Inspiring LEADERS ...Your journey of Reflection
90 Days Published by Scripture Union South Africa Š 2010
Editor Sharon Davis
Contents How to use this book
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1. The Attributes of God
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2. The Attributes of God
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3. The Names of God
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4. What does God care about?
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5. God is always at work
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6. God speaks to His people
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7. Encountering Jesus
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8. God reveals Himself to us
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9. Making lifestyle changes
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10. Living by the Spirit
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11. Living with disappointments
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12. Evangelism
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Assistant Editors Alan Pitt Cynthia Ncube Layout and design Melissa Bosman
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It may be helpful for you to know a little bit about this book, and perhaps get you to ponder a few things before you begin. Firstly, this book has three main themes, namely 1. Who is God – getting to know who God is in Scripture i.e. The Attributes of God 2. Encountering or experiencing God in our lives today 3. Our response and the lifestyle choices we make – are they conscious and deliberate? These themes have been selected with the intention of giving leaders such as yourself, the opportunity to be reminded, or even learn something more or new about who God is. It’s from here we can grow in discernment about how we listen, encounter and experience God’s will in our lives! Then we are encouraged and sometimes challenged about the decisions we need to make, which affect the way we choose to live out our lives. It is a journey and we all gain value when we pause to take time out to reflect. The authors of each week have been able to share with you part of their journey, and I’d like to thank them all. ‘Thank you to my friends and colleagues for sharing your journey with us!!’ Please free to contact me, my details are on the back page. For more info on any of our authors contact me and we’ll try putting you in touch with them or help you out with any of your great thoughts, ideas or questions! So, now as you begin your journey perhaps it’s good to begin by reflecting on the following question: How do I want my relationship to grow with God and which relationships in my life do I want to see changes in – what are my expectations over the next 90 days? Looking forward to hearing from you, and I really hope you share part of your journey with us. Sharon Davis Bible Engagement Co-ordinator
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How to use this book The most important thing in life is to get connected to Jesus, as our friend, leader and forgiver. As we do that, we are born for a second time... this time spiritually. We are babies and beginners. That is where we start. But everything healthy on the planet grows. The same is true for us. We need to grow as followers of Jesus. That is what this book is about. It’s about helping you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ and learning more about what that looks like in our daily life. This book is designed to help you read your Bible and hear God speak to you through the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is not about gaining new knowledge, it’s about your personal relationship with Jesus. You will be surprised how easy it is to use this book and read the Bible, if you put in time and effort. Have fun! Some tips: • Find a place where you can sit down on your own every day with your Bible, this devotional and your journal • Expect God to meet with you during this time, no matter what you feel like • Use the book every day during the week and stick to the weeks, as far as you can • Read the suggested scriptures on the weekends Get creative: • Use this devotional for a Bible study with a group of friends from school or church • Meet with a friend who also uses this book once a week and chat about what you learnt and thought about during the past week. Pray together and for each other
Getting your way around the Bible: The more you use your Bible, the easier it will be to get around it. To start with, go to the contents page when you are trying to figure out where the different books are. Read which books are in the Old Testament and which are in the New Testament. Write them out, if that will help you remember. This is how the referencing works: Romans 12:1-4 Romans: the book of Romans (the Bible is divided into 66 books) 12: the chapter (each book is divided into a whole bunch of chapters to make it easier to find your way around) : seperates the chapter from the verse 1 - 4: verses 1, 2, 3 and 4 (each chapter is divided into verses) vs: sometimes in brackets you will see (vs 2-4); here the ‘vs’ means verse or verses Time out with God: Turn on: Before you start reading, ask God to speak to you today Tune in: Read the Bible and think about what it is saying Ask it: What do I learn about God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)? Are there good examples to follow, or bad ones to avoid? Are there any commands to listen to? Are there any promises to believe? How do the notes apply to my life today? Take it: Choose one action to follow today!
• You can use this book as a guideline if you have to do a talk at school or at your Scripture Union meetings
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The Attributes of God WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK ONE Day ONE: Wisdom Come and get it Where do you go and buy food? Right -the grocery store. Where do you get medication when you’re sick? Right - the pharmacy. But where do you go when you are facing difficulties and you need wisdom? James 1:1-8
Hi precious people, my name is Aukje Brouwer and I am part of an organization called Beautiful Gate. Originally I am from Holland but God called my husband, Toby, and I, with our three children, to South Africa twenty years ago to set up an organization that assists vulnerable children and their families in Africa. I have the privilege of being on a journey with you for the next two weeks where we will be considering at the attributes of God. I am looking forward to being on this journey together and my wish is that you may experience the wind of God’s Spirit in your sails as you explore the God who has no limits.
James is in touch with reality; he knows that there are times when you lack wisdom. To whom is James saying you should go and what should you do when you are in need of wisdom? The answer sounds very obvious, doesn’t it? Yet why is it that we have the tendency to run to the phone before going to the throne? Even though we have access to Google, libraries and knowledgeable people, we still need wisdom to apply that information to our daily lives, especially when we have difficult choices to make. James says that we should ask God because James knows who THE source of all wisdom is. Until we have learned to tap into God’s wisdom, we haven’t really begun to live. God’s wisdom provides us with the sixth sense needed in confusing situations, and the strength to press on confidently in spite of unanswered questions. Dear friend, are you in need of wisdom today? Ask and believe that He gives. It works like this: when Jesus is Lord of your life, you’re given access to the wisdom of God. With the Son of God, comes the wisdom of God. Come and get it!
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The Attributes of God E WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK Day TWO: Sovereign
Day THREE: Faithful
‘Who am I and who do I belong to?’
The Promise-Keeper
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by situations you find yourself in? To be honest - I do, but something powerful happens when I zoom into ‘Who am I and who do I belong to?’ Let’s zoom in together.
Has anyone ever made a promise to you and not kept it? Promises made and broken are huge things aren’t they? God has made many promises in His Word and guess what - He has kept, and will continue to keep, them all because He is a promise-keeper.
1 Chronicles 29:10-13 Deuteronomy 31:1-8 What does David say belongs to the Lord? Does this include you and me too? Isn’t it an awesome thought that we belong to the Lord, that we are His! What kind of person is David describing in the passage above? To me, it looks as if He is a pretty awesome Person. He doesn’t only give good things, but He is also in control over all things. Do you believe He is in control over your life and circumstances? Your loving God is in control, and He is sovereign in directing your life. In fact, difficulties and suffering are tools in God’s sovereign hands with which He shapes you into the image of Jesus. Nothing occurs without His divine permission. God is actively directing His creation on a course that has been charted before the beginning of time. But within the context of His master plan, He gives you the freedom to choose how you will participate. Will you choose today to cooperate with Him? If you do - Well done! Dear friend, today write in your own words an item of praise with which you respond to His invitation to co-operate with Him.
In the passage above, God is encouraging Joshua and the Israelites, who are about to cross over into the Promised Land and face the enemy. Twice He says something to them. When something is said twice it’s like writing it in concrete. What is the promise that He is giving them? Can you take this promise to heart too? When I was a teenager, a friend promised me that she would always be my best friend and I believed her. However, when we had a disagreement a few months later, she turned her back on me. Can you imagine how hurt and disappointed I felt? As a result of this experience, I struggled for a long time to believe promises made to me, even promises made in the Bible. The most faithful and trustworthy Friend I have today is Jesus. He never disappoints us, but is always willing to heal us when others do disappoint us. Precious friend, have you been hurt and disappointed by a promise-breaker? Won’t you share it with your Faithful Friend and release the hurt and disappointment to Him and ask Him to heal you? Think of Him today as your Promise-Keeper.
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The Attributes of God WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK ONE Day FOUR: Gracious
Day FIVE: Goodness
The Face of Grace
So much to enjoy
When was the last time you received a gift? Was it for your birthday or Christmas? Have you ever received a gift from someone just for the simple reason that you were loved? God gave the greatest gift ever: salvation, through the death of His Son, for no other reason than the fact that He loves us. WOW!
Do you enjoy eating good food? Do you enjoy beautiful scenes in nature - sunsets, flowers, butterflies, wild animals, mountains? Do you enjoy the company of a friend or a parent’s love? Who planned it all so you could have it and enjoy it? Let’s have a look together. James 1:16-18
Ephesians 2:8-9 People all over the world try to be right with God by what they do: rituals, sacrifices, devotion and hard work. That’s so sad because it shows they don’t know God very well. What is lacking do you think, in their understanding about God’s character and nature? Have you ever thought that God wanted something from you before He could love you and call you His child? How has knowing God’s grace had an impact on your personal life? ‘God is gracious’ means that He gives to the undeserving. It is quite humbling to receive something that you have not earned, isn’t it? Do you know that the word ‘gracious’ translated comes from the idea “to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favour, or to bestow?” To be honest – to think that God Himself – bends and stoops in kindness to us – should be enough to bring us to our knees! Dear friend, won’t you kneel down for a moment and thank Him for His amazing grace. Go put this grace in action by being gracious to someone else today.
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James says that every good thing comes from above, from the Father of lights. He is thinking of God as the Creator of good things. Just do yourself a favour: count how many times God uses the word ‘good’ in the first chapter of Genesis. Out of the goodness of His heart He made a work of art and called it ‘earth’: a place for you to live in. He spread out on it all kinds of food for you to enjoy, He designed people, parents, family and friends for you to love and be loved by. He wants you to experience His love through that which He has created. God is the source of all goodness. He uses all things, even the not so good things for the good of those that love Him. It’s just who He is. WOW! Dear friend, reflect for a moment on all the good things He has created, designed, and provided for you. Tell Him in your own words what you think of Him, in the light of His goodness.
The Attributes of God E WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK ONE WEEK Weekend Readings Which attribute of God spoke most to you this week? Has focusing on His attributes helped you to know God better? What will you do differently because of knowing who He is and knowing that we have been created to be like Him? Have you been gracious to someone this week and have you experienced God’s wisdom in your life? Scripture passages to ponder on: 1 Kings 3:9-28; Numbers 23:18-20
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