The Everyday Prayer

 Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day seven)

 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Matthew 4:18

“They were busy in a lawful occupation when he called them to be ministers: our Lord does not call idlers but fishers.” – Spurgeon

Think about the callings found in scripture. David, Moses, Gideon, the disciples. God didn’t call people from the synagogue, He called them while they were faithfully working. Our God meets us where we are at; we need only to listen.

This is true in our personal growth and calling, as well as in our discipleship. Every single one of us are called to make disciples. Some may be called to vocational ministry, but every Christian is called to use their vocation as ministry. Instead of waiting for God to tell you in some grand fashion what you are supposed to do, what if you just went to work tomorrow with the anticipation that God is going to speak there? What would He tell you to do? Who would He tell you to speak with? If you will listen, God will meet you where you are at!

 Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day six)

We abide as sons and daughters. What a stunning work of God’s grace! There is rest and security in belonging to God’s family. Our identity is certain; our provision and future are secure.

Paul writes that when the right time came, God sent his Son to redeem us so that we might receive adoption as his children. Then God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, teaching us to cry, “Abba, Father.” The Father sends the Son to rescue us and the Spirit to assure us that we belong.

We do not obey to persuade God to accept us. We obey because, through Jesus, we have already been welcomed home. We are no longer slaves anxiously attempting to earn a place in the household. We are beloved children learning to live in the freedom, intimacy, and confidence of our Father’s house.

And if we are God’s children, Paul says, then we are also his heirs. Our future rests not upon our grip on God, but upon his gracious grip on us.

 Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day five)
Read this a while back… “The danger of not reading God’s Word and not having a close walk with Christ, is that your ability can become your identity.”  I would extend this thought to include not only ability, but activity as well. This is the truth that Jesus used to call Peter and Andrew (fishers of men). It is the message that Paul was communicating to the Corinthians (neither… is anything) It is also the picture Paul describes to the Galatians (no longer a slave). The gospel reorients our complete perspective about ourselves, others, and the world in which we live. As disciples of Christ, our hearts and minds are constantly being redirected and recalibrated to find, understand, and reflect His grace and glory.
Paul Tripp says it this way, “So you and I aren’t left to our own maturity, character, ingenuity, righteousness, wisdom, or power. Not only that, but the gospel redefines how we understand our whole story, how we think about the meaning of life, how we understand the human struggle, where we get our identity, where we look for peace and security, what we consider in life to be dangerous, what we see as successful living, and so on.”

 Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day four)

It’s proper to end this study with a discussion of who we are and who we’re called be. If we’re going to be discipled, we need to know the shape we’re being formed into.

Matthew tells us that we’re called. We aren’t passive actors in God’s world, with life simply happening to us. We’re called to go into the world with intention and share the gift we’ve received. We’re called to seek after the lost, to be “fishers of men.” We have a role to play in this grand cosmic play. 1 Corinthians reminds us that while we have a role to play, we are not the end-all be-all. We can prepare people to encounter Christ, we can introduce them Christ, but we cannot enact salvation in their life. Our role is to point people to Christ, knowing he is faithful to work in their hearts.

Galatians reminds us that because of God’s mercy and Christ’s sacrifice, our identity is now wrapped up in Jesus. We are adopted into the family of God, sons and daughters – not slaves. As we continue to understand our identity in Christ, we will be able to more faithfully live out the role he has given us – faithfully showing others the love and mercy of our Father.

How have you felt this identity and role taking shape in your life lately?

 Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day three)

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. (1 Cor. 3:6)

What role do you have in sharing the Gospel with someone else? We can see here in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that we all play a part in various people coming to know the Lord. God places people in our path each and every day that we are called to share the Gospel with. Is it the person taking your order at the restaurant today? Is it the parent you are volunteering with at a practice or at your kid’s school? It is the co-worker that keeps popping into your office for small talk? Is it the person you bumped into at the grocery store? Is it that person you have been avoiding for a while now?

God doesn’t need us. He is the One that makes growth happen. The next few verses of 1 Corinthians 3 make that abundantly clear to us. However, we do have the incredible privilege, joy, and honor to be used by the Lord to help someone else grow. God causes growth and we get to be a part of that growth!

There are people that you will cross paths with today that God has called you to share the Gospel with and to disciple. Who is it?

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day two)
But when the fullness of the time came…v. 4a

I have loved this text for years, and each time I re-read it I marvel at God’s great design. There is a cosmic orchestration that has been playing out since creation to fulfill a grand design that we can only guess at. Jesus’ incarnation was the pivotal moment in human history, and the timing was not by chance. All of the world was primed to receive, and all of the world was changed. Your role as an heir in this orchestration is also beautifully rendered in the tapestry of time. As believers who are seeking to honor the Lord with our lives, we should take these words as a sign that God is fully aware of circumstances, forces, situations, and struggles. As such, we must trust his timing as perfect. Trust the timing even if it feels too long. He got it right with Jesus; he will get it right with you, too.