And Yet, Undaunted by Paula Rinehart & Connally Gilliam

Author:Paula Rinehart & Connally Gilliam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: RELIGION / Christian Living / Women's Interests, RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth
Publisher: The Navigators
Published: 2019-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

Reflections

on THE STARTING POINT

As you consider the reality of the redemption that Jesus brings, whose eyes (or smile, words, or way in this world) have reflected the alluring goodness and power of Jesus’ redemption to you? What has been particularly powerful about this person or your experience with him or her?

Read Psalm 27. This is a song of King David, who—in spite of life’s fearful troubles—was able to declare that he would “see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”[59] How do you respond to David’s declaration? Where have you seen this goodness of the Lord in your own life? In what places in your life does his goodness seem distant or inaccessible? What might it mean for you to ask and look for his goodness in those very difficult or chaotic places?

When you read about God being our Father, what comes to mind for you? How has your experience with your own father (for good, for ill, or somewhere in between) shaped your understanding of God as Father? How might you grow in your personal knowledge of the loving-kindness of your heavenly Father? For example, you might look up the references to God as Father in the book of John and note what you discover. Or you might slowly pray through the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) for a week, noting each day what the prayer itself reveals about who our Father is. Whatever you do, ask him to make his loving-kindness ever more real to you and look for his answer.

Consider the freedom from guilt that comes through forgiveness—the forgiveness we receive and the forgiveness we can offer. Consider, too, the freedom from shame that comes from a recognition that we are covered and honored by the Lord. In what areas of your life have you discovered the freedom of forgiveness (receiving it or giving it)? In what areas of your life have you been set free from shame? In light of your journey so far, what freedom do you need as you turn your attention to the future?

The fruit of redemption in our own lives (and that which spills over into the lives of others) can take hundreds of forms. What “fruitfulness” have you seen multiplied in or through your life thus far? Put differently, where have your gifts and talents borne life? What has been sweet to you about this fruitbearing? What other fruit do you dream of bearing?

The journey of redemption includes returning again and again to the Lord, like returning to a well for a drink. When you hear this, how do you respond? What might this repeated returning look like in the context of your current, ordinary life? What might it take for this to become a regular and even joyful practice in your life going forward?

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