20 / Halfway
Tree of Good and Evil / Lonna Janel / 2021/ Ink on Japanese Paper
⬆️Today’s art piece was created by our friend Lonna Janel - we are blessed to know such a gifted artist!
Morning meditation
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-20
When did the message of the cross cease being foolishness to you?
How should you interact with people who still think the message of the cross is foolishness?
—Scripture Notes and Additional Questions
Morning Prayer
This week we are asking GOD for a heart for missions each morning:
Wake me up, Lord, when I am too pleased to only be concerned with my own world. When my dreams are focused on what I can see because I am nearsighted. When I arrive safely because I sailed too close to home.
Wake me up, Lord, when the abundance of things I possess robs my thirst for others to find You. Having fallen in love with my own life, I have ceased to dream outside the borders of my comfort zone. And in my efforts to build a perfect life, I have allowed my vision of all nations worshipping You to dim.
Wake me up, Lord, to pray more boldly, to expand my heart across the seas. Where missionaries do the deep and lonely work of reaching those far from You. Where they lose sight of their home land, but find true life in seeing the salvation of many.
I ask You to push back the small borders of my vision and unite my heart with missionaries around the world. Make us one in Spirit and give us the strength, courage, hope and love to accomplish our assignment to see every tribe and tongue worship You.
—Adapted from disturb us, lord - Attributed to Sir Francis Drake - 1577
Download this smart phone wallpaper as a reminder to pray all day long!
Today’s motivation
Don’t get stuck in the middle. At the halfway point of reaching a goal, you are just as far from the beginning as you are from the end. Up until now, you’ve been looking at the days stacking up—counting how many days you’ve done what you set out to do. You are at a critical moment and must make a shift in thinking if you want to finish strong. Instead of looking back to the beginning and how many days have passed, look ahead at how few days are left. If you shift your focus from backward to forward, you are going to finish strong!
—more on today’s motivation here: kellogg school of management
keep daily goals in focus
Think about your goals this way…
☑️ Emotional - After today, only 19 days of sacrifice remain. You’ve got this!
☑️ Mental - After today, only 19 days of generosity remain. You’ve got this!
☑️ Physical - After today, only 19 days of fasting and fitness remain. You’ve got this!
Evening Prayer
Set an alarm for this evening so you remember to end your day with God.
Lord, there was a time when the message of the cross was foolishness to me—when I was perishing. But now it is Your power that is saving me! Please help me rely wholeheartedly on Your wisdom, not the wisdom of the world. You use relationships to bring people to faith. I know my life is on display and You can use it to help people cross over the line of faith—from foolishness to wisdom! May my life bring glory to You! Amen.
Pray for your friends. Pray for each by name. Specifically pray for your friends who have not put their faith in Jesus yet.