Thursday, January 8, 2009

Day 1 - It All Starts with God

This is an exciting journey for you!

A start of a 40 day journey in answering the question, "What on Earth Am I Here For?"

Let's first celebrate in the fact that you are taking on such a huge commitment. A commitment that says, "I will do whatever it takes to complete this 40 day experience."

There are forces out there that do not want you to find purpose, value, and truth. You may already feel like you have too many "irons in the fire". You're life is hectic, complicated, and full of demands.

Your biggest enemy right now is TIME. You are constantly giving. Giving to your job, giving to your companion, and giving to life's demands. It's time to give back to yourself!

Rick Warren said, "Today the average life span is 25,550 days. That's how long you will live if you are typical. Don't you think it would be a wise use of time to set aside 40 of those days to figure out what God wants you to do with the rest of them?"

You owe it to yourself. Don't let anything stand in the way of your journey- your dreams.
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DAY ONE

Point to Ponder: It's not about me.

Verse to Remember: "Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." Colossians 1:16b (Msg)

Question to Consider: In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?


What will make this community a success is in sharing your thoughts with each other.

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5 comments:

  1. I liked the statement, "You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! Only the creator could reveal it's purpose." on Page 18. That was a self sacrificing moment. However, the statement, " Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose." will be a challenge to work with. It seems like I'm always focusing on myself. I thought that being a better person and trying to improve myself as much as possible would help reveal my life's purpose.? Evie, I feel that you are as self-sacrificing as it gets. After reading about self-sacrificing I thought of you, you are an angel. I need and want to read the Bible, as this chapter states it's our manual. Without God life makes no sense, after reading that I felt so empty and useless thinking what life would be without God. As for the the question at the end I would love to hear others responses. My response to that - I will be putting a note in my car that asks God what my purpose is for the day. What else can we do to remind ourselves?
    Colleen

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  2. I think a great way to remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself, is prayer. Prayer is always super important for me- I get very bogged down with personal issues and handing those burdens over to God and praying for help with letting go of anxiety and bitterness over problems has really shown me how God can work in my life. I think spending time reading the Bible is another great reminder- I like to read about Jesus in the New Testament- it always fills me with joy and thankfulness. I also think that serving others is a great way to live for God and not ourselves. Serving in church has been great for me, but even volunteer work in general is self-sacrificing and shows love for God's children.

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  3. When ever I feel I need to be connected with God, I turn to nature. I find quite time in the park or anywhere outdoors and take notice of all that God created. In those times I realize my connection with the universe and eternity. It disconnects me from worldly "things" and feelings for myself.
    I am part of all of the things created by God and all of the trials that I encounter here on this earth are very minor.

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  4. I love analogies! They really “hit home” for me. Particularly, the new invention analogy. I have this immense trust that things will work out. When I am faced with personal failure, when others hurt me, or I can’t answer the question “what are you going to do with your degree?” I know in my heart that it’s okay. I believe THAT is submission to God. I know now, that in our lives, the choices we make, or chose not to make, are not to be stresses, God leads us to the path we are destined for. The more I try to figure out the answer the further I get away from Gods plan. If I just except what IS, God will some how lead me to the next step toward my life’s purpose. I AM an invention made by God and I was not created with a “introduction to this product” program or a “help” button. Only God knows how to use me properly. Daily meditations will remind me of this.
    Evelyn

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  5. I can be influenced by advertising in pursuit of peace and happiness. If I buy this 'gadget' it will make my life easier. If I buy that really nice HD TV it will give me gratification. FOOD! I love food. If I buy this kind of food it will bring me happiness. At least my belly is happy for a time!

    But all of this is temporary. Eventually the purchasing 'high' and the eating 'high' goes away and I am my same miserable self after a few moments or days.

    True peace is understanding, that no matter what people may say about me, even if I am under-qualified in certain areas of my life, no matter if the lies in my head says I've messed up way too many times... God sees me as priceless.

    He will use the talents I DO have, and even though I have made many mistakes in my life, He is willing to forgive me and continue to love me. That's Peace to me!

    I continue to pray or just think about God and ask Him what I can do for Him today.

    Colleen, I love the idea of putting a note in your car as a daily reminder. We put notes on our fridge to remind us to stay focused on God. That's more strategic for me, because I am in the refidgerator alot... because I love FOOD!
    Jeff

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