One Month to Live-Devotionals

Day 1- January 10

I’m glad that you are going on this journey with me. These devotions over the next 30 days will be focused on living the dash. The theme for these messages and the devotions comes from Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" Think about what it means to "number our days aright". It means to use my time wisely on the things that matter. Time is an incredible gift, given to you to use as you choose. How you use it impacts you greatly. In James 4:14 it says that these lives are fleeting, therefore capture the time you have been given and spend it wisely. Since we were all created to know the God who created us, you will find joy in your journey by growing in your relationship with Him. Take the time over the next 30 days to seek Him. If you do this, the scriptures make you a promise: you will find Him.

Day 2-January 11

When we talk about living passionately, it will involve risk. Risk can be a scary thing. It’s something that we usually avoid. However, when we have to take risks, we will only do so for things that are important to us. Living passionately will involve taking risks and that will require faith. Faith is a virtue that God wants to grow in all of us. The only way it’s going to grow is for us to be put in situations that take risk. In 1 Samuel 17:33, David took a great risk in facing Goliath. His faith in God working got him off of the sidelines and into the game. Are there things in your life that require risk and faith? If not, then you may be on the sidelines when He wants you in the game.

Day 3 – January 12

Living passionately automatically causes choices concerning priorities. When we establish these priorities it answers so many of the questions for us of how we will spend our time and where we will devote our energy. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 6:33 when He said, "But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given you as well.” He knew that our lives on this earth would involve both the eternal and the temporal. He instructed his disciples, and therefore we, to devote the best part of which we are to His kingdom and let the mundane but necessary things of our day find their place after that. "Numbering our days" (Psalm 90:12) definitely involves the concept of prioritizing and matching the best of who we are with the things that are most important to us. We can’t honestly say that someone or something is of value to us if all we ever give of our time to them is the “leftovers”. Ask God to show you today where you spend your time that does not match up to the things you say that you value. Prioritizing in this way can bring a new sense of living passionately as you devote your greatest energy to the things of greatest value.

Day 4 – January 13

You may be asking yourself at this point, "Where does the power to live this kind of "passionate living" come from?" Or you may be saying, "Honestly, I’ve tried to practice a 'new way of living' in many ways and at many times, and I ALWAYS run out of gas!" An honest dialogue when it comes to your faith is definitely the place you should start! God sees your heart and it is there we should always begin. Approaching life with passion is not about a new resolve or commitment to "do better" or "try harder"! It is exactly the opposite. It is about giving up and shifting from our own strength which is limited and incapable to His power which is unlimited and "able to do all things" Philippians 4:13.

It is all about the concept taught in John 15:5 of abiding. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." If apart from Him we can do nothing than we see Christ teaching that our responsibility is toward the abiding. It is so freeing to know that it is God who takes the responsibility for providing us with the power to live. As we focus our attention on abiding in Him he provides us with everything we need to live in a new and passionate way. Spend some time in prayer today asking God to show you if there is anything that keeps you from abiding in a healthy way in Him. With Jesus as the vine, or as your source for living, be willing to surrender to some "pruning" if necessary for His power to be experienced in your life.

Day 5- January 14

We discovered yesterday that the strength we need to live the life we’ve been called to can only come by abiding in the vine .Our lives will only be as strong and effective as our relationship with Christ. Jesus explained it this way in Matthew 22:37-38 .When asked what the greatest command was, He replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” He was teaching the principle of abiding. The Pharisees probably expected that response, but then Jesus added a curve ball in verse 39. He said, “And the second is like it. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” The reason for loving God passionately and daily abiding in Him is so that we can in turn love people with the love we have received. As the master teacher, Jesus summed up our purpose on this earth in two short statements. But look closer. Not only did He tell us WHAT we are to do but HOW we are to do it. After loving God with all of our being we are to love our neighbor, HOW? …“as yourself”…What does that mean? Christ was saying you cannot give away what you have not yourself first experienced. Next week we will look more closely at what it means to truly love people. (That is the “what” of Christ’s command.)But today the focus is on the “how”. It is a legitimate and necessary question to ask how we are doing at loving ourselves. Self-care is not selfishness. If we are going to love people with a healthy overflow it is important to stop and evaluate how we are doing at caring for ourselves spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Christ knew this when He commanded the way in which we are to love. Take some time today to ask yourself what areas of self-care you have neglected. Then ask God to strengthen you spiritually, physically, or emotionally in the areas that need the added attention.

Day 6- January 15

Every day this week we have evaluated the areas that may be hindering us from living the abundant life or living with passion. Today let’s look at two of the most common responses to facing the risks necessary for this kind of living. Many people struggle with trust in their relationship with their heavenly father. They have not taken the time to get to know Him, and it is very difficult to fully trust someone you do not know well. The most common manifestations of a lack of trust are fear and control. We either remain paralyzed by fear or exhausted trying to keep a tight reign of control over everyone and everything in our lives. Both ways of relating keep us from experiencing the full benefits of what God has for us and express a very real lack of trust. Jesus addressed the need for trust and risk in the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30.Read the passage and you will see the master’s stern rebuke of the servant was not for anything he had done wrong but over what he had NOT done. He had allowed his fear due to misperceptions about the master keep him from investing what he had been given. This is how many of us spend our lives and the gifts that the Lord has entrusted to us. We “play it safe” because we don’t know the heart of the Master, and we fear failure. Do you realize God promises to work in amazing ways, even in our failures, to accomplish His purposes? There is incredible security in that! Spend time confessing any lack of trust or fear that has been keeping you from “investing” in God’s kingdom. Ask him to show you where He would have you step out in faith and face risk to follow Him.

Day 7- January 16

“God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” Ephesians 3:20 (TLB) Do we REALLY believe that? If so, what dreams do you have that you have not yet seen fulfilled? Or what dreams have you given up on? Ephesians 3:20 says that God not only wants to fulfill those dreams but go beyond our expectations. Almost as if He is saying, “I can top that!” If we truly believe that God has us on this earth for a purpose than we will see there are dreams and desires that we have that drive us towards accomplishing that purpose. I am not talking about selfish ambition to be spent on ourselves, but dreams for accomplishing the greatest good that God has designed us for.(Ephesians 2: 10) My former pastor used to say it this way. “God wants to bless you. He wants for you what you would want for yourself if you just had the good sense to want it!” Ask yourself today, “Where have I gotten derailed from my dreams?” Have I let discouragement or adversity cause me to stop trusting God’s plans for me and therefore stopped dreaming. Evaluate if those dreams reflect God’s heart and purposes. If so, then what faith steps do you need to take to see those dreams realized? It will be in God’s time, but He is always working in and around us to accomplish His purposes. (Philippians 2:13) Step out and trust Him!

Day 8 – January 17

As we talked about passion Sunday we recognized that some drastic changes would be involved to live lives of intentionality. Possibly one of the most drastic changes many of us need to make is to view our failures as God does. God never calls the people that follow Him to be free from struggle .He does call us to give our struggles to Him so that His power can be manifested in our weakness. Peter, one of the twelve disciples, is a perfect of example of this. Time after time we see Peter put his foot in his mouth, waver in his faith, and even deny the Lord because of fear. But Jesus knew Peter’s heart. Jesus had great plans for Peter.With each failure Jesus was teaching Peter things about himself and about trust .Jesus was committed to making Peter’s failures productive; He was using them to shape his character. He is willing to do the same in us. Often times we refuse to let go of our mistakes. They are too overwhelming or painful and we feel powerless to change. The only way our failures make us powerless is if we allow them to continue to define us. Proverbs 28:13 states, “He who conceals His sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Jesus came that we might find hope in Him through acknowledging our need of Him as our savior. He wants to not only save us in the life to come but be our strength and hope in the very real struggles of our everyday lives. What failure or hurt are you allowing to trip you up in moving forward with the plans God has for you? Ask God to allow you to learn from your loss and look for ways you are stronger for having learned from those lessons.

Day 9- January 18

Today we shift gears from an inner focus of evaluating how we are doing at living lives of passion to an outer focus on how we are doing at loving people. Life is summed up by our relationships. If we come to the end of our lives and have not a dime to our name, have never achieved any fame, and have no outstanding accomplishments placed by our names in the history books, we can still have lived a life that matters for all eternity. Or we can come to the end of our lives and have acquired great wealth, fame, and notoriety and have lived lives whose impact will end with the closing of the casket. What makes the difference? How did we love people?
It is important that we have spent the last 8 days looking honestly at ourselves to see if we are spending our lives on what really matters. We have been discovering that is only through our relationship with Christ that we will maintain the focus and purpose that God has for our lives. As we grow in His likeness our hearts will grow in the likeness of His heart .Start with possibly the most well known verse in all of scripture John 3:16,”For God so loved the world that he gave…” His motivation for everything was His love. As our hearts grow in reflecting His heart, a love for people should be at the core of everything we are.
As you ask yourself the question, “What would I do if I had one month to live?” How do I love those that are dear to me? Do I love them as Christ has loved me? Does my time reflect loving them as the priority? Loving us was so much God’s priority that He gave us His only Son to redeem us. Is there any sacrifice too great in light of His love for me?

Day 10- January 19

Colossians 3:13 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Matthew 6:9-15 Psalm 32:5 In dealing with any relationship, forgiveness will always play an integral part. For the believer, God says, in the previous verses that it is not an option because of His incredible forgiveness towards us. When people are in a situation of “One Month to Live”, making things right with those closest to them becomes a priority. In fact, many times the comment “I wish I had done this sooner” is verbalized.
Forgiveness comes in many different facets: forgiving others, seeking others forgiveness, seeking God’s forgiveness and forgiving yourself. This gives rise to the questions:

• Are there those in my life I need to forgive?
• Are there those in my life I need to seek their forgiveness?
• Do I need to confess to God and seek His forgiveness?

When this becomes a reality in your life, you will feel a burden lifted off your back. God did not create us to bear such things. That is why Jesus bore them on the cross. Take a few minutes to meditate on God’s forgiveness for you and how Jesus died so that you could be forgiven. When you reflect on His forgiveness for you, you will find the strength and power to forgive others in your life no matter the offense or hut they may have caused you.

Day 11- January 20

Romans 15:7 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
In our One Month to Live devotionals we have been looking at those things that are priorities in our lives. This week we are focusing on loving completely. Our verse today addresses acceptance of others on the basis of God's acceptance of us. This is especially for those who are close to us and our brothers and sisters in Christ People have a tendency to go where they are accepted. Our church ought to be a place of acceptance because we as believers have been "Accepted in the beloved" because of what Christ did for us at the cross. Those who are closest to us need to know that we love and accept them. This does not always mean that we agree with their actions or lifestyle, but that we truly love them. When someone finds out that their time is limited, they make sure that this is communicated. When people are not accepted, they tend to go lower to find acceptance. This is especially true in parenting. If you are a believer, remember that you are accepted whether you feel like it or not. As you meditate on this verse today, think about ways you can show acceptance to those that are closest to. Remember that while you may already accept them, they need to know that you do. Also, meditate on the fact that God has created you and that you are perfectly accepted by Him because of what Christ did on the cross.

Day 12- January 21

James 3:17 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Matthew 5:9 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Ephesians 4:29 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

In every relationship, especially the important ones, there will be conflict. Many times we can let conflict get in the way and break communication and cause rifts that can last way too long. When the Bible talks about "being a peacemaker" it doesnt mean one who avoids conflict but one who resolves conflict. In our One Month to Live series, we see when those face a limited amount of time usually don't allow needless arguments and resolve the major ones quickly. That is how we are supposed to live. In fact, peacemakers will be "called the children of God." This weekend I will be talking about "Loving Completely." Focusing on the most important relationships in our lives and committing the time and energy for them to be right. This includes resolving conflict. Are there any relationships in your life that have unresolved conflict in them? How can you resolve them? In doing so you will be practicing being a peacemaker and living as if you had one month to live.

Day 13- January 22

Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 7:3-5, Romans 5:3-4 You never know what God is doing. In fact, that is the way I personally know that God is working. It seems to be something only God could orchestrate. He knows every problem in your life including those in your life that are causing you struggles. God could at any time deliver you from the struggle, but it has been my experience that He seems to deliver us through the struggle as opposed to from the struggle. Our prayers seem to always to be "God please deliver me." Instead, let us pray and ask God to reveal to us what He is wanting us to learn. Many of the situations and people He has put into our lives is to teach us and to mold us into who He wants us to be. Many relationships in our lives are what I call "sandpaper people." They are there to smooth us and to shape us. In other words, if God wants to teach us patience, then He will put us in places to teach us patience. The process is not fun, but the results are the goal. Stamina, perseverance, contentment, and peace are just a few virtues that God is working in your life. So then, accept the struggles in your life as His teaching and embrace what He is doing even if you don't like it.

Day 14 - January 23

Luke 17:11-17
Gratitude is an amazing thing. It has very little to do with with what you have or what you don't have. We all know those have tremendous amounts of blessings but have no gratefulness and those who have very little but are thankful for everything. It is a virtue that God wants us to have and to practice. The versus above tell the story about the ten lepers that were healed by Jesus. Leprosy was the dreaded disease of its time. It meant isolation from the ones you love and a slow, painful death which you had to suffer alone. Ten men were healed from this disease but only one returned to give thanks. One in ten is the average which is probably not far from todays average. The problem with ungratefulness is what it does to us. It is the real culprit that steals our joy in everything. If we ever just stop long enough to understand that we were all these ten men's condition when Jesus delivered us from our sin, we would see how thankful we ought to be. Take a few minutes to ponder on your salvation. Also, think on the incredible blessings that God has put in your life. You will be amazed at how it will uplift your heart and look at your life differently.
Have a thankful day,
Jeff

Day 15 – January 24

John 1:14 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
James 1:5 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
This will be the last devotional on "loving completely." When people are faced with one month to live, relationships with others seem to rise to the top along with loving God. The message I shared with you yesterday centered on loving people intentionally. Making sure that those most important relationships in your life know that you love them. The verses today talk about how Jesus left heaven and came to earth because of His love for us. Love is the motivation for doing what He did and should be our motivation. As you think today of loving with actions, remember to ask God who is willing to give you the wisdom when you ask Him.
Make every effort to love intentionally today.

Day 16- January 25

Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 8:3-5
We start today, which will be the subject we will talk about Sunday, with the thought to learn humbly. Of all the virtues, it seems that humility is the greatest. God looks for those with a humble attitude and therefore seems to reject those with a prideful attitude. When we look at one of the scriptures for today, we see David having a moment while looking at the stars and reflecting at how small and insignificant he is. Of all God has created, why is He concerned with me. This is the first step to learning humbly. Seeing that the God of the universe is interested in you. That you are important to Him. We sometimes have a hard time with this because with all the people in this world, why would He be concerned with me. It is a humbling thing to think about but it is true nonetheless. The other verse says that we are His workmanship created for good and His purposes. Therefore, He is personally at work in you to shape you into what He wants you to be. It is humbling when you think about it. Take the time to think about who God is. Then, think about who you are in the whole scheme of things. Now think about the fact that He is personally interested in you and who you are becoming. It is almost too good to be true. The only response is to LEARN HUMBLY.
Have a great day.

Day 17, January 26

When we seek to learn humbly of God and His ways we will find that our path is often unique from others. God designed each individual with very specific sets of desires and passions. He takes great delight in the ways that we relate to Him and pursue Him. He has created us for relationship with Him and He will use our “makeup”, circumstances, and struggles to forge a path to knowing Him. The psalmist David recognized the uniqueness with which he had been created when he said, “I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made! Marvelous are you works, and my soul knows this very well.”(Psalm 139:14)David had such a strong relationship with His creator that he could actually embrace the uniqueness by which he was designed to know God.
Celebrate this in your life too. Do you like to explore God through His creation or artistic beauty? Perhaps the Bible comes alive to you as you study the scientific findings that are in agreement with scripture. Thank the Lord that He made you different than any other person on the planet.
As you seek humbly to know Him He will delight in you because He made you for himself!

Day 18- January 27

Acts 27:13-38
Today's verses are about the strory of Paul when he was on his way to Rome to be tried under Caesar. The boat had 276 passengers and a cargo of grain and perhaps other valuable goods that was bound for Rome. Paul had warned them not to proceed on but they went anyway and got caught in a storm. They tried their best to make it but the wind was too strong. As they began to fear for their lives, they started to throw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship so they would not sink.
In our look at "one month to live," this provides a good look at what is important. As they were sailing, the most valuable thing on board the ship was the cargo. If it was big enough to carry that many passengers, then it probably was filled with things of great value headed to the most wealthy market in the world at that time.
When they saw that their lives were in jeopardy, they began to throw overboard the "valuable" cargo. Therefore, it became worthless when the knew that their time might be limited.
When we take a look at the cargo in our lives and see it in the light of the limited time we have, it will also begin to less and less valuable to us.
Take a minute to think about the things that are really important to you. Does our cargo sometimes get more of our "dash" than it should?
It is amazing how much lighter our journey can be without all the things we are carrying along.
Have a great day

Day 19 - January 28,

Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 46:10
If I can sum up the Christian life it is all about change. You cannot come into contact and relationship with the God of the universe and not change. The word "transform" comes from two words. "Trans" means to change. Like in the word transport, you change ports. The word transform means to change the form of something. In our verse for today, it tells us to gives ourselves to God as a living sacrifice and He will transform us by the renewing of our minds. That is to change the form of our minds. The way we think, the way we act, the way we live will all be included in this transformation.
This process is God's work in our lives. That is why our relationship with Him is so important. It deserves our attention, time, affection, and effort. The key to all of this is time with Him. The next verse for today talks about being still and know the He is God. Taking the time to be still and quiet and meditate on Him through prayer and His Word.
When you think about your "dash", remember to slow down long enough to hear from Him. He wants you to know Him and His will for your life. Remember that how you spend your dash is what will become important to you and where your life is heading.

Day 20- January 29

John 16:33, Matthew 7:24-25
This week I am very exited about sharing with you about "learning humbly." It is foundational to the christian life. It a proven fact that we learn more from our failures than we do our successes. The thought is do we learn humbly or do we blame others or situations.
Jesus makes it plain in this verse that we will face troubles but states that He is greater than all our struggles and has already overcome them. Therefore, the only way we can ultimately fail is to quit. In the next verse, he tells a wonderful parable about two men who went out to build their houses. Notice here that winds, rain, and storms blow and beat upon both houses. This is another mention that we will all face stuggles. The key difference between the two men that built was the foundation they chose.
Since the foundation is Christ, He has already overcome the storm if we trust (build our foundation) in Him. Even when the storm looks menacing, remember that His foundation will hold like a home built on the rock,
Remember He has promised to never leave you or forsake you and when you do trust in Him during the storm, you will learn "humbly" that you can trust Him even more when the next storm comes

Day 21- January 30

Proverbs 28:6
Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
I Chronicles 29:17
I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. When talking about "learning humbly", the subject of integrity naturally comes up. The word integrity comes from the word "integer", which just simply means a whole number and not a fraction. Integrity then means single-mindedness as opposed to double-mindedmess. God wants us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is not enough to love Him part time any more than it would be acceptable to my wife Martha to love her only one day a week. God wants us to love Him and serve Him with integrity. That is, with an undivided heart. If we have a divided heart, we need to identify what has stolen our affections and eliminate it. God wants for us more than anything the peace, joy, and contentment that comes from a heart of integrity.

Day 22- January 31

“Some trust in horses; some in chariots. But we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”(Psalm 20:7)
Yesterday we talked about trusting in God’s strength versus our own. What does it mean to trust in the name of the Lord our God? It is a process of growing in trust. It is learning to embrace our weakness because we see it as an opportunity for God to show up in His strength. Paul even said in II Corinthians 12:9 that “God’s power is made perfect in weakness”. How does this make sense? The key is in the first part of verse 9…”my grace is sufficient for you...” As we step out in the all sufficiency of His grace our faith grows because we see Him show up strong on our behalf. Then you will testify to the power in the name of the Lord YOUR God. This is a lifelong process. We build a history of coming to depend on His strength instead of our own. We begin to attempt things not based on what we can accomplish but on what He is calling us to accomplish in His power. Ask God to show you today if there is any area you have been trusting in your strength versus His.

Day 23- February 1

Philippians 2:1-8
I will, this week, continue with the topic of learning humbly because I will be doing a part 2 message this weekend. The Scripture passage we are looking at in this devotional is the example of humility we have in Jesus. The key thought is that of thinking of others before you think of yourself. Jesus, even though He was God, lowered Himself and became a man and died for us on a cross because it was our greatest need. Since He is our example, then we should be others oriented. Giving up our rights to serve those around us. This goes against our culture that teaches us to stand up for our rights at all cost. When Jesus gave His life, He did so willingly. Therefore, giving up His rights for the benefit of us all. I also find it interesting that anyone who focusing on self is never satisfied, but those who focus on others find peace and contentment. Pride also seems to go with ungratefulness. The most humble people I know are also the most thankful people I know.
Lord, give us the strength to live our lives in such a way that others will see you in us

Day 24- February 2

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet……I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master…Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:3-4, 15-17
When Jesus was spending His final moments with His disciples there were several important things He wanted to tell them. However, before He shared His heart He showed it. He, being the perfect teacher, modeled for His disciples the type of humility He wanted them to live as he returned to the Father. He knew that their strength would be measured by their willingness to serve. He displayed the power of humility. He, being God, was willing to display His love and care and then explained that we will be blessed as we learn to live this type of humility as well. Ask yourself today…Do I really want God to do great things in and through me? Am I willing to serve? Am I willing to be humbled so that God can be glorified? When it comes down to it, in our heart of hearts, would we rather serve or be served? Jesus said that all who follow him will choose to serve.

Day 25- February 3

Luke 18:9-14
Jesus taught this parable to expose the pride in the hearts of those who were relying on their own goodness. It has been said that the worst form of sinfulness is relying on human goodness. It is the definition of pride. It is the chief thing that God wants to work out of our lives. He told this parable to contrast the proud religious man and the humble sinner. The Pharisee wanted to be noticed by man; the sinner only cared what God thought. Pride blinds us to our need of God; humility gets us in a posture to receive God’s grace. Only one left the temple that day having experienced God. The sinner knew he was totally dependent on God’s grace. This kind of broken and contrite heart God will always hear. The Pharisee’s pride caused him to look down on and be critical of the sinner. Pride does that. It blinds us to who we really are. It always causes us to be critical of others. We will constantly look to compare ourselves to others to justify our “goodness”. God despises this attitude because it is the opposite of his heart.
Are you having trouble with a critical spirit? Watch out! It is probably pride lurking in the shadows.
Lord please continue to expose any areas of pride in my life that rise up against you!

Day 26- February 4

Luke 14:7-11
James 4:6-10
These two passages in today’s devotional share a basic principle about learning humbly. Pride, by its very nature thinks it deserves whatever it gets. Humility, on the other hand, sees that whatever good that is in my life as a gift given to me by God. The main catch phrase in so many tv commercials is “You deserve it!” Pride is inherent in our culture. It teaches us to take credit for every good thing as opposed to thanking God. Therefore, God takes an active part in the lives of people over this issue. First, He will humble those who seek to exalt themselves. Second, He will exalt those who seek to humble themselves. Since pride is such an affront to God He actually states that He even opposes the proud but longs to give grace to those with a humble heart. Practically speaking, we are the most content when we are not focusing on ourselves. A sure path to misery and disappointment comes when we focus on ourselves. Keeping in touch with the fact that Jesus died for our sins will keep us on the path to humility.

Day 27- February 5

James 1:2-8
It is hard to ever consider it joyous when you face hard times, but this is exactly what James is saying in this passage. It is a proven fact that we learn much more through trials than we do during times of ease. I like to call these times the "best/worst" times of my life. The best because of what I have learned and the worst because it was painful.
The scripture here says that it tests our faith which will result in perseverance or endurance. I remember that many times in sports, the coach would push us to the point of pain so that we could grow and get into better shape. This was never fun but we always enjoyed the results that came from it. Someone wise has said that a faith that can't be "tested" is a faith that can't be "trusted."
The final result of these trials is having a faith that is "mature and complete." Every believer wants to have this type of faith but we don't like the process that gets us there.
This is all part of learning humbly. This is what Rom. 12:1 says when it talks about presenting ourselves to God as a "living sacrifice." This is the understanding of the analogy that He is the Potter and I am the clay. It may not be fun, but it is the "best/worst"times of our lives. Therefore, let us "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

Day 28- February 6

Ephesians 5:15-17
“Leaving Boldly” is the final thought we want to cover in our series “One Month To Live.” When we boil this life down, it’s the time we invest in others that truly makes the greatest impact. The verses for the day teach us to make the most of our opportunities to do good. It is so easy to get caught up in the way of our world and be concerned only about how it affects us.
Take the example of sandcastles. We can work all day and make it the best sandcastle that has ever been created, but in reality it is temporary. When the tide comes in it will all be gone. So much of what we do in this life is building the temporary. Spending so much time when the tide will wash it all away by morning.
As we look at the things in our lives, let us determine what really lasts. Leaving a legacy by investing in those you love. Passing down to the next generation how to follow and to obey Christ is our highest calling. If we truly want our life to count, it then must be done intentionally.
O Lord, let us live in such a way that we would make the most of every opportunity to do good for Your glory.

Day 29 - February 7

John 12:24, Matthew 13:3-8
I want to continue a thought that I was sharing this weekend about God's Word being a seed. We shared about the incredible power and potential that is contained in a single seed. We must make it a habit of planting God's Word in our hearts. This is what causes our faith to grow and mature so we can be usable in His hands.
Making sure that we are consistently planting God's seed in our hearts must be a priority. I have been amazed through the years by watching people change before my eyes when they consistently plant His Word in their hearts. I've seen them find strength they never had, do things that they didn't think were possible, and become the person God wants them to be.
Do you have a plan to plant God's seed in your heart? Is your heart prepared to receive His seed? What is keeping you from planting?
Don't let anything keep you from this. As the Scripture teaches, "draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

Day 30- February 8

I Corinthians 3:12-14
Today's verse is critical when you are trying to understand the difference between things that really matter and the things that are not worth the time. The foundation that is being shared is Jesus Himself. There is no other foundation that will hold other than the rock of Jesus Christ. Many people have built magnificent structures on other foundations only to see them fall because nothing matters if what is being built upon is not solid.
The next part of the passage is a list of building materials: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw. The key distinguisher between them is that one set is permanent and the other is temporary. The thought here is to build with the materials that are going to last. So, when using our precious time (our dash), let us use the material that will last. Spending our time buliding our relationship with God, others, and our character is building things that last.
It is so easy to get caught up in what this world says is important when in reality it is all temporary. This is why so many that find that their time is limited abandon the things in their lives that were once so important.
Let us take a quick inventory of what we are building our lives with and start using those materials that last. Also remember that it many times takes longer to build with permanent materials. Temporary materials are cheap and they take less time to build with, but they also don't last.

Day 31- February 9

Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:3-5
Trusting God in your life's direction is basic to our being a believer. Trusting is more than just saying "I believe." You do what you really believe or you really don't believe it. This doesn't mean that we will be perfect. It is important to remember that you can wreck while being on the right road. That is far different than wrecking while on the wrong road. Trusting means that it is the overall direction of your life. When it comes down to it, this is what I want more than anything.
The great thing to remember in living the dash is that you get to chose the direction of your life. Where you spend your time is eventually where your life is going to go. Therefore the things you spend your time on is where your heart will go and where your passions will lie.
The part of this verse where it says "He will give you the desires of your heart" is on of the most abused in the Bible. Notice the first part: "Delight yourself in the Lord." When you trust and follow Him, your desires will to be to honor Him with your dash. Our greatest joy will be in having a relationship with the God who CREATED us to have a relationship with Him. That's why that every thing else in this world seems empty and hollow.
The greatest legacy you can leave those that you care about the most is that you "delighted yourself in the Lord."

Day 32- February 10

Romans 12:1-6
Sacrifice is not what this world teaches us. The very definition of the word means to give up something valuable for the benefit of someone else with no possibility of return for you. Jesus taught us the meaning by giving us His life on the cross so that we could be forgiven and free. The closest example that we have today is our soldiers who have given and still give their lives so that we can be free.
The passage talks about giving ourselves a "living" sacrifice. This means that we give of our time, talents, and resources to the help of others. This is our "spiritual act of worship" because of what Jesus did for us. Isn't it interesting that this is considered "worship" by our God. Most of us think of worship as being the service that we attend on the weekends, but in reality it has to do with what we do with our "dash" during the rest of our time.
Therefore, using our resources for the benefit of others is where real worship begins. Investing those things in God's kingdom will transform us as opposed to conforming us to this world.
We get to chose what we do with the dash that has been given to us. What we do with it determines a whole lot to who we become.

Day 33- February 11

Isaiah 1:18, Matthew 18:21-33
One of the greatest things you can leave is forgiveness. It has such great impact on every area of our lives. It also has many different parts: forgiving others when they have sinned against you, accepting and living in God's forgiveness for you, seeking forgiveness from those that you have wronged, and learning to forgive yourself when you have already received forgiveness.
I don't know of any other single thing that can bring problems and stress into your life like unforgiveness. It will even wreck your health. This is why it is so important.
The first thing to understand is God's forgiveness for you. When you learn to live in that it will give you the power to forgive others. In fact, God says it is mandatory for the believer because of all that you have been forgiven of. When we see that we have been made as pure as snow when we didn't deserve it, then we see how important it is to forgive others. One of the quickest ways to lose your joy as a believer is to hold a grudge. God will not let us live in peace when we look at it in the light of what Jesus did for us at the cross.
When someone has one month to live, one of the first things they try to do is make things right with those that they care about the most. This gives rise to the question we have asked many times during this series: Why wait until our time is limited to live this way?

Day 34 - February 12

Ecclesiastes 7:4, Revelation 21:4
I love the quote from C.S. Lewis: "If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." The Scriptures teach us that God has put eternity inside all our hearts that lets us know that this world is not all there is. Every one of us know that what we do on this earth will matter in eternity. The only way to make any sense or find any purpose in this world would be to see that God exists and that I matter to Him.

When we think of the concept of One Month to Live, if this world is all that matters then the news that our time is limited would be devastating. God has made us for so much more. The inside desire to have rest and peace,that is very seldom achieved in this life and when it is achieved it is fleeting, must come from somewhere else.

Therefore, let us not try to find those things in anything on this earth, but from the One from which it comes.