First & Last Moments

Mar 11

We’re all under the influence of someone or something. We are who we are today in part because of who we’ve allowed to influence us. We become like the people we give our attention to.

As apprentices of Jesus we are learning to Be with Jesus in order that we can become like Jesus and love like Jesus.

But… if Jesus the ultimate influence on our lives?

Would our daily rhythms indicate God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are given the space to form, mould and develop our ideas, mindsets, actions and character?

Take a deep breath. Relax. We haven’t been formed or trained to give God space.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t start now.

So for the next for weeks we’re going to be providing you with simple First and Last moments you can do.

Come prepared Sunday to discuss your experiences.

We would like to thank Hillside Church for providing this plan via bible.com (the bible app) For more information, please visit: https://hillsideonline.com

Monday:

Morning reflection: Communication makes the world go ‘round!

While this statement is maybe a bit far-fetched, I think we could agree that great communication is helpful and important. Marriage is better when communication is central. Friendships are strengthened when communication is healthy and honest. The workplace operates differently when good communication is a central theme.

One thing is true for almost any area of our lives, regardless of the season or situation…communication is important.

If communication helps strengthen earthly relationships, why would the same not be true in our relationship with God? God wants to communicate with us. He wants to hear from us. He wants us to hear from him. He wants to connect with us in a way that strengthens our relationship with him. We love and serve a God that wants us to talk to him through prayer.

Prayer is communicating with our God who loves us deeply and cares for us intimately.

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” (Colossians 4:2 NLT).

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul calls all believers in Christ to devote themselves to prayer. Devote means to concentrate on a particular pursuit. In other words, devote/focus/concentrate on communicating with God in all you do. As you go about your day, communicate with God through prayer. When you face the same obstacle you’ve been facing for months, talk to God about it. Instead of worrying, pray. Replace complaining with prayer to God. In all areas, at all times, devote yourself to prayer.

Talking to God helps brings you closer to the heart of God.

How can you devote time to pray today?

In your relationships is it easier for you to talk or listen? Is this true of your relationship with God as well? Be mindful of your tendencies.

Read Colossians 4:2-6 and talk to God today. Let God talk to you, too. As you read the words of scripture and meditate on them, listen. God’s heart is to bring you closer to him through regular (even constant) communication.

““Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them. Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬-‭6‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Evening Reflections: Gratitude

“Stay alert with your eyes wide open in gratitude.” - Col 4:2

Take a few moments whole preparing for bed to review your day. What moments, things and people brought your joy, inner happiness or peace? Are there someone’s or somethings you e taken for granted? Share your thankfulness with God..

Tuesday

Morning: Prayer: The How of The Habit

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1 NLT).

Lord, teach us to pray.

In forming our habit of prayer, this is a great place to start. The disciples saw Jesus praying privately, they heard him praying publicly, and they asked him to teach them to do the same. This would have been common in the teacher and disciple context of that time. Prayer was an opportunity for teachers to express their theology, what they believed about God and his Kingdom. So, Jesus’ response in what we call the Lord’s Prayer, is not just a model of posture or order, but it is Jesus teaching his disciples what he knows to be true about who God is and how God’s Kingdom works. So how does Jesus teach his disciples to pray?

With adoration…because God is worthy of all honor and praise.

Father, hallowed be your name,

With expectancy…because the Kingdom of God is near, as near as your next breath. Let it be.

your kingdom come.

With dependency…because we are not in control. Everything we are and have is a gift from God.

Give us each day our daily bread.

With humility…because we are all in need of being saved.

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

With faith…because God is good and wants to lead us into blessing, not harm.

And lead us not into temptation.

The “how” of prayer is more about getting to know “Who” we are praying to.

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, but he also wanted them to know Who they were praying to. The “how” of prayer isn’t about saying the right words in the right order. Prayer is a relationship. And Jesus’ whole earthly ministry revolved around telling people the good news about who his Father is and that his Kingdom is near!

If you were talking to another person, how would you describe God to them?
How does your understanding of who God is hold up in comparison to how Jesus describes his Father?

Prayer. As I enter today I know that you are with me. Holy Spirit I desire to experience you with me. Please grant me the eyes to see, the ears to hear and the courage to react to your still small voice. Guide my steps, guard my heart and prompt my words and actions to express how much I do love those I connect with - Amen

Evening Reflection:

Read the Lord’s Prayer and the following parables in Luke 11:1-13. And rejoice in the knowledge that the one who seeks God, finds God.

End your time in prayer acknowledging your desire to find God.

Wednesday

Morning Reflection: Prayer: The Hang-up of The Habit

Have you ever grown discouraged because you felt like your prayers were going unanswered? Or the immediate response you were hoping for seemed to be delayed?

You are not alone. This can be a hang-up for everyone. It is hard to keep having a conversation if you feel like the other party is not responding. Even Jesus’ disciples were tempted to lose heart, so Jesus told them a story in Luke 18 to encourage them to persevere.

“And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?” (Luke 18:7 NIV).

There is nothing too big or too small to ask of God. Jesus promises us that, “...whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 NIV). Scripture warns us, though, that this promise is not a blank check for us to cash in with selfish requests rather than our requests being the will of God (James 4:3, Psalm 66:18). We can take confidence knowing that, if we pray according to the will of God, he always hears and answers in his perfect timing (1 John 5:14).

But, how do I pray according to God’s will? First, make a habit of praying God’s Word. Get rooted in daily Bible study, and as you read, pray the words of Scripture.

The best way to pray God’s will is to pray God’s Word.

Secondly, evaluate if you are praying from a place of dependence or a place of entitlement? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to “pray without ceasing.” This is an invitation to an ongoing dialogue that requires constant dependence on God’s Spirit. A spirit of dependence fosters communication, while a spirit of entitlement can make your heart hard to God’s good will for your life.

Relying on God keeps the lines of communication open.

Lean in closer, listen more intently, and wait for God’s faithful response. He will always answer, and he will always work for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Have you felt discouraged in prayer, or that your requests have gone unanswered?
Is there anything in your heart that you need to confess to God in order to reopen the lines of communication that you might have shut down?

Luke 18: 1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”

6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Evening Reflection:

Is there anything on your heart you wish God would deal with? Take a few moments to acknowledge and embrace your own desires. They are not small or insignificant.

Reflect: 1 John 5:14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

God loves you. With confidence in God’s love offer your desires to him. Take a few moments to pray for the things you want.

Thursday:

Morning Reflection: Prayer: The Humility of The Habit

In prayer we get to talk with the very Creator of the Universe. The Creator of the moon and stars, the oceans and the mountains, and the Creator of you and me. Our innermost being is not hidden to him. He knows us better than we even know ourselves. Furthermore, he is

powerful. Even the wind and the waves obey his commands, so make no mistake, he is in control.

Which makes our desire for control one of the most profound ironies of the human condition. We grasp for control, only to find it a burden too great to bear.

When we begin to accept this, we can humbly approach God in prayer. We can go to him with our joys and our sufferings - the hurts, hang-ups, fears, and anxieties can all be cast onto our God who cares and is in control. Graciously, we do not have to be in control, God holds it all.

And amazingly, entering the habit of prayer with humility fosters the habit, and then the habit fosters more humility. It is a beautiful cycle. Humility can become a rhythm within a rhythm.

Humility fosters connection with God in prayer and is also a blessed result of that connection.

Our humility in prayer is also deeply connected to our ability to listen in prayer. Psalm 46:10 NIV says, “...be still and know that I am God...” Be still. Take a deep breath. Embrace a moment of rest and stillness. God is in control, listen and trust.

Part of a healthy rhythm and habit of prayer comes from cultivating space in our lives to rest in the goodness of God. To experience the stillness and know that God is in control. We do not have to have all the answers.

Imagine talking to one of your closest friends. As stories are shared, you have opportunities to speak and to listen. Why should it be any different with God? So today, take some time in prayer to be still. Know that he is God. Trust him. Submit even when it is hard, and rest in the knowledge that he is good.

What is one area of your life you are trying to control?
How can you create space to be still?

'We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ' — Romans 8:22

Evening Reflection: Breath prayer.

A great way to rest into the presence of God is by using our breath to pray. Might even put you to sleep!

Are there areas of your life you’d like God to have more control? Name them and breath.

Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am God!

Inhale: Be Still and Know

Exhale: that I am God.

Friday

Morning Reflection: Prayer: The Holiness of The Habit

While faith in Christ makes us ultimately holy before God, Scripture urges all believers to live a godly, holy, set-apart life here and now. So, what does a godly life look like? Our best example is expressed in the life of Jesus. In Jesus’ life we see that he habitually spent time in prayer with God. How can the habit of prayer help produce a godly life in us?

Have you ever spent time with a married couple that behaves like each other? Maybe they share common phrases, laugh alike, gesture the same, or have similar expressions. It’s pretty common. Even though we’re unique individuals, there’s a tendency for us to behave similarly to those with whom we share a close bond.

Behavioral scientists study this phenomenon of how people in close relationships, often without even thinking, imitate each other. In intimate relationships we move past the surface and engage candidly. We have heart-to-heart conversations build trust, respect, and connections that we simply don’t experience with casual acquaintances. We get to know each other’s hearts, and we become more like each other.

This isn’t a superficial mimicking. This experience is a mysterious movement within people that draws us to subconsciously align our behaviors to those we trust. We sometimes call this influence.

In the same way, genuine conversations with God cultivate a strong and sincere bond that influences our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. So, the connection of prayer is practical and powerfully transformational. As we devote ourselves, the Spirit works within us to conform us.

When early Christians were instructed to “set their minds on the things above” (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV) it was for the purpose of "being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:10 NIV).

Devoting time with God, focusing our minds to know Him, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and shape us, renovates and conforms us to His ways, behaviors, and character.

The fruit of prayer is a deeper connection with God.

and

The fruit of a deeper connection with God is a godly life.

Am I observing God from a distance or am I spending enough time with him in the Word and in prayer to become more like him?

Evening Reflection: Where do you find your mind resting?

'For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. '

Colossians 3:1-4

Saturday

Morning Reflection: Prayer: The Hope of The Habit

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).

Mercy and grace in our time of need.

Friends, there is hope. In our time of need there is hope. We have access to the very presence of God. In his presence, we will receive compassion, not punishment, and we will find free and unmerited favor. This is worth repeating. In God’s presence, we will be met with compassion and favor! Don’t rush past the hope of that statement.

But how can this be true? What is the basis of our confidence? Better yet, Who is the basis of our confidence?

Jesus. Who was tempted in every way, but lived a sinless life. The one who empathizes with our weakness.

Jesus. Who was put to death on the cross, but now lives and is at the right hand of his Father. The one who is able and willing to save.

Jesus. Who is the pioneer and perfecter of faith. The one who helps us hold firmly to the faith we have been given.

Our confidence is him. Our boast is him alone. We can come to prayer with confidence and hope because of Jesus. We come without fear of punishment, we come without the need to strive and prove. We can come to our God who is compassionate, and gracious, and abounding in love and faithfulness (Psalm 145) and we can know those things to be true, because of Jesus.

Prayer is so much more than an item on your checklist. It is your direct line to hope. And this hope is an anchor for your soul.

What does God’s mercy and grace mean for your life?
How does hope affect your ability to continue in this habit of prayer?

Evening Reflection:

'Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. ' — Hebrews 12:1,1-3

Was there anything today slowing you down, tripping you up? Take a few moments to examine your day. With your hands open release these someones and somethings to God.
Prayer: Christ these are areas of my life that get in the way sometimes. Some of these things are people who require a lot of love and hard work. I release these habits and relationships to you asking for help, strength or the courage to set up stronger boundaries. You are good. You are love. I offer these to you only to experience more of you. I want more of you.

Wesley Wood https://www.reunionbelleville.com

First & Last Moments

More Information

Resources