30 Days of HeartworkSample

Pure Religion

HEART //

Our prayer is that as we complete these 30 days, we would be brave enough to open our eyes and ask questions - How can we keep ourselves pure in our devotion to God? Who are the “orphans and widows” in my life? If I was born into an impoverished family, how would I want to be treated by those who have a lot more resources than me? What could my life look like if I was not afraid or self-focused? Have I turned some of my “wants” into “needs”? What career has God gifted me to grow into and how could I use that to serve the Kingdom? 

Let’s be brave enough to look around and learn from different community groups within our cities and our world as we plan for the life we want to live.

It takes courage to open our eyes. If we live in a family or community where we can eat whenever we feel hungry, we have overflowing closets, and we have gifts given to us several times a year, then we are “rich.” By the worldwide standard, if we live in the USA, we are probably rich. And that messes with us, doesn’t it? We want to put that title off on people who live like royalty, but think about it… Compared to most people in our generation, and most people throughout history, we live like royalty. Are we saying that the only answer is to give everything away and take a vow of poverty? No. We are simply saying let’s open our eyes to the world around us, and open our hearts to God.

Go to school, work hard, make money, and then ask, “How will I spend it?” It takes courage to consider going against the grain of our culture that says “get something bigger and better, you deserve it, you don’t have enough yet, keep climbing that ladder…” But we at Heartwork believe that you can stand up against the wave of “normal” that tries to overtake you. You can create a “new normal” in your generation. 

You can let go. You can be secure in who you are in God rather than needing to look successful and powerful to feel good about yourself. You can be strong enough to co-suffer with those in different circumstances than you. You can love well and serve God’s kingdom rather than just building your own. You can do all of this as a child of God because in your weakness, he is strong. This is pure religion. It’s giving life, and receiving a greater life than you could have imagined in return. 

WORK //

It may not be all at once, it may be over the course of your life, but as you let go of things that are so temporary and find your identity in God, his compassion will grow in your life and his mission will be right in front of you… it’s up to you to take the next step. Ask God for passion and endurance to run and finish the race he has for you. Pray for believers all across the world to also run with perseverance to the end. 

We would LOVE to hear about how 30 Days of Heartwork has impacted you, your family and community. Click HERE to (completely anonymously) share your story!