Today I spent the afternoon catching up on some reading for the study that we are doing as a church. A Call to Die by David Nasser. It has been a great study so far. But because of my schedule and my poor planning there were a few nights this week that I did not get to finish that day. So I spent some time this afternoon catching up on some reading and even more of the questions that it had for me. I just wanted to post a few quotes from this first week of reading that have really spoken to me. I am much enjoying this study and cannot wait to see what God is going to do through it in our church and out lives.
Day 1
"...his (Jesus) commitment to obey the Father was greater than his desire for comfort and approval. So he went to the cross."
"So "taking up our crosses" means to value God above all else, to serve instead of demand our rights, and to be humble instead of proud- to the point of death."
"...our salvation ultimately brings glory to the Father."
"...our motive for daily dying to ourselves should be to glorify God."
"Because Satan is not gentle in dealing with us, we cannot be gentle in dealing with sin. In the place of this sin, we put Jesus squarely in the middle of our lives and choose to honor him all day, every day."
Day 2
"He (God) loves us so much that his heart breaks when we get off the path he has charted for us."
"God's Spirit will shine hi slight on your particular idol when it's time."
"When God shows you that something besides his in occupying the center of your life, don't expect it to just melt away."
Day 3
"Jesus stoops from the blinding majesty of his heavenly throne in order to stand next to us and call us friends."
"...we can't realize how good it is until we become aware...how bad we are."
"...The Lord himself must break through out calloused hearts to show us what he is like."
"When you and I feel insecure, we are more open to god speaking to our hearts."
"...a head on collision with the living, holy God will ruin us- alter us forever."
Day 4
"If we experience the love and forgiveness of God, our hearts are transformed. The Spirit changes our hearts so that we want more than anything else for God to be honored."
"...we have opportunities all day every day to extend love to the undeserving and unlovable, as Christ does to us."
Day 5
"Our struggle with excuses is the test of out commitment to Christ."
"...the disciple of Christ doesn't demand or expect comfort. He follows his Lord anywhere and everywhere he leads."
"Do we seek God's will with all our hearts, or do we hear the truth from scripture after scripture and a dozen people and still say we are 'confused'?"
Day 6
"Rules have their place, but if that's all there is to our Christianity, we become hardened, shallow, prideful, and judgmental. We become tangled up in all our rules."
"But only the Holy Spirit himself can make the life of Christ flow in out hearts and change our desires."
"He may have been directing you in a better direction. He may have been protecting you from harm you didn't see. He may have been testing you to strengthen you. He may have been stripping away some attitudes that hinder your relationship with him. He may have been preparing you for a deeper walk with him. Recognize that God is at work and give thanks."
"We'll be more patient with those who are at a different place than us."
Day 7
"The Bible is the blueprint of life."
"God's word is even sharper, it cuts deeply and accurately into the most remote corner of our hearts, and then it heals and changes us."
"Becoming a student of God's word costs us some time, energy, and discipline. But it will result in a wealth of insight, direction, and understanding."
"... we will be motivated to study God's word when we become passionate about knowing God."
Day 8
"Satan wants us to focus on how awful we are instead of on God's wonderful forgiveness and strength."
"I believe Satan doesn't give as much merit to many of us because we aren't a threat to his purposes. But if we grow strong, he will oppose us."
"If we are serious about taking the love of God to our friends and the world, Satan will put obstacles in our path."
"Don't accept every thought just because it happens in your head."
"Don't be surprised if the fire gets hotter. That's a sign that you are on the right path."
These are just a few quotes from the study that we have been doing that spoke to me as I was reading them.
All quotes are from A Call to Die by David Nasser.
Thanks for reading. And sorry about the length.
In God, Emily
Day 1
"...his (Jesus) commitment to obey the Father was greater than his desire for comfort and approval. So he went to the cross."
"So "taking up our crosses" means to value God above all else, to serve instead of demand our rights, and to be humble instead of proud- to the point of death."
"...our salvation ultimately brings glory to the Father."
"...our motive for daily dying to ourselves should be to glorify God."
"Because Satan is not gentle in dealing with us, we cannot be gentle in dealing with sin. In the place of this sin, we put Jesus squarely in the middle of our lives and choose to honor him all day, every day."
Day 2
"He (God) loves us so much that his heart breaks when we get off the path he has charted for us."
"God's Spirit will shine hi slight on your particular idol when it's time."
"When God shows you that something besides his in occupying the center of your life, don't expect it to just melt away."
Day 3
"Jesus stoops from the blinding majesty of his heavenly throne in order to stand next to us and call us friends."
"...we can't realize how good it is until we become aware...how bad we are."
"...The Lord himself must break through out calloused hearts to show us what he is like."
"When you and I feel insecure, we are more open to god speaking to our hearts."
"...a head on collision with the living, holy God will ruin us- alter us forever."
Day 4
"If we experience the love and forgiveness of God, our hearts are transformed. The Spirit changes our hearts so that we want more than anything else for God to be honored."
"...we have opportunities all day every day to extend love to the undeserving and unlovable, as Christ does to us."
Day 5
"Our struggle with excuses is the test of out commitment to Christ."
"...the disciple of Christ doesn't demand or expect comfort. He follows his Lord anywhere and everywhere he leads."
"Do we seek God's will with all our hearts, or do we hear the truth from scripture after scripture and a dozen people and still say we are 'confused'?"
Day 6
"Rules have their place, but if that's all there is to our Christianity, we become hardened, shallow, prideful, and judgmental. We become tangled up in all our rules."
"But only the Holy Spirit himself can make the life of Christ flow in out hearts and change our desires."
"He may have been directing you in a better direction. He may have been protecting you from harm you didn't see. He may have been testing you to strengthen you. He may have been stripping away some attitudes that hinder your relationship with him. He may have been preparing you for a deeper walk with him. Recognize that God is at work and give thanks."
"We'll be more patient with those who are at a different place than us."
Day 7
"The Bible is the blueprint of life."
"God's word is even sharper, it cuts deeply and accurately into the most remote corner of our hearts, and then it heals and changes us."
"Becoming a student of God's word costs us some time, energy, and discipline. But it will result in a wealth of insight, direction, and understanding."
"... we will be motivated to study God's word when we become passionate about knowing God."
Day 8
"Satan wants us to focus on how awful we are instead of on God's wonderful forgiveness and strength."
"I believe Satan doesn't give as much merit to many of us because we aren't a threat to his purposes. But if we grow strong, he will oppose us."
"If we are serious about taking the love of God to our friends and the world, Satan will put obstacles in our path."
"Don't accept every thought just because it happens in your head."
"Don't be surprised if the fire gets hotter. That's a sign that you are on the right path."
These are just a few quotes from the study that we have been doing that spoke to me as I was reading them.
All quotes are from A Call to Die by David Nasser.
Thanks for reading. And sorry about the length.
In God, Emily
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