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Become Like Jesus: Suffering & Transformation
Week 11: Surrendering to God This week’s practice is to come to a place of surrender so we can receive from God whatever he has for us in the midst of our trials and troubles. So, as you spend time with the Lord this week, try to include the following:
Become Like Jesus
Week 10: Generosity Become Like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week 9: The Persecuted PRACTICE #1: This week, try reintroducing a practice that we taught on during the fall (slowing down, silence & solitude, sabbath). Say “no” to something, create margin, silence your phone, set an alarm to remind you to pray, do whatever it takes to abide in the loving presence of Jesus this week. In the teachings of Jesus and the instructions of the Apostles, we are told to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, and bless those who curse us. Why? Because God does not delight in evil - both the evil done to us by the wrongdoer AND the evil we can have in our heart towards the wrongdoer. So we love, pray, and bless as a way of removing the unseen log in our eye and uprooting the bitterness that can so easily grow in our heart. PRACTICE #2: Begin to pray for those who have opposed & persecuted you: -Start by opening your heart to God. See who the Lord brings to mind. -Give to Jesus, our Sympathetic High Priest, the pain they caused you. -Let the Shepherd feed you, the Physician heal you, & the Father love you. -Now begin to pray this part of the Lord’s prayer, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Remember how the Lord forgave you. How much more are we to forgive others? Feel free to stay on / repeat this step. If you’ve forgiven them, now begin to bless them. Remember, God is merciful and sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Become like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week 8 Practice: The Peacemakers Looking at the life and ministry of Jesus, as well as the instructions and encouragements we have in the epistles, hospitality is a valued practice. Below are a few ideas to get you started as you brainstorm and pray through your next step in hospitality. Be sensitive to what God is inviting you into in this season of your life. Remember, aim to start where you are, not where you think you “should” be. “Entry-Level” Practice: Take your first step into hospitality by inviting a neighbor, coworker, friend, etc. on a walk, for a cup of coffee, or for lunch. “Base” Practice: Consider adopting a monthly rhythm of hospitality by opening up your home and preparing your table. If you’re willing, yet find this challenging, then begin to pray, ‘Lord, help me to see my home not as mine, but as a gift you’ve given me for the furtherance of your Kingdom.’ “Reach” Practice: Looking to expand your practice of hospitality? Then try scheduling a weekly night for having guests at your table. Remember, we don’t practice hospitality just to “check the box.” Rather, we embrace this practice as a means of transformation by the Spirit so we can look, live, and love more like Jesus. Our other desire for hospitality should also be to see neighbors become friends and friends become family in Jesus. Become like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week 7 Practice: The Pure in Heart This week’s practice is to repeat these 5 steps / movements during our time of prayer and personal reflection. These steps include: Revelation (search me) Reflection (what are you showing me) Confession (confess sin & receive grace) Adoration (praise God for who he is) Petition (ask God for his power to obey) So set a time of day, find a setting, grab your tools (journal, bible, etc), and prayerfully fix your eyes on Jesus. Remember, purity isn’t the absence of sin as much as it is the presence of Jesus. Worship is how we fight our battles! Become like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week 6 Practice: Righteousness, Justice & Mercy 1) Our practice this week is to pray daily for the least, the last, and the lost.
- This is a line from the Lord’s Prayer: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” - This is a prayer from St. Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek; To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” Become like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week 5 Practice: Hungry & Thirsty 1) Spend time in the Scriptures. Read your bible! Prepare your heart, read slowly, reflect on what you read, respond (prayer, journaling, etc.), and rest. 2) Spend time in prayer. You can feast upon Jesus by communing with him in prayer. If you don't know what to prayer, you can start with the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. 3) Spend time in community. You can feast on the presence of God in the family of God. Where 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, he will be there! Become like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week4 Practice: The Meek 1) This week we want to grow in awareness of meekness. That being said, take some time to enter into prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you where you land on the “meekness scale.” 2) There are two extremes that most of us are inclined towards. Where do you tend to land? Fearful, passive <---------------------> harsh, angry, 3) Meekness is grounded in godly desire and obedience, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and usually lands somewhere in the middle of the scale represented above. Become like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week 2 Practice: Those Who Mourn 1) Open up to a friend, a spiritual leader, or your church group about your sorrow. Please don’t try to bottle it in and suck it up. Allow others to come alongside you and help you walk through the process of grieving. 2)Hold onto the promises of God. Spend some time this week reading, personalizing, and praying through some of God’s promises. Sorrow, sin, pain, and brokenness will end. Death itself will be swallowed up. May the hope of eternity give you the strength to put one foot in front of the other. Become like Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Beatitudes
Week 1 Practice: Poor in spirit Pray the Jesus Prayer. One way to humble yourself is to received mercy. By praying the Jesus prayer we are receiving mercy. "Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner". Through out the day as the business and heartache of the day builds on you, under your breath say this prayer. Write the prayer down and put it in places you will see to remind you to pray. The term sinner isn't a term to trash you or make you feel bad, but is an acknowledgement that we have sin in us and that we sin. It isn't a description of your position, but a fact that we all wrestle with sin. This prayer can be very liberating and life giving to acknowledge that we need a merciful God. That we serve a merciful God. "Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." |
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Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Sabbath
Week 4 Practice: Worship 1) Practice a light and life-giving version of what the ancients called "fixed-hour prayer. All that means is you pause two to three times during your Sabbath to pray. There are many forms of prayer, but I want to encourage you to pray prayers of adoration. Reflect and rest in God’s goodness, be in awe of who God is, and thank him for all that he has done. The most ancient and, for many people, the most helpful way to do this is by praying a psalm. You can also do this by listening to worship music or praying with a friend or going on a walk in nature – the options are endless. The goal is to spend your Sabbath in greater awareness of and communion with God. To be loved by the Father and to love the Father in the Spirit of adoption. 2) Identify two to three practices by which you enjoy God and do them. It’s key to discover what the spiritual writer Gary Thomas calls your “spiritual pathway;” the way you are uniquely wired to enjoy God.For you this could be time alone in stillness, or it could be throwing a party with your family or community. It could be going on a hike, creating art, or reading a book by the fire. It could even be a project on the property if done in the right spirit and if the goal is to be with Jesus as you do this project. If you’re having a hard time thinking discerning if an activity is a good fit for your Sabbath practice, I encourage you to use our four movements of Sabbath as a rubric to filter what you choose to do.: Stop, Rest. Delight, and Worship. Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Sabbath
Week 3 Practice: Delight 1) Plan a sabbath feast. Ideally, do this together with the people around you, such as your group or your family. Whether it’s 20 people or just one or two close friends, plan out a meal together. Cook or order your favorite foods. Don’t forget this is an incredible chance to practice hospitality. Reach across the lines that divide our society. Jesus’ dream is for our dining room tables to look as diverse and beautiful as the Kingdom of God! Here are a few recommended rituals for you to practice as you enjoy a Sabbath meal:
Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Sabbath
Week 2 Practice: Rest Remember, all four weeks of this practice build on each other. Stopping is the first important step to practicing the Sabbath.
Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Practicing the Sabbath
Week 1 Practice: STOP 1) Pick a Time to Sabbath and give it a try. There are three basic options: 1) Christian Sabbath on Sunday 2)Traditional Sabbath – Sundown Friday till sundown Saturday 3)Midweek Sabbath 2) Start Small. If 24 hours is too much for you right now, that’s okay. Start with a half day or even a few hours. Remember this isn’t a performance, it’s practice. 3) Pick a beginning and ending ritual. Traditionally, Sabbath would start with the Kiddush which you would light candles, pray, and eat a sabbath meal with family and community. And end by praying and sharing highlights of your Sabbath. You can do exactly this or something else. Be Creative! 4) Pick one to three Sabbath activities to enter into the spirit of Sabbath. Examples include Lighting candles, blessing the children, eating a sabbath meal, expressing gratitude, signing, worshiping with your church, walking, napping, making love to your spouse, reading scriptures, being still before God, spending time with family, friends, and community. This is not a to-do list but a list of optional practices that can usher you into the sweetness and goodness of God’s rest. Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Silence & Solitude
Week 4 Practice: Lectio Divina 1) Prepare to meet with God. Turn your phone off and leave it in another room. Get comfortable and calm your body. 2)Read (lectio). Read the passage slowly and carefully. Take your time, pay close attention to each word. When your focus is drawn to a particular word or thought, pause momentarily and reflect. 3) Reflect (mediatio). Upon completing the passage, return to the beginning and read again. Allow the text to connect with you personally. Think through the following questions: What do I need to know, or be or do in light of the text. What does this mean for my life today? 4) Respond (oratio). Talk to God about your experience. Have a conversation with the Holy Spirit - He is your Teacher, Counselor, and Friend. 5) Rest (contemplatio). Pause to sit in God’s presence. Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Silence & Solitude
Week 3 Practice: Cast your Cares 1) Put away your phone or any other distractions. 2) Begin with a breathing prayer. 3) Let yourself feel. Name “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of your emotional state. Don't run away from what you’re feeling. In the Father’s presence, face each emotion head on. Let yourself feel it, deeply. 4) Ask yourself the Elijah question: “What are you doing here?” Is there anything God is trying to say to you through these emotions? 5) Get it all off your chest. Give what you’re feeling to God - the good, the bad, & the ugly. The point isn’t to be polished, but to be honest. Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Silence & Solitude
Week 1 Practice: Be Still 1) Put away your phone or any other distractions, settle into your time/place, and get comfortable. 2) Begin with a breathing prayer. Inhale and exhale slowly. Breathe out your scattered thoughts and anxieties in prayer to God. 3) Spend a few minutes "abiding in the vine". Notice God's presence around you and in you. Welcome the peace, joy, and love from the Holy Spirit. Pray. If you want, open your mind to receive God's voice/word for you. Don't feel like you have to "do" any particular thing, just relax and be with Jesus. 4) Close by slowly praying through the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Slowing
Week 3 Practice: Slowing is Spiritual 1) Submit yourself to something or someone that makes you slow down. This could be: Deciding not to pass a driver who is going 5 under. Choosing to wait in the longest line at the grocery store. Visiting someone you know is a talker. :) Asking someone how they are instead of rushing off. 2) As you’re practicing the spiritual discipline of slowing, welcome the presence of God. Look at the creation around you– the landscape, the people. Give thanks. Make intercession. In a moment where you’d normally be rushing to get to the next thing; just be with Jesus. Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Slowing
Week 2 Practice: Eliminate Hurry Before we seek to pattern our lives after the pace and practices of Jesus, we must first ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives. If we try to add new practices and habits before removing our old practices and habits, the new will only fizzle and fade over time. 1) Track how you spend your time. It might help to write down what you do in a day, week, & month. 2) Bring everything that you do & how you spend your time to the feet of Jesus in prayer. Have it all, Lord. 3) Ask the Lord what to continue & what to cut, what was needed for a season but not for this season? Be with Jesus: The Spiritual Discipline of Slowing
Week 1 Practice: Soul Check Remember, we are holistic, integrated, complex beings formed from dust and made into the image of God. This week's practice is to carve out time to pray, process, and journal the current state of your: Thoughts (what occupies/dominates your mind) Emotions (feelings that are surfaced or suppressed) Heart/Soul (your deep identity, inner being) Will/Volition (your actions, decisions, and habits) Body (sleep, stress, diet, exercise, abuse, care, etc.) Relationships (how are you treating others?) |