him. SCRIPTURE “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 DEVOTIONAL The mind is the vehicle in which thoughts and ideas become emotions, beliefs, and actions. You hear things every day that attempt to influence the way you see yourself and your life. Advertising tells you that you are constantly in need of something bigger and better to be happy. People tell you who you are and what you should do based only on their limited perspectives. You also have a very real enemy who hates you, working to convince you that you aren’t worth love, you’re good at nothing, and you’ll never amount to anything. But God, because of His incredible love for you, has given you the Holy Spirit and His word. He’s given you the ability to renew your mind to the truth of how He sees you and feels about you, the truth of who you really are. Every day, you have the chance to experience the much needed renewal of your emotions, perspectives, and beliefs. Every day, God longs to speak the truth of your identity through His word and Spirit. So, let’s look today at the power of renewing our minds and how we can consistently experience that renewal. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” When we renew our minds we are presenting ourselves as worship to God. You worship God when you choose to believe His word over others’ words. You love God when you trust Him over your feelings and limited perspective. And when you renew your mind, you are conforming no longer to the world, with its destruction and many lies. God puts conforming to the lies of the world and renewing your mind to the truth in stark contrast. Romans 8:5-6 further illustrates the point: “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” When you set your mind on the Spirit, you will begin to experience life in your thoughts. Your way of thinking will be transformed from being negative and destructive to positive and responsive to God’s boundless love and grace. What you choose to trust and believe will impact every area of your life for either good or bad. So in light of the incredible promises of God’s word, how can you experience the fruit of renewing your mind? How can you continually set your mind on the things of the Spirit? First, you have to make time to open your mind and heart to Scripture every day. The best time to experience renewal in your mind is when you first wake up. Every morning, you can lay the foundation for what you will believe and how you will think for the rest of the day. Second, you have to read Scripture while listening to the Holy Spirit. Scripture will come alive when you spend time reading it with the guidance and teaching of the Spirit. In John 14:16-17 Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” Spend time allowing your Helper, the Spirit of truth, to reveal the ways in which He desires to apply Scripture to your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to be your Teacher as you read. Third, you have to live in obedience to God’s word. The Bible isn’t merely historical, but a book full of practical and applicable truth that has the ability to change your life. When you open your heart to God’s word and choose to believe it, you will experience transformation. When you obey God’s commands, they will bear incredible fruit in your life. God’s word is meant to direct you to the abundant life he has planned for you. Have faith in the words of Scripture. Choose to believe God’s promises. Last, you must see yourself in light of God’s word. You have the choice to believe God or not. The Bible says incredible things about your identity in Christ: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Bible says that you are God’s child, that you are worth the death of Christ and that you are free from the bondage of sin and the world. Those are powerful promises. But in order for you to experience the fullness of what Scripture says, you must renew your way of thinking to be like God’s. Paul says that “we have the mind of Christ” as people born of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:16). So set your mind every day on the things of God. Read Scripture with the help of the Spirit, walk in obedience to God’s word, and see yourself as God does. If you will do these things daily, your entire outlook on life will be one of contentment, joy, purpose, and abundance. Where do you need to renew your mind today? What area of your life seems to be plagued by negativity, insecurity, or anger? Spend time reading God’s word with the Holy Spirit. Receive revelation from the very God who authored the word you’re reading. Meditate on the words that stand out to you, and allow them to change the way you think, feel, and act. Experience renewal today in your way of thinking, and watch as renewing your mind changes your entire day for the better. PRAYER Meditate on the power of renewing your mind. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 Reflect on your own life. Where do you need renewal today? What thoughts seem to plague you? Where do you normally feel negative, insecure, or angry? Meditate on a passage of Scripture that seems pertinent to an area of your thinking that needs renewal. Do a web search on a specific topic if you need to. If you’re struggling with a particular sin, meditate on Scripture about freedom. If you struggle with your speech, meditate on a passage about taming the tongue. Wherever you need renewal today, God has a plan to help you. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:10 AS YOU GO TODAY... How great is the love of God that he would give us the incredible gift of his word to mold and shape us! Your heavenly Father loves you too much to let you stay where you are. Every day He has a plan to lead you into more and more abundant life. When you wake up, take a minute to ask yourself what you want your day to be like. What sort of life do you want to live today? Then ask the Spirit to help you renew your mind to God’s truth so you can live that life. Walk in freedom today. Live with your mind set on the Spirit. And experience the incredible life God has planned for you as His child. You’ll never have a better day than one where your mind is renewed to the truth of God’s unfathomable love.
Tuesday, October 11 | Renewal of your First Love
October 11, 2022
INTRO In our third devotional on seeking renewal from our good and loving God, today we’re going to look at what it means to have a renewal of our first love. What, who we love first, makes all the difference in how we spend our days, and how we spend our moments. And unless God is our first love, the One we’re giving all of our hearts to, life will always feel out of balance, and lacking the fullness of fulfillment. May God guide us to a deeper love of Him today as we open our hearts and hands to meet with Him. SCRIPTURE “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Revelation 2:4 DEVOTIONAL Out of God’s great desire to be truly loved by His people, we have been given the gift of free will to choose who and what we will give our affections to. God, knowing full well that not all of us would choose to love Him, still created us out of His longing for close relationship with us. You see, so great is our heavenly Father’s desire for relationship with us that He suffers as He watches his children choose to love people, ideas, and possessions that will never fully love us in return. So great is His love for us that He responds to our sin of idolatry with grace and mercy every single time. And so vast is His affection for us that He sent his only Son so that we might be restored to close relationship with our heavenly Father once again. But still, we choose to love things other than God. Still we seek out satisfaction and love from creation rather than the Creator. Still we choose to place our hope and affections in the world instead of in God. If we are to live the life God intends for us, the only fulfilling life possible, we need a renewal of our first love. Thousands of years ago, the church in Ephesus was much like we are today. Revelation 2:4 says in reference to the church in Ephesus, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” The Ephesians were still working and waiting for God. They hadn’t abandoned their faith, just their first love. But Scripture makes it clear that when it comes down to it in the end, what will be most important is the way in which we have loved God. When asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). Loving God is our first priority. Our love for God is the foundation on which all of life is to be lived. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” This life is all about the posture of your heart. Reflect for a minute on just how incredible the love of our God is. Scripture makes it clear that He isn’t after our service first, but our love. He only desires us to work with Him if it is done out of our love for Him. If we prophesy, show incredible acts of faith, or even give up our lives for Him out of anything but love, He calls it “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” God is after your heart. More than anything else in the world, He wants to love you and be loved by you. Of course He wants you to co-labor with Him and obey his commandments, but only out of love for Him. Yes, he wants you to lead others to Him, but out of the desire to share the incredible love you’ve been shown. Too often we size up our relationship with God based on how often we’ve gone to church, how many mission trips we’ve been on, how many people we’ve won to Jesus, how many committees we’ve served on, or how much of our finances we’ve given to God. And too often we do all of that trying to win over a God who already loves us more than we could ever ask or imagine. God is the father in the prodigal son story running out to meet you and celebrate you regardless of anything you’ve ever done or will do. He’s the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one. He’s the God who leaves his throne to die for the very people who shouted, “Crucify him, crucify him!” And He’s the God who waits patiently every day to show you the depth of His love, that nothing you could ever do will change the way He loves you. Nothing could be more important than living your life on the foundation of God’s greatest commandment: to love Him. And while it’s incredibly important to spend your life loving God, He knows you will only be able to do so if you’ve encountered his love first. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” Experiencing God’s love is the beginning and end to everything we do as his children. It’s out of encountering the affections of our heavenly Father that our hearts will be stirred to love Him back. Let’s take time today to encounter the love of our heavenly Father and let his kindness draw us to repentance (Romans 2:4). Encounter the heart of God, and let His love renew within you your first love. PRAYER Meditate on God’s love for you as revealed in his word. Receive his presence. Let him speak his love straight to your heart. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39 Reflect on your own life. Where do you seem to chase after the affections of the world before God? What idols are in your own heart? Who or what do you love more than God? “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Revelation 2:4 Ask the Lord to heal those places of your heart. Be drawn to repentance from God’s kindness. Repent to Him the places where you’ve idolized someone or something. Receive the healing that happens when you confess your sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 AS YOU GO: The Bible is clear that God will always forgive our sins as believers. His heart is always for restoration. He always desires to lead us to a life where our hearts are in no way veiled before Him. Idols and sin tie us down to the world in ways that keep us from the fullness of relationship available in God. Engage in the act of confession. Spend time consistently giving your sin over to God, and receive the healing and renewal He longs to bring you. May your day be filled with peace as the result of God’s forgiveness, nearness, and loving-kindness.