Most of us put a lot of stock in outward appearance. While there’s nothing wrong with combing our hair and smelling good, it says a lot about our basic orientation to life. We are most concerned with how other people see us.

Not so with God. When the Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as king, Samuel was impressed with Eliab, but God said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Does that mean that a big, good-looking guy cannot be a spiritual leader? No, of course not. It just means that God looks for something deeper than that: a heart that is given to Him.

David, who wasn’t even invited to the event, was finally brought in from the pasture where he was tending the sheep, and the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” There was something within David that only the Lord could see.

What does God see when He looks at us? Hearts that are filled with the Word and given to prayer? And what about our opinion of others? Are we so turned off by someone’s outward appearance that we write them off before we discover their inner beauty?

It is one of the great ironies of our day that we spend buckets of money on our bodies, which are, in effect, wasting away. At the same time, we often neglect the inward person, which the apostle Paul says should be renewed day by day

Life Builders
*Why is it helpful to have a sense that how you behave each moment is important?
*When have you seen glimpses of Christ’s character in your spouse’s behavior?

Isaiah 11:1-9The Spirit’s Gentle Ministry

Spiritual discipline has many forms.  In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster lists twelve disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service confession, worship, guidance and celebration.

                The responsibility to exercise these disciplines lies with us, but we should not think of them as our efforts to force ourselves to be better.  Instead, we are submitting ourselves to a process whereby we will be changed.  As we submit to Christ, as we allow him to work in us, we gain new insights into his reality, and the new person we become is shaped by our response to the gentle ministry of his Spirit.

                From the disciplines, new habits develop that strengthen us and bring a hunger for more and more knowledge of God.  We, his children, can be assured that he who delights in us and knows us perfectly is working in us to bring about spiritual vitality and wholeness.

Life Builders

*Which of the twelve spiritual disciplines listed above have you consciously worked to incorporate into your spiritual life?

*Which additional spiritual discipline would you like to have?  How can you begin to incorporate it into your life today?

I hope this finds each of you well.  Several of us were very blessed to attend an amazing conference this past Wednesday and Thursday.  The speakers asked some very tough questions that got me thinking. 

We are very priveleged to be the leaders of our Life Groups.  God has given us an incredible responsibility to lead people closer to Him.  This is not an easy task, and certainly not one that should be taken lightly.  God has also called us, most importantly I believe, to disciple those around us, to create the next generation of leaders who will continue His work.  In light of this, I want to ask you the following questions:

1.  At LifePoint our mission is to “Lead people into a deeper relationship with God”,  what are you as a leader doing to accomplish this task?  How much time are you devoting to preparation for your weekly meeting?  How much time do you spend in prayer for each of you group members?

2.  Who are you training to be the next leader in you group?  Have you chosen an apprentice?  How are you discipling this person?

Sorry, I know that was more than 2, but I really believe you as a leader should be able to answer these questions.  If you can’t answer them, take time over the next 48 hours to develope a plan so that in 2 weeks you can answer them.  I love and appreciate each of you so much. 

I also want to remind you that God is truly amazing!!!  I challenge you to remember, and thank God everyday that you are His child.  I feel we often forget this as we go through our day to day lives, but we are each a child of God.  How incredible to have such a loving, encouraging, disciplined parent to watch over us.  Just think of how much you love your children, or the children in your family, it seems impossible that someone could love us more than we love those children, but God does.  God loves us on a level that we will never, while on this earth, be able to comprehend.  We are precious, adored children of God!!

Love you all,

Jackie Daley, Director Of LifeGroups