Day 2: God I want to know you

Philippians 3:1-10

What will pursuing intimacy with God cost you?
Potentially: everything. Following Christ means being willing to drop everything and putting everything in its place - worthless compared to Him.

Is an intimate relationship with God worth the price? Why/why not?
The cost is nothing for us, compared with the great cost God paid by giving his Son to die on the cross, bearing my sin and shame. All I have to do is believe in Him, follow Him and trust Him and even then he promises that His load is not to heavy for me to bear.

Identify three or four main enemies of intimacy with God in your life?
Passivity.
Pride/self righteousness
Sin
Lack of faith

Who can you share these with, asking for their accountability in this journey?
Good question. Asking God for wisdom in this area as I struggle to identify willing and effective accountability partners.

How does the gift of Christ's righteousness Paul talks about in v. 9 impact your pursuit of knowing God? 
It frees me. It means that my motivation for knowing Christ can be pure, because I free to love Him without a barrier/false motivation.

Why are we often more willing to pay a high price for earthly stuff than for intimacy with God?
We are all fallen and therefore easily succumb to the temptations of this world and start to believe the lies the enemy throws at us, sometimes as simple as 'I need that...' when talking about material non essentials in our lives.

Day 1: Psalm 63

Read Psalm 63
List three or four things that you are earnestly seeking today.
Intimacy with God
Deeper knowledge of the Bible
Deeper relationships with others around me
A life that is wholly pleasing to God

What does it mean to have a soul that clings to God?
Not to be cheesy, but I think the answer can only be found in scripture. Matthew 7:18-20 says:  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Only God knows what it means to have a loyal follower. We on earth in human form can only measure the fruit of what our lives show to ourselves and others around us. I think a soul that clings to God will be someone who reflects/mirrors the very nature and character of God through their thoughts, words and deeds.

Write a description of God based on the words you find in this Psalm.
With God you need nothing else: he is purposeful and beautiful. He pursues and perseveres. His love for us is beyond all comparison. He longs to hold us in his arms, protecting and nurturing us.

How was David's passion and thirst for God displayed in action?
He sought after God when he was literally in the desert.

Introduction

Over the next 31 days, we are following a new discipline of Bible study together, known as 'Thirsty'. It is something that our home group in Muizenberg, South Africa are following together. It came about after we realised that we don't have much application from all the great things we hear at church in our own lives. We are not striving as we ought to. So here goes... another 31 days, another chance to Know God more...

Day 21: slow and steady

Today is a fast day in terms of busyness and activities. Lots done, lots to do. Tonight after work, waiting for Becky to come home with the house keys (left mine at church on Sunday), I walk to the local supermarket to buy some electricity for our pre-pay meter. As I walk, I take a slow, steady pace, feeling a twinge of pain every time my foot extended and put it down to make another step. From the guys who were with me on the paintballing, I get a knowing, sympathetic nod. From others a strange stare or giggle as they wonder what caused me to become so fragile and frail. Need to pick up proper exercise tomorrow... can't believe it's already 21 days!

Day 20: ouchie

OK, I knew that I was on an adrenaline high yesterday, but boy-o-boy today I'm paying for it! Walking like I'm appearing in a John Wayne movie I feel like everytime I lift my legs I am being shot again as the tightening of the over-stretched muscles rub against my ever-sore bruises. Going up the stairs to my first floor office was taken one very slow step at a time. Feeling weak and feeble (and somewhat pathetic), I spot across the road a colleague also aching and complaining about his injuries.
Went for a drink this afternoon with another friend who was also at the paintballing. He asked me 'how's it?'. I knew from the look on his face exactly what he meant. "One word," I replied, "sore". We both smiled as we realised that we are either super unfit, or paintballing is just one of those games you should only do once about every 5 years or so!
Needless to say for the next two days I am going to limit my exercise to very slow walking!

Day 19: paintballing

I never expected that running through the woods shooting balls of paint at other missionaries could be so exhausting! Layers came off and the sweat was running. There is a huge amount of adrenalin involved in these outside games, where we re-inact potential combat situations, like surviving an ambush, rescuing an injured victim (bob, the stuffed person) or 'protecting the drug lord'. Though paintballs are pretty harmless (apart from to the eyes, hence the need for facemasks!), they don't half sting when they hit you. After each sequence of games, we would come out of the 'danger zone', wash the paint off our masks and share our 'war wounds' of newly shining bruises to our fellow YWAMers! Thank you Gerhard for deciding to celebrate your birthday in this way and thank you, to Melanie, for allowing your husband to get the guys together for a bit of true male-bonding! The adrenalin is pumping and I'm feeling like I can conquer the world. I'm sure tomorrow my body will remind me of its limitations though!

Day 18: still feeling sick

When will this cold leave me?
I think tonight will be a press-ups night. I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow. Not done anything as yet! I think at the end of the thirty days, I will have a sort-of routine of 30-40 press-ups 3-4 times a week, which, if I stick at it, will be an accomplishment! Let's see, still early days.
Tomorrow I'm paintballing for a friend's birthday, so no fear about not doing my exercises then!