The Pursuit of God
Chapter 1: A Heart Devoted to God
Where did the story take place?Lazarus and Mary’s sister, Martha’s home
And what was going on?
Martha and Mary were preparing for Jesus to come for a meal
Who were the people present?
Martha, Mary, Jesus and the Disciples
How did Martha act...and why?
Martha was hurried and overwhelmed with busyness in preparation for Jesus’s visit. She ended up snapping at Mary for not helping her.
And how did Mary act?
Mary stopped what she was doing to sit quietly at the feet of Jesus to listen to Him speak.
What were Jesus’ words to Martha?
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
And His words to Mary?
That she had chosen what was better.********
List out 5 actions I can take to put worship at the top of my to-do list:
1. Start spending quite time with the Lord, every day.
2. Keep a journal and jot down what is on my heart.
3. SLOW DOWN! And refrain from being caught up in the busyness of life.
4. Consciously stop and ask God “What would you have me do here?” when I am confronted with something difficult.
5. Choose spending time in the Word even if I would prefer to do something else.
Write out what I will do daily - just for this week - to... cease my busyness, stop all activity, set aside secondary things...
I will have quiet time, every morning.
I will read one Psalm every night.
I will verbally and prayerfully give everything to the Lord each day - I will trust Him.
I will spend time with Him before sitting down to watch TV.
Look up the word “priority” and write it out simply here:
Something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives. (This one was a straight copy and paste because of the last part. Emphasis added by me. Uh, wow...)
Look up the word “worship” and write out the definition simply here:
Reverence offered to God
Can I think of an area where I'm consciously settling for good when I know that a better and best choice are available?
Yes, I can think of several things actually. But probably at the top of the list is how much time I put aside for the Lord. Truthfully, I most likely rate a “not-so” good in this area. And I need to focus on doing much better.
A Heartfelt Prayer, just for today, help me to cultivate a hot heart by...
Remembering the question: “Lord, what would you have me do?” and then ACTING in that manner. Help me to resist any temptation to focus on negativity or let Satan get the best of my mind. I will honor my husband, praise him for what he does for our family and show him respect. I will not lose my patience with my daughter and I will remind myself of all the blessings in our lives. I will thank Him for giving me new life each day and praise him for all the grace He has shown me.
In 100 words or less, write out one instance when I was aware that I actively chose God as a priority over something or someone this week.
I was having a really tough day on Thursday. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed (mainly irritated about something at work) and was taking it out on my innocent hubby for no good reason at all. (EEK!) Instead of going to straight to work and venting to my girlfriend - I blasted MercyMe on the way while singing my heart out, refocused my energies, prayed and after parking, decided to open up my book and read through the whole first chapter, while sitting in my car.
What are some of the things that keep me from having a daily quiet time?
Busyness. Laziness. Watching television - thinking I need ME-time instead of GOD-time. Yuck, how sick is that? It’s not intentional and it’s not that I consciously say that in my head but by the end of the day, I convince myself that zoning out while watching t.v. will give me relief - when in reality, spending time with God would very likely give me more.
What do I think are the key ingredients to a quality quiet time?
Consistency. Trying to do it in the morning BEFORE the evil one has time to contaminate the mind. It’s so terrible because sometimes I’m so negative before I even roll out of bed!! I say to myself, OH.. just a few more minutes of laying here, when I should eagerly awake to spend that time with God since I know the rest of the day is going to get busy!
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