Here we are, January 31. Congratulations…you made it through the Thirty for 30 Challenge. How did you do?
I have to admit, it was more difficult than I expected. I started with grand visions of sipping coffee with my Bible open, notepad and pen in hand, and meditating on the deeper contexts of Scripture. Then life happened.
The kids fought. Clothes needed washed. People needed to eat. And I just grew tired.
I’m so glad I committed to posting something every week. I didn’t know if anyone would read it, but I had said it would be there. Therefore, it had to be done.
So my visions of glorious mornings with God often evaporated into a quick prayer in the shower and a few verses from my You Version app before the kids stumbled downstairs in search of breakfast.
The beautiful part? God was faithful. (Isn’t He always?) And the time in His Word, however brief, was not in vain. (It never is.)
Many times, I was struck by a concept that lingered in my heart throughout the day…thoughts like avoiding worldly wisdom, building my life on eternal values, setting an example for others, and showing God’s grace.
Here are a few of the lessons I (re-)discovered in the last 30 days:
1. God is not bound by time. God is able to do more (in my heart and life) with the few minutes I give Him, than I’m able to do with hours of my own effort.
2. When I am faithful in the small things, He gives me greater things. By connecting with God daily, I allow myself to be obedient to Him more often.
3. You truly are what you “eat.” When I meditate on God’s Word, I am less distracted by (and attracted to?) things the world has to offer.
4. God’s greatest theme is GRACE. Of the many times I’ve read Corinthians, this was the first time I realized how often the word “grace” was used. How can one not rely on the theme of grace when writing about living out faith in an anti-God culture? It is, after all, the message of the Book entirely.
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” 2 Corinthians 13:14
I pray you’ve enjoyed this journey as much as I have and can say you’ve discovered more of God. If so, please leave me a comment, or link up below, and let me know what you’ve learned along the way. I am continuing my accountability by joining the Prayer Dare over at A Royal Daughter. Won’t you join me? Who doesn’t need a little more prayer?
I’m also excited to announce there will be more Bible study opportunities later this year!You won’t want to miss it, so enter your e-mail in the sidebar so you can stay in the loop with each new post!
Now it’s your turn…leave me a comment or link up below and let me know your thoughts on the Thirty for 30 Challenge.
Nancy! Thank you so much for sharing #PrayerDare with your readers! I’ll see you TOMORROW!!
Nancy, I’ve loved reading your journey this month. I admit this month has been on of the hardest for me when it comes to following through on my plans and commitments. This has been a great reminder to me that God is faithful when I am searching for Him and trusting Him- that just calling out and rushing through my day in my power results in nothing of great assurance.
Thanks again for this series.
Marissa
Marissa, thank you so much for participating in the challenge. I’m so glad you found it helpful!
Hi, Nancy- Love reading all your posts! Though I didn’t do exact challenge, I took your challenge of connecting daily to God to heart. I found it works for me timewise to listen to podcasts from various pastors (including John Lindell, Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley) daily & the Daily Audio Proverb while I clean, workout & go about my routines. It’s so inspiring to hear these fresh sermons as opposed to the same old playlist of music that I normally put in. Thanks:)
Oh, Anna! I’m so glad you enjoy my posts; that encourages me so much! And I love that you took on the challenge in your own way…that’s why I left it pretty open-ended. The idea was simply to set aside time each day to connect with God, and it sounds like you’ve done just that through some amazing preachers of the Word! When I was running consistently in the mornings, I did the same thing…listened to podcasts. Another great way to get the Word in you. Thanks for participating…and for letting me know you did!