90 Day Challenge- Habit Formed?

The 90 Day Challenge is now complete! That certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t continue in your reading or even start it again (or for the first time). Back in January we put out the challenge to read through the New Testament in 90 days to be a kick off to 2013. If you stayed on track, you finished a few days ago.

The big question is did you form a habit? The purpose of the challenge was to help each of us develop the habit of spending time on a regular basis in God’s Word. To grow on our own in our relationship with God, we need to carve out time in our day to spend with Him. Corporate worship, small groups, youth events are great, but they don’t replace our time with God throughout the week.

We are putting together some other (free) resources to help you continue in the habit. If you don’t have another plan after the 90 Day Challenge, make sure to pick one up.

This is a good reminder to us as we apply it to our spiritual growth: “We are made up of the commitments that we make over our life and the habits that we develop.”

90 Day Challenge – Week 11

Last week took us through the book of Hebrews and into the book of James. The writer of Hebrews speaks to the fact that Jesus is our Great High Priest, that He is far superior to the sacrifices that were offered in the past. By His one sacrifice, He took care of all of our sin. One of the verses that stuck out to me was 10:14 – “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Jesus came to rescue us and overcome sin and death for us. Sometimes the letter of Hebrews is hard to understand, but contains such great truth.

The letter of James is so practical, making sure to tell us that we need to live out what we believe. It’s not enough to say we know God; we need to show it in what we do.

I hope the time you are spending in God’s Word through the 90 Day Challenge is helping you grow in your relationship with God. We are getting near the end of the challenge and I hope it’s helping to create a habit that will continue past the 90 days.

We plan to have some resources available after the challenge is over so you can continue to grow through time in His Word.

Keep up the good work!

90 Day Challenge – Week 10

I missed posting about our 90 Day Challenge last week as I was out-of-town, but hopefully you have kept pace with the readings each week. Today is Day #72! We are in the home stretch of the challenge. Whether you are right on pace or still a bit behind, don’t give up! Keep spending time each day in God’s Word and continue that habit.

We had a handful of responses to our one question survey just to see how things were going. Out of the 11 responses I received, 7 are behind, but working on it and the other 4 are on track. Again, the key is that we are finding time each day to spend with God. Our focus is the word habit.

If you didn’t respond to the survey, we’d still love to hear from you. Click here to go the one question response form.

This week we looked at some of the letters Paul wrote, including 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.  In those words, we see Paul’s heart for these men who were serving God in difficult circumstances.  He encouraged them to continue in their work and to be faithful to the life God called them to live.  Pretty good advice for us as well.

90 Day Challenge – Week 8

Today is Day 57 and the start of week #9 in our 90 Day Challenge! I hope you are encouraged by the time you are spending with God in His Word.

Yesterday we finished the book of Galatians and were reminded that Jesus is all we need!  There were some people around the Galatian church who were trying to add to what Jesus did for us through His death on the cross.  They were saying you had to accept Jesus and follow the Old Testament Law.  Paul said Jesus was enough.  His death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave satisfied our need for a Savior. In Galatians 2:20-21 he writes,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

What Jesus did is enough to save us.  We don’t need to keep the Old Testament Law to be made right with God.  Everything we do should in gratitude for what Jesus did, not our effort to try to gain His approval.

Keep up the good work of the 90 Day Challenge. Remember that our goal is to develop the habit of spending time with God.  If you are right on track, behind or even ahead of schedule, keep opening His Word and listen to what He has to say.

90 Day Challenge – Week 7

We are over half-way through our 90 Day Challenge and today will take us into Day 50. Today’s reading also brings us into 2 Corinthians. There are some tough issues that Paul has to deal with in the church of Corinth, but as you read the letter, you see how deeply cares for the church. The letters to the Corinthian church help us understand how to deal with delicate issues in the church family.

We need your help! Since we are over half-way through this challenge, it would be great to get a sense of how things are going. There is a very short, anonymous form you can respond to that will help us see how things are going. If you took the challenge, please take 30 seconds to give your response.

Whether you are on track, behind or using a different plan, our goal is develop a habit of spending time with God.  Small investments over time will lead to a growing relationship.  Keep it up!

90 Day Challenge – Week Three

We are done with week three of our 90 Day Challenge. Yesterday was day #21 and we are beginning week four today. If you are taking the challenge, stop for a moment and give yourself a hand (go ahead, I’ll wait)…

I do think it is important to celebrate our progress along the way. Maybe for some of us, this has been the most consistent we’ve been or even the longest we’ve stayed with a reading plan. Even if you have fallen behind, don’t get discouraged. Remember – our goal is to develop the habit of spending time regularly with God. The 90 Day Challenge is just a tool to do that.

One thing that has grabbed my attention as we have gone through the Gospel of Luke is Jesus’ teaching on prayer. In Luke 11 the disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. He gives the model prayer and then tells a story about a neighbor who comes at midnight and knocks on the door asking for bread. In Luke 18 we hear the Parable of the Persistent Widow. In both stories, the point seems to be that a request is granted because the person was persistent in asking.

In Luke 11, the NIV uses this phrase to describe the request: “shameless audacity.” In Luke 18, the judge grants the widow’s request because she “keeps bothering” him.

Jesus characterizes God as a Father who cares about His children and loves to give good gifts to them. So, rather than seeing God as a judge to be bothered or a neighbor to be woken up, we should see God as a Father who wants us to ask. The takeaway from these two teachings for me has been that I should ask God for the things on my heart. As I look at the decisions that need to be made in the coming months, I should ask God for His direction. I guess the question I could ask myself is this: have I brought my requests to God with “shameless audacity?”

90 Day Challenge – Week One Done

We are one week into our 90 Day Challenge. If you began on January 7, today marks the beginning of week 2 and we are moving quickly through the book of Matthew. By the middle of this week we will be in the book of Mark.

I’ve heard some good feedback already from those who have taken the challenge. One person said the questions in the book have been helpful in thinking through the scriptures. Another commented that she has read some things she didn’t remember reading before. It’s amazing how God’s Word speaks to us in different ways in different times. Keep up the good work!

A couple of things to consider as we begin week 2:

1) The Goal is to Develop a Habit. The whole point of the 90 Day Challenge is to give us a tool to that helps us spend time with God on a regular basis. It’s not meant to be a checklist or simply a task. Some people like to answer the questions. Others don’t. The purpose is for each of us to develop the habit of spending time with God in His Word. If you miss a day, just pick it up the next day. Focus on the habit and let God speak to you through your time with Him.

2). It’s Not Too Late to Start. If you don’t have a book yet, you can still be a part of it. One of our small groups is talking about modifying the plan a little bit and won’t do all of it in 90 Days. That’s OK. Again, our goal is to spend time with God. The 90 Day Challenge is a tool, but it’s not the only one.

Please feel free to share any insights your gain from your time in God’s Word. We have a Facebook page that let’s you do just that. We want to hear from you what you are learning from His Word.