MONDAY MOTIVATION

JOIN PASTOR GUY EVERY MONDAY FOR BIBLICAL ENCOURAGEMENT, INSPIRATION & INSIGHT
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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

Hope?

Hope?
From the Dec. 6th reading
 
Our hope is not in anything this world has to offer, but in Him. He is our anchor. He is our true North.
 
SCRIPTURE:
READ: Philippians 1:12-14
 
Philippians 1:12
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” (NIV)
 
OBSERVATIONS:
  • “What has happened to me” – Paul’s imprisonment!
  • Where? – Rome. Under house arrest
  • It “served to advance the gospel”
  • All of the palace guard heard the gospel while taking their turn
  • Everyone knew that Paul was imprisoned because of his faith in Christ (V. 13)
  • His chains encouraged others to be bolder in sharing their faith. (V. 14)

  APPLICATION:

  • Our suffering should be an opportunity to share Christ in us.
  • Our faith should encourage others to live for Christ
  • Others should be able to recognize Jesus in us.
 
MOTIVATION:
It was 1991 and the market crashed causing the first recession of my adult life. Jobs that once were prevalent in southern California were nowhere to be found. Houses that used to sell for $400K were now worth half that. People were leaving behind family and friends to find jobs elsewhere. There was this older couple in our church at the time. He was a fairly new believer and she had grown up in the church her whole life. They owned a company and had been fairly successful. But now they were in the process of losing everything. Barbara was in a panic and the worry of the situation was etched across her face. John on the other hand, was calm and refused to stop praising the Lord. He was a picture of faith in the midst terrible loss. He was a testimony to every one of the hope that we find in Christ.
 
This is what Paul was trying to teach the believers in Philippi. He wanted them to learn an important lesson: there are no accidents with God. Instead of Paul’s ministry being impeded by his imprisonment, it was being advanced. All in Rome wo came in contact with Paul heard about Christ.
 
Tradition teaches us that when a person was taken into Roman custody, that they were actually chained at the waist with one of the guards. Each day a new guard was brought in and the chains were removed and then another guard was chained to Paul. Rather than moan and complain at this predicament, Paul saw it as an opportunity. These guards were chained to him; he was not chained to them. They had to sit and listen to Paul talk to everyone that came to visit or to take of his needs. And every conversation that Paul had was laced with the gospel and with his teachings. Even while he was dictating this letter for the church in Philippi, every word was listened to by an extra set of ears. Over time every one of the palace guards had heard Paul’s teaching. Every one of them had heard about the hope found in Jesus.
 
Not only that, but from this passage we learn that Paul’s plight encouraged others to speak more boldly of their faith to others (V. 14). One author put it this way: “The positive response Paul received in the face of opposition caused others to speak more courageously and fearlessly for Christ. Paul’s confinement was doing what his circumstances outside of prison could never do.[i] Others had persisted in Paul’s imprisonment, hoping for his eventual crucifixion. Had they known that his message of Jesus Christ was going to grow even stronger they may have rethought their strategy.
 
God can use any circumstance that we find ourselves in no matter how severe. His ultimate goal is to bring Himself glory and to reach as many with the gospel as possible. And unfortunately that sometimes means our suffering. Over the last few months everywhere we look we see tragedy and people struggling. It is almost everywhere and the heaviness can be felt even in our church. How we react and how we respond to these trials is the evidence of our faith.
 
The question we all must ask ourselves is: where is our hope? For Shelli and I this verse found in Romans has become our anchor; “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13) Our hope is in Jesus. Our hope is not in anything this world has to offer, but in Him. He is our anchor. He is our true North.
 
Where do you find your hope? Is it the things of this world? People? The economy? Our hope can only be found in one place – Jesus!
 
PRAYER:
If you are going to a trial right now pray that God will give you the hope that you need and that you will be able be a witness of His goodness and strength to others. If not you, then pray for others who are going through difficult times. They aren’t hard to find.
 
 
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] Lightner, R. P. (1985). Philippians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 651). 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