10 / Pleasing God?
Vertical Desire / David Robinson / 2007, Edition of 12 / Bronze, steel
Morning meditation
Read Mark 1:9-11
Since Jesus is the Son of God, why do you think He was baptized?
Do you do things to please God or do you do things because God is already pleased with you?
Dig into this if you didn’t yesterday: Baptism is like a mini-resurrection! When someone goes under the water, it is like dying with Christ and when they come out they are a new creation! It is an outward sign of an inward work. (Check out Romans 6:1-14)
Have you been baptized? If so, what was it like? If not, consider it!
—Scripture Notes and Additional Questions
Morning Prayer
This week we are asking GOD for holy spirit power each morning.
Holy Spirit, You are with me today. You are my helper. Will and work in me today to fulfill Kingdom purposes. Fill me with power to overcome temptation and push back the darkness so the Father’s will is done in my life and those around me. Bring healing, freedom and victory to my soul by Your power in my life. I will see victories in my life, not because of my strength, but because of Your power at work within me.
—Adapted from john 16:7; Philippians 2:13; Acts 1:8
Today’s motivation
“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa…Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.”
—Missionary, david livingstone, December 4, 1857
HIT Your Goals Today
Make sure your daily habits are locked in so you stay strong!
✅ Self-Denial - ✅Almsgiving - ✅Fasting
How does today’s motivation make you think differently about your daily habits?
Evening Prayer
Set an alarm for this evening so you remember to end your day with God.
Father, You have created quite a win/win situation for me. I surrender my life, I get eternity with You—but better yet, I get Christ in me now. When I accept Jesus as my savior and leader, You see His righteousness, not mine. I am forgiven. I am safe. I have nothing to prove to You. You are pleased with me. And because You are pleased with me before I do a thing, I want to live my life as an act of worship to You. Thank you for the rest I can enjoy because of You. Amen.
Pray for our world. There are some many things in our world that we can pray for—pick a couple and get after it:
Poverty: More than 70 percent of people in the world own less than $10,000
Religious Conflict and War: Terrorism and the rise of religiously-motivated insurgent groups have forced the hand of several governments.
Social Polarization: Polarization has skyrocketed with the rise of social movements across the world.
Government Accountability: Throughout the world, political scandals have led to a distrust of government.
Education: Inequality between genders in specific parts of the world has emerged as a large part of the problem.
Food and Water: 1 in 9 people lack access to clean water across the world and the same ratio are malnourished.
Health in Developing Nations: Covid. Also, statistics have widely shown that access to clean and affordable living conditions has lagged in the developing world.
Discrimination: This covers a wide breadth of issues and takes several forms such as race, gender, wages, income inequality and education.
Physical Fitness: The lack of physical fitness programs and extra-curricular activities have created significant issues that could affect future health.