Our God Given Gifts

Groom “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” - Proverbs 27:1 Tack As equestrians, we’ve all had to scratch, suffered injuries, been thrown or experienced other disappointments. And most likely, if we’d known about the trials ahead of time, we would have chosen another route. Our brains are actually wired to control levels of pain, so we naturally choose pleasure over it. However, if we always avoided pain, we’d miss out on the amazing things that have resulted because from our trials. You may be thinking, “There’s no way good has come out of what I’ve faced.” I hear you. But take a look at Romans 5:3-4: “And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.” In reality, all of our experiences—good and bad—have brought us to this very moment in time. But God hasn’t left the future totally untold. He gives us the basics to help give us hope and increase our faith. In John 13 Jesus speaks to His disciples about His coming betrayal and Peter’s denial. Then, He starts the next chapter by saying, “Your heart must not be troubled,” before He goes on to explain that He is leaving but will be returning. In verse 27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.” Not only does Jesus tell the disciples of future events, He offers comfort and encouragement. The future wasn’t going to be pleasant, and they weren’t going to understand why it had to happen, but they were to maintain their peace trusting Him and knowing that one day it would all make sense. Today, do not be frustrated by not knowing your future. Don’t wish your struggles would never come. Instead, find peace in the One who holds your future and focus on being the best equestrian you can be. Ride Think back to one of your most challenging seasons. What were some of the positive things that came out of it for you and/or your horse? Do you trust God with your future? Why or why not? How do you view your present challenges? What do you need to do to look at them through the eyes of faith? How will it benefit you to look at your challenges with a faith-filled mind? More scripture Jeremiah 29:11 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; 12:9-11 Cool Down Guided Prayer Thank God for sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that we can have eternal life. Tell God that you recognize that Jesus’ suffering on our behalf will never compare to our own trials. Pray for peace and courage to move forward with God through our trials and these challenges have a purpose. *Adapted from FCA devotion written by Carissa Dahik

Groom “I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with uprightness. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart.”–1 Chronicles 29:17a Tack Too often as equestrians, we desire to live a life we know we cannot live. What I mean is that we desire for our external life (the life everyone sees—wins and accomplishments) to be greater than our internal life (our thoughts and desires). The best definition of hypocrisy I’ve heard is that it is the gap that exists between the public life and the private life—the difference between the external and the internal. God doesn’t want a gap; He wants integrity. As competitors there is a constant war in our souls. We do not want others to see us as we really are. We are afraid that the gap will be exposed. However, God desires the opposite. He wants us to bring the dark (the things we have buried in our hearts) into the light so He can purify us. Oswald Chambers wrote, “My worth to God in public is only what I am in private.” As a competitor for Christ, be committed to being real—gap free! Ride Where are the gaps in your life? As a competitor, do you expect something from other equestrians that you are not willing to commit to yourself? What does it mean to be a “real” competitor? More scripture Psalms 25:21; 78:72 Proverbs 10:9 Titus 2:6-8 Cool Down Guided Prayer Pray that God will reveal any gaps in your life. It is by His strength and power that those gaps can be crushed.  Pray for the desire to live and ride for the Lord as a real and authentic competitor.

Groom "Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.” – James 5:13 Tack Do you still enjoy the equestrian sport after you experience a bad show? Most of us can confidently answer that question with a yes. You still enjoy riding and competing because the love of horses is way deeper than one disappointment. After a fall, you still get up, get back on and continue to pursue getting better any way you can. If your love for the equestrian sport is deep enough, there is not one good or bad day that will keep you from continuing to fight to get better. The Book of James says we should reach out to God in all situations. Suffering and sad? Reach out to God in prayer, asking Him to heal and comfort you. Having a great day with things going your way? Sing loud praises to God and give Him thanks. We should go to God in every feeling or situation. If we are honest, we can admit that we feel less inclined to go to a lesson after a big win than after a significant loss. After a win, our confidence is high enough to where we might think we don’t need to practice. The same thing tends to happen in our spiritual life. When things are going well in life, we are usually more likely not to seek out God as much as we do when things go wrong. We tend to believe that when things are going well, we have everything under control and forget that all good things come from God. (James 1:17) Ride If you can wake up each day and pursue being a better equestrian, why can’t you do that with your faith? Whether it’s a good or bad day, follow Christ with all you have. Do you struggle to reach out to God in the good or bad times? Does anger about your life keep you from God? How do you usually praise God? More scripture Psalm 34:1 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Cool Down Guided Prayer Pray for the strength to praise God in all circumstances, no matter what each day brings Thank God for the reminder that His love for us stays steadfast on the good and bad days Pray for God to remove whatever keeps us away from Him (pride, anger, etc.) so we can pursue Him in all that we do *adapted from FCA devotion written by FCA Resources

GROOM “For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:14 TACK As we progress in our riding and competing, we often start to neglect the fundamentals of horsemanship and those things we learned during our first rides on a horse. Or maybe your coach/trainer focuses so much on those fundamentals you begin to wonder if you will get to do anything else. Although the fundamentals seem to be something you learn one time then get to ignore, they are the root of being a successful equestrian! Sometimes, we need a reminder of those beginning skills and how important they really are. In the same way, it is easy to neglect the fundamentals of following Jesus. But in Galatians 5:14, Apostle Paul brings us back to the fundamentals of discipleship. He tells us that the entire law is fulfilled in loving our neighbor as ourselves. By upholding this command, it would be difficult to sin against God.  Every day, our mission should be to more fully experience Christ’s love so we are able to love others in the same way. Before I met Christ, I knew of Him. Then when I surrendered my life to the Lord, I began to really know Him. But it wasn’t until years later that I could honestly say that I loved Him. Now, I don’t want to do anything to hurt Him, and my heart breaks for what breaks His heart. Christ’s love for me has allowed me to see others with new eyes. RIDE -Are you in a love-covenant relationship with the Lord? Reflect on your relationship with Jesus for a few minutes. -In what ways have you lost sight of what God has called you to do for Him? -How would your approach to life change if your sole focus was to love God and others well? More scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1 John 4:19 John 15:13 COOL DOWN Guided Prayer: -Pray for God to refocus or continue to allow you to focus on keeping Him the main thing in your life. -Pray for God to help you know Him deeper and continue to grow in a relationship with Him -Pray for the endurance to follow Him and learn to love others as He loves them ( Adapted from FCA devotion written by Adrienne Saxon)

GROOM "And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'" -- Mark 11:9 TACK In the scripture above, we are reminded of Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem, knowing He was on His way to a brutal death. As He makes His way along the road, people begin to lay down palm branches and even their jackets on the dusty road in front of Him. And those who were ahead of Him, and those behind Him all shouted His name; “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” I often wonder if I were there when Jesus made His way into Jerusalem, whether I would have recognized who He was and been willing to shout His name and the truth about who He was. It is so easy to be tentative, or hesitant, to use Jesus’ name as we make our way through life and our crazy culture. In Philippians, we read that God gave Jesus the name that is above every name, and that at His name, every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Christ the Lord to the glory of God the Father. We should be ready to share and celebrate His name every chance we get. A number of years ago, I was greatly challenged, encouraged and inspired by a song by James Ward called “Ain’t No Rock.” The lyrics go on to say, “Ain’t no rock gonna cry in my place, as long as I’m alive, I’ll glorify His holy name.” Whenever I am in a situation where I am tentative about proclaiming or celebrating Jesus and his name, I often hear a voice in the back of my mind say, “Speak up. Don’t miss this opportunity to proclaim Jesus and His name.” I certainly don’t want any rock to cry or sing in my place to bring honor to the greatest name of all time, the name above all names, a name worth celebrating – “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!” RIDE -If you were there when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, do you think you would have shouted His name, and the truth about Him? Why or why not? -Who is someone you know and respect who proclaims and celebrates the name of Jesus by both words and deeds? More scripture: Matthew 21:9; Phillippians 2:1-11; Phillippians 4:1; 4:4-7 COOL DOWN Guided Prayer: -Take a moment to thank God for giving us a name worth celebrating in Jesus Christ. -Ask for strength to shout “Hosanna!” and declare Jesus as your God in your words and deeds at the horse show this weekend and beyond in your barn. -Ask for boldness to celebrate Jesus’ great name in our sport (Adapted from FCA devotion by Frank Kelly)

Sarah Hickner's story from her book "Finding Gideon"

The One Voice