DAY 39 - June 2 - BALANCING YOUR LIFE

Blessed are the balanced; they shall outlast everyone!

�Don�t let the errors of evil people lead you down the wrong path and make you lose your balance.� 2 Peter 3:17 (CEV)

One of the events in the summer Olympics is the pentathlon. It is composed of five events. The pentathlete�s goal is to succeed in all five areas, not just one or two. Your life is a pentathlon of five purposes, which you must keep in balance. These purposes were practiced by the first Christians in Acts 2, explained by Paul in Ephesians 4, and modeled by Jesus in John 17, but they are summarized in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission of Jesus.

These two statements sum up God�s five purposes for your life:

1. �LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART�: You were planned for God�s pleasure, so your purpose is to love God through worship.
2. �LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF�: You were shaped for serving, so your purpose is to show love for others through ministry.
3. �GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES�: You were made for a mission, so your purpose is to share God�s message through evangelism.
4. �BAPTIZE THEM INTO ��: You were formed for God�s family, so your purpose is to identify with his church through fellowship.
5. �TEACH THEM TO DO ALL THINGS ��: You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow to maturity through discipleship.

A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 38 - June 1 - BECOMING A WORLD-CLASS CHRISTIAN

The Great Commission is your commission!

�Jesus said to his followers, �Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.�� Mark 16:15 (NCV)

You have a choice to make. You will be either a world-class Christian or a worldly Christian.

Worldly Christians look to God primarily for personal fulfillment. They are saved, but self-centered. They love to attend concerts and enrichment seminars, but you would never find them at a missions conference because they aren�t interested. Their prayers focus on their own needs, blessings, and happiness. They want to use God for their purposes instead of being used for his purposes.

In contrast, world-class Christians know they were saved to serve and made for a mission. They are eager to receive a personal assignment and excited about the privilege of being used by God. World-class Christians are the only fully alive people on the planet. Their joy, confidence, and enthusiasm are contagious because they know they�re making a difference. They wake up each morning expecting God to work through them in fresh ways.

Which type of Christian do you want to be? If you want to be like Jesus, you must have a heart for the whole world. You can�t be satisfied with just your family and friends coming to Christ. There are over 6 billion people on earth, and Jesus wants all his lost children found.

The Great Commission is your commission, and doing your part is the secret to living a life of significance.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 37 - MAY 31 - SHARING YOUR LIFE MESSAGE

God has given you a Life Message to share!

�Your lives are echoing the Master�s Word � The news of your faith in God is out. We don�t even have to say anything anymore � you�re the message!� 1 Thessalonians 1:8 (Msg)

When you became a believer, you also became God�s messenger. God wants to speak to the world through you. Paul said, �We speak the truth before God, as messengers of God.� 2 Corinthians 2:17b(NCV)

You may feel you don�t have anything to share, but that�s the Devil trying to keep you silent. You have a storehouse of experiences that God wants to use to bring others into his family. The Bible says, �Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them.� 1 John 5:10a (GWT)

Your Life Message has four parts to it:
- Your testimony: the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus.
- Your life lessons: the most important lessons God has taught you.
- Your godly passions: the issues God shaped that you care about most.
- The Good News: the message of salvation.

Is anyone going to be in heaven because of you? Will anyone in heaven be able to say to you, �I want to thank you. I�m here because you cared enough to share the Good News with me?� Imagine the joy of greeting people in heaven whom you helped get there. The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important than anything else you will ever achieve in life.

- Pastor Bill Phillips �

DAY 36 - MAY 30 - MADE FOR A MISSION

You were made for a mission!

�In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.� John 17:18 (Msg)

God is at work in the world, and he wants you to join him. This assignment is called your mission. God wants you to have both a ministry in the Body of Christ and a mission in the world. Your life mission is both shared and specific.

Jesus clearly understood his life mission on earth. At age twelve he said, �I must be about my Father�s business,� and twenty-one years later, dying on the cross, he said, �It is finished.� Like bookends, these two statements frame a well-lived, purpose-driven life.

If you will commit to fulfilling your mission in life no matter what it costs, you will experience the blessing of God in ways that few people ever experience. There is almost nothing God won�t do for the man or woman who is committed to serving the kingdom of God.

If you want to be used by God, you must care about what God cares about; what he cares about most is the redemption of the people he made. He wants his lost children found! Nothing matters more to God; the Cross proves that.

Always be on the lookout to reach �one more for Jesus� so that when you stand before God one day, you can say, �Mission accomplished!�

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 35 - MAY 29 - GOD�S POWER IN YOUR WEAKNESS

God loves to use weak people!

�I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.� 2 Corinthians 12:9a (LB)

A weakness is any limitation that you inherited or have no power to change. Everyone has weaknesses. In fact, you have a bundle of flaws and imperfections: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Usually we deny our weaknesses, defend them, excuse them, hide them, and resent them. This prevents God from using them the way he desires.

When you think of the limitation in your life, you may be tempted to conclude, �God could never use me.� But God is never limited by our limitations. Sometimes, however, God turns strength into a weakness in order to use us even more.

Jacob was a manipulator who spent his life scheming and then running from the consequences. One night he wrestled with God and said, �I�m not letting go until you bless me.� God said, �All right,� but then he grabbed Jacob�s thigh and dislocated his hip.

What is the significance of that? God touched Jacob�s strength and turned it into a weakness. From that day forward, Jacob walked with a limp so he could never run away again. It forced him to lean on God whether he liked it or not.

If you want God to bless you and use you greatly, you must be willing to walk with a limp the rest of your life, because God uses weak people.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 34 - MAY 28 - THINKING LIKE A SERVANT

Service starts in your mind!

�Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.� Philippians 2:5-7 (NIV)

Real servants serve God with a mindset of five attitudes:

- Servants think more about others than about themselves.
- Servants think like stewards, not owners.
- Servants think about their work, not what others are doing.
- Servants base their identity in Christ.
- And servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation.

Henri Nouwen said, �In order to be of service to others, we have to die to them; that is, we have to give up measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others � thus we become free to be compassionate.�

When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them best.

Imagine what could happen if just 10 percent of all Christians in the world got serious about their role as real servants. Imagine all the good that could be done. Are you willing to be one of those people?

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 33 - MAY 27 - HOW REAL SERVANTS ACT

We serve God by serving others!

�You can tell what they are by what they do.� Matthew 7:16 (CEV)

In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. Yet, it is possible to serve in church for a lifetime without ever being a servant. You must have a servant�s heart.

Notoriety means nothing to real servants because they know the difference between prominence and significance. In heaven God is going to openly reward some of his most obscure and unknown servants�people we never heard of on earth, who taught emotionally disturbed children, cleaned up after incontinent elderly, nursed AIDS patients, and served in thousands of other unnoticed ways.

Knowing this, don�t be discouraged when your service is unnoticed or taken for granted. Keep on serving God! �Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.� I Corinthians 15:58 (Msg)

Even the smallest service is noticed by God and will be rewarded. Remember the words of Jesus: �If, as my representatives, you give even a cup of cold water to a little child, you will surely be rewarded.� Matthew 10:42 (LB)

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 32 - MAY 26 - USING WHAT GOD GAVE YOU

God deserves your best!

�Since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ�s body, let�s just go ahead and be what we were made to be.� Romans 12:5 (MSG)

He shaped you for a purpose, and he expects you to make the most of what you have been given. Don�t let another day go by. Start finding out and clarifying what God intends for you to be and do.

BEGIN BY ASSESSING YOUR GIFTS AND ABILITIES. The best way to discover your gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service. Until you�re actually involved in serving, you�re not going to know what you�re good at.

CONSIDER YOUR HEART AND YOUR PERSONALITY. This is simple - Paul advised, �Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.� Galatians 6:4b (Msg)

EXAMINE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND EXTRACT THE LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED. Review your life and think about how it has shaped you. Moses told the Israelites, �Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him.� Deuteronomy 11:2 (TEV)

Forgotten experiences are worthless; that�s a good reason to keep a spiritual journal. In heaven we are going to serve God forever. Right now, we can prepare for that eternal service by practicing on earth. Like athletes preparing for the Olympics, we keep training for that big day: �They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You�re after one that�s gold eternally.� 1 Corinthians 9:25 (Msg)

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 31 - MAY 25 - UNDERSTANDING YOUR SHAPE

Only you can be you!

�You shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother�s womb.� Psalm 139:13 (Msg)

God designed each of us so there would be no duplication in the world. No one has the exact same mix of factors that make you unique. That means no one else on earth will ever be able to play the role God planned for you. If you don�t make your unique contribution to the Body of Christ, it won�t be made. �There are different kinds of spiritual gifts � different ways of serving � and different abilities to perform service.� 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (TEV)

Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with. One of the most common excuses people give for not serving is �I just don�t have any abilities to offer.� This is ludicrous. You have dozens, probably hundreds, of untapped, unrecognized, and unused abilities that are lying dormant inside you.

Like stained glass, our different personalities reflect God�s light in many colors and patterns. This blesses the family of God with depth and variety. It also blesses us personally. When you minister in a manner consistent with the personality God gave you, you experience fulfillment, satisfaction, and fruitfulness.

You will be most effective when you use your spiritual gifts and abilities in the area of your heart�s desire, and in a way that best expresses your personality and experiences. The better the fit, the more successful you will be.

- Pastor Bill Phillips- DAY 30 - MAY 24 - SHAPED FOR SERVING GOD

You were shaped to serve God!

�Your hands shaped me and made me.� Job 10:8 (NIV)

Before God created you, he decided what role he wanted you to play on earth. You are the way you are because you were made for a specific ministry. Not only did God shape you before your birth, he planned every day of your life to support his shaping process. God uses all of it to mold you for your ministry to others and shape you for your service to him. �We are God�s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.� Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

God�s custom combination of capabilities is called your SHAPE:

Spiritual Gifts
Heart
Abilities
Personality
Experience

Spiritual gifts are special God-empowered abilities for serving him that are given only to believers. Have you taken time to discover your gifts? An unopened gift is worthless.

Another word for heart is passion. People rarely excel at tasks they don�t enjoy doing or feel passionate about. God wants you to use your natural interests to serve him and others. Figure out what you love to do � what God gave you a heart to do � and then do it for his glory.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 29 - MAY 23 - ACCEPTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT

You were put on earth to make a contribution!

�It is God himself who made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.� Ephesians 2:10 (LB)

YOU WERE CREATED TO SERVE GOD. �God has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.� Ephesians 2:10b (TEV) These �good deeds� are your service to the world. Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God and fulfilling one of your purposes.

YOU WERE SAVED TO SERVE GOD. Have you ever wondered why God doesn�t just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept his grace? Once you are saved, God intends to use you for his goals. God has a ministry for you in his church and a mission for you in the world.

YOU ARE CALLED TO SERVE GOD. The Bible says, �All of you together are Christ�s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.� 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NLT) Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important.

YOU ARE COMMANDED TO SERVE GOD. The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, �Who�s going to meet my needs?� and starts asking, �Whose needs can I meet?� Do you ever ask that question? One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 28 - MAY 22 - IT TAKES TIME

There are no shortcuts to maturity!

�I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.� Philippians 1:6 (LB)

It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time.

While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. Today we�re obsessed with speed, but God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness.

When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn�t think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: �These things I plan won�t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!� Habakkuk 2:3 (LB)

A delay is not a denial from God. Remember how far you�ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. God isn�t finished with you, so keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 27 - MAY 21 - DEFEATING TEMPTATION

There is always a way out!

�Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.� 1 Cor. 10:12 (Msg)

You may sometimes feel that a temptation is too overpowering for you to bear, but that�s a lie from Satan. God has promised never to allow more on you than he puts within you to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome. However, you must do your part too by practicing four biblical keys to defeating temptation.

REFOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON SOMETHING ELSE. Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. So when temptation calls you on the phone, don�t argue with it, just hang up!

REVEAL YOUR STRUGGLE TO A GODLY FRIEND OR SUPPORT GROUP. Authentic, honest fellowship is the antidote to your lonely struggle against those sins that won�t budge. God says it is the only way you�re going to break free.

RESIST THE DEVIL. Without Christ we are defenseless against the Devil, but with �the helmet of salvation� our minds are protected by God. Remember this: If you are a believer, Satan cannot force you to do anything. He can only suggest.

REALIZE YOUR VULNERABILITY. Given the right circumstances, any of us are capable of any sin. We must never let down our guard and think we�re beyond temptation.

Don�t carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Remember that it is easier to stay out of temptation than to get out of it.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 26 - MAY 20 - GROWING THROUGH TEMPTATION

Every temptation is an opportunity to do good!

�Happy is the man who doesn�t give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him.� James 1:12 (LB)

On the path to spiritual maturity, even temptation becomes a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block when you realize that it is just as much an occasion to do the right thing, as it is to do the wrong thing.

While temptation is Satan�s primary weapon to destroy you, God wants to use it to develop you. Every time you choose to do good instead of sin, you are growing in the character of Christ. To understand this, you must first identify the character qualities of Jesus. One of the most concise descriptions of his character is the fruit of the Spirit: �When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.� Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity. Temptations keep us dependent upon God. Just as the roots grow stronger when wind blows against a tree, so every time you stand up to a temptation you become more like Jesus.

Instead of giving in or giving up, look up to God, expect him to help you, and remember the reward that is waiting for you: �When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever.� James 1:12 (NCV)

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 25 - MAY 19 - TRANSFORMED BY TROUBLE

God has a purpose behind every problem!

�For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.� 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)

He uses circumstances to develop our character. In fact, he depends more on circumstances to make us like Jesus than he depends on our reading the Bible. The reason is obvious: You face circumstances twenty-four hours a day.

Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days�when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you�re out of options, when the pain is great�and you turn to God alone.

Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance. Everything! Romans 8:28-29 (NLT) explains why: �We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.�

You see, every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber. Paul said, know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character.� Romans 5:3-4 (NCV)

What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you. Your circumstances are temporary, but your character will last forever.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 24 - MAY 18 - TRANSFORMED BY TRUTH

The truth transforms us!

Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth. Jesus prayed, �Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.� John 17:17 (NIV)

Sanctification requires revelation. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God. To become like Jesus, we must fill our lives with his Word. The Bible says, �Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.� 2 Timothy 3:17 (Msg)

Jesus called it �abiding.� He said, �If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.� John 8:31 (NASB, 1978 Edition) In day-to-day living, abiding in God�s Word includes three activities. You must accept its authority. You must assimilate its truth. And you must apply its principles.

The best way to become a �doer of the Word� is to always write out an action step as a result of your reading or studying or reflecting on God�s Word. Develop the habit of writing down exactly what you intend to do. This action step should be personal (involving you), practical (something you can do), and provable (with a deadline to do it).

What has God already told you to do in his Word that you haven�t started doing yet? As D. L. Moody said, �The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.�

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 23 - MAY 17 - HOW WE GROW

God wants you to grow up!

�God wants us to grow up � like Christ in everything.� Ephesians 4:15a (Msg)

Your heavenly Father�s goal is for you is to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ. Sadly, millions of Christians grow older but never grow up. They are stuck in perpetual spiritual infancy, remaining in diapers and booties. The reason is that they never intended to grow.

When the first disciples chose to follow Jesus, they didn�t understand all the implications of their decision. They simply responded to Jesus� invitation. That�s all you need to get started: decide to become a disciple. Christ-likeness is the result of making Christ-like choices and depending on his Spirit to help you fulfill those choices. Once you decide to get serious about becoming like Christ, you must begin to act in new ways. You will need to let go of some old routines, develop some new habits, and intentionally change the way you think. You can be certain that the Holy Spirit will help you with these changes.

The Bible says, �Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.� Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

The Christian life is far more than creeds and convictions; it includes conduct and character. Our deeds must be consistent with our creeds, and our beliefs must be backed up with Christlike behavior.

- Pastor Bill Phillips - DAY 22 - MAY 16 - CREATED TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST

You were created to become like Christ!

�God knew what he was doing from the beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son � We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.� Romans 8:29 (Msg)

From the very beginning, God�s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus. God announced this intention at Creation: �Then God said, �Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.� Genesis 1:26 (NCV)

God�s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn�t want to destroy it.

We allow Christ to live through us. �For this is the secret: Christ lives in you.� Colossians 1:27 (NLT)

How does this happen in real life? Through the choices we make. We choose to do the right thing in situations and then trust God�s Spirit to give us his power, love, faith, and wisdom to do it. Since God�s Spirit lives inside of us, these things are always available for the asking.

Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could live comfortable, well-adjusted lives. His purpose is far deeper: He wants to make us like himself before he takes us to heaven. This is our greatest privilege, our immediate responsibility, and our ultimate destiny.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 21 - MAY 15 - PROTECTING YOUR CHURCH

It is your job to protect the unity of your church!

Unity is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart out of Christ�s Body. It is the essence, the core, of how God intends for us to experience life together in his church.

In his final moments before being arrested, Jesus prayed passionately for our unity. It was our unity that was uppermost in his mind during those agonizing hours. That shows how significant this subject is. Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and he wants it protected, especially from the devastating damage that is caused by division, conflict, and disharmony.

�Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.� Ephesians 4:3 (NIV)

How are we to do this? The Bible gives us practical advice:
- Focus on what we have in common, not our differences.
- Be realistic in your expectations. Choose to encourage rather than criticize.
- Refuse to listen to gossip.
- Practice God�s method for conflict resolution.
- And most importantly, support your pastor and leaders.

What are you doing personally to make your church family more warm and loving? There are many people in your community who are looking for love and a place to belong. The truth is, everyone needs and wants to be loved, and when people find a church where members genuinely love and care for each other, you would have to lock the doors to keep them away.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 20 - MAY 14 - RESTORING BROKEN FELLOWSHIP

Relationships are always worth restoring!

�If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you � Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.� Philippians 2:1-2 (Msg)

Because life is all about learning how to love, God wants us to value relationships and make the effort to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt, or a conflict.

Paul taught that our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity. If you want God�s blessing on your life and you want to be known as a child of God, you must learn to be a peacemaker. Here are seven Biblical steps to restoring fellowship:

1. Talk to God before talking to the person.
2. Always take the initiative.
3. Sympathize with their feelings.
4. Confess your part of the conflict.
5. Attack the problem, not the person.
6. Cooperate as much as possible.
7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

Who do you need to contact as a result of reading this today? With whom do you need to restore fellowship? Don�t delay another second. Pause right now and talk to God about that person. Then pick up the phone and begin the process.

It takes a lot of effort to restore a relationship. That�s why Peter urged, �Work hard at living in peace with others.� 1 Peter 3:11 (NLT)

But when you work for peace, you are doing what God would do. That�s why God calls peacemakers his children.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 19 - MAY 13 - CULTIVATING COMMUNITY

Community requires commitment!

�You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.� James 3:18 (Msg)

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY TAKES HONESTY. Real fellowship depends on frankness. In fact, the tunnel of conflict is the passageway to intimacy in any relationship. Until you care enough to confront and resolve the underlying barriers, you will never grow close to each other.

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY TAKES HUMILITY. Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don�t think of themselves.

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY TAKES COURTESY. The truth is, we all have quirks and annoying traits. But community has nothing to do with compatibility. The basis for our fellowship is our relationship to God: We�re family.

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY TAKES CONFIDENTIALITY. Only in the safe environment of warm acceptance and trusted confidentiality will people open up and share their deepest hurts, needs, and mistakes. Confidentiality does not mean keeping silent while your brother or sister sins. It means that what is shared in your group needs to stay in your group, and the group needs to deal with it, not gossip to others about it.

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY TAKES FREQUENCY. You must have frequent, regular contact with your group in order to build genuine fellowship. Relationships take time.

When you look at the list of characteristics, it is obvious why genuine fellowship is so rare. But the benefits of sharing life together far outweigh the costs, and it prepares us for heaven.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 18 - MAY 12 - EXPERIENCING LIFE TOGETHER

Life is meant to be shared!

�Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace.� Colossians 3:15 (CEV)

God intends for us to experience life together. The Bible calls this shared experience fellowship. �Fellowship� now usually refers to casual conversation, socializing, food, and fun. The question, �Where do you fellowship?� means �Where do you attend church?� �Stay after for fellowship� usually means �Wait for refreshments.�

Real fellowship is so much more than just showing up at services. It is experiencing life together. It includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other �one another� commands found in the New Testament.

The Body of Christ, like your own body, is really a collection of many small cells. The life of the Body of Christ, like your body, is contained in the cells. For this reason, every Christian needs to be involved in a small group within their church, whether is it a home fellowship group, a Sunday school class, or a Bible study.

The Bible says, �If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other� If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves.� 1 John 1:7-8 (NCV)

The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. Darkness is used to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are. You were created for community.

DAY 17 - MAY 11 - A PLACE TO BELONG

You are called to belong, not just believe!

�You are members of God�s very own family, citizens of God�s country, and you belong in God�s household with every other Christian.� Ephesians 2:19b (LB)

We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God�s purposes by ourselves. The Bible says we are put together, joined together, built together, members together; heirs together, fitted together, and held together and will be caught up together. You�re not on your own anymore.

While your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private. In God�s family you are connected to every other believer, and we will belong to each other for eternity. The Bible says, �In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.� Romans 12:5 (NIV)

The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ; it includes a commitment to other Christians. The Christians in Macedonia understood this. Paul said, �First, they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God�s will, they gave themselves to us as well.� 2 Corinthians 8:5 (TEV)

You become a Christian by committing yourself to Christ, but you become a church member by committing yourself to a specific group of believers. The first decision brings salvation; the second brings fellowship.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 16 - MAY 10 - WHAT MATTERS MOST

Life is all about love!

�Love means living the way God commanded us to live. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is this: Live a life of love.� 2 John 1:6 (NCV)

Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most like him, so love is the foundation of every command he has given us. �The whole Law can be summed up in this one command: �Love others as you love yourself.� Galatians 5:14 (LB)

Of course, God wants us to love everyone, but he is particularly concerned that we learn to love others in his family. Why does God insist that we give special love and attention to other believers? Here�s why - God wants his family to be known for its love more than anything else. Jesus said our love for each other�not our doctrinal belief�is our greatest witness to the world. He said, �Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.� John 13:35 (LB)

In heaven we will enjoy God�s family forever, but first we have some tough work to do here on earth to prepare ourselves for an eternity of loving. God trains us by giving us �family responsibilities,� and the foremost of these is to practice loving each other.

The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 15 - MAY 9 - FORMED FOR GOD'S FAMILY

You were formed for God�s family!

�His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.� Eph. 1:5 (NLT)

God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it. The entire Bible is the story of God building a family who will love him, honor him, and reign with him forever. When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become his children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family. The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future.

Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably, death. On the other hand, our spiritual family�our relationship to other believers�will continue throughout eternity.

The Bible says, �Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn�t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.� Hebrews 2:11 (CEV)

Let that amazing truth sink in - you are a part of God�s family, and because Jesus makes you holy, God is proud of you! Being included in God�s family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive. Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong.

- Pastor Bill Phillips �

DAY 14 - MAY 8 - WHEN GOD SEEMS DISTANT

God is real, no matter how you feel!

�But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!� Job 19:25-27 NLT

It is easy to worship God when things are going great in your life�when he has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant. How do you worship God then? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant. How do you praise God when you don�t understand what�s happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they�re full of tears?

You do what Job did: �Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: �Naked I came from my mother�s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.�� Job 1:20-21 (NIV)

And remember what God has already done for you. Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 13 - MAY 7 - WORSHIP THAT PLEASES GOD

God wants all of you!

�Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.�� Mark 12:30 NIV

God doesn�t want a part of your life. God is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life.

A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. Jesus replied that these external issues are irrelevant. Where you worship is not as important as why you worship and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship.

The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:
- God is pleased when our worship is accurate.
- God is pleased when our worship is authentic.
- God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful.
- And God is pleased when our worship is practical.

When Jesus said, �Love God with all your strength,� he was saying that worship takes effort and energy. It�s not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will�a willing sacrifice. When you praise God even when you don�t feel like it, when you get out of bed to worship when you�re tired, or when you help others when you are worn out, you�re offering a sacrifice of worship to God. And that pleases God.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 12 - MAY 6 - DEVELOPING YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

You are as close to God as you choose to be!

�Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.� James 4:8 (NLT)

Like any friendship, you must work at developing your friendship with God. It won�t happen by accident. It takes desire, time, and energy.

The first building block of a deeper friendship with God is complete honesty�about your faults and your feelings. God doesn�t expect you to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty. Every time you trust God�s wisdom and do whatever he says - even when you don�t understand it - you deepen your friendship with God.

We don�t normally think of obedience as a characteristic of friendship - that�s reserved for relationships with a parent or the boss or a superior officer - not a friend. However, Jesus made it clear that obedience is a condition of intimacy with God. He said, �� You are my friends, if you obey me.� John 15:14 (CEV)

There is nothing�absolutely nothing�more important than developing a friendship with God. Paul told Timothy, �Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life�they don't know God.� 1 Timothy 6:21a (LB)

Have you been missing out on the most important thing in life? You can do something about it starting now. Remember, it�s your choice. You are as close to God as you choose to be.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 11 - MAY 5 -BECOMING BEST FRIENDS WITH GOD

God wants to be your best friend!

�I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you � and here is how to measure it � the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends if you obey me.� John 15:12-14 NLT

Your relationship to God has many different aspects: God is your Creator and Maker, Lord and Master, Judge, Redeemer, Father, Savior, and much more. But the most shocking truth is this: Almighty God yearns to be your Friend!

Friendship with God is possible only because of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. The old hymn says, �What a friend we have in Jesus,� but actually, God invites us to enjoy friendship and fellowship with all three persons of the Trinity: our Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, �I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.� John 15:15 (NIV)

The word for friend in this verse does not mean a casual acquaintance but a close, trusted relationship. The same word is used to refer to the best man at a wedding and a king�s inner circle of intimate, trusted friends. In royal courts, servants must keep their distance from the king, but the inner circle of trusted friends enjoys close contact, direct access, and confidential information. Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God�s greatest pleasure.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 10 - MAY 4 -THE HEART OF WORSHIP

The heart of worship is surrender!

�And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice � the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?� Romans 12:1 (NLT)

In today�s competitive culture we are taught to never give up and never give in�so we don�t hear much about surrendering. If winning is everything, surrendering is unthinkable. We would rather talk about winning, succeeding, overcoming, and conquering than yielding, submitting, obeying, and surrendering. But surrendering to God is the heart of worship.

As Joshua approached the biggest battle of his life, he encountered God, fell in worship before him, and surrendered his plans. That surrender led to a stunning victory at Jericho. This is the paradox: Victory comes through surrender.

Nothing is more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God. �So give yourselves completely to God.�

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 9 - MAY 3 - WHAT MAKES GOD SMILE?

The smile of God is the goal of your life!

�May the Lord smile on you �� Numbers 6:25 (NLT)

Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that. �Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.� Ephesians 5:10 (Msg)

Five acts of worship that make God smile:
- God smiles when we love him supremely.
- God smiles when we trust him completely.
- God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly.
- God smiles when we praise and thank him continually.
- And God smiles when we use our abilities.

You may feel that the only time God is pleased with you is when you�re doing �spiritual� activities�like reading the Bible, attending church, praying, or sharing your faith. Actually, God enjoys watching every detail of your life, whether you are working, playing, resting, or eating. He doesn�t miss a single move you make.

The Bible tells us, �The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives.� Psalm 37:23 (NLT) Every human activity, except sin, can be done for God�s pleasure if you do it with the attitude of praise. Will you make pleasing God the goal of your life? There is nothing that God won�t do for the person totally absorbed with this goal.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 8 - MAY 2 - THE REASON FOR EVERYTHING

You were planned for God�s pleasure!

�You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.� Revelation 4:11 (NLT)

The moment you were born into the world, God was there as an unseen witness, smiling at your birth. He wanted you alive, and your arrival gave him great pleasure. God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight.

You are a child of God, and you bring pleasure to God like nothing else he has ever created. Bringing enjoyment to God - living for his pleasure - is the first purpose of your life. When you fully understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant. It proves your worth.

Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship. Like a diamond, worship is multifaceted. Worship is not a part of your life - it is your life. Praise should be the first activity when you open your eyes in the morning and the last activity when you close them at night. David said, �I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise him.� Psalm 34:1 (GLT)

This is what real worship is all about � falling in love with Jesus.

- Pastor Bill Phillips �

DAY 7 - MAY 1 - THE REASON FOR EVERYTHING

It is all for him!

�With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.� 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NIV

The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. It is the reason for everything that exists, including you. God made it all for his glory. Without God�s glory, there would be nothing.

The glory of God is who God is. It is the essence of his nature, the weight of his importance, the radiance of his splendor, the demonstration of his power, and the atmosphere of his presence. God�s glory is best seen in Jesus Christ. He, the Light of the world, illuminates God�s nature. Because of Jesus, we are no longer in the dark about what God is really like.

There are many ways to bring glory to God, but they can be summarized in God�s five purposes for your life. We bring God glory by worshiping him, loving other believers, becoming like Christ, serving others with our gifts, and by telling others about him.

It�s time to settle this issue. Who are you going to live for�yourself or God? Right now, God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for. Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ.

If you are not sure you have done this, all you need to do is receive and believe. The Bible promises, �To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.� John 1:12 (NIV)

Will you accept God�s offer?

- Pastor Bill Phillips �

DAY 6 - APRIL 30 - LIFE IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT

Life on earth is a temporary assignment!

�Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.� Psalm 39:4 (NLT)

To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths:
- First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
- Second, earth is only a temporary residence. You won�t be here long, so don�t get too attached.

In order to keep us from becoming too attached to earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life�longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We�re not completely happy here because we�re not supposed to be! Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better.

In God�s eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.

When life gets tough, when you�re overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you are not home yet. At death you won�t leave home�you�ll go home.

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 5 - APRIL 29 - SEEING LIFE FROM GOD�S VIEW

The way you see your life shapes your life!

The way you view life is your life metaphor. It's your description of how life works and what you expect from it; it influences your life more than you realize and determines your expectations, values, relationships, goals, and priorities. To fulfill the purposes God has for you, you will have to base your view on the biblical metaphors of life. These are: Life is a test, and life is a trust.

LIFE IS A TEST - God continually tests people�s character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty. Character is both developed and revealed, and all of life is a test. When you understand that life is a test, you realize that every day is important. God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows the tests to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them.

LIFE IS A TRUST - We are to be stewards of whatever God gives us. All we enjoy is to be treated as a trust that God has placed in our hands. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity: affirmation, promotion, and celebration.

�Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won�t be faithful in large ones.� Luke 16:10a (NLT)

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 4 � APRIL 28 - MADE TO LAST FOREVER

This life is not all there is!

�God has�planted eternity in the human heart.� Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production. You will spend far more time on the other side of death�in eternity�than you will here. This life is preparation for the next.

You have an inborn instinct that longs for immortality. This is because God designed you, in his image, to live for eternity. Even though we know everyone eventually dies, death always seems unnatural and unfair. The reason we feel we should live forever is that God wired our brains with that desire!

Matthew Henry said, �It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our final day.�

- Pastor Bill Phillips -

DAY 3 � APRIL 27 - WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?

Everyone�s life is driven by something!

�I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy.� Ecclesiastes 4:4 (LB)

What is the driving force in your life?

Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction, and events without reason. There are five great benefits of living a purpose-driven life:

- Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life.
- Simplifies your life.
- Focuses your life.
- Motivates your life.
- And knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity.

Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth. Yet, what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says. Living to create an earthly legacy is a shortsighted goal. A wiser use of time is to build an eternal legacy. You weren�t put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.

- Pastor Bill Phillips �

DAY 2 - APRIL 26 - YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT

You are not an accident!

Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it. God never does anything accidentally, and he never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything he creates.

�Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.� Ephesians 1:4a (Msg)

Why did God bother to go to all the trouble of creating a universe for us? Because he is a God of love. This kind of love is difficult to fathom, but it�s fundamentally reliable. You were created as a special object of God�s love! God made you so he could love you. This is a truth to build your life on!

- Pastor Bill Phillips �

DAY 1 � APRIL 25 - IT ALL STARTS WITH GOD

It�s not about you!

�For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, �everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.� Colossians 1:16 (Msg)

�It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone�s life is in his power.� Job 12:10 (TEV)

You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not using him for your own purpose. Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life�s purpose.

The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it. The same is true for discovering your life�s purpose: Ask God.

Andrei Bitov, a Russian novelist, grew up under an atheistic Communist regime. But God got his attention one dreary day. He recalls, �In my twenty-seventh year, while riding the metro in Leningrad I was overcome with a despair so great that life seemed to stop at once, preempting the future entirely, let alone any meaning. Suddenly, all by itself, a phrase appeared: �Without God life makes no sense.� Repeating it in astonishment, I rode the phrase up like a moving staircase, got out of the metro and walked into God�s light.�

You may have felt in the dark about your purpose in life. Congratulations, you�re about to walk into the light.

- Pastor Bill Phillips �

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New Life Church of God
10582 Old Oregon Trail
Redding, CA 96003
(530) 223-1946

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