MONDAY MOTIVATION

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Welcome to Monday Motivation—a devotional blog to keep you encouraged throughout the week! My name is Pastor Guy Deckard and I am incredibly excited for you to join in every Monday.
 
Below, you will find the most recent Monday Motivation post and if you continue scrolling, you will find an archive of blog posts by date. If you’d like to get a better understanding as to how this blog came about, click HERE to read the first Monday Motivation post. 
 
I invite you to follow along with me every Monday! And if you would like to dive even deeper into your study of God’s Word, purchase the same daily study that this blog is based, just click HERE.
#mondaymotivation

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

From Ordinary to Extraordinary
From the Sept. 27th reading
 
What is God asking you to do as an ordinary believer?
 
SCRIPTURE:
READ: Luke 10:1-24
 
Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (NIV)
 
OBSERVATIONS:
  • When the 72 returned with their excited reports of what ministry they had accomplished (v. 17) it brought Him great joy!
  • Jesus praised the Father because of what He had chosen to do.
  • God uses the children, the weak to accomplish great things

  APPLICATION:

  • God wants to use people like us to accomplish great things
  • God doesn’t usually choose politicians or powerful people to accomplish great things – He uses the ordinary (See Judges, Esther, the 12 Apostles, etc.)
  • God wants to use us!
MOTIVATION:
I remember this particular Christmas in our family. I was sixteen, and I had saved up some money for Christmas from a part time job washing dishes. My stepdad had become my “dad” over the last several years, and I wanted to do something special for him. So I went out and bought him this really nice charcoal Weber grill. It was the best one on the market at the time. It was in this huge box, and I wrapped it as carefully as I could. I put it under the tree and I couldn’t wait for Christmas morning, and for him to open it. It finally came and I stood there with my camera in hand, and a huge grin on my face. He seemed really surprised to find his name on the package, and especially perplexed that it was from me. My mom explained to him that I had bought it with my own money. He quickly unwrapped it, and the moment he saw the picture on the box his face lit up! I was so proud at that moment. The look of pure joy on his face was priceless.
 
When I read this story of the 72 being sent out to preach the gospel, and to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus to come into these towns several things jump out at me. One of the things that comes to my attention is found in verse 2 where it says, “He told them, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Notice that it is “laborers”, not spectators, who are to pray for more laborers! Too many of us are praying for somebody else to do the job that we are unwilling to do ourselves.
 
Another thing that I notice in this passage is that Jesus chose 72 ordinary men. Even though the word used here is the same word for “apostles”, does not mean that they were Apostles. It merely means that they were “sent with a commission”. Jesus didn’t choose religious leaders or men of influence to go and perform great acts of service. He chose ordinary men like us to go and do some amazing things for His Kingdom!
 
One commentary said this about the 72: “The people who were following Jesus were not the important people of the nation; they were not considered the wise and learned. They had become like little children to enter into the kingdom, and thus they knew the Son and the Father. The disciples were living in an opportune day which many Old Testament prophets and kings longed to see—the day of the Messiah.”[i] God used new believers who were still brand new in their faith, and showed them things that people had longed to see and do for many generations.
 
And lastly, what I notice in this passage is something that I never really noticed before. It is found in verse 21, “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit…” What brought Jesus such great joy? It was seeing these young men come back from completing a mission that He had sent them on, and to witness their excitement and jubilation at what the Spirit had done through them. That is what made me think of the look on my step-father’s face when he opened that gift on Christmas morning. That is how I picture how Jesus must have looked when he heard these men tell their stories, and the pride that He felt towards them. He was full of joy!
 
I don’t know about you but I love it when I put a smile on someone’s face. Especially if it is someone that I look up to and respect. When I see that look of pride and joy on their face because of something that I did, well let’s just say that it pretty much makes my day. And that is how I picture this event that we read about in this passage.
 
When I read about these men and what they accomplished it spurs me on to want to do great things for my Savior. I want to be the one to put a smile of joy on His face. I want to be a part of that team that comes back excited and jubilant about what we had just seen the Lord do through us!
 
I have tasted some of this before. I have witnessed God do amazing things through a team of ordinary men and women. I have heard their retelling of the stories, and have seen the utter joy and amazement on their faces.
 
The good news is that Jesus is still in the business of using people like us. His strategy has not changed over the years. He is still looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We just need to stand up and say, “Send me Lord Jesus!”
 
What is God asking you to do as an ordinary believer? What is He asking us to do as a group or as a church? What task does He have in store for us, which is bigger than we are, but He has prepared us to do?
 
Father, send out more workers for your harvest is ready!
 
PRAYER:
Ask God to show you what special task has he laid out for you. Or what team does He want you to join in order to accomplish His plan?
 
Each week’s Monday Motivation is taken from the reading schedule found in the Life Journal. If you are ready for the next step in your discipleship, then order yours today or see me for a copy.
www.lifejournal.cc
 
If you would like help in growing in your faith, or if you would like to know how to have faith in Him, then please contact us at (928)636-2949 or email me at pastorguy@cvgrace.com
 
 
 
[i] Martin, J. A. (1985). Luke. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 233). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.



 Devotionals by Date

 January 2018

 
 
 
 

MONDAY MOTIVATION INTRODUCTION

 
 
 
  
 
 

THE GREAT SHEPHERD

 
January 1, 2018
 
 
  
 
 

THE GREAT PLANNER 

 
January 8, 2018
 
 
 
 
 

PROTECTING YOUR ROOTS

January 15, 2018
 
 
 
 
 

FACING YOUR GIANTS

January 22, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

February 2018

 
 
 

PLEASE STAND

February 5, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 

BE A GAME CHANGER

February 12, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

FINISH STRONG

February 19, 2018
 
 
 

STRETCHER BEARERS

February 26, 2018
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

March 2018

 
 
 

DIGGING YOUR WAY OUT

March 5, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

REAL PEARLS

March 12, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

HIDDEN IDENTITY

March 19, 2018

 
 
 

MYSTERY GARDEN
March 26, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
April 2018
 
 

THE TEST!

April 2, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

PASS IT ON!

April 9, 2018
 
  
 
 
 

CRACKED POTS!

April 16, 2018

 
 
 

LAY THEM DOWN!

April 23, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

LETTING GO 

April 30, 2018
  
May 2018
 
 
 

IDOL WORSHIP OR IDLE WORSHIP?

May 7, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WATCH AND PRAY!

May 14, 2018
  
 
 
 

DON’T SAY GOODBYE

May 21, 2018

 

 
 
 

TRAPPED

May 28, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

 

June 2018
 
 
 

GOT A MATCH?

June 4, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHOSEN?

June 11, 2018
 
 
  
 
 

I’M THIRD!

June 18, 2018

 

 
 
 

CHANGED LIVES MATTER

      June 25, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
July 2018
 
 
 

MADE FOR MORE THAN THIS

      July 2, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

SET FREE!

       July 9, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 

   HEAVENLY PLACES       July 15, 2018

 
 
 

LOOKING IN THE MIRROR

July 2, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

NO SURPRISES HERE

July 2, 2018

 
 
 
August 2018
 
 
 

INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED

August 6, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

THE PEOPLE PLEASER

August 13, 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 

ONE CHURCH

      August 20, 2018

 
 
 

BROTHERLY LOVE

August 27, 2018

 
 
September 2018
 
 
 

NEWLYWEDS!

September 3, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

WHEN GOD SPANKS US!

September 10, 2018

 
 
 
 

TAKING A STAND

September 17, 2018

 
 
 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

September 24, 2018

 
 
October 2018
 
 
 

FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

October 1, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

STAND YOUR GROUND!

October 8, 2018

 
 

 

 

FAITH UNDER FIRE

October 15, 2018

 
 
 
 

HOMELESS FOR A DAY

October 22, 2018

 
 
 
 
November 2018
 
 
 

A HEAVENLY MARRIAGE?

November 5, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

HOLY SMOKE!

November 12, 2018

 
 
 
 

MIRROR, MIRROR…

November 19, 2018

 
 
 
 

SECRET AGENT

November 26, 2018

 
 
 
 
December 2018
 
 
 

INNOCENT

December 3, 2018

 
 
 
 
 

HOPE?

December 10, 2018

 
 
 
 

FREEDOM

December 17, 2018

 
 
 
 

MORE THAN A MANGER

December 24, 2018