Day 33

Read John 4:34-38
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish His work. Do you not say ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’?Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

There is a lot in the passage above, so I encourage you to read through it again slowly. Jesus claims that he has “food”, but He is not talking about physical food. Physical food sustains life, and what He is talking about here is what sustains eternal life. Jesus said His food is “to do the will of Him who sent me”, his Father in heaven. Jesus is teaching the disciples and us that the “harvest”, which He is using as an analogy and which is the gathering of food, is right in front of us. Jesus is showing us that the will of His father is for us to share the good news of God and Jesus so that others would also have eternal life! Be mindful though, because towards the end of these passages, Jesus makes it clear that we are reaping what we do not sow. Only God sows and saves people, we simply reap what He has done by sharing the good news WHEN God puts those people in front of us. It is easy to think we are to go “do things for God” but if you read through this passage slowly, Jesus makes it clear that we do the will of God by sharing with whoever He puts in front of us. 

Pray to God and be mindful of those in your life right now that God may be putting in front of you to share. Ask for courage from God to share when he presents an opportunity to share with those around you.

Day 25

Read Romans 12:1-2

 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect

Many of us want to know what the will of God is and how we fit into His bigger picture. We ask ourselves "what does God have for me in all this?" In Romans 12:1-2, Paul is telling us actual step by step instructions on how this works. Let's walk through it. It says to become a living sacrifice and by doing this it is our spiritual worship. Once I'm spending time with the Father and be open to anything He puts in front of me, I am presenting myself as a living sacrifice. This spiritual worship transforms us and our mind is literally renewed and the old me is gone. Then by the testing of my faith, I will learn to discern the will of God; and His will is good and acceptable and perfect.

No where in here are we expected to be like someone else. When you present yourself as a living sacrifice, you are presenting your unique self that God intentionally made you to be. What God does with and for me may be very different from another child of God, but that is exactly what He wants.

So present your unique self to God, be open to what he puts in front of you. Through the process that Paul describes, God will test you and you will discern what His will is for YOU, which is special.

Pray that God shows you where He is testing you right now and how that He would continue to renew your mind.