Just RISE UP! Midweek

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How is your week everyone? I hope you have been challenged in a good way with our Kingdom perspective conversation. I know I need to constantly circle back and re-evaluate myself.

That’s exactly what we will be doing today!

As you are reading through chapter 2 of Just RISE UP! here are your midweek questions to ponder, prayers to journal, tweaks to make…all for His GLORY!

Dig IN!

A Kingdom Never Shaken. Now this is something that gets me excited. I like solid footing. Do you? Lately, I’ve had this urge to walk around on my hard floor and stop to feel the wood firm beneath my feet. This is because things feel wild and crazy and unnerving sometimes. This sensation with my bare feet reminds me that I need to be intentionally grounded. Grounded…now that’s a word. There are so many things we can attempt to dig our feet in and find grounding. Or so we think it is firm…until the sand shifts and we waiver.

Oh but for His firm Kingdom that is never shaken!

Therefore, let us all be thankful that we are a part of an unshakable Kingdom and offer to God worship that pleases Him and reflects the awe and reverence we have toward Him, for He is like a fierce fire that consumes everything. (Hebrews 12:28-29 THE VOICE)

~Go ahead and read this Scripture from Hebrews but back up in your Bible to verse 25 in Romans 12. What are these “things” that will remain after God “shakes” heave and earth? How does this give you perspective on what we needed to be grounded in?

Now add in Matthew 7:24-29 and read from your own Bible. You won’t be the only one who might now have the old children’s song stuck in your head. Your welcome! :) “The wise man built his house upon the rock.” Do you have the motions to go with them?

~The storms of life will come. That is pretty much a guarantee. What do your storms look like these days? Or, what have they looked like in the past?

~Take some time to think through what a “house upon a rock” looks like versus a “house built on sand.” How does it give you comfort that the Lord promises us a firm foundation in Jesus when the storms come?

Journal IT!

What matters most. This is is another aspect of rising up and making Jesus famous with our Kingdom perspective. I talked a bit about this in my video on Monday. Have you ever taken time to evaluate this in your own life? Have you ever flat out asked yourself…What Matters MOST?

Our Kingdom perspective helps us stift through life and decisions we make in order to answer that question. Circling our lives around the following Scripture helps us to work through what matters most.

***Important***On page 53 of Just RISE UP! there is a typo. So sorry! When I ask you to write out a verse in Matthew, this is the one I meant…

Jesus (quoting Scripture): 37 “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is nearly as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39 The VOICE)

~Take some time to journal through the distinctions of heart, mind, and soul. How exactly do we love God with each of these? How do we holistically love Him with all three?

~How can you take the Kingdom perspective of seeking after eternal things verses temporary things to apply it to “loving your neighbor as yourself?”

Be Challenged By IT!

Flip to page 53, Journal 4 for chapter 2 of Just RISE UP! Are you ready to really dig in? I am! Find a blank page in your journal and list out the categories posed on page 54. Be sure to leave some space between each category. (example: career, raising children, money, etc)

This will be a running list for us to circle back to through out our Just RISE UP! study time. Take a few moments with one or two of the categories and journal through ways you can take a Kingdom perspective and love God with your heart, mind, soul and love others.

~What are ares you feel like you have a good handle on Kingdom perspective? What categories do you need to be more intentional in loving and serving others to make Jesus famous?

**For me, lately I am working more on my Kingdom perspective with friendships. I’m working on taking conversations to a deeper level beyond “hi, how are you?”

Share IT!

Feel free to use these images to encourage your friends on social media. Be sure to use #JustRISEUP!

Kingdom never shaken

 

no one can deny

Talk About IT!

I’m really excited to hear your thoughts to any of these questions posed on this post OR anything that stuck out to you in Chapter 2 of Just RISE UP! Leave a comment…let’s chat!

 

Just RISE UP! Online Study Week 2 Intro

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Here we are, week 2 and I am so inspired by YOU. Thank you for your interaction and comments and for encouraging each other!

If you are just now joining us, so glad you are HERE! You can read more about my new book Just RISE UP! HERE.

**You can read last week’s online study notes by clicking HERE.

Be Kingdom Minded

I know this is a big ol’ topic that we in now way could cover in one week. But, let’s jump in anyway, ok? This week we will discuss something that helps me zero in on what’s most important every day. I am still wrapping my mind around what it means to be Kingdom minded and I know we won’t ever fully grasp until we see Jesus face to face. In the meantime, let’s RISE UP! and seek His Kingdom which is…

our ULTIMATE reality.

Check out my thoughts in the video below as we chat about the bigger picture.

***IF you are reading this via email, click HERE to watch the video***

 

Dig IN!

Let’s refresh with some worship and circle back to Psalm 145. Grab your Bible and read all the way through verse 13.

All creation will stand in awe of You, O Eternal One.
Thanks will pour from the mouths of every one of Your creatures;
Your holy people will bless You.
They will not be silent; they will talk of the grandeur of Your kingdom
and celebrate the wonder of Your power
Until everyone on earth who has ears to hear knows Your valiant acts
and the splendor of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom will never end;
Your rule will endure forever.
[You are faithful to Your promise, and Your acts are marked with grace.]
(Psalm 145: 10-13 THE VOICE)

~After you get a chance to read my thoughts on the Kingdom as our future reality and present reality, write out your definition of a Kingdom perspective. See if you can incorporate some Scripture references by using the concordance in the back of your Bible. Start with verse Psalm 145 to get you thinking about the enduring nature of God’s Kingdom.

On page 30 of Just RISE UP! I shared this…

Every kingdom has a king. But where most kings rule out of self-elevation and pride, our King came and served us first. He set the bar for us to follow as servants, and we can do that with the utmost dignity because we live and serve the King who defines the words good, beautiful, mighty, merciful, and grace. (Just RISE UP!)

In order for us to even begin our conversation on being Kingdom minded, we simply MUST celebrate this King that we serve, right? Jesus is our ultimate example. We are invited to not only serve, worship and make much of Jesus, but to also imitate Him. Oh yes, the bar is set high. We might feel tempted to think that we will never measure up. Never be holy enough. Never be good enough. Never be humble enough.

Here is the good news! It is not about us. It is about Jesus and His Spirit with in us.

Soak in this passage from Philippians. Soak in the idea that this King is alive and powerful and His Kingdom is REAL.

In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus the Anointed. Live with His attitude in your hearts. Remember: Though He was in the form of God, He chose not to cling to equality with God; 7 But He poured Himself out to fill a vessel brand new; a servant in form and a man indeed. The very likeness of humanity, 8 He humbled Himself, obedient to death—a merciless death on the cross! 9 So God raised Him up to the highest place and gave Him the name above all. 10 So when His name is called, every knee will bow, in heaven, on earth, and below. 11 And every tongue will confess “Jesus, the Anointed One, is Lord,” to the glory of God our Father! (Philippians 2:5-11 THE VOICE)

~There is so much to unpack in this passage. Take some time to read through it in a couple different translations. (BibleGateway is a great resource online!) What about this passage gives you new vision about the character of Jesus, our King?  Does it give you new perspective about who it is that we worship and serve?

Journal through IT!

Let’s keep working through the idea that we have a place in God’s Kingdom, the bigger picture. We take our place when we first imitate the nature of Jesus…that humility and servant nature. Our place in the Kingdom starts with loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving others as ourselves. The way to this lifestyle of Kingdom perspective is to allow God to sanctify our entire existence. We talked about this in the section above.

On page 40 I started a journal conversation surrounding Hebrews 10:10. Read that journal question and this passage…

By God’s will, we are made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus the Anointed once and for all time. (THE VOICE)

~Take some time to journal through your thoughts on Jesus and His holiness.

Praise Him for it.

Ask Him to show You more of His glory.

Ask Him for forgiveness for any ways that you might turn your back on His holiness.

Write it out. Write out anything you might feel about taking YOUR place in the Kingdom. What excites you? What scares you or freaks you out? Take it all to the King…He wants your praise…

He is WORTHY!

Share IT!

I would be so honored if you would share these graphics on social media to encourage your friends on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook! ***Be sure to use #JustRISEUP

 

 

 

bold and confidentimage (6)Talk About IT!

I want to hear from YOU. I loved reading your comments last week and interacting with you.

Leave a comment below with any thoughts regarding the questions above OR anything you have on your mind as you read chapter 2 of Just RISE UP! Do you have any questions? Any additional thoughts? I want to hear from YOU!

Also, feel free to comment on each other’s thoughts in the comments. Let’s get a good discussion going, ok?

I would love to connect with you through out the week. Here is where you can find me!!

Facebook: LIVE IT OUT! community

Twitter: @sarahfmartin

Instagram: @sarahfmartin

The LIST!

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The List

To celebrate our first week of the Just RISE UP! online study let’s have fun with an old LIVE IT OUT! standby…The LIST. This is a fun way to get to know each other. It is also something that keeps me intentionally exploring what I love, what I don’t love, what I’m into these days…just fun lists.

Because we have been discussing a Life of Praise from Chapter 1 of Just RISE UP! this week’s list will have a few questions to get us thinking and sharing.

Read the LIST prompts below. I’m going to share my answers and I invite YOU to do the same in the comments.

~What is one thing you praised God about this week? Something you just HAD to clap your hands and say, thank you, Lord!

*After spending time declaring outloud and on social media that I would not seek the approval or acceptance from people, but live right here and right now in my kingdom purpose, the Lord sweetly showed me His approval and acceptance.

~Look outside your window right where you are. What are things you see in your world that you should praise God for His beauty and creativity?

*Right now I see a mixture of evergreen pinetrees mixed with other trees with leaves of bright yellow, orange, and red. Thank you, Lord, for Autumn!

~List your favorite colors. (I know this might sound silly but I love to hear about people’s favorite colors. Maybe it is because I have a 6 year old and these are things you discuss with 6 year olds)

*Pink has ALWAYS been my favorite but I love turquoise in my wardrobe and in my art.

~What is one thing you find most challenging about studying the Bible?

*For me, I love reading the Old Testament. The hardest thing for me is studying the historical context and knowing how and when the Old Testament verses apply to New Testament believers. I KNOW that the entire Bible is for our benefit, I’m just skiddish of taking Scripture out of context. Something I’m working on and studying these days!

Now it is YOUR turn. I can’t wait to read your LIST answers.

Leave a comment!

Join us on Monday for week 2 as we discuss Kingdom Perspective and Chapter 2 of Just RISE UP!