Good morning everyone!
In my update last week, I mentioned that I needed to be consistent in connecting with Jesus every day. I allowed the distractions of life to keep me from a vital spiritual practice that had helped me in the past.
It is important for me to have an intentional plan. If you are looking for something to spur you on in your walk with God, I would highly encourage you to join me and others in doing this together.
Why I Need a Different Kind of Plan
For me, one of the most challenging parts of being a follower of Jesus comes not in getting more information or teaching, but in being obedient to the teaching I have already been exposed to. In Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus told His followers to make disciples and “teach them to obey everything I have commanded you…”
I don’t know about you, but I have been taught way beyond my level of obedience! I love hearing great messages. But most times when I hear a good message, I walk away saying, “Wow, that was great!” But within a day or two I forget it and never do anything about it. I hate that about me. I can easily be a hearer of the Word of God and not much of a doer (James 1:22).
So, my aim in 2025 is to raise my level of obedience to the Word of God. Maybe you are wanting to do the same thing.
A Response to God’s Commands Vs. REading a Devotional
What I am inviting you to do with me is a little different than reading a devotional thought every day. It is an intentional plan to respond every day directly to scriptural directions from God—to obey what Jesus commanded us. Each day we plan to engage with one scriptural command/direction to follow or avoid, one simple action, and one prayer of commitment. For me, the process usually takes about 15 minutes.
Here is the quick outline of how it works. To remember it, just think of “MAPS.”
SCRIPTURE MAPS - DAILY DIRECTION FROM GOD
Choose from God's Word a simple, direct command or a direction to follow or avoid. If you join me we will provide a list of scriptures.
Repeat the verse to know what it says. Some like to write it or type it out on their computer. Then run it through the M.A.P.S. process.
Meaning/Paraphrase: What does it mean? Write the scripture out in your own words. (Helpful Resource: Dictionary)
Action: What am I going to do to respond? How can I obey this command or direction to follow or avoid in a specific way?
Pray: Write out and pray a simple prayer.
Story: Share your story about the verse, your paraphrase, and your action with someone in person, text, email, or on the phone.
An Example of MAPS
With this outline, let’s take Matthew 7:1, a verse I did this week, and model the process so you can see how it works. The scripture says:
“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.” Matthew 7:1 CSB
Meaning/Paraphrase: My paraphrase for this verse was: “Do not condemn so that you won’t be condemned.” Someone else might have translated it, “Don’t be nitpicky so that you won’t be nitpicked.” Remember this is in your words.
Action: I wrote, “By God's grace, I will not be critical of Nola today, and instead will be gracious to her.”
Prayer: My prayer was, “Jesus, help me be gracious with family today—especially with Nola.”
Story: I emailed my commitment to Bill.
Note: This process invites us to write things down. I have done this with pencil and paper as well as on the computer. In recent days, I have come to appreciate the fact that if I write on my computer, I can more easily pass it on and keep track of my commitments. Know that you can do it anyway that will help you be most consistent, even if you start out by just working through the process mentally.
An Invitation to An Experiment in January
I am making a commitment to do this every day in January. Would you like to join me? Here’s how it works. When you respond to this email you’ll receive:
January 2025 MAPS template by December 28th.
Respond to this email to let me know if you want to join me in this.
I’m looking forward to seeing what God does with us along the way!
Finally, thanks again for your grace and mercy towards me. Several of you encouraged me with calls and notes about my Thanksgiving confession. That meant a lot and is helping me get more traction in my conversations with Jesus.
Love y'all!
Steve
PS…Stay tuned for the next update where we’ll share how to prepare our hearts to make our conversations with Jesus life-giving and empowering.