Spiritual Direction nyc

March 1, 2018

Lent Day 16: “Go and Sin No More”

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PREPARE

Find a place where you be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your time of prayer so you may hear Jesus’ call.

READ

John 8:1-30

REFLECT AND PRAY

You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one (v. 15).

1) If Jesus had passed judgment on the Pharisees, what would have been the consequence for them? What would it be for you now? In light of this statement, who is Jesus to you?

2) “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (v. 4-5).

Actually, Leviticus 20:10 says, “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife – with the wife of his neighbor – both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.” Why do you think only the woman is condemned in this account? What might this reveal about Jesus’ justice versus justice administered by people?

OBEY

Jesus spares the woman from being stoned, then fellows with the words “sin no more.” Jesus tells us the same thing each time we are spared from punishment for our wrongdoing. Is there any area of your life in which you are experiencing Jesus’ mercy and hearing his call to “sin no more?” How can you respond in obedience?

Guest writer: Mimi Otani

“Leap of Faith” is a devotional series on the Gospel of John for the Lent season. All readings are available on the Vineyard One NYC app, along with additional resources for Bible reading, worship, and prayer (IPhone app here; Google Play app here).

February 28, 2018

Lent Day 15: There are No Limits on His Love

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Find a place where you can be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand Jesus’ boundless love for you.

READ

John 7

REFLECT AND PRAY

In verse 51, Nicodemus asks, “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?

The Pharisees respond, “Are you from Galilee too? Search the scriptures and see for yourself no prophet ever comes from Galilee!”

The Pharisees have studied the law and are staunch about keeping it. They are no strangers to the supernatural events that fill Jewish history: the flood, the opening of the Red Sea, and the battle where the Sun stood still until the conflict was won. Each event was attributed to a mighty, all-powerful God. The same God raised Prophets to communicate with the Jewish nation, calling them to deliver Gods warning, judgments, and love. And yet here are the Pharisees, believing that raising a prophet from Galilee is something God cannot do.

Through Jesus, we have access to an almighty, all-powerful, compassionate and loving God, one who relentlessly loves and seeks us. How has God acted in your life recently? Do you hold any preconceived ideas about God’s limits that might be limiting his power in your life?

OBEY

Ask God to show you someone you can encourage today. Remind them that God has already given us his son to show us his heart for us. There are no limits on his love.

Guest writer: Mercy Perez

February 27, 2018

Lent Day 14: “Only Believe in the One He has Sent”

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Find a place where you can be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you receptive to hearing Jesus’ words for you.

READ

John 6:22-71

REFLECT AND PRAY

Jesus says, “Don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you” (v. 28). What worries do you have right now? What does Jesus say to you about them?

Obey

Jesus repeatedly tells his listeners that the only thing God asks of them is belief in him. Once you give Jesus your trust, everything else you do or say or choose will flow from your relationship with him.

In your own words, tell Jesus that you believe he is the bread of life, come from the Father. Thank him for his gift of eternal life. Ask him to free you from any worries about “perishable things” that so that you can focus on him.

February 26, 2018

Lent Day 13: Called to Greater Things

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Find a place where you can be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you receptive to hearing Jesus’ words for you.

READ

John 6:1-21

REFLECT AND PRAY

At the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11), Jesus didn’t just turn water into wine – he turned it into the best-tasting wine at the party. When he feeds the 5,000 men (in addition to the women and children), he provides enough food for everyone to eat “as much as they want,” and there are still twelve baskets of food left over. He gives generously, beyond expectations.

1) How have you experienced God’s great generosity? How might God be calling you to show generosity to others?

OBEY

Jesus doesn’t do things halfway. Perhaps he is also inviting you to “go big” – to do or be something greater than you could ask for or imagine. Spend some time asking him what that something greater might be.

February 25, 2018

Lent Day 12: Faith

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Each Sunday in Lent will focus on one of Jesus’ miraculous signs in the Gospel of John.

PREPARE

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your devotional time. Before you read, meditate on John’s words about his Gospel:

But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name – John 20:31.

READ

John 4:43-54

REFLECT AND PRAY

Jesus returns to Cana to find that news of the miracle he performed there (turning water into wine) has gone before him. Yet Jesus is aware that many people aren’t able to look past his “miraculous signs and wonders” (v. 48) and seek him for who he is, not what he can do. The official seems like one of these shallow thrill-seekers at first, yet he trusts Jesus enough to believe his son has been healed without any evidence but Jesus’ own words.

1) Is there anyone you are trusting Jesus to heal – physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, etc. – even though you can’t see anything happening yet? How has Jesus shown you that he is trustworthy?

1) The official comes to Jesus in desperation. He has left his son in a different town, an 8-hour walk away, knowing that his son may be dead before he gets back if Jesus cannot or will not help. Have there been times in your life when you felt this kind of desperation? What were they? How has what happened shaped to the person you are and the relationship you have with Jesus today?

OBEY

Allow Jesus to stir up your deep need for him and pray that he will do the same for others he has brought to mind. Begin by praising Jesus for how he has worked in your life, then move to worshipping him for who he is.

You are also invited to hear a sermon on this passage. It will be streamed on the Vineyard One NYC Facebook page beginning at 10:30 am Eastern Standard Time. (Previous sermon audio files are available at vineyardone.nyc.)

February 24, 2018

Lent Day 11: The Blessings of the Week

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This is a day to review the graces, or gifts and blessings, of the week. Find a place where you can welcome God’s presence, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you think back over the previous week. What relationships, events, or things have you been grateful for? How has Jesus been present to you in your daily life?

REVIEW OPTION 1

Review one or more Bible passages and devotionals from the previous days (Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10). Is there anything in particular that stands out to you? What has Jesus been saying to you so far in the Lent Season?

REVIEW OPTION 2

If you need something simpler, you may choose to meditate and pray on one or more of these questions from the week:

In John 3:16-21, Jesus tells us that his light illuminates the world. In what areas of your life or heart is he bringing his light?
In John 4:34, Jesus says, “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.” How have you been fed by doing God’s work in the past? What do you sense is God’s will for you in this moment?
Review the emotions and experiences of the week, both the high and the low points. Ask God to speak to you in detail about one high and one low point? What do you hear him saying to you?

PRAY

What is Jesus’ invitation to you today? Ask for the grace to say “yes.”

Close with a prayer of gratitude or with The Lord’s Prayer (Find classic and contemporary versions here.)

February 23, 2018

Lent Day 10: Witnesses to the Truth

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Find a place where you can be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you receptive to hearing Jesus’ words for you.

READ

John 5:16-47

REFLECT AND PRAY

In this passage, Jesus is facing religious leaders who treat him with doubt and hostility. Jesus replies that he has witnesses who testify that he is telling the truth: John the Baptist, Jesus’ own teachings and miracles, and God himself.

1) Who in your life has witnessed to you that Jesus is the Son of God? What led you believe their testimony? In what ways have you heard the truth directly from God, whether in the person of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or the Word? What can you learn about the ways you are most likely to receive God’s truth for you and become more aware of his love?

OBEY

As you reflect on the ways you are most “wired” to connect with God, choose one such activity or posture and spend some time today doing that very thing. Then, tell another person about your experience so that they might also be blessed by it.

February 22, 2018

Lent Day 9: “Pick Up Your Mat and Walk”

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Find a moment to be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you reflect on his healing work in your life and in the lives of others.

READ

John 4:46-5:15

REFLECT AND PRAY

1) In verses 4:46-5:15, Jesus encountered two men who desired healing – the official who was pleading for his son’s life and the lame man who could not see past his circumstances. Jesus gave healing in both cases. With whom do you identify more, the official or the lame man? Why?

2) In the case of the official, Jesus heals his son because of the father’s pleas. Is there anyone in your life currently that needs healing? Take this opportunity to intercede on their behalf, having faith that God will heal.

OBEY

When Jesus healed the lame man, he sent the man away with a task: “carry your mat.” By carrying the mat he once laid on, the man was living out the reality of his healing, doing work that used to be impossible for him. Ask Jesus what task he has for you today. How can you respond to Jesus’ healing in your own life? What might it mean for you to carry your mat?

Guest writer: Aaron Perez

February 21, 2018

Lent Day 8: “My Nourishment Comes from Doing God’s Will”

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Find a place where you can be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your time of reading, reflection, and prayer.

READ

John 4:1-45

REFLECT AND PRAY

Hunger and Thirst

In the passage, can you see the connection between the desires of God and the desires of humans? Jesus (God the Son) fulfills his hungry desire to do the will of the Father (God) by satisfying the woman’s thirst for a meaningful life. It seems that God desires to complete us in our lacking areas. Meanwhile, we are never complete (whole) without God. God hungers to interact with you and set you free to be alive!

1) “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” How do these words of Jesus make you feel? In what ways have you done the Father’s work lately?

OBEY

How can you acknowledge God’s attempts to get your attention each day? What are ways you find deep satisfaction in God? Set time aside to take part in some of these activities today and this week.

Guest writer: Marcus Samerson

February 20, 2018

Lent Day 7: “He Must Become Greater”

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PREPARE

Find a place where you can be still and sense God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your devotional time.

READ

John 3:22-36

REFLECT AND PRAY

1) In verses 25-30, John the Baptist deescalates a debate by pointing to Jesus. John recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah and that Jesus must increase and he, John, must decrease. Ask God what areas of your life you still need to give up to Him. In your prayer time today, ask Him how you can become less and He can become greater in your life.

2) In verses 31-36, John the Evangelist reminds us that Jesus is God and was sent by the Father. All we need to do to receive eternal life is to believe in Jesus. Have you truly believed in Him? Give Him thanks because our redemption, other than in our acceptance of His mercy and grace and His perfect sacrifice on the cross, does not depend on us but on Him and His love for us.

OBEY

Rest in Jesus. Let go of control of every aspect of your life: your relationships, your job, your finances, your ministry. Ask Jesus to come into those areas in which you still have to trust Him. Ask Him to increase as you decrease and relinquish control.

Guest Writer: Abraham Aldama