WFC Daily Devotional Blog

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Vision 2009″
Week One: “Vision 2009” by Dan Southerland
Today’s Theme: “Releasing Control”

Key Verses
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. (Galatians 5:22-26)

Meditation
Last month I had the awesome experience of witnessing the birth of my first child. It was truly amazing and something that I will never forget. As the doctors huddled around my wife, I can remember having this awkward feeing of being completely out of control. However, this foreign feeling yielded such an amazing return in the birth our new baby girl.

Like me, many are unaccustomed to experiencing this out of control feeling. We have so much of our lives all planned out exactly the way that we want it. Many of us are accustom to doing what we want to do, when we want to do it, completely for our benefit. Sunday, Pastor Dan asked us to consider what Westside would look like if God really got loose. The prospect of that reality is completing amazing. Today, I ask you to consider what our personal lives would look like if God really got loose. What if we release the reigns of complete suffocating control of our lives, and give God room to work this year?

As we surrender control over our lives to God, we can expect to be people that reflect more of His character. Scripture tells us that as we surrender our lives to God he works through his Holy Spirit to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control in our lives(Gal 5:22-23).

Though we live in a culture that encourages constant control, remember that sometimes when we release control we can come away from the experience as a better person. We become people that are more like Christ.

Questions to Consider
In what areas of my life is God calling me to release control?

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Today’s author is Marquel Jacaway and can be contacted at marquelandsami@sbcglobal.net.

WFC Daily Devotional for Series: “Vision 2009″
Week One: “Vision 2009” by Dan Southerland
Today’s Theme: “Developing Personal Vision”

Key Verses
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)

Meditation
The New Year is always a great time for reflection. Many of us will sit back and take account of the past year and think of all the things about us that we want to change. Then we will resolve to change them. We take time to get a vision of what our life would be if everything were perfectly in place. Then we chart a course of how to get there. While this can be a worthwhile activity, vision is a much deeper concept then this sort of mystical daydream. As used in Proverbs 29:18, vision is much more about finding revelation about God and His plan for our life. Discovering God’s plan for our life is a much different process then developing our own personal vision. Discovering God’s plan for our life requires that we grow in our knowledge of Him by studying His Word (2 Timothy 2:15) and spending time communication with Him (1 Thess. 5:16).

This week Pastor Dan discussed the vision for Westside in 2009, to “Know Jesus and make Him known”. Understanding this focus gives us, as a church, some clarity about where we are going and how we are to get there. While this is an excellent exercise for us as a church, it can also be a tremendous exercise for us on individual levels. Discovering God’s vision for our lives helps bring that same clarity about where we are going personally, or as a family, and the steps that we need to take to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.

Questions to Consider
Have I sought ought God’s plan for my life this year and beyond?

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Today’s author is Marquel Jacaway and can be contacted at marquelandsami@sbcglobal.net.