Do you want to become more like Jesus? The way we become like Jesus is doing the things that Jesus did, and one of things he did was knowing and loving and thinking about scripture.
All this week, we as a church are reading a short passage or two from the Bible, and you can do it, too! There are a few reflection questions after each reading.
Can you do all five days? Maybe you could set a reminder in your phone as something to do right before bed each night - you can give up 15 minutes of time to grow closer to God, right?
Day 1
1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 John 4:19
19 We love because he first loved us.
Reflection: The truth is God loves you. How do these verses make you feel about God? Spend a few minutes talking to God about your experience of His love.
Day 2
Psalm 107:43
43
Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.
Ephesians 3:17-19
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Reflection: Spend time thinking about being rooted and established in love. How does that make you feel? Does it bring an image to mind or stir something in you? Spend a few minutes writing down what comes to mind.
Day 3
Romans 5:6-8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Reflection: There is so much to learn about the nature of God’s love for us. What do these verses tell you about God’s love for you? How would you describe God’s love for you?
Day 4
Ephesians 2:1-5
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Reflection: God’s love for us comes with great mercy and grace. Think about God as the giver of these things. What do these verses tell you about who God is?
Day 5
Psalm 103:1-14
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
Reflection: The writer of this Psalm reminds us to remember God’s benefits— the fruit of his unconditional love. Make a list of some of the benefits you have experienced of God’s love. Are there at least two that you have experienced in 2020? Talk to God about what is on your list.
These passages and questions are from the book Journey With Jesus by Larry Warner, and are modeled after the Spiritual Exercises developed by Ignatius of Loyola more than 500 years ago. The Spiritual Exercises have stood the test of time because they've helped generations of Christians enter into God's presence and become more like Jesus.
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