Praise and Renewal

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2, New American Standard Bible).

What is the biggest transformation you've seen? As believers, God transforms His people because of His love. This transformation begins when we are first saved, but we can continue to grow after we have been redeemed.

A living and holy sacrifice to God. While Jesus was on earth, He showed us how to be a living and holy sacrifice to God. Although we are not God and are not perfect, walking with God is our goal. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10), so we walk to live out that faith. We can follow God's Word by His power that works through the Holy Spirit that is given to believers. We can have transformed bodies and minds with His power, as we grow closer in our relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

A service of worship. Worship is done out of devotion to Him, to praise Him. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, we are told that God loves a cheerful giver. This is a matter of heart, since God cares more about our relationship with Him. He wants to transform our hearts (Isaiah 29:13). We were dead in our sins, but as believers God makes us alive in Him (Romans 6:13).

The world's will vs. God's will. The flesh's will and God's will stand in contrast, since God's will is good, acceptable, and perfect (verse 2). We have seen His perfect love and mercy in His Son, Jesus, who came to rescue us from a life caught up in sin (Galatians 1:4) to bring us into life with Christ.

Dear Lord, we want to savor You and Your Son. Help us praise You with our lives. Help us share more of who You are with others this weekend. Amen.

Recommended reading: "The Sacrifice of Praise" by John Piper - you can find it on the Desiring God blog here.
Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo of Yolanda Adams is a Getty Photo found on www.examiner.com.
Hear a song sung by Yolanda, "Lift Him Up" at www.youtube.com.

We pray they grow in the Lord

"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude" (Colossians 2:6-7, New American Standard Bible).

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh" (Jude 20-23, NASB).

Praise for a firm foundation. When someone we know comes to receive Christ and be a follower of Him, they have a firm foundation to keep going because they are rooted in who God is. As believers, we have access to talk with Him and pray with Him because of Christ's sacrifice, and we can depend on Him to receive us with mercy. Let us pray thanks and celebrate that this new believer has Christ as their firm foundation!

Prayer for perseverance. Also, we can pray this person looks to keep following Christ's lead and growing in their faith in who God is. Hebrews 9:28 reads, "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him" (NASB). We can pray that even as this person falls into sin again, we can remember we are all human and pray this person sees they still need God. Thank God that when we sin, God does not wish to destroy or to banish His children. It's His desire to win us back, forgive us for our sins and lead us into lives of repentance. So for this new believing brother or sister, we can pray they continue to love and follow God.

Lord, thank You that this new believer has a faith devoted to trusting in You. Help their faith grow and help them persevere in following You.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999)

See music video by David Barnes, "Carry Me Through" on www.youtube.com

Growing your leadership strengths

What has God called you to do to lead others? How can God help you grow in the strengths He has given you?

On July 30-31, 2012, the North American Mission Board hosted the SEND North America Conference at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia. Church leaders, church planters, and others joined in worship, breakouts and discussions. Through these sessions, they sought to share and gain wisdom in how we can reach the world today with God's message of salvation.

One breakout led by Jaye Martin, called "Growing My Leadership Strengths," talked through how you can grow as a leader and become more effective in the skills you need to follow God's call. A link to the audio from this breakout session may be found at the link below. Also, panel discussions, question and answer sessions, and sermons can be found from the conference at the link below it. May God fill You with wisdom and encouragement in how He is leading you to grow and lead for Him today.

www.namb.net - SNA Conference - "Growing Your Leadership Strengths" Audio with Jaye Martin

www.namb.net - SNA Conference - Audio/Video

Image above from http://www.namb.net/SendNetwork/Resources/

We pray for holiness

"Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification that without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14, New American Standard Bible).

With this verse, we can see how God calls us not only to turn to Him, but also to follow Him. As we seek to be holy, we seek to live lives that reflect Him. Now, it is easy for us to see how imperfect we are. Yet, we serve a God who is holy, so we pray to God for the strength to be more like Him, so that others may see the change He is making in us everyday.

The Israelites are a great example of how God loves His people. They would turn to God for direction, and God asked them to be a holy nation that lives differently since God is their leader. We can read how God blessed them and helped them see how to live lives that are different in a way that honors Him. They fell into sin, though, just like we have done. God sent them into exile, but He did not leave them. He taught them over time who He was and who He created them to be.

The neat thing is that now, we have been given Christ as an example of who God is and how we are to live on earth. He has given those who believe in and receive His call to turn to Him the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity, God three in one - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - are all a part of who God is. He is our Creator and He already loves us, but He can make us into more and more of a reflection of Him. There is the hope that the more we reflect God, our Savior and life-changer, that others will see God and want to know Him, too.

Lord, please make us more and more like You. Lead us in how we can be holy so others see You and the change You can make in a life. Thank You for Your word and Your sacrfice. Please help us live for You today. Amen.

The above devotion is based on the verse meant to be studied from HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (1999, Jaye Martin).