Week 1. Baby Steps Through The Bible. Happy, Healthy & Whole Devotionals

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1 Week 1 Baby Steps Through The Bible Happy, Healthy & Whole Devotionals By: Ed & Judy Gardner When you read the Bible ask yourself if there s anything you re reading where God is speaking to you personally anything that you need to start applying in your own life. Then try to reflect on what you read what you heard from God throughout the day and I know you ll be blessed. Riverside Community Church; Happy, Healthy & Whole Series Week #1 1

2 Monday: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. Matthew 23:37-38 (NLT) Then Jesus said, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) Reflection: How amazing is it, that Jesus longs to gather each of us to Him, to teach us how to live rich and satisfying lives. Have you ever noticed the truth of Jesus words in your own life? That when we resist His call we find desolation & isolation? What would it look like in your life if you entered into a sacred pact with Jesus (ala the Karate Kid)? His part is teaching you how to live the life He designed you to live. Your part is learning no questions asked. Will you make that deal with your Creator? How would that change today? Prayer: Father, I lay my life down before You today. Show me what it means to live the life You designed me to live. I m not really sure what it will look like but as much as I know and as much as I can I make this sacred pact with You today teach me how to live and I will do my best not to question You. In Jesus Name I pray, amen. Tuesday: Happy are those who don t listen to the wicked, who don t go where sinners go, who don t do what evil people do. They love the LORD S teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night. They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves don t die. Everything they do will succeed. Psalm 1:1-3 (NCV) I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love 2

3 of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. With God s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:16-20 (NLT & NCV) Reflection: Do you feel like there has to be more to life than what you see around you? It s easy to join the complainers and criticizers. It s easy to lean into the six rights of the truly miserable (as outlined in this weekend s lesson) and blame other people or circumstances for where we find ourselves. It s easy but it doesn t lead to a happy, healthy & whole life. It takes effort to stretch out your roots and draw in the nourishment of God s love. But the results of that effort are as different as night and day. I know it s not easy but take another look at Ephesians 3:20 (you just read it just look up the page a few inches). With God s power working in you you can do more than you could have even imagined or dreamed up on your own. So dream BIG today. What would today look like if you spent more time reflecting on the goodness of God & His plan for your happiness, and less time noticing everything that isn t going right in the world around you? Prayer: Father, today remind me every time I start to complain or criticize. And lead me away from a victim mentality and into a mindset that zeroes in on Your love, compassion and generosity. Do more today than I could have dreamed or imagined on my own to give me what I need to be happy, healthy & whole. In Jesus Name, amen. Wednesday: In today s scripture reading we find the Israelites waiting for the spies that Moses sent into the land that God had promised Israel. Twelve spies were sent in they all saw the same things but two of the spies came to completely different conclusions based on what they witnessed than the other 10: After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that s what they thought, too! Numbers 13:25-33 (NLT) Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. If only we 3

4 had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness! they complained. Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb said to all the people of Israel, The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Numbers 14:1-8 (NLT) Reflection: God would not force the Israelites to go into the land promised to them. He brought them right up to the border and assured them that this was their destiny. But they had to take it He didn t just drop it into their laps. Israel decided it was too much and so they turned away from the land of promise. What they got instead was wandering in the wilderness. They learned that every choice involves some level of courage and sacrifice so it s better to choose the direction that God has pointed us in because that s the choice that leads to the greatest blessing. There s a line from a song that I always think about when I m going through tough times talking about Jesus own life the song says, We all get discouraged when the battles in life, start weighing us down. But we know that in His footsteps the crosses in life must precede the crowns! We are destined to win! Degarmo & Key: Destined To Win God will not force you into a life of health, happiness and wholeness. The choice is yours. Following God s path into happiness, health & wholeness is not without its battles and sacrifices, but the alternative is endless days of wandering in circles, in our own private wilderness. In the end there is no life free of struggle. What would your today look like if you placed all your bets on God s promises and stepped forward (to face life s battles head on with God at your side) into the future that God has dreamed of for you? Prayer: Father, show me the direction that You would have me go today. Give me the courage that I ll need to step into the destiny You have planned for me. And walk with me as I face the battles and sacrifices that must come before the victories that I know are in my future. In Jesus Name, amen. Thursday: The first verse in the scripture below is God speaking to Israel then it switches to Joshua speaking to Israel and finally Israel speaks themselves. Just FYI. 4

5 I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them. So fear the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD. The people replied, We would never abandon the LORD and serve other gods. For the LORD our God is the one who rescued us and our ancestors from slavery in the land of Egypt. He performed mighty miracles before our very eyes. As we traveled through the wilderness among our enemies, he preserved us. It was the LORD who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. So we, too, will serve the LORD, for he alone is our God. Joshua 24:13-18 (NLT) Reflection: We talk a lot at Riverside about how worshiping idols isn t something that only the ancients did as they danced around fires and bowed down to carved images. There are lots of modern day, American idols that have nothing to do with singing competitions. Money, career, pleasure, power, control. All of these can be idols in our lives. But did you ever stop to think that the attitudes and thoughts we entertain can be idols in our lives as well? Last weekend we talked about the six rights of the truly miserable: The right to feel entitled, to blame others, to resist reality, to complain and criticize, to give up, or to grab what we want (and think we NEED) can and do take the place of idols in our lives sometimes. The choice is yours. God won t force you to abandon your idols and follow His dream for your life. He leaves that choice in your hands. We all spend our lives pursuing something. God promises us that if we pursue His kingdom the result will be life and blessings. But we have to drop our idols. No one else can make that choice for you. Who will you serve today? Your rights or God? Prayer: Father, today as I come before You I ask that you would show me what things in my life I have allowed to become idols that I ve bowed down before. Give me the courage to face them and then to leave them behind. I resolve to worship only You for the rest of my life. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. In Jesus Name, amen. 5

6 Friday: Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don t have deep roots, they don t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted. Matthew 13:3-23 (NLT) Reflection: Life isn t fair what we harvest is never equal to what we ve planted. If we cultivate the kingdom of God in our lives the harvest will be more than we could ask or imagine. If we cling to our rights, harden our hearts, or allow the distractions of this world to choke out His kingdom from our hearts there will be nothing left in our lives worth harvesting. You won t get back exactly what you put into your life it all depends on how you cultivate the soil of your heart. You will get God s generous bounty or nothing, blessings or curses life or death. There really is no middle road. What are you cultivating in your life today? Prayer: Father, today I want to reflect on the parable of the farmer. I want my heart to be fertile ground for the message of Your Kingdom. Show me anything that is getting in the way of Your presence in my heart and give me the courage to leave it behind and to pursue Your Kingdom today. I give You permission to rearrange my life in the way that will bring about the greatest blessings for me and for Your Kingdom. In Jesus Name, amen. 6