(From our church-wide devotion book at Pinedale Christian Church, "You 2.0”)

Day 13

How are the “features” we discussed this week - (joy, peace, patience, hope, self-control) - more than mere niceties? Do you think that they are radically counter-cultural in their true form?

Which features do you most recognize in yourself? Which ones do you have most trouble submitting to the will of the Holy Spirit? What would others say?

How can we submit more to the will of the Holy Spirit living in us?

What are the habits that can help cultivate His “fruit” in us?

What would it look like in your life to more readily ‘walk’ or ‘keep in step’ with the Spirit?

PRAYER:
Father – I want to be more like You, but so often, I stumble. I want a more mature faith, a stronger relationship with You – one that is not easily tossed about by strong winds or moved by shifting landscapes.

So Lord, please deepen my roots and strengthen my faith. Help me to know You better and to love You more fully. Forgive my unbelief, and open my eyes to see where You are at work. Lord, in every area of my life, help me to grow closer to You and to become more like You.

This week we read about the new things that You are doing in me. Please help those things to grow. Give me wisdom to see how to facilitate that growth, and help me to draw closer to You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Day 14

This week we will look at the warning label that comes attached to the life God has given us. This label looks nothing like the tag on the bottom of your couch or the sticker you pull from a new appliance you’ve just purchased. Instead, it is strategically placed throughout Scripture so that we might understand the finer points of walking with Christ. How do we stay connected with Christ in a hostile world? This is an especially crucial question since we each carry around an old nature that tries to deceive us and sidetrack our journey.

Do you remember the (original) Karate Kid movies? Mr. Miyagi, a Japanese maintenance man and Karate expert, teaches a young Jersey boy (Daniel) how to defend himself from a gang of martial-arts-trained bullies. One of the great scenes of the movie happens involves the simple chores Miyagi asks Daniel to perform: “Wax on, wax off,” he demonstrates, as he shows Daniel the proper way to wax a fleet of cars. “Paint the fence. Side to side,” he demands, as he shows Daniel a long, wooden fence.

Daniel thinks the instructions are useless until Miyagi simulates an attack on Daniel, and Daniel blocks the attack with a “wax on” move, then a “wax off” move, then a “paint the fence move,” etc. To Daniel’s surprise, Miyagi had been strengthening and training him through simple instruction. Each movement is an exercise in defense through repetition and muscle memory.

Our “Manufacturer’s Warning Label” that we will study this week is very similar. All warning labels start with the word “Don’t” – DO NOT:

DO NOT quench the Holy Spirit
DO NOT forget
DO NOT rely on yourself
DO NOT worry
DO NOT disconnect from others

A wise God is speaking into the lives of His children, knowing that we are prone to do the OPPOSITE of these instructions. Like Miyagi, God knows we do not naturally know how to defend ourselves from ourselves! Our greatest enemy is our own tendency to disconnect from the power of God. God’s simple warnings invite a change in our natural pre-Christian attitude. They also require us to “practice” with focus and intensity, so that when our enemy (flesh, world, and devil) attacks, we will “naturally/instinctively” react according to our new training.

Look at each of the individual warnings on the list in the center of the pageand answer the following question in anticipation of our study this week:

Why would God want me to know and practice this instinctively?

PREPARE FOR TONIGHT’S HOME ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP

Look back over the devotions from the past week. Which devotions were most meaningful to you?

Why?

What is God teaching you about new life in Him?