Marcus Maye

Power, Love, and Discipline One of the miracles of salvation is that when we have faith in Christ, God not only saves us—He also gives us the power to live according to His will for us. Your life in Christ is one that is empowered by the Holy Spirit living within you. This is a great gift, but a big shift. It often takes time to change how we think and act. We may have bad habits that take hard work to correct, or patterns of thought that are challenging to break. Thankfully, God promises to be with us and to empower us to make these changes in our life. When Paul is writing to his mentee Timothy, he encourages him to continue to develop the gift that God has given to him. While we are saved in an instant, it takes a lifetime to develop and work out what God is doing inside of us. In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul reminds Timothy that God’s Spirit does not give us fear or cowardice. Those things are tools of the devil who is trying to keep us from God. But the Spirit of God empowers us with confidence in Him. He gives us the power to live out the purposes of God in our life. This power is one that we need to continually remember as we face challenges. The Spirit of God also empowers us to love others. It can be difficult to love people, especially those who may have hurt us. But God promises to give us His power and love so that we can be a light to everyone around us. God’s Spirit also empowers us with self-discipline. We won’t experience spiritual change and growth if we don’t train and practice—but that takes time, dedication, and endurance. We need to be consistent in doing the things that God asks us to do, including reading God’s Word and talking to Him. Thankfully, when we belong to God, He helps us. He gives us the strength, stamina, and soundness of mind to build habits that help us become more like Him. Today, take some time to talk with God. Ask Him to empower you by His Spirit towards power, love, and self-discipline. Consider how God is leading you to change the way you live. As you do that, remember that God doesn’t give us fear. He fills us with love because He wants us to experience a confident relationship with Him.

How to Make Disciples Imagine being a disciple in Jesus’ day. Just before Jesus returns to heaven, He commands you to tell all nations the story of the gospel. In your travels, you encounter new people and cultures and share all that God has done through His Son, Jesus. People’s lives are changed because of God’s salvation and His working through you. God asks us to continue to make disciples in His name because His is the only name that can offer salvation. Disciple-making starts with loving others as God has loved us. It involves thoughtful teaching and instruction that points people toward a loving relationship with God. We can teach others about discipleship as we go about our daily lives. Here are two ways to get started… Modeling But as for you, promote the kind of living that reflects right teaching. Titus 2:1 NIV If we want to help people know God, it is important to have hearts that demonstrate Jesus’ teachings. Jesus cared for the poor and the oppressed. He cared more about inward heart attitudes than outward demonstrations. He sacrificed Himself for the good of others. When we model Christ’s sacrificial love and compassion in our relationships, we are illustrating that we have been transformed by God’s love. The way we live will invite others to experience the same sort of love that transformed us. Mentorship Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning. Proverbs 9:9 NRSV As each of us grows in intimacy with God, we can offer wisdom to people we know. Taking time to listen to people’s stories and encouraging them to walk with God through their experiences can lead to a powerful mentoring relationship. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples the command to make more disciples. He declared that all disciples should be made in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a comforting reminder that when we make disciples, we aren’t doing it by our power.  God’s grace goes before us, and the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to transform us. This is all possible because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. So take a moment to think about someone you would like to see draw closer to God. How can you show up in their life today?

How to Give Thanks The Old Testament recounts many moments where God provided for His people. But one powerful retelling of God’s greatness is found in Psalm 105. This Psalm focuses on events found in the book of Exodus, and worshipers were encouraged to remember God’s faithfulness and show gratitude for what He has done. And while all 45 verses are worth studying, let’s take a closer look at the verse that sets the tone for this Psalm, and the four ways it invites us into worship… “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done.”  Psalm 105:1 ESV 1. Reflect on what God has done for you. Gratitude comes from recognizing what God has done for us. So in order to show gratitude, we have to recognize how God was at work in our past circumstances. When we do that, we can acknowledge God’s faithfulness and genuinely worship Him.  2. Thank God. In Psalm 105:1, the term “giving thanks” stems from the Hebrew word yadah which means, “to revere or worship.” To revere someone, you have to respect who they are. Giving thanks is an ongoing act of worship that involves recognizing who God is and offering up gratitude to Him for all that He’s done. 3. Praise God. God’s name carries authority and power and is above all other names, and we proclaim God’s greatness when we call on His great name. When we call on God’s name, we gain a greater understanding of who He is—and this can encourage us to praise Him even more. 4. Tell everyone. God wants everyone to know Him personally, and we get to help people find Him when we proclaim His greatness. As people discover what God has done for us, it can inspire them to seek God for themselves and discover His love for them. We were made to worship God, and one of the ways we do that is by recounting His wonderful works. So today, intentionally set aside time to reflect on God’s faithfulness. And then—tell other people about His great works. Who knows? Your praise just might inspire others to worship God as well.