Devotional with Calvary

In October, Kristal Scott from Calvary Church, where I attend for the youth group and am part of the SLT (Student Leadership Team), sent me an email asking if I’d like to write a devotional for The Jesus Way: A 50-Day Apprenticing Journey. And I, of course, said yes! Each year, Calvary offers a 50-day devotional on a different aspect they want to focus on. Last year, it was on Poiema: 50 Days to Your True Identity. Which was amazing. I actually started the devotional late and got behind, but I was more intentional about it when I went on a service trip with my Church to Hendersonville and worked with Reach Global. This trip was so spiritually moving, especially during the devotional and the service we did down there. And it’s actually where I really felt called to propose my senior project to be on Identity in Christ.

In last year's devotional and at our youth group, we discussed what poiema means: we are God’s handiwork, His masterpiece; we are what He does. Our lives are a result of His work, and we are His masterpieces. It covered so many aspects of who we are in Him, and it really stuck with me. I felt as though I kept referring to it constantly, and still do. So when I was asked if I would like to write a devotional for this year, I had no hesitation. I saw how much those devotionals impacted me, and I was so grateful to be able to write one so that someone else could experience the same.

    I ended up choosing the week focused on Apprenticing Jesus, where I had to cover each aspect: Listen, Learn, Lean, and Pray. For Listen, I referenced Ephesians 2:10 and Jeremiah 29:11. For Learn, I spoke about how the apprenticeship Jesus begins with knowing who we are: God’s poiema, His masterpiece. We receive the truths He tells us and points out for us in His word, or even through different sermons or chapels. But then we are called not just to receive but also to share it. I wrote, “It’s so easy to let the things God has been pouring into our hearts, or showing us, stay in our hearts and not share, either because we are not confident enough to share, or because we have the fear of man, etc. Apprenticeship means that we’re taking what we’ve learned and what’s been poured into us and using it to share with others. It’s letting the knowledge and wisdom that have been passed down to us flow through us into the lives of others.” Which is what I want to do with this project. I want to share what I’ve learned and what God was pouring into my heart.

    For Lean, I encouraged them to take what God has given us and to step out courageously in all that we do, trusting that the Lord will always guide our steps. And lastly, I ended with a prayer. I am so grateful for this opportunity, even though I was worried at first about whether others would like it. It was short-lived after I reminded myself to have confidence in myself to make it happen or do well, to have confidence in the Lord to guide me, and to believe it would reach and connect with other people.