The Purpose

Day 18: “Experiencing Life Together.”

“Point to Ponder: I need others in my life.”

“Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

This chapter hits home hard for me. Over this last year, being involved in church has been my lifeline.

When my dad died.
When my grief was too much to handle on my own.
When I was handed divorce papers.
When I needed somewhere to live.
When it was all I could do to just get out of bed.

God surrounded me with the most amazing people right in the midst of my biggest battles. I could’ve shut down and shut them out. But God kept telling me to be vulnerable, to be honest, and to continue walking with Jesus. I remember praying everyday to not let the things that were going on in my personal life affect my relationship with others. I didn’t want to overgeneralize the hurt I was feeling and shut down completely.

When I felt alone, God sent me people who had been through it too.
When I felt angry, God sent me people to calm me down.
When I felt unlovable, God sent me people to tell me that I am loved.
When I felt overwhelmed, God sent me people to help.

I have made friends, in this hardest year of my life, that I know will last for a lifetime. I have grown so much in my relationship with God. Which in turn has made me love others deeper than ever before.

I am alive and thriving and on fire for Jesus.
I am so stinking grateful for this hard gut wrenching year.
I am so thankful for my church and my amazing church family.
It is so overwhelmingly amazing to be able to serve Jesus in all that I do.
Friends, we are so much better together.

“Question to Consider: What one step can I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart-to-heart level?”

Day 16: “What Matter Most”

“Point to Ponder: Life is all about Love.”

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

Me again, with defining terms. What does love look like to you? It seems silly but all of us love in vastly different ways. Do you know your love language?

https://5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/love-language

The Five Love Languages that Dr. Gary Chapman talk about are:

Acts of Service
Receiving Gifts
Quality Time
Words of Affirmation
Physical Touch

My two major love languages in how I receive love are Acts of Service and Quality Time. But how I express love is through Acts of Service, Quality Time, and Words of Affirmation. Secretly, it takes me awhile to get to a point where I feel comfortable giving others hugs but because I know many people that love with Physical Touch, I endure. Also, I love GIVING gifts but I don’t really like getting gifts. But however you love, it is important for you to know yourself in that way. Because that is how you can truly teach others to love you and well. Your journey doesn’t stop there though. Identifying the way others love and receive love is important too. Especially for those that you are closest to. You aren’t truly loving someone by assuming what you like is what they like.

But our relationship with God is different. In that, he doesn’t require anything extravagant from you to show your love for him. I feel closest to God and the most love from God when I am serving him, when I am spending quality time with him with or without others, and writing to glorify him.

One of the major ways God shows his love for us is through grace.

When I get “too busy” to spend time with him. He doesn’t lose his temper with me.
When I get distracted by the world. He doesn’t say “Ashley not this again” or “Come back down to Earth.”
When I do something that doesn’t glorify him. He doesn’t shame or condemn me.

It reminds me of the story of Jesus and Peter in John 21.
This is right after Jesus had appeared to the disciples after he had been crucified.
Before that, Peter had denied Jesus 3 times.
And Jesus asked Peter if he loved him three different times.
Peter told Jesus “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said “Feed my sheep.”

Friends, Jesus doesn’t condemn you. He is saying let’s get going from here.
Figure out in which ways you love and use them to glorify God. You’ll never regret it.

“Question to Consider: Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?”

The Love Language™ Quiz Discover your primary love language and how you can use it to better connect with your loved ones.

I will get caught up and back on track tomorrow. How is everyone doing?

https://youtu.be/P-Zp586pvZg

Day 13: “Worship that pleases God.”

“Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.”

“Love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NIV)

After I read today’s chapter, I took the morning church service in differently. You see, instead of going straight to writing my post, I wanted to really take a good look at how I take in services at church.

I teach youth Sunday school and with this in the back of my head, I struggled a little bit. As we talked about the promise to come in Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Today we talked in further depth about what it means to have a “Wonderful Counselor.” We touched on many of the concepts that this book is leaning into. It is truly not about me. God wants us to walk in obedience. God wants us to surrender ourselves to him.

But what God revealed to me during this time together is that sometimes it is necessary to just sit in with others and get on their level. Asking them the questions that others don’t typically ask them. Questions specifically about their world. And what you find is people don’t understand true vulnerability because they aren’t often met with compassion and empathy from others. In fact, many people think that they have nothing to offer the world because they aren’t the best at something. Sometimes the compassion and empathy from another is all it takes to encourage someone. Sometimes, it is more important to model the life of Jesus than to talk about it. No, It doesn’t look like a typical bible study room. Or a typical Sunday school class. At times we are sitting on the floor in a circle just sharing hard truths about our worlds and genuinely validating the feelings of others. One thing is for sure, no matter where you are in your willingness to be vulnerable. The safest place to lay something down is at the feet of Jesus.

You might be thinking… How does this relate to worship that pleases God? Friends, worship is not a one size fits all. It is not always about singing and reciting prayers. It doesn’t always have to have bible references or a video to go along with it. It doesn’t always require being in a set building and it doesn’t require you to sit in the same seat every Sunday.

Worshipping God is doing the things you are really good at and somehow at times really bad at for His glory. Sometimes we get so caught up in saying what we get out of church. “The sermon was great this week, I got a lot out of it.” Sound familiar? It does to me I say it almost every week. Which is why this steps on my toes maybe more than it does yours. What if we flipped it? Not in a way to brag or to take credit. But what if we walked out of church saying something like… “Church was really good today… These are all the ways that I got to serve God.”

Our society tells us to constantly do things to make ourselves happy. It is why we search for the things we like and why we are really good at communicating what we don’t like.
God tells us to serve him. Oh but dear friend, don’t think for one second that he won’t take what you give, multiply it, and give it back to you. Because he wants you to do it again.

More of you, God.
Less of me.

“Question to Consider: Which is more pleasing to God right now - my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about
this?”

www.purposedriven.com/day13

Day13 - Purpose Driven In Chapter 13, we’re talking about worship that pleases God. And the kind of worship that pleases God has nothing to do with the style of worship. The Bible says that there are two qualifications for worship that is pleasing to God. Those that worship God, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

https://youtu.be/otBqZVSSZMo

Day 11: "Becoming Best Friends with God"

"Point to Ponder: God wants to be my best friend."

"Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him." Psalm 25:14A (LB)

Nothing quite says "I love you" like a 90s R&B song. 😂

When this song came out as a single in 1999, we would listen to it on repeat in my mom's car or at full blast volume on a CD walkman. I remember thinking that it was the coolest thing to think of Jesus being my best friend.

You know the thing I love most about being besties with Jesus?

Grace

God knows I don't deserve it. But because of Jesus I am redeemed.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13



"Question to Consider: What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day?"

www.purposedriven.com/day11

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Day 10: “The Heart of Worship”

“Point to Ponder: The heart of worship is surrender.”

“Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.” Romans 6:13B (TEV)

If you are like me, the word surrender may make you utterly sick to your stomach. When I think of surrender, I think about someone waving a white flag and saying that they quit. I wasn’t raised to be a fighter but I am one. And quitting goes against everything that my prideful flesh desires to be.

In the last few years, I have grown exponentially in my relationship with God. I have learned so much about who God is and why he is so so GOOD. Then as you know, God put it on my heart last year to take the next step and walk in obedience with him. One step closer to surrendering my heart to him. But y’all I am so stubborn. I knew that to live a spirit led life you have you put yourself to the side. BUT how???

I had been adamantly praying the same prayer over and over. It says in Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” This bible verse was at the center of my prayer for 7 long and testing months. What some of you don’t know, is that the person I loved with my whole entire heart closed his heart off to me. It is one of the hardest things in the world to watch your very best friend fall out of love with you. But God… while I was persistently praying for a softened heart, God was working on me. Showing me the areas that I can grow and continue to be molded for his will and his glory.

I would like to tell you here that after 7 months, God softened the hardened heart towards me but instead he softened mine. On May 1 of 2022, I changed my prayer from “God please soften his heart of stone” to “God if it is not your will, I don’t want it.” I was waving my white flag. I was ready to surrender.

The life I worked so hard to build, came crashing down around me. God revealed to me all the things and people that I had in my life that were holding me back from him. But friends, there will not be rain without rainbows. You see, even though this year has been more than I can handle on my own, God held me so close. And he has sent me the most amazing and wonderful people to fill my time with and to pour into. God has shown me how much my story matters and how much I can use my story to help others. God has taught me how beautiful surrender and vulnerabilty can be.

My sweet friends,
God is your strength, so do not be afraid to be weak.
God is your refuge, so never be afraid of the storms of life.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46

“Question to Consider: What area of my life am I holding back from God?”

www.purposedriven.com/day10