Well I read a ton yesterday and this morning. I started off yesterday with a solid 90 minutes of 2 Kings and 1 Chronicles, then I wrote my message for Sunday night. Sometimes it’s a real struggle to get the words of a message out, not yesterday. I had clear direction of where I wanted to go before hand, and that morning Bible reading session provided the text I was looking for. I love it when it all comes together so simply; you know God is at work in that.
I was already halfway done with The Circle Maker when I started this new challenge, and I chose to finish this book more as a way to ease into finding a reading schedule than just to tie up loose ends. It’s always providential how you can stop in a book, then pick it up and you’re in a new season of life. That has been the case restarting The Circle Maker the last 2 days.
I’ve really stepped up my prayer in the last two weeks, and I am really seeking out what God is saying more than I am telling God my stuff. My focus has been more on others, than on myself. It’s a much better prayer perspective to have. I tweeted a couple key things I read (follow me by clicking the little twitter icon to the right).
“One prayer can accomplish more than 1,000 plans”
“The best prayer doesn’t involve words, the best prayer is a life well lived”
Sometimes we plan things out based on what we want, or what seems like the natural thing to do. But if God isn’t in it, what a wasted plan to have made. Also, why would I try to do something on my own, when God can accomplish anything anytime? I great quote that was repeated multiple times within what I read was “Work like it depends on you, pray like it depends on God”. It’s too easy to get caught up working like it depends on you, and forgetting that God can accomplish it with a simple prayer. The last few weeks has helped me get back to a healthy perspective on God, and my role with Him. Prayer is more important, but we work like it depends on us rather than lazily sitting on the side waiting.
The second quote I tweeted follows along the lines of one of my life quotes. St. Francis of Assisi wrote :Preach the Gospel at all times–If necessary, use words.” I want my life to be a sermon, and so this quote really filled into that well. Living my life well is the best prayer I can pray. It’s now added in with my life quote 🙂
The final 2 areas I read about were great challenges and reminders. The first was on fasting. I love to fast, Amanda doesn’t like it when I do. Short fasts are fine, but I’ll go on these extended liquid fasts and after awhile, I get really irritable (more than normal!). But the benefit is amazing. I always receive something great from God in those times. I also enjoy the added discipline that makes me conscious of more things happening around me.
The second was on goal setting, and I wrote down the 10 tips for setting life goals. I’m going to start putting my list together. Some people call it a bucket list, but I like the term life goal better. These aren’t things I hope to cross off before I die, they’re accomplishments I want to experience while I’m alive. So look for that soon, and it will always be added to/crossed off as the list is more like an organism that grows as I grow.
Do you have a life goal list? How did organize it? What kind of things are on it?
Written by Sean
Topics: Sean's Blog