Online Ministry for the Week 01/23 - 01/29 2017

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

We would see Jesus on the mountain teaching, with his disciples listening, gathered round, while birds and flowers and sky above are preaching the blessedness which simple trust has found. So open our eyes and our ears and all our senses to receive your Word and follow where you lead. Amen.

DAILY READING

• Monday (January 23, 2017): Psalm 27:7-14; Judges 6:11-24; Ephesians 5:6-14
• Tuesday (January 24, 2017): Psalm 27:7-14; Judges 7:12-22; Philippians 2:12-18
• Wednesday (January 25, 2017): Psalm 27:7-14; Genesis 49:1-2, 8-13, 21-26; Luke 1:67-79
• Thursday (January 26, 2017): Psalm 15; Deuteronomy 16:18-20; 1 Peter 3:8-12
• Friday (January 27, 2017): Psalm 15; Deuteronomy 24:17-25:4; 1 Timothy 5:17-24
• Saturday (January 28, 2017): Psalm 15; Micah 3:1-4; John 13:31-35
• Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, January 29, 2017

ABUNDANT HEALTH

Mind Cycle

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2 (NIV)

The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you want to change any behavior, you must start by challenging unhealthy perspectives. A key tool is to train your brain to replace negative thoughts (rather than resisting them) with positive ones. It takes practice, and it takes truth.

—The Daniel Plan Team

—The Daniel Plan brief excerpt from The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life by Rick Warren, DMin; Daniel Amen, MD; & Mark Hyman, MD (Zondervan). © 2013 by The Daniel Plan. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

NIV DAILY

How do I develop healthy relationships with others? (Ecclesiastes 4:8–12)

Community is not a “nice-to-have” addition, but an essential experience for living a godly and healthy life. God intended for humans to have rich, life-giving relationships with each other; relationships energized and motivated by the actual presence of God among them. Adam and Eve experienced this perfect ideal in the garden. But their rejection of God’s vision for life together caused humankind to be escorted from the garden and out of community with God. This separation from God and the presence of sin in every human being’s nature is a perpetual challenge to creating strong community. But it is clear from God’s Word that people were not meant for separation and isolation. (See Ecclesiastes 4:8–12.)

One of the marked differences between the church and the rest of society is the call to live for others. Throughout the New Testament, followers of Jesus were urged to look out for “one another.” When the early Christians did this in faith, it created an irresistible attraction for outsiders to belong to the family of God.

KEY VERSE

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44–47)

KEY IDEA

I fellowship with Christians to accomplish God’s purposes in my life, in the lives of others and in the world.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

If you were going to rescue a person who had fallen off a steep cliff, you would want to be tied to as many people up on the mountain as possible, supporting you and holding you as you attempt rescue. As we minister and reach out to those outside the community of faith, it is necessary to stay tethered together for optimum success, lest we also fall.

There are days we desperately need a good hug to keep going, and other days we need a swift kick in the pants to get back to where we should be. Friends who love God, and love us for who we are, know exactly when and how to do the right thing for us. In the book of 

Proverbs, Solomon writes, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6 NKJV).

Taken from NIV Believe©2017 HarperCollins Christian Publishing

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Eternal God, we praise you for your priceless gift of Scripture! You shine light on the path of life, so that we may align ourselves with your saving purposes. Strengthen us by the power of your Holy Spirit and bless our partnerships with interfaith congregations. Help us to reach out to show your kindness to our neighbors. Give us courage to become more generous in every realm of our lives. We pray this in your holy name. Amen. (Micah 6:1-8)