Thursday 1-10-08

Greetings Internet Campus,

The second step in finding God's will for our lives is to pursue it.

I Timothy 6:18-19(NIV),
“18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Ephesians 2:10(NLT),
“10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Like we talked about yesterday morning...the key to following our Shepherd is to pursue HIS direction for our lives. As is stated in 1 Timothy, God wants us to have full and complete lives. What is the difference between living and REALLY living? I think it's simple. You have to have direction and fulfillment. God, our Shepherd, is desperately trying to give us nudges and guidance so that we discover His direction for our life. In addition, God provides us opportunities to serve and love others...if we're doing that we will find true fulfillment.

The passage in Ephesians reminds us that we are truly God's best work. Sometimes (I must confess)...I feel like a fingerpainting more than a Picasso. Do you? Have you ever felt out of God's loop for your life? If so, it's OK. Everybody does. It's what you do after that feeling that matters. Sheep fall...people struggle....but we have to get up and keep going. We have to remember that God made us for a purpose. He knew every single mistake that we were ever going to make and made us anyway. He loves us that much. You know...now that I think about it...maybe a fingerpainting is a masterpiece...if the hand that painted it is God's...

Daily Challenge: Let's really go after this concept today....pursuit of His will.

1) Seek God's direction and abandon your own
2) Love and serve others for fulfillment
3) Remember that we are God's best work.

Write in your journal twice today....once when you do this devotional in the morning...and the other at the end of the day....were you able to get a little closer to the Shepherd? If so, GREAT!

If not...never stop pursuing Him. You will gain ground...