Shirlee Abbott

Building Resolve (Thursday)

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Shirlee Abbott

Have you heard about “one word” for the year?

You pick one word to represent your focus for an entire year. Next year: new word, new focus. Very simple and very effective.

For 2014, my one word is two words: Good Work.

I will focus my energy on good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).

All year long, I’ll ask:

Is this a good work God prepared in advance for me?
What good work does God have for me today, this week, this year?
Is this a good work that brings glory to God?

What’s your one word?

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Building Resolve (Wednesday)

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Shirlee Abbott

RESOLVED: to do the good works God prepared in advance for me to do.

But how do I know which good works are in God’s plan for me? It’s time for a talk with God.

Often, a bit at a time: Lord, you gave me the vision for a book. How do I make that happen? What times should I set aside to write–a little every day, a retreat devoted to writing, a schedule?

Daily: Dear God, what good works do you have in store for me today?

In the moment (as a friend pours out her heart): Oh God, what should I say–or not say–to help her?

Ask. Listen for the answer.

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Building Resolve (Tuesday)

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Shirlee Abbott

Ephesians 2:10(NIV)
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God prepared good works for me. My job is to do them—not to earn my way to heaven, not from a sense of duty, not to curry favor with God.

RESOLVED: to do the good works God has prepared for me to do–to bring glory to God.

Matthew 5:16
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Glorify God, let your light shine, do the good works God has prepared just for you.

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Building Resolve (Monday)

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Shirlee Abbott

It’s a new year. I resolve the usual:

Lose weight
Spend less
Get organized.

Been there, done that. Annually. For years. My resolve unravels, a thread at a time, till it’s intense as pocket lint. And just as useless.

Surely God intends better for me.

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace.

RESOLVED: Seek the welfare and peace God plans for me. That should cover all my issues with weight, money and mess–plus some.

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Cornerstone (Friday)

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Shirlee Abbott

Know your Cornerstone, deep and wide.

“Any old stone will do” builds an unstable foundation. “All stones are alike” demonstrates your lack of knowledge. “Who needs a cornerstone? Not me” means you’re building on sand and not solid rock (be prepared for the coming **SPLAT**).

Get to know Christ through Scripture. Not just random reading, a morning moment. That’s the wide of the Word, the introduction to its infinite variety. Wisdom comes through the deep of thoughtful and consistent Bible study.

2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP)
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

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Cornerstone (Thursday)

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Shirlee Abbott

John Wesley (along with his brother Charles) is associated with the Holiness Movement and Methodism. John left a trail of sermons and journals, all focused on the living, loving God. His take on our cornerstone:

“This wise man ‘builds his house upon a rock,’
upon the Rock of Ages: the Lord Jesus Christ.
He builds only upon Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
On this cornerstone he fixes his faith,
and rests the whole weight of his soul upon it.”
John Wesley
Sermon: Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, 13 (1872)
(read the full sermon:http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/33/)

I agree, with the whole weight of my soul.

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Cornerstone (New Year’s Day)

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Shirlee Abbott

Christ is our cornerstone. He establishes our boundaries. Some folks think the space God gives us is narrow and confining. Not so.

Yes, Christ sets the length, width, height and depth of our eternal existence, and it is a glorious space.

Ephesians 3:17-18 (NIV)
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

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Cornerstone (Tuesday)

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

When I visited Los Angeles, I was surprised by the many houses cantilevered over a canyon–looked like trouble just waiting to happen.

Christ is my Cornerstone, marking the boundaries of my life. Sometimes, like those fancy California homes, I cantilever myself beyond my Cornerstone’s boundaries. My Architect has words with me.

God: My child, what do you think you’re doing?

Me: Just talking with a friend. No big deal.

God: Small talk, innocent conversation? I don’t think so. That’s gossip. It’s hurtful. You’re leaning beyond my boundaries. You’re trouble waiting to happen.

Sometimes, I actually heed his warning. When I don’t, I usually wind up wishing I had.

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Corners (Monday)

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

How do you approach a jigsaw puzzle?

Look for colors that match
Find the corner and edge pieces
Gotta have the box cover for a guide

I define the boundaries first. I start with the corners.

A puzzle to assemble, a new year to build. And I’ve got my corner piece.

Isaiah 28:6 (NIV)
See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation.

Jesus is my corner piece, my cornerstone. Let’s get started.

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Glory be (Friday)

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Shirlee Abbott

Which spiritual disciplines enhance our ability to reflect God’s glory?

It’s like breathing. Inhale the glory through Bible study, prayer and meditation; exhale the glory through service.

I can’t breathe out without first breathing in. I can’t serve when I’m empty. First breathe in intimacy with God, then breathe out service for God.

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