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God’s Ink: Week One Devotional

This past Sunday, we began the series God’s Ink. The worship team was awesome. From the opening declaration of “Let The Praises Ring” to the closing “The Story of My Life”. I love the way Pastor Abbye and her team draw us in to worship each week. If you were not able to be with us yesterday, you missed the new set design, t-shirts and kick-off. Don’t worry, we’ll be back next Sunday picking right back up with the series as we look at our life stories. So, what’s your story?
With this new series, we will be sending out an accompanying devotional each week for you to use in your studies. Feel free to forward them on to a friend.

So, with that, here is our devotional for week one.

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DEVOTIONAL: WHY ME?
Why do I have to be a role model? Why can’t someone else do it?
In II Corinthians 3:2-6, Paul commends the believers in Corinth by saying
2 You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you.
3 Christ himself wrote it – not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives – and we publish it.
4 We couldn’t be more sure of ourselves in this = that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation.
5 We wouldn’t think of writing this kind of letter about ourselves. Only God can write such a letter.
6 His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn’t written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It’s written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!” (Message Bible)
Whether we like it or not, people are watching our lives. Our actions speak louder than the words we say. In fact, I believe it is more important to walk the walk than it is to talk the talk. If the story of our lives does not honor God, there is a good chance we are writing our story without Him.
In elementary school, I loved “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. At various crossroads in the story, the reader is given multiple options that determine the outcome of the story. For each option, you turn to a specific page in the story. I liked these books because I was a participant in the story and not merely an observer. The author determined the outcome of each choice but allowed me the opportunity to make the decision myself. If I made a good choice, the story had a happy ending. If I made an unwise choice, the ending was not so favorable.
Take a moment to reflect on the story of your life. Does it accurately reflect what is in your heart? Are you happy with this chapter of your life? At the crossroads of decision, have you made good choices? It could be that this chapter of your life is filled with God’s blessing, health, wisdom and prosperity. If so, congratulations! God is writing the story of your life with you. Isn”t it exciting?
I remember trying to write a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story myself once. It did not end well. I found myself writing in circles and struggling to make any sense at all. My teacher tried to help but I wanted to do it myself. After all, it was my story. It was a story that was confusing, lacking direction and dull and it was all my doing.
Perhaps, this chapter of your life is a result of poor choices and bad decisions. Do you feel like you have been in this chapter before and your story is going in circles? If you find yourself in the midst of an unfulfilling chapter, maybe it is time to put down your pencil and let God pick up the permanent ink pen of His living Spirit and rewrite your story with you. He only needs one shot to get your story right and He never gets writer’s block.
I promise you that His story for your life is more exciting, rewarding and fulfilling than any story you could write on your own. God does not want to take away the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 tells us to “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” God does not want to run our lives like puppets either. He wants to guide and direct us. We get to choose our own adventure in life. God wants to write our story with us. The Living Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:9 that “We should make plans counting on God to direct us.”
This week, allow God to show you His story for your life. He is waiting for you and me to say, “What next? How do You want this chapter of my life to read?” If you ask, He will begin to write a story that you will never want to put down.
Pray this prayer:
Father, I give you my life’s story and ask you rewrite any chapter, paragraph or sentence that you desire. I want my life’s story to be written by Your living Spirit. What adventure do You have for me this week?

Now, just be still and quite and let Him speak to you.

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This coming Sunday we will ask the question, “What’s Your Story?”

If your life is a story that anyone can read, what is your story? We will take out all of the insider, Christian lingo so we can tell our story in a way people can understand. We will explore how we make our faith, our story, accessible to everyone who watches our life.

I love my church and I love you!

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Open Your Eyes

“Joseph had a dream…� Genesis 37:5 MSG
I love to hear dreams. I especially love big, huge, mind numbing, over the top, never been done, awesome dreams. The cool thing about a great dream is it’s ability to meld reality and imagination. A great dreamer able to see beyond what is right before us and visualize what could be.
Joseph was the favored son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his brothers and later rose to a very prominent role in the Egyptian government. He was a dreamer. A visionary. Some of his dreams found him in trouble. Some of his dreams led him to greatness.
Visionary people are dreamers. Great leaders are dreamers. Entrepreneurs are dreamers. Are you a dreamer?

DREAM KILLERS
As inspiring as a great dream can be, we must be careful who we tell our dreams. You know who I’m talking about, the dream killers. These are people who cannot bear to hear a big dream. They immediately begin to tear it down and give you all the reasons why it can’t happen. Joseph’s brothers were like that. When he told them about his dream, they schemed to do away with him. Maybe Joseph should have been a little more careful about who he shared his dream with. Stay away from the dream killers.

EXCUSES. EXCUSES. EXCUSES.
Often, the enemy of our dreams is not found in someone else. It is found in our own selves. We may blame our circumstances, upbringing or education. If we are not careful, we will let where we are keep us from fulfilling our dreams. “Someday. Sometime. Maybe. We’ll see. When I have more.� Have you ever heard yourself saying this? Stop the excuses in their tracks. Don’t let today keep you from living your dreams.

DESIRE
Motivation and desire can either derail our dreams or propel them. Where did your dream come from? Sure, I would welcome a new high performance sports car, airplane, boat or vacation home. However, any headlong pursuit for “things� will only lead to an empty, dark void. A mission to fulfill a God given dream may produce “things� as a side benefit but never as the final goal. How do you know if your dreams are God’s dreams? God’s dreams will become your dreams when you give your life to follow after God and know His Word. Selfish motivation brings trouble. With God as your driving force, who can stop you?

BUY WISDOM
I am not saying to run out and wildly making foolish decisions trying to make your dreams come true. Many dreams are destroyed by a lack of knowledge. Proverbs 4:5-7 gives this instruction, “Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch! Never walk away from Wisdom — she guards your life; love her — she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!â€� (MSG) Do not let a lack of wisdom keep you from fulfilling your dreams. If you do not have the education or training to fulfill your dream, get it. Age, gender, finances, family and responsibilities cannot be accepted as explanations for a lack of wisdom. “Get wisdom — it’s worth more than money; choose insight over income every time.â€� – Proverbs 16:16 MSG

OPEN YOUR EYES
As your dreams become clear, open your eyes and establish your course. Set out on the journey of a lifetime. The only thing better than a great dream is a dream that becomes a reality. God gives us dreams and visions so that we can make His name great in the earth. As we open our eyes and begin to fulfill our dreams, He will be honored.
Now, go on! Fulfill your dreams!
It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. “Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!â€� Matthew 6:21-23 MSG

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