Christian Living on Plans

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Leader: Oh God, You have been so gracious to us.

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 36:5-12, James 1:16-18, Jeremiah 2:13, Psalm 103:10-12, Exodus 20:3, Proverbs 3:5-6

Leader: Oh God, You have been so gracious to us. You have given us so many wonderful gifts—they outnumber the stars in the sky! You have kept Your promises to us, and You have been faithful! Peop...

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God's Will Through Circumstance: He Opens and Closes Doors

Author

David Peterson

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 30:21, Genesis 24:27, Isaiah 48:17

Not long ago, I had a young couple come to me and say, “Pastor, we’re looking at buying a house. We’ve looked at this one house, and we really like it, but we want to make sure it’s God’s will. Would ...

liturgy

Adapted from Proverbs 3:5-6

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him And he will make your paths straight. We submit ourselves to you as you have gathe...

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Author

Augustine of Hippo

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 103:8, 1 John 4:16, Proverbs 3:5-6, Lamentations 3:22-23, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28

Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love and the future to God’s providence.

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If You Want to Fill your Sunday School Class

Author

Dallas Willard

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6, Exodus 3:1-12, 1 Kings 19:9-13, Romans 12:1-2, Acts 16:6-10, Psalm 25:4-5

Within the Christian community this leads to a prominence of teaching on the will of God and how to know it. Russ Johnston draws upon his own wide experience to remark how this continues to be one of ...

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Author

Mark Batterson

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 3:5-6

If you let your circumstances define the way you see God, you are a prisoner of perspective. Or worse, a prisoner of your past mistakes! But if you let God define the way you see your circumstances, y...

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A Map & Our Beliefs

Author

Gregory Koukl

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6, Micah 6:8, Matthew 7:13-14, James 1:5, Romans 12:2, Jeremiah 6:16, Psalm 119:105

A few years ago I was with my family in Washington, D.C., a wildly complex city laid out like a square wheel with broken spokes making an angular maze that is a nightmare to navigate. However, my fami...

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Control Issues

Author

M. Robert Mulholland Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 16:9, Jeremiah 29:11, John 15:1-27, Proverbs 3:5-6, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 6:25-34

In their excellent book Invitation to a Journey , M. Robert Mulholland and Ruth Haley Barton describe the foundation of life as being spiritual in nature. This means we are constantly be “formed” s...

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Author

Richard Rohr

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:28, Luke 22:54-62, John 21:15-17, Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 12:5-6, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4

We live a long time in order to become lovers. God is like a good parent, refusing to do our homework for us. We must learn through trial and error. We have to do our homework ourselves, the homework ...

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From Day to Day From the dawning of the

Author

Jenny Child

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 5:3, Mark 1:35, Exodus 13:21-22, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 121:6, Daniel 6:, Psalm 4:8, Mark 4:35-41

From Day to Day From the dawning of the day through the morning, guide us, From the noontide to the setting of the sun, lead us, from the evening till we sleep, keep us, through the night till...

liturgy

Adapted from Proverbs 3:5-18

Author

Chip Hardwick

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-18

Leader: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. People: Let us seek God’s will in all we do, and God will show us the paths to take. Leader: Blessed is th...

Quote

Author

Henri J. M. Nouwen

Keywords

Scripture

2 Timothy 1:7, Ephesians 4:1-3, Philippians 2:3-4, Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 13:7, Isaiah 42:16, 1 Timothy 4:12

So the first and most basic task of the Christian leader in the future will be to lead his people out of the land of confusion into the land of hope. Therefore, he must first have the courage to be an...

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How we Deal with the Desert

Author

Bianca Juarez Olthoff

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Hosea 2:14, Isaiah 43:19, Psalm 63:1, Matthew 4:1, Deuteronomy 8:2

We all go through desert seasons and have the opportunity to determine how we will respond. The cyclical frustrations I faced in regard to my desire for control, fear, and the longing to feel chosen w...

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Author

Krister Stendahl

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 26:12, Matthew 23:12, Luke 18:9-14, 1 Corinthians 8:2-3

Our vision is more obstructed by what we think we know than by our lack of knowledge.

liturgy

Inspired by Proverbs 3:5-8

Author

Chip Hardwick

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-8

Leader: God says, "Trust in Me with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." People: If in all our ways we acknowledge You, Lord, You will make our paths straight. We ar...

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Settling Accounts

Author

William E. Brown

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 55:8-9, Matthew 6:33-34, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:25-26, Ecclesiastes 3:1, Galatians 6:9

The story is told of a farmer in a Midwestern state who had a strong disdain for “religious” things. As he plowed his field on Sunday morning, he would shake his fist at the church people who passed b...

Quote

Author

Alexis de Tocqueville

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 2:9, Job 23:10, Romans 11:33, Psalm 37:5, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28, Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 3:5-9

I am ignorant of His designs, but I will not cease to believe in them because I cannot penetrate them. And I will prefer to doubt my own lights rather than His justice.

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Following Jesus Requires Real Commitment

Author

Bradley Long

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-8, Matthew 22:37, Romans 12:1-2, Luke 14:26-27, Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 16:13, Mark 12:30, John 14:15, Matthew 16:24-26, Luke 9:59-62, Matthew 6:24, Hebrews 11:13-16, Hebrews 10:38-39, Matthew 6:33-34, Matthew 10:37-39

What are you willing to do for love? An instructor for the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course shared with a class the major hang-up he had to get over before asking his wife to ma...

liturgy

Divine Creator, your ways are above our

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Deuteronomy 29:29, Ecclesiastes 11:5, 1 Corinthians 1:25, Psalm 147:5, Job 11:7-9

Divine Creator, your ways are above our ways. No matter how hard we try, you will always confound us. Too often we try to reduce you into something we can fully comprehend, or something we can control...

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Faith Like a Journey

Author

Samuel Rodriguez

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:31, Acts 20:24, Hebrews 12:1-2, James 1:2-4, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:23-24, Philippians 3:13-14

While global flights and online booking have made travel easier in many ways, other aspects, often related to safety and security, still create challenges. As often as I fly, I could tell you plenty o...

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Goodwill or God’s Will?

Author

Henri J. M. Nouwen

Keywords

God's Will

Scripture

1 Corinthians 12:4-7, Isaiah 6:8, Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 2:10, Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:11

A lesson often learned the hard way in each of our spiritual journeys is mistaking goodwill for vocation. Sometimes we feel deeply about an experience we have, whether it be on a mission trip or even ...

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Faith Requires Thought

Author

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 3:1, Psalm 19:1-2, Philippians 4:8, James 1:5, Romans 12:2, Proverbs 3:5-6

Faith according to our Lord’s teaching in this paragraph is primarily thinking; and the whole trouble with a man of little faith is that he does not think. He allows circumstances to bludgeon him. . ....

Quote

Author

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Keywords

Faith

Scripture

Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:13, James 2:17, Psalm 37:23-24, Isaiah 30:21, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Proverbs 3:5-6

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

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Flying into a Headwind

Author

Cody Sandahl

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 46:1-2, 2 Timothy 4:7, Galatians 6:9, James 1:12, Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 3:13-14

I started flying small Cessna planes when I was in high school, and I vividly remember one flight between McGregor, TX and Austin. We had an incredibly strong tail wind down to Austin, so we got there...

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Leaving the Letters up to God

Author

Ronald Rohlheiser

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 51:17, John 4:23-24, Proverbs 3:5-6, Luke 18:13-14, 1 Samuel 16:7

There is a story told about a Jewish farmer, who ended up stuck in his field for the Sabbath. As the sun went down, the farmer realized he would have to remain in the field until sunset the next day, ...

liturgy

Adapted from Proverbs 3:13-18

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 3:13-18

Leader: Happy are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. People: For her good profit is better than getting silver, and her return is better than fine gold. Leader: She is more preci...

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“Remember the Signs” from The Silver Chair

Author

Casey Clark

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 7:24, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119:105, Joshua 1:8, Deuteronomy 6:6-7

In C. S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair, Jill meets the lion, Aslan, high atop a mountain before her quest begins to save a prince. Aslan shares four important signs for her to remember along the way. These ...

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Not Heeding the Call

Author

Jeff Volkmer

Keywords

Scripture

Micah 6:8, Hebrews 13:16, Galatians 6:9-10, Proverbs 3:27, 1 John 3:17-18, James 2:14-17

Just the other day, I was out on a bike ride for some exercise. Because I work for a high-end cycling company, I had the opportunity to test ride one the bikes we make – a bike that comes with a price...

liturgy

God of wisdom, we come before you in

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Micah 6:8, Psalm 143:10, Romans 12:2, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Proverbs 3:5-6

God of wisdom, we come before you in humility. Too often we choose our own way, discern our own path, without looking to you. We ignore the prompting of your Holy Spirit, and choose what is easiest, m...

liturgy

Adapted from “Confession and Petition” in The Valley of Vision

Author

Dustin Ray

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 51:1-4, Hebrews 12:5-6, Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:10-11, Psalm 94:12, Revelation 3:19, Psalm 119:71

Pastor: Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number and been guilty of pride and unbelief, failed to delight in your Word, neglected you in my daily life. All: My transgressions and sins present m...

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