We found 4 articles with the tag “spiritual formation”.
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Matthew Chapter 25
Article | May 3rd, 2022
By Nick Oyler | Host of the Daily Bible Devotional Podcast “2 Minute Disciple”
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, jesus christ, personal development, self care, spiritual formation, spiritualityDon’t you love guilt trips. I can’t tell you how many things that I have done because I was guilted into it. Most of the time it worked out ok, but a few of those things were a little adventurous to say the least. Whenever I would read Matthew 25, I would read it through the guilt lens, don’t be one of those foolish girls, be a better planner and be organized. Be a good money manager unlike that last guy, you don’t want to be that guy, so use your money wisely with a “budget” approved by Dave. The last one was an ice cream Sunday with 3 giant scoops of guilt, don’t be a slacker, do more and achieve more for God or your a goat and you are BAD! So, I would try harder to be a “good” Christian, fail, try even harder and on and on the cycle would go.
But I think that it misses the point, it’s not about beating yourself up for not measuring up, but being ready by living for Jesus each day. It’s about looking for opportunities to grow in your skills for God’s glory and to not be afraid of being stretched. It’s about taking those skills and serving others not out of guilt or fear of not measuring up, but living each day for Jesus as his witness to God’s new government.
That new perspective is so freeing! I am so motivated to serve and love because I want to be more like Jesus each day. This subtle shift fits in with what we have learned about Jesus in the Gospels and I wish that I would have figured this truth out earlier in life, but that’s what this journey is for, discovering who Jesus is and how we can follow him. We can take these daily discoveries and change our trajectory and that’s success. -
Matthew Chapter 24
Article | May 2nd, 2022
By Nick Oyler | Host of the Daily Bible Devotional Podcast “2 Minute Disciple”
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotional, discipleship, jesus, personal development, self-care, spiritual formation, spiritual journey, spiritualityThat is the theme of this chapter. However, the conspiracy theorist in me wants to figure out the details of the end of time, who, what where, and especially WHEN? But Jesus just gives us a you’ll know it when you see it answer and tells us to keep going and keep spreading the kingdom message. Keep going even when you just don’t feel like it. It’s that locker room pep talk when you’re down by 50 at half time, keep chipping away and we will win in the end, it’s going to be ugly, but stick with it. It’s the kind of speech that we all need even though we want to figure out if there is a rapture, who’s in and who’s out, and who is the big baddy antichrist, but Jesus tells us to keep going and keep looking and I’ll take care of the rest.
So, we keep going and keep spreading the message of God’s kingdom until the end. -
Matthew Chapter 23
Article | April 29th, 2022
By Nick Oyler | Host of the Daily Bible Devotional Podcast “2 Minute Disciple”
audio bible, best self, daily bible, life change, personal development, self care, spiritual formation, spiritual health, spiritual journey, spiritualityWhat I love about this journey of discovery that we are on, is that it forces us to look into our hearts and see that what Jesus is talking about is not just for THOSE people, but for ME! Many times when I have read this chapter, I want to cheer Jesus on, YES! Get those mean Pharisees! But when I look at what he is saying, “They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.” All that I can say is OUCH! I try not to live like that, I do try to take his words into my heart, but if I’m honest with myself, I do this less than I care to admit. It’s like a default setting in my brain, the ‘look good on the outside no matter how ugly the inside is’ setting. Taking time to let Jesus’ words sink in begins that process of rewiring my brain so that my default is the let ‘Jesus change my heart and behavior’ setting. It is a daily process and that is exactly why I created this podcast, so that we can take Jesus seriously and allow his words to change our hearts. We are spending time with Jesus so that he can rub off on us and we can be different. No matter where you are on your journey with Jesus, a little tweak each day will add up to a major life change later. We are all in this together, so what spoke to you?
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Acts Chapter 26
Article | March 28th, 2022
By Nick Oyler | Host of the Daily Bible Devotional Podcast “2 Minute Disciple”
audio bible, daily bible, daily devotion, jesus, spiritual formation, spiritualityI love this chapter, because we get to hear Paul’s turnaround story again and my favorite part is the two different responses. The first response is from Festus, and it’s the "You’re crazy" response that many of us who follow Jesus have heard before. The second response is from King Agrippa, and it’s the "if you keep this up, you’ll make a Christian out of me response". This is the response that we really want to hear. What strikes me here is that Paul was ready for both responses and expected both. I think that sometimes we just want the second response but when we get the first, we give up and stop sharing. Not Paul, he kept going and I love what he said to Agrippa in verse 29 (The Message): Paul, still in chains, said, “That’s what I’m praying for, whether now or later, and not only you but everyone listening today, to become like me—except, of course, for this prison jewelry!”
His response is a challenge to me, because I tend to pray more selfish prayers and I need to be praying for this when I talk about the Gospel with people. What do your prayers look like? Are you willing to pray for others the way that Paul did?