Morning Watch for New Christians Growing in Christ Deborah S. Morris Olathe, Kansas www.moreoftheking.com Growing in Christ Morning Watch ©2012 by Deborah S. Morris www.moreoftheking.com All rights reserved. Except where noted, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Deborah S. Morris. Thanks to Ramona Jack, Lynnette Goebel, Heidi Morris, and Becky Pummell for their input and suggestions. Designed by Harvest Graphics All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION7. NIV7. Copyright 8 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Printed in the United State of America 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 How did you receive Jesus Christ as Lord? Wasn’t it by faith ? You realized that you could do nothing to save yourself. You could do nothing to impress God. Your sin was hanging around your neck, stinking up the place, and it had to be dealt with. The only solution : trust that Jesus’ shed blood would wipe out the stench of your sin and make you clean before God. And that’s how you live the Christian life, too. It’s not up to you to live a holy and obedient life. You can’t—not good enough for God’s standards. So once again you have to put your hope and trust in Jesus . Trusting in Jesus’ death pleased God and washed you clean; trusting in Jesus’ life (because he obeyed God perfectly—ALL. THE. TIME.) pleases God and gets you growing. Growing in Christ is not about keeping a checklist or a bunch of rules. Growing in Christ means getting to know this amazing Person who loves you, prays for you, roots for you, and died FOR YOU. Take your time as you work through these pages. Think about it. Talk about it with an older Christian. Linger over it and let it sink in. Ask questions and don’t stop looking for answers. The Treasure is worth digging for. 3 Day 1 You Have Been Rescued! 1. If you were a prisoner in a dungeon, what would make life miserable? Draw in those details (e.g. spiders, dripping water) in the cell below. What would you hope for and dream of? ________________________ 2. The book of Colossians talks about a rescue from a dark place. Read Colossians 1:13-14 . Who needed to be rescued? ______________________ What was the place of captivity called? ______________________ Cap•tiv•i•ty – the state of being a prisoner, or a period of time that somebody is held prisoner. 3. What was keeping you chained to that dark place? (You can read more about this darkness in Psalm 107:10-11 .) 4 4. Who rescued you from this darkness? _______________ How did he do it? He forgave your____________________. Where are you now? Colossians 1 gives 3 different answers: • In the kingdom of _________________________ (Col. 1:13) • In the kingdom of ________________ (Col. 1:12) • In __________________ (Col. 1:2) Do you think those are 3 different places or all the same one? Think about it: How close is a Christian to Christ? Where is he when you’re happy? When you’re sad? When you’re worried? When you need help? Memorize: For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. Colossians 1:13 Say the verse a few times. Then cover up some of the words with three coins and see if you can still say it. Pray: Tell God how you feel about your rescue. Ask him to help you to learn how to live and grow IN CHRIST . 5 Day 2 Who Is This Son He Loves? 1. How would you describe your favorite person in the whole world? Would others be able to tell how you feel about that person by your description? 2. The Son that God loves is described in Colossians 1:15-19 . What are some of the things you learn about this Son? ____________________________________________ (v. 15) ____________________________________________ (v. 16) ____________________________________________ (v. 17) ____________________________________________ (v. 18) ____________________________________________ (v. 19) 3. Can you tell how God felt about his Son? How pleased was God with his Son? (Circle your answer below.) OFF THE CHARTS pleased VERY pleased SOMEWHAT pleased NOT pleased 6 4. This beloved Son was given a job to do. Read about it in Colossians 1:20-22 . What did Christ have to do? Who benefited from what he did? ________________________ 5. Compare how you are described Re•con•cil•i•a•tion – the ending of conflict and before (in v. 21) and after (in v. 22) this renewing of a friendly reconciliation took place. relationship between disputing groups. Before After v. 21 v. 22 Pray: Thank God for sacrificing his beloved Son for you, even though you were his enemy. Review the memory verse from yesterday (Colossians 1:13) and see if you can fill in the blanks below. For ____ has ________________ us ________ the ________________ of _____________ and _____________ us ________ the ______________ of the ______ he _________. 7 Day 3 Unlocking the Mystery 1. Some people love a good mystery. Even Colossians speaks of one that was “kept hidden for ages and generations, but now is disclosed.” Read Colossians 1:25-27 and 2:2-3 to find out what the mystery is. 2. It turns out that this mystery is n ot a what but a who . Why do you think Jesus was such a mystery? What kinds of questions might people have about him? Add to the list below. • Where did he come from? • Is he really God? • How can he be both God and man at the same time? • How could God die? • ____________________________________________________ • ____________________________________________________ We can find answers to many of these questions, but some we’ll never fully understand. One of the adventures of life is to continue to get to know Jesus—not as a matter of curiosity, but as a friend, as a constant companion, as a loving Master. Memorize: So/then,justasyoureceivedChristJesusasLord, continuetoliveinhim, Colossians 2:6 Finish dividing the words and learn the verse. 8 One man who lived the adventure of knowing Jesus was missionary John Paton. He sailed to a South Sea island of cannibals in the 1860s. For years he worked to make known “the glorious riches of this mystery” so that the people there might know Jesus. But the islanders fought hard against such knowledge and often wanted to kill him. Once when John escaped with his life from one warring tribe, another tribal chief hid him for a time in his village. Later he told John to go and climb a large chestnut tree in the bush and stay there until the moon rose. John wondered if he could trust this man, but he followed the instructions. Later he wrote, “The hours I spent there live all before me as if it were but of yesterday. I heard the frequent discharging of muskets, and the yells of the Savages. Yet I sat there among the branches, as safe in the arms of Jesus. Never, in all my sorrows, did my Lord draw nearer to me, and speak more soothingly in my soul than when the moonlight flickered among these chestnut leaves, and the night air played on my throbbing brow, as I told all my heart to Jesus. Alone, yet not alone! If it be to glorify my God, I will not grudge to spend many nights alone in such a tree, to feel again my Saviour’s spiritual presence, to enjoy His consoling fellowship. If thus thrown back upon your own soul, alone, all, all alone, in the midnight, in the bush, in the very embrace of death itself, have you a Friend that will not fail you then?” John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides (Carlisle PA: Banner of Truth, 1994) 200. 3. Colossians 1:27 says that the mystery is “ Christ in you .” But wait a minute! Colossians 1:2 says that the Christians are “ in Christ .” So which is it—Christ in you or you in Christ ? YES! What do you think a Christian’s relationship with Jesus is like? A polite acquaintance Ac•quain•tance – someone A distant relative you know only slightly, not A fair-weather friend well. Someone who knows you better than you do yourself and who loves you no matter what and who will never leave you 9 Day 4 Hidden Reality 1. What are some things that you can see right now where you are? List or draw a few of those things in the left-hand box. Things I can see right now Things that I cannot see 2. Colossians 3:1-4 names some things that you cannot see with your eyes. List them in the right-hand box above. • Which of those things are real? • If something is invisible, does that make it less real? • Which of the lists above does Jesus want you to think about most and focus on? (Circle it.) 3. Does t hat mean it’s okay not to care about what’s going on around you? Does that mean God isn’t interested in what you can see or hear or touch? Read Colossians 3:5-14 to find the answers to those questions.