Thursday, September 16, 2010 40 Days of Prayer & Impact: 24 Days to Launch

Today, there are 24 DAYS before the Encounter Grand Opening on 10-10-10. We are asking you to join us in what God is doing and is going to do in these last 40 days.

Pray with us. Act with us. Imagine the impact we could have in Helena if each one of us is individually involved in making Helena a better place. Imagine the lives that could be touched. Imagine how the spiritual landscape of our community could be changed even BEFORE the grand opening.

Stop Being Too Responsible!

Today, we are looking at Luke 9:59-60 ...

[Jesus] said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

This interaction seems simple enough. When Jesus ask the man to follow Him, the man wanted to bury his father. The man wanted to be responsible. But Jesus saw right through him — the man was turning his responsibility into an excuse.

The truth is that God's will does not always make sense to the wisdom of the world. Sometimes following God means being what Mark Batterson calls, "irresponsibly responsible." While we often cannot ignore our earthly responsibilities, we must remember this...

Don't let your spiritual passions get buried beneath your daily responsibilities.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Our prayer today is to re-focus our priorities. Don't let those God-given dreams die — if I had, we would not be planting Encounter Church today. Ask God to allow you windows in your day, in your week, and in your month, to fulfill the plans for which He has prepared for you.

TODAY'S IMPACT

Take some time out today to spend time with God. Read His Word and meditate on what He is trying to show you. Too often, we shrug God's plan to focus on our work, kid's sports, housework, and other things. We use these as an excuse for not knowing God better or for not really following Jesus. While our earthly responsibilities are important, ask God to reveal to you His priorities.

Perhaps you could spend more time serving others. Perhaps He desires for you to support a ministry in a more substantial way. Maybe He's calling you to help start Encounter. Today's impact is to seek His will, and then ask God to help you to pursue His leading in the days and weeks to come.