I recently have become a girls small group leader for some of the girls in the youth group I help with at church. This year the other leaders and I have implemented these new small groups for the older girls which has already proven to be a wonderful to way to get to know them better and to build good relationships with them; but also to be able to encourage them in their growth in Christ and watch them mature in their faith. I have four girls in my group and they are all in 9th/10th grades. It is neat to see them study and share what they're learning through our study and discussion. We are working our way through a devotional book by Cynthia Heald called Becoming a Woman of Excellence. There are 4 parts to the study each containing a few chapters. The first part was called The Goal. Now we're working on part two called The Cost. It's all directed at finding out how to know God more and how to become a more excellent woman of God. So far it has been a wonderful study and would highly recommend it. I anticipate it to bear much fruit in my life and the lives of the young girls I am studying with! Anyway, having said all that I wanted to share a quote I read as I began chapter four in the book this afternoon. This chapter is talking about surrender...what is it?, how does one surrender?, being rooted in surrender... So, here is the quote:
"It would seem that there is within each of us an enemy which we tolerate at our peril. Jesus called it 'life' and 'self', or as we would say, the self-life. To allow this enemy to live is in the end to lose everything. To repudiate it and give all for Christ's sake is to loose nothing at last, but to preserve everything unto life eternal." -A.W. Tozer (The Pursuit of God)
And then another quote, from Oswald Chambers in his book My Utmost for His Highest (from October 23rd's daily reading)says: "There is only one thing God wants in us, and that is unconditional surrender."
Luke 9:23 says, "Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
What does this verse mean to you personally, how do you live it out? Are you denying yourself, taking up your cross daily, and following Jesus? These are tough questions, some that are thought provoking and causing me to really look at my life and ask myself how am I denying myself, taking up my cross daily, and following Jesus?
Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, defines self-denial as "simply a way of coming to understand that we do not have to have our own way."
Wow, understanding that we do not have to have our own way... that's really tough to do! So many times, almost all the time, we want our own way. But God has His way, and He knows what is best. We have learn to trust Him and His ways more and more each day. :)
Well, these are my thoughts for the day...it's late now so goodnight!
-Cil
