Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First

by Doug Bender

Overview

365 Ways to Put Jesus First

Athletes and actors, models and musicians, pastors and politicians … many have stepped forward, looked in the camera, and proclaimed, “I am second.” But most in the I Am Second movement are not celebrities. They are ordinary people—and they’ve come to the simple realization that when God comes first in their lives, everything makes sense.

But living second is not easy. It takes grit and humility, submission to God’s will, a willingness to listen and serve, an openness to God’s healing and call.

Live Second is a daily guide to help you. With 365 readings, prayers, actions steps, and an invitation to join other Christ-followers online, what you hold in your hands is a tool built with truth, scripture, and a sure path to put Jesus first every day.

The Christian life is not meant to be easy, just worth it. Live Second is exactly what you need as you become the new, inspired, God-honoring creation he made you to be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400204816
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	12/10/2012
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Doug Bender is an I Am Second writer and small groups coach. He developed many of the small group tools found at iamsecond.com and has coached churches, organizations, and individuals to use I Am Second groups to share the message of Jesus with their friends and family. He also works with I Am Second's parent organization, e3 Partners, as a church planter and pastor in countries such as Ethiopia, Colombia, and the US. Doug and his wife, Catherine, have four children: Bethany, Samuel, Isabella, and Jesse.

Read an Excerpt

live second 365 Ways to Make Jesus First

An I Am Second Daily Reader

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By Doug Bender

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2012 e3 Partners Ministry
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4002-0481-6

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Chapter One

Session One

Discover God

Weeks 1–5 Week 1: Perfect Ruin Week 2: Abraham Week 3: Coming Hero Week 4: Firstborn Week 5: Death and Life

God created everything. The stars, the planets, the earth, and everything in it. Then he made a special creation, people. He dressed this creation in his own image and granted them the title of sons and daughters. He had one rule: don't eat from a certain tree. Simple. Clear. But that first man and that first woman thought themselves above his rule and chose their own way, created their own rules, and became their own rulers. They exchanged goodness and eternity for evil, pain, and eventually death. Through their choice, creation fell to perfect ruin. And with every evil thought, with every selfish motive, with every prideful choice, and with every violent act, we too have eaten their fruit and separated ourselves from the one true God. But God never forgot his special creation and has worked a plan to bring us back. He spoke to Abraham, David, Isaiah, and others, telling them the path of forgiveness, of life and restoration. And he promised a Savior, a Hero who would come and show us that path. He promised his very own Son. This is the story of our God and the rescue of his people ...

Day 1: Creation

Watch the Tony Evans Film

What did you like about, identify with, or learn from Tony's story?

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.... And he made mankind in his own image. —Genesis 1:1, 27

Read the whole passage in Genesis 1:1–28.

What It Says

1. What did you like about this passage?

2. What did you not like or find confusing about this passage?

What It Means

3. What does this passage teach about people?

4. What does this passage teach about God?

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Practice It. Get with a friend or someone in your group. Practice or role-play your "Live and Tell" commitments.

Day 2: Image

God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. —Genesis 1:27

Read the whole passage in Genesis 1:24–31.

We look like God. We resemble the Creator of the universe. When we ignore the hurting, oppose the neglected, and forget the unwanted, we are not just sinning against some vague moral code; we insult God's masterpiece—the one thing on this planet, and perhaps the universe, made to look like him. Violence, prejudice, selfishness, hateful language, they stain the canvasses painted to reflect God. We honor a few, our favorites. We erect museums for Picasso and Raphael, Halls of Fame for our athlete superstars. But what have we done for everyone else? What have we done for the artwork living next door or sitting in the adjacent cubicle? Have we looked the beggar on the street corner in his eyes and treated him with the respect he deserves? Do we see the thousands of people around us each day and stand in awe at God's creation?

Talk with God

God, so often I forget the love and passion you poured into making my neighbors and coworkers, my friends and even my enemies. Help me see them and love them the same way you do.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASimage to share your thoughts.

Day 3: Ruin

For dust you are, and to dust you will return. —Genesis 3:19

Read the whole passage in Genesis 3:1–24.

Our years unlimited, our stretch through time free and unending—this was our destiny. Death and sickness were never meant to mar this world. But all was ruined when the father of humanity chose a different path. It wasn't enough for Adam to be like God, to be created in his image. He wanted right and wrong to be his choice. His desire came at a terrible yet promised price: death. Maybe not immediate, but sure nonetheless. Sickness, famine, war, somehow death would come to him and all his descendants. We may blame Adam for sending us down an unretreatable path, but we continue his journey with every prideful thought, with every hateful action, and with every drop of greed. We too are Adam. We too earn our rightful place in death and make clear our need for grace.

Talk with God

God, forgive me for my pride and my failures.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASruin to share your thoughts.

Day 4: Hate

The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground." —Genesis 4:10

Read the whole passage in Genesis 4:1–16.

Hatred has many faces. It wears anger and intolerance, pride and impatience, insults and gossiping. The same seed that blossoms into murder begins with small bits of jealousy, rudeness, and neglect. The same root that makes us argue with our neighbors is what matures into war and genocide. The same lack of love that causes abuse and slavery comes from those simple, quiet, but hateful thoughts in our heads. While few of us will ever commit murder, all of us carry the seed from which it springs. Peace will only rule our lives when the love of God finds a place in our hearts, our homes, and our relationships. So let us begin the process of changing hate to love. We can start with a kind word or an honest apology. We can start with humbleness or respect. But wherever we start, love is the medicine for our lives and the prescription for our predicaments.

Talk with God

Forgive my lack of love, God. Help me to love others as you have loved me.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IAShate to share your thoughts.

Day 5: Divine Despair

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. —Genesis 6:5–6

Read the whole passage in Genesis 6:5–22.

We may convince ourselves that our wrongs, our failures, or our sins affect only us, that they don't hurt anyone else. But they offend God. The Creator, the infinite and eternal being, feels misery at our wickedness. God created humanity to be kind, wise, and good rulers of the earth, to love our neighbors and our God. But too often we hurt rather than heal. We create disunity and strife rather than love and goodness. We use our mouths to gossip rather than defend or encourage. We spend our thoughts on vengeance and greed instead of forgiveness and contentment. But how would our lives and even our world change if God were First, if we thought of his love before we swung our fists, waged our wars, or sought our glory, wealth, and comfort? How would our lives change if the concerns of others and the will of God came before our own?

Talk with God

God, teach me to make you my first thought and your love my chief concern.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASdivinedespair to share your thoughts.

Day 6: Reset

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. —Genesis 8:20

Read the whole passage in Genesis 7–8.

God flooded the whole earth, filled it with carnage and destruction. God's wrath nearly destroyed all life. But as his anger waned and the seas receded, Noah stepped out and committed to a different future, a different path for humanity. The first family began with a forbidden fruit, but Noah's family would start with a sacrifice, a promise to obey, a commitment that God would be their God. What direction have we chosen for our family? Along what path are we leading our children or our siblings? Does our temper get the best of us? Does impatience rather than kindness color our relationships? Does laziness or ingratitude stress and corrode our bond? What road are we traveling with our family, the one that leads to obedience and love or the one that ends in a flood?

Talk with God

God, help me influence my family to follow, obey, and love you.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASreset to share your thoughts.

Day 7: Cosmos

    When I consider your heavens,
      the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars,
      which you have set in place,
    what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
      human beings that you care for them?
    You have made them a little lower than the angels
      and crowned them with glory and honor.
    You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
      you put everything under their feet:
    all flocks and herds,
      and the animals of the wild,
    the birds in the sky,
      and the fish in the sea,
      all that swim the paths of the seas.
    Lord, our Lord,
      how majestic is your name in all the earth!
        —Psalm 8:3–9

God was not born from our imagination, but we through his. He is Creator, Master, and King. Though he grants us the right to rule over his creation and the freedom to manage his domain, we remain under his reign. We breathe with his consent, walk by his allowance, and rule through his grace.

Talk with God

Worship.

"Lord, how majestic is your name ..."

God, I worship you because ...

Tweet using #IAScosmos to share your prayers.

Day 1: The Promise

Watch the Whispering Danny Film

iamsecond.com/whisperingdanny

What did you like about, identify with, or learn from Danny's story?

    I will make you into a great nation,
      and I will bless you;
    I will make your name great,
      and you will be a blessing.
        —Genesis 12:2

Read the whole passage in Genesis 12:1–9, 15:1–21.

What It Says

1. What did you like about this passage?

2. What did you not like or find confusing about this passage?

What It Means

3. What does this passage teach about people?

4. What does this passage teach about God?

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Practice It. Get with a friend or someone in your group. Practice or role-play your "Live and Tell" commitments.

Day 2: Childless

But Abram said, "Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." —Genesis 15:2–3

Read the whole passage in Genesis 15:1–3.

Faced with old age and an old promise, Abram was still without children. God had promised to make Abram's descendants great.

But still the childless Abram waited. Frustrated and impatient, he confronted God, reminding him of his promise. Too often we hide our needs or emotions from God. Angry about losing a job, frustrated with a family member, hurt by a friend, worried about money, we come to God with if-it's-your-wills and if-you-pleases. Nothing is hidden from God. He knows our pain, our anger, and our frustrations. But he wants us to plainly and honestly talk with him about our needs and our troubles without hidden meanings or veiled intent.

Talk with God

God, this is what is going on in my life and this is what I need . . .

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASchildless to share your prayers.

Day 3: Goodness

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. —Genesis 15:5–6

Read the whole passage in Genesis 15:4–21.

God made Adam a promise: obey and you will live, but eat the fruit and death will come. Adam chose the latter. And with every selfish action and every hurtful thought, we choose the same. Death reminds us of our choice and of our inability to remedy our broken souls. Our attempts at goodness are never good enough, never perfect or blameless enough to erase the debt we owe. God requires absolute and complete goodness. The kind of goodness or "righteousness" that only God possesses and only he can grant. Abram shows us that it is through faith, through trusting God, that goodness is granted. It is not what we do but whom we trust that makes all the difference. Trusting ourselves or our own goodness will never suffice. Admitting our weakness and trusting God to forgive and grant his goodness is our only hope.

Talk with God

Forgive my feeble attempts at goodness. Teach me to trust you more, to have faith in you and not in my own good deeds.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASgoodness to share your thoughts.

Day 4: Child

Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.... Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. —Genesis 21:2, 5

Read the whole passage in Genesis 21:1–7.

Finally the long-awaited promise came true. A child was born to an aged, desert-wandering couple who could only hope and trust in God's impossible promise. Sometimes we forget that the same God who created the universe, the same God who wrote the laws of physics and who sent his Son to die on a cross, is the same God who still works and moves in this world. The same God chronicled in the Bible still offers strength and rewards, relationship and forgiveness. The God who planned the rise and fall of empires has a plan for you and me. How might our lives be different if we lived with this at the front of our minds? How might the way we treat our families, do our jobs, or interact with others change if we believed that the God who loved Abraham loves us as well?

Talk with God

Thank you for loving me, for knowing me, for caring for me, and for having a plan for my life.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASchild to share your thoughts.

Day 5: The Test

Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you. —Genesis 22:2

Read the whole passage in Genesis 22:1–8.

Abraham prayed for a child until he was one hundred years old. God gave him Isaac. But even Abraham's only son could not come before God. God will not share his glory or his position. Sunday church is not enough. Evening prayers or the occasional holiday won't suffice. God is not a fan club to be joined, an idea to be "liked," or a hobby to be toyed with. He is either First in our lives, or we are strangers and enemies. He is a jealous God and does not share top honors with anyone. He demands nothing less than absolute priority. Either we and everything we hold dear take second place to him, or we stop pretending that he is our God.

Talk with God

God, you are First. My family, my career, my possessions, my friends, everything and everyone in my life are second place to you.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASthetest to share your thoughts.

Day 6: Is He First?

Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. —Genesis 22:12

Read the whole passage in Genesis 22:1–19.

What takes priority in your life? What makes you hesitate when God says, "Give it up." Perhaps it's an old wound or a long-held grudge. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's your comfort, career, or possessions. Everyone has tests. Everyone has those moments when God asks, "Am I still First?" What will you say when that moment comes? Would you pass the test? If God asked, would you sell your house or quit your job? Would you risk financial stability, relational connections, or career opportunities if God asked you to prove that he was still First in your life?

Talk with God

God, I want to make you First in my life. I struggle and I stumble and I need your help, but I want to be Second.

Live It. How will you live more Second today?

Tell It. How will you share what you have learned?

Tweet using #IASishefirst to share your thoughts.

Day 7: Will You Really?

Then Abraham approached God and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" —Genesis 18:23–25

God is not shocked by our grievances or deaf to our concerns.

Abraham challenged God's actions and questioned his plans. He insisted God maintain his justice and preserve his people. He demanded that God act like God. The ancient saints approached God with reverence, but also with boldness and honesty. Can we say the same about our own interactions with God?

Talk with God

Ask.

"Will you really ...?"

God, because I know this about you, I ask that you ...

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from live second 365 Ways to Make Jesus First by Doug Bender Copyright © 2012 by e3 Partners Ministry. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

How This Book Works....................vii
Introduction....................xi
Session 1: Discover God....................1
Week 1: Perfect Ruin....................2
Week 2: Abraham....................9
Week 3: Coming Hero....................16
Week 4: Firstborn....................23
Week 5: Death and Life....................30
Session 2: Issues....................37
Week 6: Struggles....................38
Week 7: Relationships....................45
Week 8: Success....................52
Week 9: Identity....................59
Session 3: Pass It On....................67
Week 10: Open People....................68
Week 11: The Story....................75
Week 12: His Story....................82
Week 13: Ask God....................89
Session 4: Grow....................97
Week 14: Talk with God....................98
Week 15: Hard Times....................105
Week 16: Community....................112
Week 17: The Bible....................119
Week 18: The Spirit....................126
Session 5: Jesus Says....................133
Week 19: Learn It. Live It....................134
Week 20: Repent. Believe. Follow....................141
Week 21: Be Baptized....................148
Week 22: Love....................155
Session 6: Jesus Also Says....................163
Week 23: Talk with God....................164
Week 24: Remember....................171
Week 25: Give....................178
Week 26: Pass It On....................185
Session 7: Follow As I Follow....................193
Week 27: Search....................194
Week 28: Make Disciples....................201
Week 29: Way of Life....................208
Week 30: Persecution....................215
Session 8: Multiply....................223
Week 31: Viral....................224
Week 32: Gather Together....................231
Week 33: Person of Peace....................238
Week 34: Who's Ready?....................245
Session 9: Lead....................253
Week 35: Model (Like This)....................254
Week 36: Model (Not This)....................261
Week 37: Assist....................268
Week 38: Watch....................275
Week 39: Leave....................282
Session 10: Go Local....................289
Week 40: Jerusalem....................290
Week 41: Word and Deed....................297
Week 42: Where God Sends....................304
Week 43: Paul's Plan....................311
Session 11: Go Global....................319
Week 44: Samaria....................320
Week 45: Ends of the Earth....................327
Week 46: Why Go?....................334
Week 47: Commissioned....................341
Week 48: Paul's Plan....................348
Session 12: Commit....................355
Week 49: Failure....................356
Week 50: Repentance....................363
Week 51: Obedience....................370
Week 52: Commitment....................377
How Do I Become Second?....................385