Reflection: Attain: Purpose: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1. What is your definition of being mature in faith?

2. How do you compare yourself according to Paul’s advice?

3. How can trusting in what we have attained give us courage to new confrontations or opportunities?

4. What do you need the Lord to reveal to you this week? What decision seems to be confusing right now?

Share: How did the Lord guide you once before?

Attain: Purpose: Prayers and Poetry

Philippians 3: 15-16, “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”

Attain

Thank-you Lord for Your ongoing protection that no matter how much truth we have learned from You and attempt to live into we still falter; yet in Your mercy you continue to repair and heal our failures.

Which should give us courage to walk bolder.

And yet too often we still don’t. Whether out of fear, or personality, or our past that still lurks and waits to undermine conviction.

Lord, please help us to keep moving forward with what we have embraced and be willing to keep growing into Your truth and Your way. Give us Your strength and vision to recognize the battle when it comes and not hide from it.

Your thoughts,

Pause: Purpose: Prayers and Poetry

                                                Pause

                                                To pause and listen

                                                for the quiet

                                                in the storm of

                                                busyness and commitments

                                                breath deeply.

                                                To hear direction

                                                focus on purpose

                                                instill calm

                                                brought from a courage to

                                                be committed to trust.

Psalm 18:36, “Thou dost enlarge my steps under Thee, And my feet have not slipped.”

Reflection: Rest: Purpose: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1. In what ways can busyness control our goals instead of silence?

2. Even in silence what can intrude on our hearing the Lord’s call?

3. How can we prepare daily—hourly—to pause and listen?

4.  What steps need courage?

Share: Which will you try to practice this week?

Rest: Purpose: Prayers and Poetry

Philippians 3: 13-14,”Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Rest

How often do we still look only at the difficulties and obstacles instead of trusting in the Lord’s ongoing protection?

We still hesitate at every decision, not only to examine it, but to calm our fears. When instead our focus should be only bringing it to the Lord for confirmation that we are hearing His voice and purpose to go ahead.

Thankfully, no matter how often though we stumble and fall because of our fears and disbelief, He continues to keep our feet from falling and steadies us. And picks us up when we do stumble.

Lord, please open our hearts and sight and souls to look upward and forward to You. Please show each of us the next steps we are to take. In confidence in You.

Your thoughts,

Embrace: Purpose: Prayers and Poetry

                                                Embrace

                                                Ownership

                                                often brings pride

                                                a sense of long

                                                accomplishment

                                                reaching a goal

                                                rewards for perseverance.

                                                Only when

                                                owned by Jesus

                                                a gentleness of His

                                                arms wrap around us

                                                rescues us from evil

                                                restores our souls.

                                                Ongoing protection

                                                one by one seen

                                                always mercy

                                                and walks daily bringing

                                                redemption into our new life

                                                reconciliation given in love.

                                               

Psalm 18:35, “Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand upholds me; And Thy gentleness makes me great.”

Reflection: Accept: Purpose: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1. How does the reminder that Jesus has made you His own bring you insight today?

2. How can this reminder influence your decisions and attitude today or this week or month? Why? What has changed?

3. How does expecting perfection in ourselves, or others, shape our actions and words?

4. To whom can we extend His gentleness this week?

Share: When has someone gifted you with gentleness?