Hearts Alive!
God’s Heart
Open your heart to the verses we read together from God’s Word. Opening your heart to God’s Word is a beautiful, life-altering experience. His Word reveals the very heart and character of God to us. God’s Word is His heart. As we read it and reflect upon it, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and guides us according to His perfect will for our lives.
Part of the vision and mission of Hearts Together Women is changing the atmosphere of our communities as we join with other Christian women to pursue Jesus together. As Christ followers, we should always be about changing the atmosphere everywhere we go - about bringing the Kingdom near to those around us.
Jesus said that He came to give us life and to give it to us abundantly.
John 10:10:
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Life is never more abundant than when we bring the hope of glory - Christ in us - to those around us. That is the life Jesus intended us to live.
In Philippians 2:17, the apostle Paul speaks of being poured out like a drink offering.
Philippians 2:17:
Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
The drink offering he speaks of alludes to the drink offering of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament.
Numbers 15:1-5:
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you, and you offer to the LORD from the herd or from the flock a food offering or a burnt offering or a sacrifice…then he who brings his offering shall offer to the LORD…a quarter of a hin of wine for the drink offering for each lamb."
The drink offering was poured out over the other offerings required by the law for the atonement of sins. Interestingly, it was not required for sacrifices made in the wilderness, but rather was required by the Lord once the Israelites entered the Promised Land.
The Promised Land, remember, was a land of abundance.
Deuteronomy 8:7-9:
7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
In the Promised Land, the Israelites would experience abundant harvests provided by the Lord. So they would pour the drink offering out of the abundance God would provide for them. Without the Lord’s abundant provision, such abundant offerings could not be required.
Paul pours his own life out in the same way - out of the abundant provision of the Lord - and he instructs us to do the same.
Philippians 3:17:
Brothers, join in imitating me…keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
The question we ask is, “How do we live poured-out lives today?” Although our lives are very different from the apostle Paul’s life, the process of pouring out is the same. We simply pour our lives out of the abundance the Lord pours in. It should be a natural flow. We seek His face continuously by remaining in prayer, in the Word, and in Christian fellowship. Essentially, we abide in Him, and as we do, He pours into us. As He pours into us, we naturally pour out of that abundance into the lives of those around us. If our lives remain in such a state - in this sort of flow - where Jesus pours in and we pour out, then everywhere we go, the Kingdom of God will come near; and that is the life - the abundant life - life to the fullest. It is a good life - the best life. It is the life we were created to live.
The apostle Paul would pour his own life out to the point of martyrdom. Most of us will never face even the thought of such a sacrifice. We learn from Paul that the pouring out can be painful and connected to loss, but even still, it is the most fulfilling and abundant way to live.
In Philippians 3:8, Paul says,
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
We often misunderstand what Jesus means by abundant life. We have a picture in our minds of how abundant life should look, and it rarely looks like our real lives. The abundant life sounds like it should be a life of smooth sailing, no problems, and getting everything we want. The apostle Paul confirms to us that it is not that at all. It is not a trouble-free life, but it is of “surpassing worth” - it is rich, beautiful and full. It is what our hearts long for - what they were made for really. It’s a life of action and service. It’s living life alive - in communion with the one who is life, Christ in us - while serving His people and drawing others unto Him.
There are truly so many ways to pour our lives out, and we will each pour out of the unique giftings God has bestowed upon us. We will each proclaim His Gospel in different ways - some will teach and preach, some will intercede in prayer, whereas others will feed the homeless, and others might foster children or provide friendship to the lonely or to shut-ins. The possibilities are endless.
May we all begin where we are - where God has us today - at work, at the supermarket, at a little league game, at the gym, at a family gathering, or wherever we may be. May we pour Christ in us upon those around us - in our words, our actions and in the very way we live our lives. He has poured abundant life into us. He has lavished His deep and abiding love upon us. Let us pour out of that abundance today. May our presence in the lives of those we encounter every day bring the Kingdom of God near to them. May our hearts truly come alive as we pour Him out!
Share Your Heart
Consider the following discussion starters as you share your hearts with one another:
What comes to mind when you think of the abundant life?
We serve a God who gives us His life - life in all of its fullness. How can you be sure to receive that fullness - the life only Jesus can provide - on a daily basis?
We spoke about each of us pouring Christ in us out, according to our unique giftings. What types of gifts has God given you? How can or do you use these gifts to serve His people and further His Kingdom on earth?
The Cries of Your Heart
At Hearts Together Women, we believe that the Lord hears the cries of our hearts.
We also believe in prayer partnership because God’s Word teaches us that partnering with one another in prayer is powerful.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
And Jesus encourages us, “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there” (Matthew 18:19-20, The Message).
What amazing promises!
Here is how prayer partnership works at a Hearts Together Gathering:
After we share in the Word and discussion, your facilitator will ask each woman for her prayer requests. All you need to do is share your own requests - the cries of your heart - because we all have them.
We encourage you to request prayer for 1) your own needs; 2) the needs of your family and loved ones; and 3) the needs you see around you - in the workplace, the school, the neighborhood or even the nation.
After the requests are shared, your gathering facilitator will lead in a prayer for the needs that were put forth.
In the following days, we encourage you to pray for the requests of the other women in your gathering. They will do the same for you. That’s what prayer partnership is all about!
As we unite in prayer, we trust the Lord will meet with us, dwell among us and answer us in accordance with His perfect will.
Your Heart to His
Maybe you felt the Holy Spirit stirring something in your heart during this gathering. It doesn’t have to end here. Take it home. In the followings days, continue to pursue Him. Spend some time alone and quiet, away from the noise of life - just you and Jesus.
Tell Him the cries of your heart. He is listening; He cares, and He does answer. Praying is kind of like having a conversation with your best friend. He created you, so He already knows everything about you. He just wants to be with you.
After you pray, reread the Scriptures and thoughts under God’s Heart. Reflect upon the verses and how they speak to you and your life.
Here are some things you might contemplate and pray about:
Consider that if your life remains in the sort of flow we spoke about today - where you pour your life out of the abundance the Lord pours in - then everywhere you go, the Kingdom of God will come near. Seek the Lord’s will for your life. Pray and think about how you can live your life poured out for Him, and in so doing find the most abundant life in Him.
This is just between you and Jesus - your heart to His. Make space in your busy days to spend some time with Him.
