9.30.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Tuesday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

2 Timothy 1:15 – 2:13

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Sometimes we think being a Christian means always sounding cheerful, even if we have to be inauthentic and “put on an act” to do that. Notice Paul’s honesty in this passage, both about his loneliness and sadness and about his abiding confidence that God is with him.

• In verses 4-6, Paul uses three different comparisons to encourage Timothy to be faithful and loyal in his ministry. Which of the metaphors—soldier, athlete, or farmer—speaks most strongly to you? What can you learn about faithfulness from each of the three?
• In chains himself, Paul writes that no human power can chain God’s message. That you are reading Paul’s letter 2000 years later shows that he was right! How have you experienced the power of God’s Word in your life? From what chains of brokenness has God’s power freed you?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.29.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Monday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

2 Timothy 1:1-14

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In this week’s GPS guide, we will read the entire text of 2 Timothy, probably the last letter the apostle Paul wrote. (If you have time, read Acts 16:1-4, where we learn how Paul first met Timothy, the young man who became one of his most trusted co-workers and friends.)

• What do you learn from these verses about how Paul felt about Timothy and his family? How does Paul want Timothy to go about serving God’s people?
• What phrases in this passage tell you that Paul is a prisoner as he writes this letter? According to verses 10-12, what gives Paul confidence in spite of his difficult circumstances?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.28.08

Use this weekly prayer to help you begin your time with God each day.

Dear God, thank you for inspiring people like Moses, David, Luke, Paul (and others whose names we don’t even know) to write the books that make up the Bible. Thank you for guiding the church as it collected these books. Please guide me, too, as I study the Bible, and help me hear your voice through my study. Amen.

Click here to download a printable version of this week’s GPS

9.27.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Saturday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

Luke 9:25-26

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Jesus had a remarkable knack for getting at what was essential with a minimum of words—and he certainly did that with this pointed question. Open your heart to Jesus’ question, asking God to help you accurately value what’s at stake in your daily decisions.

• Do you know who the “real you,” the person God intends you to be, is? Have you learned how to locate God’s “true north” for your life, or do the expectations and approval of others drive many of your choices? Listen inwardly for God’s direction as you pray today.
• Review your personal goals in the light of Jesus’ words. What “price tags” are attached to each of the goals? Are they all prices that you are spiritually wise to pay? How will they shape the legacy you will leave behind at the end of your life?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.26.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Friday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

Psalm 25:1-7

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What we leave behind matters—and, if we’re honest, we know that our moral legacy will not sparkle in God’s sunlight, totally free of defects and failures. The psalmist celebrates the fact that, in this crucial respect, we serve a forgetful God, one whose grace blots out the shame and the failures from our life.

• What are the chapters of your life that, like the psalmist, you want God to forget? Have you ever talked to God about them, owning your failure and asking for forgiveness? If not (or if some of them still haunt you with guilt), make that a focus of your prayer today.
• As he asks God to forget the failures of the past, the psalmist also requests that God will show the right path, the ways of living that God desires. In what decisions do you need God’s guidance today? Are you open to doing what God wants you to do in those areas?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.25.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Thursday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3

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By many human standards, Paul left nothing much behind when his life ended: no property, no financial assets, not even a spotless legal record! But in this passage, he shows that he evaluated his life by a different measure—the people whose lives he had touched.

• Who has been a “Paul” in your life—a person who has shaped you spiritually, and whose sincerity and example have drawn you to Christ? If that person is still living, when did you last express your appreciation?
• Who are the people in whom you are investing yourself—family, co-workers, friends? In what ways do you seek to make sure your impact on their lives could be described, in Paul’s image, as a life-giving fragrance?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.24.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Wednesday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

Matthew 7:15-23

What an animal leaves behind matters little, except that it shows the animal’s feeding habits and well-being. Similarly, Jesus said we learn about a tree’s inner makeup from the fruit it bears—and, in the end, the key spiritual reality for all of us is not how good we look publicly, but whether we know God or not.

• We often read these verses mainly in reference to religious leaders who fail morally—but the principle works the other way, too. Are there people you have learned to trust more as you have seen the fruit God bears in their life and work? What kind of “fruit” do you find most persuasive?
• In verse 22, Jesus notes that certain kinds of “showy” actions do not necessarily show that a person knows God. How closely does your inner life align with the public “face” you show at church? What makes authenticity more valuable than outward show in God’s sight?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.23.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Tuesday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

Luke 12:13-21
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“What will I leave behind?” is a challenging, significant question. In this passage, Jesus addressed one of the most common human answers to that question, and pointed to the tragic triviality of a life lived in order to leave behind primarily a big collection of money and “stuff.”

• When public figures discuss their financial dealings, they regularly use the word “security.” The Contemporary English Version translates verse 15 as “Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.” What’s your definition of “security”? Do Jesus’ words challenge or affirm your definition?
• Who have you known who, as far as you could tell, had a “rich” relationship with God? What could you observe that helped that person build that kind of relationship? What impact, if any, has that person’s example had on your own spiritual life?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.22.08

Here are the daily scripture and reflection questions for Monday. Click on the scripture link below to access today’s reading, then take time to reflect on the questions below.

Acts 9:36-42

There are many ways of blessing others. Tabitha (Dorcas—meaning “gazelle” – in
Greek) was apparently not much of a preacher, but God equipped her to sew, and gave her a heart for the poor. She was clearly known by what she left behind—the “show and tell” time in verse 39 is a deeply touching scene.

• To what extent do you think behavior like Tabitha’s is a matter of natural inclination, and to what extent do you believe it reflects intentional moral choices? What choices are you making to bless others with whatever talents and gifts you have been given?
• God used both Peter, the apostle, preacher and healer, and Tabitha, the seamstress with a compassionate heart, to lead many to believe in Jesus. What role(s) has God equipped you to play in the work of the gospel? How committed are you to doing your part in helping others to believe?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

9.21.08

Use this weekly prayer to help you begin your time with God each day.

Dear God, I get so caught up in the busyness of life, and I forget to stop, be still and know that you are God. Remind me to take a longer look at my life, and to reflect on what I will leave behind after all is said and done. Amen.

Click here to download a printable version of this week’s GPS