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JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Contentment.
To be content is to be satisfied with what we have in our current circumstances.
In Philippians 4:11, the Apostle Paul said he learned to be content whatever the circumstances. He had learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
He also said in First Timothy 6:6 that “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
The secret to godly contentment is finding our source of help and strength in God. Through Jesus Christ, we learn that His grace is sufficient for our needs. That means that our happiness does not depend on the stuff that we own or how much money we earn. Our heart is greatly encouraged by the assurance that God knows us as His beloved child.
Find encouragement in the contentment of being in a day-by-day relationship with Jesus in the Year of Endurance.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to run the race of faith with a forward focus.
If you ever watch a footrace, you rarely see athletes looking back. They know by doing so, their progress would slow down, and as a result, they could lose the race.
The Apostle Paul gives us direction for our focus by his example. He did not want to look back on his journey with regrets or with a sense of retreat. He was focused on moving forward with Jesus, step by step. He was on a journey. He had not yet arrived, but he was making good progress.
This is what he wrote in Philippians 3:13, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Take the daily challenge to run the race with a forward focus on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to run the race of faith with purpose.
Have you ever heard of an Olympic athlete who shows up at the games without training for their event? In reality, each athlete has invested an enormous amount of time, energy, and training to fulfill their dream of representing their country, and to win a gold medal.
The Apostle Paul looked to the dedicated athlete and said to the church in so many words, “we can learn from their example as we apply it to the Christian life.”
He wrote in First Corinthians 9:24, “Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
If we keep our focus on Jesus, He will give us incentive to run a good race with every step we take.
Take the daily challenge to run the race with purpose on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
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JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to seek the unity of Christ’s body, the church.
That is what Jesus prayed for in John 17:20. “I pray for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”
If we want to be instruments of unity in the church, we need to have God’s love motivating our actions. We need to be praying for each other, building up each other in the faith, forgiving each other as Christ has forgiven us, and serving each other with humility.
There is a warning for those who stir up division in the church. Galatians 5:15 says, “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Through Jesus, there is a way for us to be unified, because He is the head of the church, and His grace brings people together to share a common love and a common purpose.
Take the daily challenge to seek the unity of the Church on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to stay flexible to God’s plans.
Sometimes, God will redirect us to a different place than we imagined going.
In the early church, Paul and his companions were trying to get to a place in Asia, but the Lord redirected them through a vision to go to Macedonia. This was how the Gospel was introduced through missionary activity in Europe.
When we give our lives to the Lord, we are giving Him the right to overrule our plans with His higher purposes. This requires trusting God to lead us, even if His guidance calls for an adjustment in our plans. He sees the bigger picture and He knows what He is doing.
Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”
Take the daily challenge to stay flexible to God’s direction for our lives on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Eagle.
An eagle is a large bird known for keen sight and soaring flight.
This bird has a huge wingspan that can soar at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet or more. The Bald Eagle is the national symbol of American culture to capture the spirit of freedom.
The Bible refers to an eagle’s flight to represent the hope that is found in the Lord.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Hope is energizing, and moves us forward in our faith when we look to Jesus as our source of hope.
Find encouragement in the flight of the eagle to put our ultimate hope in Jesus in the Year of Endurance.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
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JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to clothe ourselves with humility.
In First Peter 5 we see that this call of humility is specific toward how we respect church leaders and how church leaders serve those under their care.
Verse 3 is a message to church leaders: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care-watching over them-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”
Verse 5 has a message for those under church authority: “You who are younger, submit to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud and shows favor to the humble.”
These are the expressions of humility that build a healthy church.
Take the daily challenge to be clothed with humility on the journey of faith.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com