SWHW Bible Reading Plan: May 2021Sample

Top Takeaway From Lauren Diggs:

“God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of Him in every part of our lives.” - John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life.

Sounds a lot like Paul’s declaration in Acts 20:24, where he says, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” 

There are many things in our lives that we would consider to hold value. I mean, we can simply skim our bank statement and see what we believe to be precious to us, right? Or we could take a peek at our schedules and see what is deemed valuable. But as we read this passage, we’re shown that we shouldn’t even count our own life of having any value apart from the Lord and finishing the course He’s set before us. Our value or the value of what we chase after isn’t found in anything that’s outside of the gospel and bringing glory to God’s name. 

So, what does this look like as a woman of God? In your home? In your line of work? As a friend? As a ministry leader or church volunteer? 

It looks like making sure that what we do and say, the decisions we make, and the way we serve the people in our “circle of influence” all come from a place centered in Jesus. And the only way to do that is to make sure that we are centered in Jesus above all else. Because from there, we can’t help but live for the glory of God in every other area of our life, making much of Jesus instead of making much of ourselves. 

We struggle to walk in our purpose when we place our value in a title or our passion, or work, or the rise and fall of social media numbers, or a person, or *fill in the blank.* When we start replacing His glory for our own, or we start making much of ourselves instead of Him, we’ve gotten off the course that was set before us -- “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

We will continue to struggle if what we do doesn’t come from an overflow of our time spent at His feet, in His presence. So, don’t waste your life chasing after things that take away from living a life that will bring God glory. Instead, commit each day to finish the course set before you by making sure Jesus is at the center. And that commitment can start today. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that hits the reset button for our hearts and minds when we get off course. Please forgive us for chasing after the things around us, trying to instill some sort of value in our lives. Help us remember that our purpose and value are rooted in You and finishing the course You’ve set before us. Keep our eyes on the ultimate prize and the advancement of Your Kingdom. We love You, Lord. Amen.