Stay Strong!

Hi Everybody!

Well, here we are on the 25th day of our Bible reading/40 day fast. How is everybody doing? I'm sure it has been more challenging now that you are back in school and have busy schedules to compete with. But I want to encourage you to stay strong, and continue to make God's Word a priority in your daily life!

We have just past a critical point in this 40 day journey, and that was day 21...the three week mark. And why was this a critical point? Well, they say that it takes three weeks to form a habit, so if you've been diligent in reading your Word everyday, it should be starting to feel normal and habitual. Is anyone experiencing that? I know on the days I've missed it has felt strange, and I have been finding myself craving it! Praise God that He gives us hunger for His Word!

I really enjoyed reading Matthew straight through, and I was just amazed at all of the profound statements Jesus made, and boy did they cut to the heart! He had a way at making people very uncomfortable (and ticked off) everywhere he went! I love what he said to the sons of Zebedee's mom when she asked if her sons could sit at his right and left hands in heaven. Jesus said, "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" What he was asking was are you and your sons willing to suffer in this life in order to receive the eternal rewards I have for you? The idea of suffering for the advancement of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God is woven throughout the entire new Testament, and none of the disciples or Jesus himself were strangers to it.

So this is a topic I have been mulling over...suffering. Something we don't like to talk about or go through! I would love to hear what you guys are learning. We have a little over 2 weeks to go, and then we will all celebrate this journey at the Jesus Culture conference...Woohoo!!! Stay focused!

Michelle

It is so great that we are doing this reading. I have had a hard time keeping up with it but am almost caught up. Praise God! I like your idea about highlighting words and think it will help me focus more. Jonathan and I are fasting breakfast. That is ok for me but I am hoping he will post for support as the fasting is hard for him. I have enjoyed reading larger portions of scripture and getting the order of things in my head. Thanks for setting this up and your encouragement Michelleej. May God bless us all and grow us in Him as we go through His word. Barb Freeman

The wisdom of God

Hi guys! How is everyone doing as we wrap up another week of fasting/praying/reading? We are so encouraged to hear how many of you are staying on track with the reading and are sticking to the fast. Keep it up! I am not able to skip meals, so I am fasting chocolate and soda.....that may not be a big deal for some of you, but for any chocoholics out there, you can imagine how hard this is! In fact, yesterday I caved and ate a chocolate bar cookie, and I was so bummed afterwards. I was amazed at the power of my flesh to give in, and it left me thinking that I really want to love Jesus more than anything that satisfies my flesh.

So I have been pondering over 1 Cor. 1:18-31 which is about the wisdom of God versus the wisdom of man. What a powerful chunk of scripture this is!!! Did anyone else get blessed by reading it? I love verse 25 which says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." God is so AWESOME! God's standard for wisdom measured so different than the world. He used "unschooled and ordinary men" to spread the Gospel, so we don't have to think we have to have it all together or have special training to be used by him. All He needs is a weak willing vessel to work through!!!

We love you guys, stay strong and focused!

Michelle

Welcome all GZ 40 Day "Fasters!"

Hi Guys! Well, here we are on day 10 of our 40 days of fasting and Bible reading. Chad and I created this blog as a place where we can all post how we are doing with the fast and the reading as well as share any insights and encouragement we may have for one another. We understand that this is not easy, it is a lot of reading and what a hard season to be fasting when there seems to be food everywhere! Now is the time to stay disciplined! You may have figured out the hard way (as I have) that if you get behind by a day or two, it's tough to catch up! Don't lose heart, however, if you find yourself behind by several days, just start where you left off and go for it!

So I just finished reading Galatians and I was struck by the fact that the whole letter is about FAITH and living by the SPIRIT. Something fun to do is take a highlighter or colored pencil and mark all the times you see these two words in this letter...it is amazing! I love how Paul just lays things out so clearly...no sugar-coating here! The verse that stuck out the most to me was Galatians 6:8 which says "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Wow! The goal of our whole Christian walk it to learn how to live by the Spirit.

We would love to hear what the Lord has been teaching you through His Word, so please post any "nuggets" (as PChad says) that you have discovered. Remember, we are all in this together! His Word is so rich, let it nourish you daily.

Michelle