Weekly Devotional - Gloria Miller
Rhythms Of Apprenticeship
Sabbath & Retreat
Scriptures:
Romans 12:2a—NIV— “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Matthew 12:1-2—NIV—At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27--NIV—Then He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Exodus 20:9-10--NIV— “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to The Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”
Exodus 20:11—NIV--“For in six days The Lord made the Heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it Holy.”
Pastor Pete reintroduced the Apprenticeship Guide, designed to walk us through the discipleship process here at Thrive. We were reminded that when we give our heart to Jesus, an instantaneous spiritual change takes place—we move from darkness into His marvelous light. This spiritual moment is our salvation.
What happens in our soul—our mind and thinking, our will and desires, and our emotional life—is a process that takes more time. Walking this narrow way isn’t always easy, but it is worth it. As we engage in discipleship, we begin to experience the fullness of salvation, not only in the world to come, but in this world as well.
Paul gives us a clear picture of this process in Romans 12:2a (NIV):
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Practices That Shape Transformation
Fasting with Prayer
We embrace three seasons of fasting and prayer each year. We recently completed seven days in January. Our next season will take place during Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday on March 29th.
Reading, Memorizing, and Studying Scripture
Acts 2:42 (NLT) reminds us:
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
This practice represents our spiritual growth ingredient of personal study. Thrive offers a custom Bible reading plan found in the Apprenticeship Guide.
To support this journey, we offer a Bible-In-A-Year Discussion Group, taught by Pastor Aaron. This group provides cultural context, historical background, and practical life application from each week’s reading. Pastor Aaron does a great job helping us understand the Word.
Please be sure to register.
Church of the Nazarene
Mondays | 6:30–8:00 p.m.
Staying Connected in Your First Year at Thrive
In your first year at Thrive, we recommend completing the four-week Growth Track and engaging in key discipleship opportunities:
•Sunday services
•Prayer and fasting weeks
•Men’s Camp or Women’s Retreat
•Serve Day
•Holiday events (Passover Seder, Easter, Christmas)
•Bible-In-A-Year Discussion Group (most important, as life’s foundation comes from Scripture)
Develop a daily rhythm of opening your Bible. If you are new to Scripture, Pastor Pete recommends starting each day with a reading from Proverbs.
The Importance of Sabbath Rest
Pastor Pete also emphasized the importance of Sabbath rest, referencing Matthew 12:1–2 (NIV) (see Apprenticeship Guide, pages 35–39). The weekly Sabbath was central to Jewish discipleship and remains vital for us today—even as non-Jewish, New Testament followers of Jesus.
Fill-in #1:
The Father has given us work/rest rhythms that maximize our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. We cannot love God or others well when we are hurried, burned out, or overextended. The Sabbath is God’s built-in rhythm for rest and renewal after six days of doing too much in too little time (Exodus 20:9–10).
Our Sabbath devotional helps us understand what makes this day holy and why God uniquely blesses it. Sabbath is not meant to be legalistic. Jesus reminds us in Mark 2:27 (NIV):
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
In Exodus 20:11, we are reminded that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh—setting the Sabbath apart as holy.
God’s work/rest rhythm includes:
•Daily moments to stop and refocus
•A weekly Sabbath
•Seasonal retreats or times to pull away
Fill-in #2:
Our observance of Sabbath is voluntary and is given to improve our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
When We Ignore Rest
When we neglect these rhythms, we see the consequences reflected in the story of Esau, who traded his birthright for a bowl of soup.
Fill-in #3:
Neglecting Sabbath and retreats causes our priorities to drift. We make reactionary, unwise decisions and “despise our birthright”—disrespecting the gifts God has placed in our lives and families. We stop living in rhythms that support our mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Here at Thrive, we offer opportunities to step out of the ongoing rat race and intentionally retreat. More information can be found in your Thrive Apprenticeship Guide.
Gloria Miller
Sabbath & Retreat
Scriptures:
Romans 12:2a—NIV— “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Matthew 12:1-2—NIV—At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27--NIV—Then He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Exodus 20:9-10--NIV— “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to The Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”
Exodus 20:11—NIV--“For in six days The Lord made the Heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it Holy.”
Pastor Pete reintroduced the Apprenticeship Guide, designed to walk us through the discipleship process here at Thrive. We were reminded that when we give our heart to Jesus, an instantaneous spiritual change takes place—we move from darkness into His marvelous light. This spiritual moment is our salvation.
What happens in our soul—our mind and thinking, our will and desires, and our emotional life—is a process that takes more time. Walking this narrow way isn’t always easy, but it is worth it. As we engage in discipleship, we begin to experience the fullness of salvation, not only in the world to come, but in this world as well.
Paul gives us a clear picture of this process in Romans 12:2a (NIV):
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Practices That Shape Transformation
Fasting with Prayer
We embrace three seasons of fasting and prayer each year. We recently completed seven days in January. Our next season will take place during Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday on March 29th.
Reading, Memorizing, and Studying Scripture
Acts 2:42 (NLT) reminds us:
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
This practice represents our spiritual growth ingredient of personal study. Thrive offers a custom Bible reading plan found in the Apprenticeship Guide.
To support this journey, we offer a Bible-In-A-Year Discussion Group, taught by Pastor Aaron. This group provides cultural context, historical background, and practical life application from each week’s reading. Pastor Aaron does a great job helping us understand the Word.
Please be sure to register.
Church of the Nazarene
Mondays | 6:30–8:00 p.m.
Staying Connected in Your First Year at Thrive
In your first year at Thrive, we recommend completing the four-week Growth Track and engaging in key discipleship opportunities:
•Sunday services
•Prayer and fasting weeks
•Men’s Camp or Women’s Retreat
•Serve Day
•Holiday events (Passover Seder, Easter, Christmas)
•Bible-In-A-Year Discussion Group (most important, as life’s foundation comes from Scripture)
Develop a daily rhythm of opening your Bible. If you are new to Scripture, Pastor Pete recommends starting each day with a reading from Proverbs.
The Importance of Sabbath Rest
Pastor Pete also emphasized the importance of Sabbath rest, referencing Matthew 12:1–2 (NIV) (see Apprenticeship Guide, pages 35–39). The weekly Sabbath was central to Jewish discipleship and remains vital for us today—even as non-Jewish, New Testament followers of Jesus.
Fill-in #1:
The Father has given us work/rest rhythms that maximize our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. We cannot love God or others well when we are hurried, burned out, or overextended. The Sabbath is God’s built-in rhythm for rest and renewal after six days of doing too much in too little time (Exodus 20:9–10).
Our Sabbath devotional helps us understand what makes this day holy and why God uniquely blesses it. Sabbath is not meant to be legalistic. Jesus reminds us in Mark 2:27 (NIV):
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
In Exodus 20:11, we are reminded that God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh—setting the Sabbath apart as holy.
God’s work/rest rhythm includes:
•Daily moments to stop and refocus
•A weekly Sabbath
•Seasonal retreats or times to pull away
Fill-in #2:
Our observance of Sabbath is voluntary and is given to improve our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
When We Ignore Rest
When we neglect these rhythms, we see the consequences reflected in the story of Esau, who traded his birthright for a bowl of soup.
Fill-in #3:
Neglecting Sabbath and retreats causes our priorities to drift. We make reactionary, unwise decisions and “despise our birthright”—disrespecting the gifts God has placed in our lives and families. We stop living in rhythms that support our mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Here at Thrive, we offer opportunities to step out of the ongoing rat race and intentionally retreat. More information can be found in your Thrive Apprenticeship Guide.
Gloria Miller
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