Choose Life to the Fullest

Day 1

What am I looking forward to:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

“It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for." (Ephesians 1:11 MSG)

Questions help us. Living thinking great involves asking ourselves questions. Questions are not always fun, because they reveal the truth. Yet, asking ourselves questions and spending time reflecting on our answers can create change. If you have five minutes this morning or later today you can ask yourself:

• What am I thinking about most of the time?

• Do these thoughts make me better?

• Do these thoughts help me enjoy life?

• Do my own thoughts about me keep me down?

Life is so busy—most of us don't slow down to ask ourselves questions that lead to life change. Our thoughts need to encourage us to become our best self. If our thoughts are constantly beating us down, we will live discouraged. So let’s change those thoughts! We can like ourselves, because God likes us. Even though we feel like we have flaws, He calls us a masterpiece. Living in the realization that we are treasured by the heart of God leads to thinking better.

Jesus, I invite YOU into my thoughts. Show me all the repetitive thoughts that discourage me. I give them to You. May I see myself through Your eyes. In Your name

Day 2

What am I thankful for:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

What do I worry about?

Most of us have a repetitive worry. Whether we realize it or not—this one thing that we worry about circulates in our mind. The thing I find myself worrying about is something I know God can do, I just don't know how He is going to do it, when He is going to fix it, and what I need to do about it in the meantime. You might worry about your future, which college you are going to. You might worry about your career, whether or not you will reach your dreams. You might worry about whether people like you, your relationships, friendships. You might worry about something you can't seem to overcome. Worry can turn into anxiety.

Anxiety steals our joy and hope.

This is the advice God offers: "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, PRAY. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7 MSB)

Worry can be alleviated by giving God one worry at a time, over and over again. Every time the worry pops in our head, we can give it to God.

God, I worry about _________________. I have a habit of worrying about this one thing (or multiple things). I give it to You, please give me Your peace instead. Help me to trust Your heart for me. In Jesus name

Day 3

What is GREAT in my life?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

"...I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally. (Ephesians 1:16 MSG)

This verse states that we can know God personally. Knowing someone "personally" does not mean we just know about them, but we really know them. When we know someone, we feel more comfortable around them. When we can ask God to help us understand Him—He makes Himself known. A growing relationship with God is a result of choosing to spend time with Him, some people call this a devotion or quiet time. It is a simple daily habit.

• We can invite Jesus into our devotion time.

• We can thank God for 5 great things, which reminds us of His goodness.

• We can read a Bible verse like the one above.

• Think about how that verse applies to our lives. Writing this down helps.

• Then we can say or journal (write a prayer) about our concerns, struggles, needs, dreams, etc.

• Be still (even for one minute) and ask God what He is trying to show us.

During this time, if we think of something that contradicts the Bible, it is not from God.

Throughout the day, we can whisper quick prayers to Him, just like we talk to a friend.

God, I want to know You in a more personal way. I invite You into every part of my day. In Jesus name

Day 4

Good things in my life:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

"...I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do" (Ephesians 1:16 MSG)

If you have eyesight like mine, you might wake up to everything being blurry. Nothing is clear until I put my glasses on, or contacts in. When everything is blurry in life, we can't figure out the next step, and sometimes we don't know which way to go. This can be so frustrating! However, when we are growing in our friendship with Jesus—life becomes more clear. When we focus on His words that promise us GREAT things—we can SEE what He is calling us to do. We can take this verse and understand so much about the heart of Jesus, for He stated, "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." (John 10:10 MSG)

What am I focused on?

Is it helping me?

God, I want to clearly see Your heart for me. Show me what You have for me today. In Jesus name

Day 5

What is GREAT in my life?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans 8:31 NLT)

I am reading a book by author and pastor Jeff Henderson, “Know What You Are FOR,” it’s awesome! In chapter 9, Jeff writes about designing a “FOR culture" by using this pattern: "believe abundantly, appreciate consistently, develop intentionally, listen actively, live repeatedly."

These principles apply to all of us in our various stages of life. I have been asking myself in relationships do I: "believe abundantly, appreciate consistently, develop intentionally, listen actively, and live repeatedly?”

You can ask yourself these same questions about your relationships (at home, at work, at school, on your team). The answers are insightful and motivating. If you want to be FOR the people you are around, I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book.

God is FOR us and following His example we can be FOR the world around us.

God, help me to soak in Your love, so that I can be FOR others. In Jesus name