Going Deeper With God Every Day

[Pages:190]Going Deeper With God Every Day

A Devotional To Start The New Year with Study Guides

H. Carl Shank

Going Deeper With God Every Day: A Devotional To Start The New Year with Study Guides

Copyright ? 2017 by H. Carl Shank ISBN 978-1-387-38421-1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Permission to make reasonable numbers of printed copies of sections for educational or church use is granted as long as due credit is given.

Cover design: H. Carl Shank

Leading Scriptural references from the English Standard Version (ESV) and The Message of the Bible from a Macintosh computer program, Accordance, Version 11.0.7, July 2015, Copyright ? 2015, OakTree Software, Inc., . Other references are cited or quoted in the specific places they are used.

Printed in the United States of America

2

About the Author

In addition to his M.Div. and Th.M. (systematics) work, H. Carl Shank has been a youth, associate, solo, staff and lead pastor in over forty years of church ministry, pastoring beginning and established congregations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and New York state. His passion for leadership development has resulted in mentoring numerous pastors, teaching in a number of local Bible institutes as well as serving as an adjunct faculty member of The King's College, and training InterVarsity leaders on the East Coast. Carl has been regularly sought out for his acknowledged gifts of discernment and wisdom in dealing with church issues. He had been serving as the Executive Pastor of Pequea Church south of Lancaster, PA, as well as a church health consultant through NCDAmerica. He is recently retired.

Besides numerous seminars and church related articles, his written contributions include "Qoheleth's World and Life View As Seen in His Recurring Phrases," Westminster Theological Journal, 37 (1974), 57-73, Upfront and Indepth: Deeper Devotional Studies on Psalm 119, Making Christianity Work: Letters and Lessons on Leadership, Theology and the Church, Living Life God's Way: Reflections from the Psalms, Study Guide and Leader's Guide, and study guides on Romans, Jonah, Esther, and The Seven Churches of Revelation. (See Appendix for more information.) Most are available from Lulu Press, Amazon and other booksellers. Carl is married to his wonderful wife, Nancy, and has three grown, married children, Stephen, Jeremy and Heidi. He lives in the Marietta, PA area and can be reached for consulting, seminars or leadership and mentoring development at

cshanktype@

3

4

preface

Motivation for this daily devotional for the opening of a new year has come from many sources. I currently write for a subscriber listing of people in various churches and ministries and various stages of life and leadership. Many of them have commented to me over the past few years how much these daily writings have inspired, convicted and helped them along their Christian path.

There are a multitude of fine daily devotional or inspirational writings available. Many have been composed and written by very famous writers inside and outside of the Christian faith. Some of them have historical significance, such as C. H. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening, and Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, and the tried and true Our Daily Bread. A number of them offer thoughts and insights on selected books of the Bible, such as Liz Curtis Higgs, 31 Proverbs To Light Your Path or Timothy Keller's God's Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs. There are many others themed for seasons of the year, for Advent, Easter, Black History, Good Friday, Father's Day, or for specific age groups, including children, tweens, teens, boys, girls, women, and men.

What is distinctive about this devotional is that it includes an additional Study Guide attached to most of the daily writings, giving more opportunity to dive into the subject or topic of the devotional. These study guides come from a variety of sources, mostly gleaned from my forty-four years of pastoral and theological study, as well as interactions with church people in a number of churches and ministries I have served in my career.

5

I am offering this devotional in print and as an ebook, with a follow up for additional devotionals throughout the rest of the year at a dedicated internet address. It is my profound hope and prayer that God would use these writings to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Carl Shank 2017

AND BEYOND

More Daily Devotions

This introductory devotional book to this next year is just the beginning of your journey with God. But unlike most other devotional or inspirational books out there, I am directing you to a link I created for daily devotional materials.

You will therefore find daily devotionals for February through December of this new year at:



Enjoy your journey with God!

6

january 1

The Evidence of Time

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"Pray during and between all your other jobs as much as you can. You cannot retire too much from the mindless chatter of the world. Learn to steal this time in little snatches, and you will find these moments the most precious part of your day" said Francois de Fenelon, a sixteenth century Christian leader. (Fran?ois de F?nelon, 100 Days in the Secret Place, Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA) The evidence of time. How we use or misuse time determines what we value and what is important or not important to us. As we look forward to a new year, how can we use our time better for God?

Make God your Lord of time. Obviously, God rules all time and determines the end from the beginning and the middle also. But making God Lord of the time He gives me means I live my life centered on Him and His will. If every minute of every day is God's, then I will be consciously aware that I live under His all?seeing and all-knowing eye. Nothing is left to chance or luck or coincidence. Every planned and every unplanned activity is under God's control. Living life for his honor and glory becomes my minute by minute destiny, not a vain or distant hope. Every minute becomes precious and important. Is God the Lord of your time?

Don't waste the time granted to you. This may seem unnecessary to people whose lives are consumed by busyness. But we all have time to do what we want to do, choose to do, or are forced to do. We can waste time by

7

complaining about it, by frittering it away, by being lazy and unproductive, or by living by the tyranny of the urgent. All of this is a waste of valuable, God-given time. Just getting by day after day is a waste of God-given time. Make a new year's resolution to not waste any more time--and keep it.

Do life at the "right time." The Apostle Paul talks about the "kairos" moments in living our lives for God -- "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." (Galatians 6:7-10) "Due season" means the "right time." Sowing to the Spirit reaps eternal life. Doing good to everyone, especially to brothers and sisters in the faith, reaps eternal benefits. Make your moments count for God.

Lord, let me do life at the right time. Help me not to waste time, not to discard time, not to be ruled by time, but to live it for You. Make every moment of this coming new year count. Help me know and do your will in

your time. My Notes:

8

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download