As for Me and My House – Day 21

DAY 21: GIVE HIM OUR BEST

Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

What does it take to win an Olympic gold medal? A life that is dedicated to one thing. An athlete gives hours and hours of practice, training, workouts, special diet and coaching—for years. You don’t become the best of the best overnight. That prize is not easily won.

If people will sacrifice that much for an earthly prize, shouldn’t we be willing to work hard and sacrifice for an eternal prize? We desire to give God our best so that we will be with Him for all of eternity. We give Him our best and He gives us His best. 

QUESTIONS Are you working with all your heart for the Lord or for men? What kind of reward are you working for—earthly recognition of your accomplishments or a heavenly prize (your inheritance)? How does knowing you will receive an inheritance affect your attitude toward work? 

PRAYER Help me work hard for you, Lord, and not for men. Fill me so I can give my very best in whatever I do. 

ACTION Be aware at work, at home, and with others if you are giving your best to serve God who is faithful or man who is not. By your actions, let others get the message, “I see you, I care.” 

As for Me and My House – Day 9

DAY 9: GIVING UP ANYTHING TO OBTAIN EVERYTHING

Matthew 13:44 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

Leading up to the 1994 World Cup, our son collected Upper Deck trading cards. Certain rare cards offered a chance to win the grand prize—an all-expense-paid trip to the championship at the Rose Bowl. 

He mowed lawns and sold home-baked pretzels to earn money to purchase hundreds of cards, many useless to him. Whenever he found an eligible card, he mailed it in. But none of them won the contest. Then he read the fine print and learned of a second-chance drawing. His diligence paid off when his name was drawn, and he and his dad were flown to Pasadena, housed in a hotel, and seated two rows behind the Italian bench for the championship game.

Like the man in the parable, our son was willing put all his money into purchasing something as ordinary as a field (or boxes of collector cards) in order to garner something much more valuable.

QUESTIONS What will it take for you to give up everything to gain what Jesus says is everything—eternal life? Have you decided He is all you need? For the joy set before Jesus, He endured the cross. Can you sacrifice what seems like everything to gain the joy of what amounts to more than everything?

PRAYER I get so distracted from what is of real importance, Lord. Help me today to lay down my life and let You take it. I consecrate it for Your purposes. Only You can help me do this. I desire to give myself completely to You.

ACTION Take a moment and tell the Lord, “I give you my life and all that I have.” Let go of whatever holds you back from allowing Him to be your greatest treasure. Move beyond desiring to let Him be Lord to actually letting Him take control of your life.

As for Me and My House – Day 8

Week 2

CONSECRATION

As for me and my house, we will be set apart.

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DAY 8: FIRSTFRUITS BELONG TO HIM

James 1:17-18
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

If we are the “firstfruits of all He created,” then that means we are to give ourselves to Him—becoming fully devoted to God. We consecrate ourselves through self-surrender. This means we are no longer the center. He is the center of our lives. We yield everything to Him: our will, our time, our abilities, our possessions. 

This is only possible if we are fully convinced that Jesus gave Himself for us. Our love for Him is a response to His great love for us. If He gave all for us, how can we not give all to Him?

QUESTIONS Do you give the firstfruits of your will, your time, your energy, and your wealth to the Lord? Give to Him first because He gave everything to you. Will you remember to give to Him first?

PRAYER I want to give you the firstfruits of all I am and have, Lord. Show me what I need to do to be devoted to You. Teach me how to give and not merely take, to not have a scarcity mentality but a heart of generosity. 

ACTION Give the first of your time, your energy, your paycheck today plus anything else the Lord points out to you give as an offering to Him.