The church isn’t somewhere we go, it’s something we are. Being the church involves personal and collective devotion. That devotion changes our own lives and our communities, and it is an important element in the type of wake up call we’ve discussed this week. Record your responses to the following questions in your journal.

1. Finish these two statements: I am devoted to__________. I wish I was more devoted to__________.
2. What are some examples of how being devoted is easier when you’re with a group than when you’re alone?
3. How does the collective body of the Church help you to keep hope kindled in your life?
4. What are some ways the collective body of the Church helps you “redeem the time”—as we discussed on Wednesday?
5. How would you explain to someone that the Church isn’t something you come to but something you become?
   

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A QUOTE TO PONDER:

“Early Christians were able to devote their lives to God’s church because they understood Jesus’ devotion to them. When we begin to understand God’s devotion to us, it’s only natural to shift our devotion to Him and his family—the church.

Being devoted to the church may require you to shift some priorities and change to what you’re devoted. But can you imagine what our life, our families, and our community would look like if we shifted our devotion to God and his church?” (Northpoint, Members Only, 2014)

PRAYER:

Lord, we pray that we’ll live well for you, making You proud of us as we grow in this place where you’ve planted us. We want to learn more and more how You call us to live and how to do your work. Grant us the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting our teeth but the root-driven, glory-given strength that comes from you—the kind that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy. 

Forgive us for our complacency. Forgive us for our cowardice Forgive us for our selfishness. As we draw near to You this week, help us to rediscover hope and courage, and help us to pass it to one another.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen