Day 1 of the 21 Day Challenge

Pastor Jen, the assistant pastor at my church, encouraged the congregation to take part in the 21 day challenge. This challenge is to read a chapter of John each day, as well as a chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to that day's date (There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, one for each day of most months. Today is Dec. 10th, so I read Proverbs 10). Before reading, we were told to pray that God would open our minds so we could see what He wanted to show or teach us. Then we read the passages and wrote down what we learned in a journal. After that, we are to list something we are thankful for as well as a prayer request. I decided to take up the challenge even though I normally read a daily devotional in "Our Daily Bread". I do journal as well, but not every day. 

John 1 is mostly about John the Baptist. As I read the chapter, I realized how amazing it must have been for him to KNOW that he was called by God to point other to Jesus, who hadn't started His ministry yet. The verses that stuck out to me the most were verses 32-34 which say "Then John told them, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven like a dove. The Spirit remained on Jesus. I would not have known him. But the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and remain on someone. He is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  I have seen it happen. I give witness that this is the Son of God.” What an awesome thing for John to experience! God TOLD John that He would show Him who His Son was! When John saw the dove, he KNEW that Jesus was the Son of God! There was not a doubt in his mind and he was able to boldly point others to Jesus. How thrilling it must have been to see two of his own disciples decide to immediately follow Jesus when John pointed to Jesus and told them "Look! The Lamb of God!" (verses 35-37). 

As I read Proverbs 10, I couldn't help but think of my teenage daughter. We've been struggling a lot with her attitude. I'm sure anyone who has or has had a teenager knows, this is a common problem/complaint of parents who have a teenager! My daughter seems to think she needs to argue about every little thing. She doesn't like to be told that she did something wrong or she certainly doesn't like to be told no. She wants things HER way...ALL the time. As I read Proverbs, the first part of verse 11 jumped out at me. It says "the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life". I thought of what comes out of MY mouth when I'm struggling to get my daughter to listen to me instead of arguing with me. Are my words a fountain of life? Sadly, I had to answer no. My temper is quick to show itself as I struggle to stop my daughter from arguing with me, and my words become quite harsh...and loud. I think of a fountain as something with quiet beauty. Obviously, I haven't been a good example to my kids, so I asked for forgiveness and asked God to help me be the light in this house. I want all who are within these walls to see Jesus and be drawn to Him. 

Day 1 of the 21 Day Challenge is complete, and I have already learned a lot. I'm looking forward to the rest of this challenge and all that God is going to teach me. I know once this challenge is over, I will continue to read and journal. I don't know whether I'll continue to do the daily devotionals in "Our Daily Bread" or choose to work through a different book of the Bible. I do know I'm willing to do whatever God tells me to do and I will follow His leading.