Serene Sunday

I've never known where to place Sunday. It's supposed to be the first day of the week, but I consider it the weekend too, which is (obviously) at the end of the week.

This being said, I believe Sunday is that one day we have to "regroup" ourselves, sort of pull ourselves back together. In essence, Sunday is a day to quiet the mind and body and reflect on the week that has past and prepare for the week that is coming.

We all learn and grow, and because I have the insatiable need to write everything down, I'll share what I have learned this past week and how I've grown. I hope to do this every Sunday with my blog.

This is the little church we went to in Montana

It all started in Montana. 

A couple of weeks ago, I went with nineteen other students from my university to a leadership institute in Montana. I believe the experience changed my life. I don't say that lightly because I feel like I'm the type of person who is very difficult to change.

Anyway, our Chaplin, Ron, drilled 3 basic themes into our heads while we were there:

1) The number one lie people of the faith believe today: 

Following the Kingdom is a position privilege, not responsibility.  

Yeah, guilty as charged.                               

2) Ask these three questions everyday: 

Is the work well done? 

Is the Word well used? 

Is the Lord well pleased?  

3) Also, consider these questions for your life: 

Where am I at? 

Where am I headed? 

Who am I becoming? 

Another quote that stuck with me: "Success is predicated upon cost." 

Enter by the narrow gate...Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life... {Matthew 7:13-14}

Those three themes were still mulling around in my head this past week. On top of that, right now I'm reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (I HIGHLY recommend this devo if you're looking for a hard, very highly convicting word of inspiration daily). On July 7th, the title for the entry read: All Efforts of Worth and Excellence are Difficult. Immediately, I thought of the privilege vs. responsibility theme from Montana. Here's a little quotation from the devotional that day:

Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage and holiness [responsibility]. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the worthy excellent life of a disciple of Jesus in the realities of life.  And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence. 

Virtually, that is what I learned this week. The immense responsibility and discipline of being a disciple. It won't just fall into my lap. I have to seek after it...whole-heartedly. I know this, now all I have to do is live it.

Daily, I will choose the more excellent way.