Your Personal Grow-Pray-Study (GPS) Guide

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Day 1: Read Luke 9:35. If it’s true we can only listen to one voice at a time. How do you make sure Jesus’ voice is the One you are hearing?  What hinders your hearing Jesus speak into your life? What helps?

Day 2: Read Psalm 119:38-39. When we hear the word “laws”, we think of rules. The Jews think of revelation, even relationships. How have God’s good laws guided your life in the past week?

Day 3: Read Psalm 119:37. As you read this verse, what worthless things came to mind? How has the worthless pulled you away from worshiping God? Hearing His voice?

Day 4: Read Luke 9:30-31. What are some things of “great worth” that pull your eyes away from looking at God? What helps you to keep your focus on God?

Day 5: Read Psalm 119:35. As you consider the 5 practices we’ve studied this year, which ones fall into a duty that you do? Which ones have become a delight you experience?

Day 6: Read Psalm 119:33. If like David you were to pray, “Teach me, Lord”, what would you want God to teach you right now?

Recent additional GO DEEPER reading opportunities available on Amazon Books (#ad):

• "Cultivating Faith: A Christ-like Servant Leader Journey" by Sue von Fange & Jason Christ [for adult individual use]
• "Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders" by Sue Steege [for family devotions]
• “The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People” by John Ortberg
• “Better Together: How Christians Can Be a Welcome Influence in Their Neighborhoods” by Barna Group

You can also watch this week's sermon or read the full message & GPS here.

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Day 1: Read Matthew 25:35-36. In the world, love is something you feel. To Jesus, love is something you do. Where do you find it easy to “do” love? When is expressing love challenging? Why? 

Day 2: Read 1 Peter 4:8. Love is the superpower for service. When you serve others, you express the greatness of God’s love to others. When have you experienced the power of God’s love at work when you serve? Where do you need to experience that loving superpower at work in your life?

Day 3: Read 1 Peter 4:10. Peter describes how God’s gifting empowers us with practical gifts of grace to serve others inside the church and outside in the community. What spiritual gifts has God given you to put to work to serve others? How are you using them in our church and out in our community

Day 4: Read 1 Peter 4:9. What cause you to grumble when you serve? What leads you to serve with gratitude? Why does grumbling or gratitude happen in serving?

Day 5: Read 1 Peter 4:11. How is God part of your serving? How does making Him the object of your service inspire you to serve?

Day 6: Read Matthew 25:37-40. The Holy Spirit has you securely connected to Himself. Start serving somewhere, somehow, someway, no strings attached. Where is God calling you to serve? What’s holding you back? Moving you forward?

Recent additional GO DEEPER reading opportunities available on Amazon Books (#ad):

• "Cultivating Faith: A Christ-like Servant Leader Journey" by Sue von Fange & Jason Christ [for adult individual use]
• "Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders" by Sue Steege [for family devotions]
• “Better Together: How Christians Can Be a Welcome Influence in Their Neighborhoods” by Barna Group
  
• "Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others" by Mark Mittelberg and Lee Strobel

You can also watch this week's sermon or read the full message & GPS here.

Photo by Kate Kalvach on Unsplash

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Day 1: Read 1 Timothy 2:3-4. You’ve never locked eyes with someone Jesus doesn’t want to save. Who specifically by name are you praying for to come to Jesus? (If you have no names, pray for Jesus to lead you to someone to pray for this week.)

Day 2: Read Matthew 28:19-20. As you go through life today, think about the people who cross your path in conversation, at work, at home. Pray for God to draw each one closer to Him and to a living relationship with Jesus.

Day 3: Read Acts 17:28. How well do you listen to others? Think of a conversation you had yesterday, what do you remember the other person saying? How might that be a connection point with hearing then sharing Jesus?

Day 4: Read Acts 17:32. Think about someone you know who doesn’t know Jesus. What interests them? What do they talk about the most? How might the Holy Spirit be giving you some clues, some connection points, to hear their story and to tell Jesus’ story?

Day 5: Read 1Peter 3:15. Are you prepared to tell Jesus’ story? How has God been at work in your life so far this year? Write it out. Edit. Practice. Pray then be ready to share when the time comes.

Day 6: Read Colossians 4:5-6. What opportunities is God giving you to connect with others? How are you doing to seize those opportunities? Who might the Holy Spirit want to lead you to listen and share Jesus’ story?

Recent additional GO DEEPER reading opportunities available on Amazon Books (#ad):

• "Cultivating Faith: A Christ-like Servant Leader Journey" by Sue von Fange & Jason Christ [for adult individual use]
• "Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others" by Mark Mittelberg and Lee Strobel
• "Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders" by Sue Steege [for family devotions]
• “Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer” by Max Lucado

You can also watch this week's sermon or read the full message & GPS here.

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Pastor Burkey encourages us each day this week to pray the five petitions from the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:

God, bring me closer to You.

God, I surrender to Your agenda.

God, give me what I need today.

God, keep me in a right relationship with You and others.

God, keep me on the right path for my life today.

Day 1: Read Luke 11:1-4. How have you learned to grow in your prayer life? What are some key lessons you have learned? How does Jesus’ answer to the question about teaching the disciples to pray help you today to grow in your prayer life?

Day 2: Read Luke 11:11-13. Consider your walk with God over the last month, how have you grown closer to God? What might be the next step He invites you to take to grow closer to Him as Father and to hallow His name?

Day 3: Read Luke 22:42. Where have you been pursuing your way instead of God’s way? What do you need to surrender to His agenda?

Day 4: Read Luke 11:5-8. More than just daily bread, Jesus invites us to bring all our needs to God. What do you need from God today?

Day 5: Read Romans 3:23-24. Turns out forgiveness is a gift that keeps giving. God forgives you so that you can forgive others. Where do you need forgiveness from God today? Who do you need to forgive?

Day 6: Read Luke 11:9-10. What tempts you to sin? What wrong path are you on or about to travel? What steps do you need to take to get back on track with God?

Recent additional GO DEEPER reading opportunities available on Amazon Books (#ad):

• "Cultivating Faith: A Christ-like Servant Leader Journey" by Sue von Fange & Jason Christ [for adult individual use]
• "Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders" by Sue Steege [for family devotions]
• “Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer” by Max Lucado
• “Searching the Scriptures: Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs” by Charles R. Swindoll

You can also watch this week's sermon or read the full message & GPS here.

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Day 1: Read John 1:14. The power of the words of the Bible is the relationship one has with the Word that became flesh. What has been your experience in reading the Bible? How will reading the Bible become a daily habit in your life?

Day 2: Read John 15:3-4. Dietrich Bonhoeffer observed, “Because I am a Christian, therefore, every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God’s Word in Holy Scripture is a lost day for me. I can only move forward with certainty upon the firm ground of the Word of God.”  What might help you read God’s Word each day? A push on your phone to open your YouVersion app to read? A cup of coffee? Laying your Bible out the night before where you will see it to read in the morning? What difference happens on days you read the Bible and days you don’t?

Day 3: Read Hebrews 5:13-14. In addition to reading the Bible, it’s good to reflect on what the Bible says. How do you reflect on God’s Word? Try the 3 A’s and their questions as you read God’s Word today.

A – Adore – what leads me to praise God from what I just read? 

A – Admit – what sin do I need to confess?

A – Aspire – what is God calling me to do?

Day 4: Read James 1:22. Rick Warren says about this verse, “You only believe the parts of the Bible you actually do.” What parts of the Bible do you find easy to do? What parts of the Bible are challenging for you? How might the Holy Spirit lead you to do, to live out, God’s Word today? How did He do that for you yesterday?

Day 5: Read Matthew 7:24-25. Want a solid foundation for your life? Build upon Jesus' teaching, His sacrificial love to make you His own, dying on the cross for our sins and rising again. His empowering love connection, vine to branch, to keep the nutrients of His love pouring into our lives and through our lives. What disconnects you from God’s love? How does God’s Word strengthen your connection with God?

Day 6: Read John 15:7-8. The Bible does a great job of describing what to do – love God, love others. Here’s where it might get challenging, how to do what you know what to do? For example, we are told to love others. Think of two people you know. Do they each have their own love language? Do they each have their own understanding and experience of what it means to be loved? The “what” is the same for your response to both, you are to love them. The “how” is at times different to express that love. How might you express your love to both in the week ahead?

Recent additional GO DEEPER reading opportunities:

• "Cultivating Faith: A Christ-like Servant Leader Journey" by Sue von Fange & Jason Christ [for adult individual use] {Amazon Kindle #ad} and "Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders" by Sue Steege [for family devotions] {Amazon Kindle #ad}
• “Searching the Scriptures: Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs” by Charles R. Swindoll {Amazon Kindle #ad}
• “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World” by John Mark Comer {Amazon Kindle #ad}

You can also watch this week's sermon or read the full message & GPS here.

Photo by Clément Falize on Unsplash

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Day 1: Read Matthew 11:28-30. How good are you at stopping to rest? What excites you about Jesus' offer for rest? What “yoke” of His teaching guides your life?

Day 2: Read Deuteronomy 5:12-14. What is one Sabbath practice you follow to provide rest for your mind, body, and soul? What Sabbath practice might God be calling you to add?

Day 3: Read Isaiah 58:13-14. What would you do for a 24-hour period of time if the only criteria were to pursue your deepest joy? What’s stopping you from doing so? What helps you to pursue such joy and embrace Sabbath?

Day 4: Read Psalm 37:4-5. What are the desires of your heart? Name at least 3. Take time to commit those desires in prayer to the Lord. How can you pursue those desires as part of embracing the Sabbath?

Day 5: Read Hebrews 10:23-25. When we gather for worship, we offer food for the soul from God’s Word and from God’s table. How have you been fed from Sabbath worship either online or onsite this month? Mark your calendar so that each Sunday you take time to worship God with others?

Day 6: Read 1 Corinthians 11:26. In this special meal, we receive the body and blood of Jesus in the bread and wine. In this meal, our sins are forgiven, and Jesus is with us in a way that you can see, touch, taste, and experience. What makes celebrating the Lord’s Supper special for your faith journey?

Recent additional GO DEEPER reading opportunities:

• "Cultivating Faith: A Christ-like Servant Leader Journey" by Sue von Fange & Jason Christ [for adult individual use] {Amazon Kindle #ad} and "Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders" by Sue Steege [for family devotions] {Amazon Kindle #ad}
• “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World” by John Mark Comer {Amazon Kindle #ad}
• "Dream Big, Think Small: Living an Extraordinary Life One Day at a Time" by Jeff Mannion {Amazon Kindle #ad}

You can also watch this week's sermon or read the full message & GPS here.

Photo by Eilis Garvey on Unsplash
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Day 1: Isaiah 43:1. The world speaks of life as an accident, God speaks of life with purpose and intention. You are His child. One that Jesus came to save. One that Jesus loves dearly. How does the world define who you are? How does God define who you are? Which image of your life are you following the world’s or God’s? Why?

Day 2: 1 John 3:1. As a child of God, God has given you life and God has given you a purpose to be a Christlike servant leader. You might be thinking, me, a leader? Yes, you are a Christlike servant leader! First, you lead yourself. Then He invites and empowers you to lead others. Where is God calling you to lead yourself and others in the year ahead?

Day 3: Luke 3:22. God’s grace at work in the waters of baptism makes you His child. Some Christians stop there and think that’s all there is. It’s true in baptism, God gives all you need to be saved. What some miss out is that God gives even more. God not only gives what you need to be saved, God invites you to be part of the adventure of a lifetime, to sail the high seas of life with Him. Where do you need the power of God’s amazing grace at work to take your next step as His child?

Day 4: Philippians 2:12-13. First, Paul says work out your own salvation, which means your role is important. He goes on to say, "For it is God who is at work in you." You're not doing this project on your own. Cultivating faith, dynamic discipleship development, is empowered by God; it's impossible without Him. How have you seen God work spiritual growth in your life? Where do you need to grow spiritually right now?

Day 5: 2 Peter 3:18. Becoming a Christian is the work of a moment, being a Christian is the work of a lifetime. How do you see yourself growing in grace and knowledge of God? What obstacles are in your way? What stops time with God? How can those be removed by Him? By you? 

Day 6: Isaiah 43:2-3. When life is at its roughest, God is with you and brings forth His best. What rough waters are you facing? Where do you need to remind yourself that God is with you? Take time to thank Him for His presence and ask Him that you will sense His presence, power and peace with you today.

Recent additional GO DEEPER reading opportunities:

• "Cultivating Faith: A Christ-like Servant Leader Journey" by Sue von Fange & Jason Christ [for adult individual use] {Amazon Kindle #ad} and "Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders" by Sue Steege [for family devotions] {Amazon Kindle #ad}
• “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God” by Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude V. King {Amazon Kindle #ad}
• “The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People” by John Ortberg {Amazon Kindle #ad}

You can also watch this week's sermon or read the full message & GPS here.