30 Days of HeartworkSample

We Are Not Alone

HEART //

As we’ve learned this week, our amazing Father gives us wholeness through adoption as daughters and sons. He calls us to love. In our own strength, loving like Jesus is unreachable, but God, in his perfection, pours love into our hearts and gives us his own Spirit whose love flows out of us (Romans 5:5).

As humans, we cannot live the Christian life any more perfectly than the Israelites could keep the law. Our Father calls us to live a righteous life, but he does not ask us to do it alone. He gives us his Holy Spirit to live through us. When we make space in our hearts for less of our self-focus and more of God’s kindness, joy, and peace, we can live the abundant life Christ came to give us (John 10:10). When we remove the desire for our best and seek his best, the Spirit can empower us, and we experience the strength of God.

As love becomes our way of life, we must constantly be reminded of God's strength in us. Christianity is not an addition to our lives; it is a new life to live. When we let go of the world and find our identity as children of God, his Spirit grows the character of Christ in our lives. Ephesians 2:10 explains that we were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” As we continue this walk in the Spirit, let’s begin next week’s journey into compassion with this idea in mind: "I am God’s, I'm becoming who he's created me to be, and there are opportunities all around to help others know him too!"

WORK //

Ask God to show you someone you can show out-of-the-ordinary kindness toward today. Maybe that looks like eating with someone at lunch who usually eats alone, even though people may laugh. Maybe it looks like playing with a younger sibling that usually gets left out instead of hanging out with your friends. Maybe it looks like doing something kind for a person you have had a hard time with. Ask the Spirit to help you get outside your comfort zone and show kindness in a way that would be difficult without his help.

Make a few notes on how your week went with media. Did you miss it? Did you feel totally “out of touch”? Or did it end up feeling okay after awhile? Reflect on how your identity may be tied to media, even in small ways, and make any long-term changes you'd like to make!