****This Devotional Blog ties in with my Podcast, "David: Overcoming Obstacles?" at http://tompounder.podomatic.com/ or go to iTunes and type in Tom Pounder under the Podcast menu.****
Opening Question:
Have you ever had a situation where the odds of you succeeding were slim? What put you into that situation and how did it turn out?
Today, we are going to see a situation in which David faced enormous odds. Not because of something he did, but because of a situation he put himself into.
Scripture
At the time we pick up the story, the Israelites and the Philistines are in the middle of a potential war. They have camped out very close together getting ready. That is when a Philistine, named Goliath, came forward.
Read 1 Samuel 17:4-11
1. How was Goliath described?
2. What did he say?
3. How did the Israelites react?
Goliath was over 9 ft tall, had a ton of protective armour on him with a great bronze javelin that had an iron point weighing over 600 skekels! That's one impressive dude.
He acted as the spokesperson for the Philistines in which he challenged Israel in a 1-on-1 fight. If he would beat the Israelite person, the Israelites would serve the Philistines. However, if the Israelite would defeat Goliath, the Philistines would servie Israel. Basically, less killing but the higher the stakes. Needless to say, the Israelites were terrified and no one stepped up to the challenge.
Now, enter David. David was not apart of this army as he was still too young. But, he came to the camp to deliver food to his brothers. While he was there, he heard Goliath issue this challenge again. However, David couldn’t believe that no one would take Goliath up on his challenge. That is when one of Saul’s men heard him upset and sent him to talk to Saul.
Read 1 Samuel 17:32-37
1. What did David say?
2. How did Saul respond?
3. What was David’s reasoning for fighting Goliath?
Now, David was fired up! He wanted to fight Goliath because he has defied the army of the LIVING God. He knew that God will deliver him against Goliath just like He delivered him from the other obstacles in his life.
Saul, impressed with David, allowed him to go. So, there David is, face to face with Goliath. What was David going to wear to combat Goliath? What was his weapon of choice going to be? Because all the armor was too big, as was the weapons, David went out to fight Goliath with no armor and a sling. That’s it! Let’s see what happens.
Read 1 Samuel 17:42-50
1. How did Goliath react to David?
2. How did David respond to Goliath?
3. What happened?
So here David is small, ruddy, no armor, a simple little sling, a rock and GOD. He has nothing going for him as he faces Goliath except for God. He goes before Goliath, mocked and made fun of only to hit him dead on with the rock and kill him!
So, what the point here? The point is this: there is nothing that you can’t do with God at your side. Let me say that again. There is NOTHING you can not do with God at your side.
David was confident of this and it lead to this amazing victory.
Application
Are you confident in God’s ability to help you in all situations? When you encounter a situation, where do you turn?
If you are confident of God’s ability, you should turn to Him. I know you will encounter a lot of tough situations in life, but let’s be honest, David and his whole country’s lives were at stake here. If he would have lost, Israel could have been destroyed.
It doesn’t matter what situation you will be in. Whether you have a lot in your favor or nothing except a sling, God is there with you and will help you through all situations.
Remember Philippians 4:13 - "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
What can you do this week, regardless of the situation, trust in God’s ability to get you through it? Turn to God and trust that He will lead you through it…and you might just be amazed at what He can do.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
David: A Heart Like His
****This Devotional Blog ties in with my Podcast, "David: A Heart Like His?" at http://tompounder.podomatic.com/ or go to iTunes and type in Tom Pounder under the Podcast menu.****
Opening Question:
Take a minute and write down the top 5 characteristic, quality, or trait that you would look for in a person that you would want to date.
Now, narrow it down to the top 3. What would they be?
Lastly, what would be your number 1 characteristic your "significant other" would have to possess.
Which one of these would you think God would view as the most important?
Today, we are going to begin a summer series looking at the Life of King David. We are going to look at the highs and the lows in his life and believe me, there are plenty.
More importantly, though, we are going to look at how God worked in the life of this great King.
We begin by examining 1 characteristic that David had; that others lacked and how we can have it too. That characteristic is his heart. Obviously everyone has a heart, but David’s heart was in the right place and focused on the right things. His outward appearance wasn’t as good as others, but no one could beat his heart.
Before we begin examining David’s heart, I need to give a little bit of a background before we pick up this story.
Background:
- Saul was the King of Israel. He was directly appointed by God to be King
- However, He had blatantly disobeyed God many times and God was tired of his act.
- So, God sent Samuel, a prophet we talked about a few months ago, out to find a new King.
This is where we begin the story.
Scripture
Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13
1. Why did Samuel think some of David’s brothers would have been chosen?
2. How was David described?
3. Why did God reject David’s brothers?
4. What then, can we assume about David?
Samuel was looking at outward appearances. He thought one of David's brothers would have been chosen because of the way the looked or even acted. But God rejected them all. Then, all of a sudden, a ruddy, yet handsome young boy comes in. He couldn't be the one, could he? He was small. He was young. He didn't look like a king. However, what David had on the inside was worth so much more than what the others had on the outside.
David had the heart, the inward appearance, that God was looking for. He wasn’t considered the best by the world’s standards. After all, he was the youngest, ruddy with some handsome features. Not exactly what you look for in a king.
However, his heart was right before the Lord. Why do you think that is most important to God?
How can we have that heart?
I feel that it can be summed up here: 1 Chronicles 28:9 – “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
We need to acknowledge God and serve him wholeheartedly and seek Him and we will find him
You true motives can not be hidden from God. You can hide your heart and true motives from others but God see right through that. So, even though you may do a lot of great things or you may look a certain way, if your heart isn’t right, God will see it and know. Your actions and your appearance are meaningless without your heart being for God and striving after him!
David’s heart was right and although he lacked many of the other great components of what we view as important, God chose him for his heart was for God.
Application
Our society today enforces outward appearances. Just look at the magazine isle in the store. They are lined with 10 ways to lose 10 pounds in 10 days articles. The shows we watch on TV – Extreme makeover and such. We are being pummeled daily with making our outward appearance the best it could be.
But that doesn’t matter to God. Why? Because he loves you for who He created you to be. He cares more about your heart than the way you look or the way you act on the outside. Hey listen, anyone can say and do all the right things, but if your heart isn’t into it, you’ll fool most people. However, you can’t fool God. He knows your heart.
So today, I want you to realize 1 truth and 1 challenge:
TRUTH: God loves you. He doesn’t care about what you look like or how others perceive you. He cares about your heart.
CHALLENGE: So, how is your heart? Is it pure and holy, going after God or are you so consumed with your outward appearance, you heart is tainted. Listen, no one is perfect – we’ll never be 100 % pure and holy, but we can always strive for it. But remember what 1 Chronicles said, “ If you seek him, he will be found by you”
Know that God loves you and examine your heart. Let’s strive after God this week and see where He leads us! It all begins with your heart.
Opening Question:
Take a minute and write down the top 5 characteristic, quality, or trait that you would look for in a person that you would want to date.
Now, narrow it down to the top 3. What would they be?
Lastly, what would be your number 1 characteristic your "significant other" would have to possess.
Which one of these would you think God would view as the most important?
Today, we are going to begin a summer series looking at the Life of King David. We are going to look at the highs and the lows in his life and believe me, there are plenty.
More importantly, though, we are going to look at how God worked in the life of this great King.
We begin by examining 1 characteristic that David had; that others lacked and how we can have it too. That characteristic is his heart. Obviously everyone has a heart, but David’s heart was in the right place and focused on the right things. His outward appearance wasn’t as good as others, but no one could beat his heart.
Before we begin examining David’s heart, I need to give a little bit of a background before we pick up this story.
Background:
- Saul was the King of Israel. He was directly appointed by God to be King
- However, He had blatantly disobeyed God many times and God was tired of his act.
- So, God sent Samuel, a prophet we talked about a few months ago, out to find a new King.
This is where we begin the story.
Scripture
Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13
1. Why did Samuel think some of David’s brothers would have been chosen?
2. How was David described?
3. Why did God reject David’s brothers?
4. What then, can we assume about David?
Samuel was looking at outward appearances. He thought one of David's brothers would have been chosen because of the way the looked or even acted. But God rejected them all. Then, all of a sudden, a ruddy, yet handsome young boy comes in. He couldn't be the one, could he? He was small. He was young. He didn't look like a king. However, what David had on the inside was worth so much more than what the others had on the outside.
David had the heart, the inward appearance, that God was looking for. He wasn’t considered the best by the world’s standards. After all, he was the youngest, ruddy with some handsome features. Not exactly what you look for in a king.
However, his heart was right before the Lord. Why do you think that is most important to God?
How can we have that heart?
I feel that it can be summed up here: 1 Chronicles 28:9 – “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”
We need to acknowledge God and serve him wholeheartedly and seek Him and we will find him
You true motives can not be hidden from God. You can hide your heart and true motives from others but God see right through that. So, even though you may do a lot of great things or you may look a certain way, if your heart isn’t right, God will see it and know. Your actions and your appearance are meaningless without your heart being for God and striving after him!
David’s heart was right and although he lacked many of the other great components of what we view as important, God chose him for his heart was for God.
Application
Our society today enforces outward appearances. Just look at the magazine isle in the store. They are lined with 10 ways to lose 10 pounds in 10 days articles. The shows we watch on TV – Extreme makeover and such. We are being pummeled daily with making our outward appearance the best it could be.
But that doesn’t matter to God. Why? Because he loves you for who He created you to be. He cares more about your heart than the way you look or the way you act on the outside. Hey listen, anyone can say and do all the right things, but if your heart isn’t into it, you’ll fool most people. However, you can’t fool God. He knows your heart.
So today, I want you to realize 1 truth and 1 challenge:
TRUTH: God loves you. He doesn’t care about what you look like or how others perceive you. He cares about your heart.
CHALLENGE: So, how is your heart? Is it pure and holy, going after God or are you so consumed with your outward appearance, you heart is tainted. Listen, no one is perfect – we’ll never be 100 % pure and holy, but we can always strive for it. But remember what 1 Chronicles said, “ If you seek him, he will be found by you”
Know that God loves you and examine your heart. Let’s strive after God this week and see where He leads us! It all begins with your heart.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Why Reach Out?
****This Devotional Blog ties in with my Podcast, "Why Reach Out?" at http://tompounder.podomatic.com or go to iTunes and type in Tom Pounder under the Podcast menu.****
Opening Questions:
1. What was the best gift you ever got for Christmas or your birthday?
2. What was the most meaningful gift you gave to someone else?
3. What meant the most to you? Getting the gift or Seeing the joy in someone else’s face because of the gift they received?
If you are honest with yourself, most of us would say that we get more out of giving to others than getting. Why do you think we get more joy out of giving than receiving?
Last question, I promise - Is there a limit on how much you will give? Will you give freely to someone up to a point? Or will you give to certain people more than others? Why?
Today, we are going to look at moving beyond ourselves and reaching out to our friends, family and community for Christ. Why should we reach out? Let's look and see:
Scripture:
Read Matthew 18:19-20; Acts 1:8
1. What does Christ command us to do?
2. How should we go and make disciples?
Christ commands us to – “Go and Make Disciples”; “You will be my Witnesses”. Why should we reach out? Because Christ commands us too. The great thing about Christ, though, is that not only does He tell us what to do, but he tells us how to do it.
He tells us to go and teach them everything you have learned from Him. Then He gives us a strategy - Start with your inner circle of influence (Jerusalem) and then branch out to your school (Judea and Samaria) and eventually to the world (ends of the earth). We have to start with those closest to us, then move out, slowly but surely to the ends of the earth.
Read Matthew 4:19; Philippians 2:3-4
1. What sticks out to you about these verses? How do they relate to reaching out?
When we choose to follow Christ, we have an obligation to move it beyond ourselves and be fishers of men and women. Christ didn’t say, Come follow me and I will make you the best Bible readers ever! No, he said, to Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men!
Also, when we reach out to our friends, family and community we are serving them. Sharing your faith is a way of serving because you are helping them come to a better life by following Christ. We get blessed more than the people we serve. We should do this selfishly because we will be blessed.
Application:
1. Write down a list of names you can eventually share your faith with. Pray that God would open doors for you to share your faith with them.
2. Remember what Christ said, "teach them everything I have commanded you". Take 1 thing you learned in your relationship with Christ and prepare to share with with them.
Be prepared and ask God for guidance and He will present the opportunity. Let's make the most of it.
Whether they know it or not, these people on your list are counting on you to share with them about the life transforming power of Jesus Christ. Let's not let them down.
Opening Questions:
1. What was the best gift you ever got for Christmas or your birthday?
2. What was the most meaningful gift you gave to someone else?
3. What meant the most to you? Getting the gift or Seeing the joy in someone else’s face because of the gift they received?
If you are honest with yourself, most of us would say that we get more out of giving to others than getting. Why do you think we get more joy out of giving than receiving?
Last question, I promise - Is there a limit on how much you will give? Will you give freely to someone up to a point? Or will you give to certain people more than others? Why?
Today, we are going to look at moving beyond ourselves and reaching out to our friends, family and community for Christ. Why should we reach out? Let's look and see:
Scripture:
Read Matthew 18:19-20; Acts 1:8
1. What does Christ command us to do?
2. How should we go and make disciples?
Christ commands us to – “Go and Make Disciples”; “You will be my Witnesses”. Why should we reach out? Because Christ commands us too. The great thing about Christ, though, is that not only does He tell us what to do, but he tells us how to do it.
He tells us to go and teach them everything you have learned from Him. Then He gives us a strategy - Start with your inner circle of influence (Jerusalem) and then branch out to your school (Judea and Samaria) and eventually to the world (ends of the earth). We have to start with those closest to us, then move out, slowly but surely to the ends of the earth.
Read Matthew 4:19; Philippians 2:3-4
1. What sticks out to you about these verses? How do they relate to reaching out?
When we choose to follow Christ, we have an obligation to move it beyond ourselves and be fishers of men and women. Christ didn’t say, Come follow me and I will make you the best Bible readers ever! No, he said, to Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men!
Also, when we reach out to our friends, family and community we are serving them. Sharing your faith is a way of serving because you are helping them come to a better life by following Christ. We get blessed more than the people we serve. We should do this selfishly because we will be blessed.
Application:
1. Write down a list of names you can eventually share your faith with. Pray that God would open doors for you to share your faith with them.
2. Remember what Christ said, "teach them everything I have commanded you". Take 1 thing you learned in your relationship with Christ and prepare to share with with them.
Be prepared and ask God for guidance and He will present the opportunity. Let's make the most of it.
Whether they know it or not, these people on your list are counting on you to share with them about the life transforming power of Jesus Christ. Let's not let them down.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
It ain't over till it's over!
Thing of some famous, inspirational quotes. Write them down.
Yogi Berra – Not Yogi Bear, the cartoon, but Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame Catcher for the N.Y. Yankees, once said, "It ain't over till it's over"
Ladies and Gentlemen, It ain’t over till it’s over! That is what we are going to talk about today. So many times things will happen when we get down on ourselves, down on life or down on others. Things not going right in life can lead to some pretty severe depression, anger or even death. Why do you think the suicide rate is so high amongst teenagers?
You may get cut from the baseball team, or get the last seat in the orchestra, you may get dumped by your boyfriend/girlfriend or your parents might split up. There are so many things that could lead us to say, “What’s the point”.
But, boys and girls, “It ain’t over till it’s over” Hey, you may flunk the final, but… It ain’t over till it’s over! You might get dumped, but… It ain’t over till it’s over! Your best friend might turn on you, but… It ain’t over till it’s over!
It ain’t over till it’s over! Why? Because, God is there, waiting for us to turn to Him. We’ve got to persevere and put our trust in God. Then, we will be able to experience the true fulfillment in life.
In the Bible, it talks about this. Let’s see what it says.
Scripture
Read Hebrews 10:22-25; 32-39
1. There are 4 “Let us” statements. What are they?
· Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart
· Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess
· Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds
· Let us not give up meeting together
2. How do these “let us” statements help us to persevere and not give up?
By drawing us near to God, not wavering in our faith, being in community with others and encouraging others in love and good deeds, we know that we have better and lasting possessions. That despite all that will happen to us, we don’t care, because we know that what we have in God, could not be taken away from us! It was better than anything taken away and lasted so much longer.
What you can have in God is better than anything that was taken away and can last eternally. So, no matter what happens, It ain’t over till it’s over! In God, it is never over till it’s over. Remember what Christ did for us? Romans 6:23 – we earned death, but because Christ had a say in it, life wasn’t over. He came and sacrificed his life for us.
3. What will happen if you persevered and do the will of God (v.36)? You will receive what he has promised
God is faithful and will always fulfill on his promises. Numbers 23:19. God is not like us. He doesn’t lie, doesn’t change his mind. Every time he speaks, he acts. Every time he promises, he fulfills. The promise he has for us are countless. Where do you find them? In the Bible.
Application
When tough times come, what do you do? Where do you turn?
When tough times come, know that It ain’t over till it’s over! It’s never over because God is involved. Think about it, if he didn’t even spare his own son for us, how can anyone say that God won’t stop at anything to help us?
The questions that remains now is do you want what He is offering?
So, I want to challenge you to do 2 things this week:
1. What 1 “let us” statement do you need to work on this week?
2. How can you persevere in Christ this week?
It ain’t over because God has a hand in it and can make a lasting difference in your life.
Yogi Berra – Not Yogi Bear, the cartoon, but Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame Catcher for the N.Y. Yankees, once said, "It ain't over till it's over"
Ladies and Gentlemen, It ain’t over till it’s over! That is what we are going to talk about today. So many times things will happen when we get down on ourselves, down on life or down on others. Things not going right in life can lead to some pretty severe depression, anger or even death. Why do you think the suicide rate is so high amongst teenagers?
You may get cut from the baseball team, or get the last seat in the orchestra, you may get dumped by your boyfriend/girlfriend or your parents might split up. There are so many things that could lead us to say, “What’s the point”.
But, boys and girls, “It ain’t over till it’s over” Hey, you may flunk the final, but… It ain’t over till it’s over! You might get dumped, but… It ain’t over till it’s over! Your best friend might turn on you, but… It ain’t over till it’s over!
It ain’t over till it’s over! Why? Because, God is there, waiting for us to turn to Him. We’ve got to persevere and put our trust in God. Then, we will be able to experience the true fulfillment in life.
In the Bible, it talks about this. Let’s see what it says.
Scripture
Read Hebrews 10:22-25; 32-39
1. There are 4 “Let us” statements. What are they?
· Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart
· Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess
· Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds
· Let us not give up meeting together
2. How do these “let us” statements help us to persevere and not give up?
By drawing us near to God, not wavering in our faith, being in community with others and encouraging others in love and good deeds, we know that we have better and lasting possessions. That despite all that will happen to us, we don’t care, because we know that what we have in God, could not be taken away from us! It was better than anything taken away and lasted so much longer.
What you can have in God is better than anything that was taken away and can last eternally. So, no matter what happens, It ain’t over till it’s over! In God, it is never over till it’s over. Remember what Christ did for us? Romans 6:23 – we earned death, but because Christ had a say in it, life wasn’t over. He came and sacrificed his life for us.
3. What will happen if you persevered and do the will of God (v.36)? You will receive what he has promised
God is faithful and will always fulfill on his promises. Numbers 23:19. God is not like us. He doesn’t lie, doesn’t change his mind. Every time he speaks, he acts. Every time he promises, he fulfills. The promise he has for us are countless. Where do you find them? In the Bible.
Application
When tough times come, what do you do? Where do you turn?
When tough times come, know that It ain’t over till it’s over! It’s never over because God is involved. Think about it, if he didn’t even spare his own son for us, how can anyone say that God won’t stop at anything to help us?
The questions that remains now is do you want what He is offering?
So, I want to challenge you to do 2 things this week:
1. What 1 “let us” statement do you need to work on this week?
2. How can you persevere in Christ this week?
It ain’t over because God has a hand in it and can make a lasting difference in your life.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Thriving in our new seasons
School is ending and a new year is just around the corner. Some of you will be moving away, others going from middle school to high school and others going from high school to college.
As every new season in your life begins, it can be a turning point in your life – for the good or for the bad. Every season presents it freshness, a new exciting thing. However, it also presents its challenges and difficulties.
When you move to a new community, move up in grades or even go off to college, you will be with a whole bunch of new people who are in the exact same situation. If you are going to college, you will be free from “parental” rules and will be forced to make decisions on your own. You will encounter people who are trying to push you into this club or that sorority. You will be invited to parties or encouraged to go to this fellowship group or that one. Regardless of where you will be or what grade you are going too, you will have so many decisions to make on your own that can have lasting effects.
I want to encourage you, that as this new season begins, not to forget some of the things you learned in past seasons. Particularly, what you learned to be true about Christ.
Scripture
In the Bible it says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." It also says in John 15:7, "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
The truth here is that if we seek Him and remain close to Him – remain in fellowship with Him, he will provide for us, he will help us make those tough decision. The key here is that WE have to seek Him and WE have to remain in Him. It takes our initiative. God is always there, desiring to help. WE have to go to Him.
Moving to a new community, moving up in grades, or even going off to College is a new and exciting time in which you get to recreate who you are on so many levels. However, I want to encourage you – don’t recreate who you are in Christ and what you know to be true in him. He will be the one you need to cling to, especially early on.
I have talked to so many people, especially college students, who told me how fortunate and lucky they were to get involved in a fellowship group when they first got down to college. It was by being involved in that group early one that made a difference in their time there because they got plugged in with new great people who were encouraging her in her faith and who were helping her sort through all that college has to offer her. It was a great support for her…especially early on.
So, when you begin your new year, don’t leave Christ at home. Take Him with you and allow Him to help you through this new season in your life. Get plugged into fellowship early on and stay connected to Christ. He will be the key in your survival.
Application
What is 1 thing you can do this summer to get you ready for the school year ahead?
What Christlike disciplines can you build into your life this summer to get your ready to survive and thrive in the year ahead?
As every new season in your life begins, it can be a turning point in your life – for the good or for the bad. Every season presents it freshness, a new exciting thing. However, it also presents its challenges and difficulties.
When you move to a new community, move up in grades or even go off to college, you will be with a whole bunch of new people who are in the exact same situation. If you are going to college, you will be free from “parental” rules and will be forced to make decisions on your own. You will encounter people who are trying to push you into this club or that sorority. You will be invited to parties or encouraged to go to this fellowship group or that one. Regardless of where you will be or what grade you are going too, you will have so many decisions to make on your own that can have lasting effects.
I want to encourage you, that as this new season begins, not to forget some of the things you learned in past seasons. Particularly, what you learned to be true about Christ.
Scripture
In the Bible it says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." It also says in John 15:7, "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
The truth here is that if we seek Him and remain close to Him – remain in fellowship with Him, he will provide for us, he will help us make those tough decision. The key here is that WE have to seek Him and WE have to remain in Him. It takes our initiative. God is always there, desiring to help. WE have to go to Him.
Moving to a new community, moving up in grades, or even going off to College is a new and exciting time in which you get to recreate who you are on so many levels. However, I want to encourage you – don’t recreate who you are in Christ and what you know to be true in him. He will be the one you need to cling to, especially early on.
I have talked to so many people, especially college students, who told me how fortunate and lucky they were to get involved in a fellowship group when they first got down to college. It was by being involved in that group early one that made a difference in their time there because they got plugged in with new great people who were encouraging her in her faith and who were helping her sort through all that college has to offer her. It was a great support for her…especially early on.
So, when you begin your new year, don’t leave Christ at home. Take Him with you and allow Him to help you through this new season in your life. Get plugged into fellowship early on and stay connected to Christ. He will be the key in your survival.
Application
What is 1 thing you can do this summer to get you ready for the school year ahead?
What Christlike disciplines can you build into your life this summer to get your ready to survive and thrive in the year ahead?
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Goal Setting: Loving Others
Think of some recent goals you have set for yourself? Have you been successful or have you not been able to follow through with them?
Unfortunately, most of our goals have not been too successful; not because your intentions are bad, but because we often set goals that we cannot do. Often times, the goals are too high and we don’t have a plan to achieve it.
This week, I want to look at succeeding in our goals - that we would make a goal and follow through with it. These goals can be achieved because they are grounded in God’s plans and purposes for our lives.
This week, the goal I want to look at is Loving Others. Why would we want to do that?
Read Matthew 22:36-39
- What are the two greatest commandments? love God and love others
- Why is loving others important? Because, as Jesus points out, everything else is dependent on loving God and loving others.
There are tons of examples of how to love others in the Bible, but I want to look a pretty familiar/famous story. It’s the story of the Good Samaritan.
Read Luke 10:30-37
What sticks out to you abot that story?
It is clear that this man was beaten and left for dead. People came, saw him and passed right by him, never once helping him. Then, a Samaritan came and helped him. I want to focus on what the Samaritan did.
What did the Samaritan do? (3 things found in v. 34-35)
Jesus told us to go and do the same. Well, how can we do the same to this? Let’s take a look at this passage again.
We have a man who was beaten up and left for dead, sitting on the side of the road. Who, today, would correlate well with this person? The odd ball, the one all by him/herself…the one without friends, sitting alone in the cafeteria.
Now, be careful…just because this is the character in the story, doesn’t mean that this is the only sort of person we need to be reaching out too…we need to love everyone!
The man who helped him, bandaged his wounds, put him on his donkey and took care of him.
What, today, could we do to help someone? Sit down and chat with them at lunch, give an encouraging word
Then, he paid the innkeeper to look after him. What, today, could we do that is similar? Take him/her to church, get them involved with a support network, etc
Application
So here’s the model. Christ made it a priority and the Samaritan put it into practice. What are you going to do when you see the opportunity? Are you going to act or just shy away, hoping that someone else will love him or her?
Think of the impact you can have on just one person by simply loving him/her. What do you think could happen?
In the movie “the Untouchables”, Sean Connery’s character challenges Elliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) to really step up and make a difference in their war vs. organized crime. As they were getting ready to make an impact, he says 2 things to them:
1. “Do you really want to get him (Capone)…What are you prepared to do?”
2. "If you walk through this door now, you are walking into a world of trouble and there is no turning back…you understand”
In the same way, I want to challenge you by asking you…what are you prepared to do? If you claim to be committed to loving God and loving others…what are you prepared to do? Because once you walk through that door, there is no turning back. God will move and impact many lives, including your own.
My challenge to you this week is this: Pick 1 person to love as God would love you!
John 13:34-35 says - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
People will know that you are a follower of Christ by the love you portray. Lives can be changed because of it. Loving others is a simple but powerful goal that we can all achieve.
Make a plan of 1 or more persons you are going to love the way Christ would.
- Who are you going to be intentionally loving this week?
- How will you love them?
Unfortunately, most of our goals have not been too successful; not because your intentions are bad, but because we often set goals that we cannot do. Often times, the goals are too high and we don’t have a plan to achieve it.
This week, I want to look at succeeding in our goals - that we would make a goal and follow through with it. These goals can be achieved because they are grounded in God’s plans and purposes for our lives.
This week, the goal I want to look at is Loving Others. Why would we want to do that?
Read Matthew 22:36-39
- What are the two greatest commandments? love God and love others
- Why is loving others important? Because, as Jesus points out, everything else is dependent on loving God and loving others.
There are tons of examples of how to love others in the Bible, but I want to look a pretty familiar/famous story. It’s the story of the Good Samaritan.
Read Luke 10:30-37
What sticks out to you abot that story?
It is clear that this man was beaten and left for dead. People came, saw him and passed right by him, never once helping him. Then, a Samaritan came and helped him. I want to focus on what the Samaritan did.
What did the Samaritan do? (3 things found in v. 34-35)
Jesus told us to go and do the same. Well, how can we do the same to this? Let’s take a look at this passage again.
We have a man who was beaten up and left for dead, sitting on the side of the road. Who, today, would correlate well with this person? The odd ball, the one all by him/herself…the one without friends, sitting alone in the cafeteria.
Now, be careful…just because this is the character in the story, doesn’t mean that this is the only sort of person we need to be reaching out too…we need to love everyone!
The man who helped him, bandaged his wounds, put him on his donkey and took care of him.
What, today, could we do to help someone? Sit down and chat with them at lunch, give an encouraging word
Then, he paid the innkeeper to look after him. What, today, could we do that is similar? Take him/her to church, get them involved with a support network, etc
Application
So here’s the model. Christ made it a priority and the Samaritan put it into practice. What are you going to do when you see the opportunity? Are you going to act or just shy away, hoping that someone else will love him or her?
Think of the impact you can have on just one person by simply loving him/her. What do you think could happen?
In the movie “the Untouchables”, Sean Connery’s character challenges Elliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) to really step up and make a difference in their war vs. organized crime. As they were getting ready to make an impact, he says 2 things to them:
1. “Do you really want to get him (Capone)…What are you prepared to do?”
2. "If you walk through this door now, you are walking into a world of trouble and there is no turning back…you understand”
In the same way, I want to challenge you by asking you…what are you prepared to do? If you claim to be committed to loving God and loving others…what are you prepared to do? Because once you walk through that door, there is no turning back. God will move and impact many lives, including your own.
My challenge to you this week is this: Pick 1 person to love as God would love you!
John 13:34-35 says - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
People will know that you are a follower of Christ by the love you portray. Lives can be changed because of it. Loving others is a simple but powerful goal that we can all achieve.
Make a plan of 1 or more persons you are going to love the way Christ would.
- Who are you going to be intentionally loving this week?
- How will you love them?
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Investing in Your Future - Being Humble
Terrell Owens was in the sporting news a lot this past year. Why was that?
Terrell Owens is a great football player and decided that he was so great that he needed more money. So, he caused a great controversy in his team to try to force them to give him more money. His attempt failed and he ended up getting cut by his team because he was such a problem.
In memory of Terrell Owens, I would like to share with you all a few quotes that are quite eye opening as they reveal a lot about who he is.
T.O. Quotes:
"Anytime I am on the field I expect to have an impact. I just don't foresee myself being a decoy. That is just like putting Shaq on the court and not giving him the ball.”
"I'll watch the highlights every now and then, but as far as watching the game, I feel like I am the game."
"I love me some me, believe it!"
"Just ask yourself, 'self, would the Eagles have gone 0-2 last year if they had T.O.?'"
"Don’t hate me, cause you love me."
What do these quotes communicate to you about T.O.?
They communicate his arrogance. Sure, he is a great football player. However, no matter how good anyone is, no one wants to hear about how great you think you are.
As we continue our series on Investing in your Future, we are going to talk about having humility and how that humility can help you in life.
Before we begin, I want you to know that there is a difference between being arrogant and being confident. Being arrogant is to exaggerate one's own worth or importance in an overbearing manner. Being confident is the trust or faith that a person or thing is capable.
T.O. is confident in his ability but it leads to arrogance in which he over exaggerates his own worth.
Right now, I want to take a look at a story in the Bible the clearly highlights the difference and we will see how being humble will help you as you invest in your future.
Read Luke 18:9-14
1. Who are the 2 people involved?
2. What were they doing?
3. Why were they going to pray?
They were seeking justification from God. Both men came before God seeking Justification. Justification is the "process by which an individual is brought into an unmerited, right relationship with a person". Both the tax collector and the Pharisee were seeking to get into a right relationship with God.
4. What was different about the way they prayed?
The tax collector was humble and recognized that he was a sinner and needed God's help. He couldn’t "do" things to get right with God - for he had done so many wrong things. He simply had to seek God and ask Him for forgiveness. The Pharisee proclaimed how good he was by comparing himself to others. He might have thought that because he wasn't like others he was justified. When he came to pray, he didn't seek God - he didn't need too because he was already perfect and better than the rest.
5. The tax collector, not the Pharisee left their prayer time justified. Why is that?
Because he was humble and sought God's help. He recognized who he was and how he needed God's help.
Challenge
So, how does this example of humility help us in life and prepare us for the road ahead?
No matter how good we think we are, Christ says, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted"
We all need to humbly seek God. We all need to be justified with God - to be made right.
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death. We have all fallen short of God's desire for our life and are headed down the road towards destruction.
No matter how well life is going or even how crappy life is going, God can lead us through it. We need to come humbly before him and seek his plan for our life, not our own.
Being humble can also help you…
- gain more understanding of others and who they are. By listening and serving/helping others you let others know that you care about them
- learn more. When you are humble, you can be teachable as you seek to understand the best way to accomplish a task. You are admitting you don’t know it all and you want to learn the best way.
More importantly, thought, when we humble ourselves before God and seek His will and plan for our life, we will leave justified before Him and walk down the better path in life.
Right now, take a minute and jot down 1 thing you can do this week to
1. be humble in relation to others and
2. how you can humbly come before God and seek Him
Terrell Owens is a great football player and decided that he was so great that he needed more money. So, he caused a great controversy in his team to try to force them to give him more money. His attempt failed and he ended up getting cut by his team because he was such a problem.
In memory of Terrell Owens, I would like to share with you all a few quotes that are quite eye opening as they reveal a lot about who he is.
T.O. Quotes:
"Anytime I am on the field I expect to have an impact. I just don't foresee myself being a decoy. That is just like putting Shaq on the court and not giving him the ball.”
"I'll watch the highlights every now and then, but as far as watching the game, I feel like I am the game."
"I love me some me, believe it!"
"Just ask yourself, 'self, would the Eagles have gone 0-2 last year if they had T.O.?'"
"Don’t hate me, cause you love me."
What do these quotes communicate to you about T.O.?
They communicate his arrogance. Sure, he is a great football player. However, no matter how good anyone is, no one wants to hear about how great you think you are.
As we continue our series on Investing in your Future, we are going to talk about having humility and how that humility can help you in life.
Before we begin, I want you to know that there is a difference between being arrogant and being confident. Being arrogant is to exaggerate one's own worth or importance in an overbearing manner. Being confident is the trust or faith that a person or thing is capable.
T.O. is confident in his ability but it leads to arrogance in which he over exaggerates his own worth.
Right now, I want to take a look at a story in the Bible the clearly highlights the difference and we will see how being humble will help you as you invest in your future.
Read Luke 18:9-14
1. Who are the 2 people involved?
2. What were they doing?
3. Why were they going to pray?
They were seeking justification from God. Both men came before God seeking Justification. Justification is the "process by which an individual is brought into an unmerited, right relationship with a person". Both the tax collector and the Pharisee were seeking to get into a right relationship with God.
4. What was different about the way they prayed?
The tax collector was humble and recognized that he was a sinner and needed God's help. He couldn’t "do" things to get right with God - for he had done so many wrong things. He simply had to seek God and ask Him for forgiveness. The Pharisee proclaimed how good he was by comparing himself to others. He might have thought that because he wasn't like others he was justified. When he came to pray, he didn't seek God - he didn't need too because he was already perfect and better than the rest.
5. The tax collector, not the Pharisee left their prayer time justified. Why is that?
Because he was humble and sought God's help. He recognized who he was and how he needed God's help.
Challenge
So, how does this example of humility help us in life and prepare us for the road ahead?
No matter how good we think we are, Christ says, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted"
We all need to humbly seek God. We all need to be justified with God - to be made right.
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death. We have all fallen short of God's desire for our life and are headed down the road towards destruction.
No matter how well life is going or even how crappy life is going, God can lead us through it. We need to come humbly before him and seek his plan for our life, not our own.
Being humble can also help you…
- gain more understanding of others and who they are. By listening and serving/helping others you let others know that you care about them
- learn more. When you are humble, you can be teachable as you seek to understand the best way to accomplish a task. You are admitting you don’t know it all and you want to learn the best way.
More importantly, thought, when we humble ourselves before God and seek His will and plan for our life, we will leave justified before Him and walk down the better path in life.
Right now, take a minute and jot down 1 thing you can do this week to
1. be humble in relation to others and
2. how you can humbly come before God and seek Him
Monday, May 22, 2006
Investing in Your Future - Taking a Stand
I have here a puppet. There isn’t anything special about this puppet. He wasn’t my doll growing up or anything like that. The one thing about this particular puppet that separates him from some others is that I have strings to control him. I control the puppet completely.
If I want him to hit someone, I make him do it. If I want him to sit down on someone's lap, I will make him sit down. He has no say in what he does – I am the master. You see, this puppet can do nothing on its own. As I mentioned before, I control it completely. My question is, does anyone or anything control you? If so, who and why?
Today, we are going to talk about taking a stand. More importantly, we are going to talk about taking a stand for Christ. To quote the lesser known, but great country singer Aaron Tippin, “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. You’ve got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string”.
What do you stand for and why?
There is a man in the Bible named Joshua who was the leader of the Israelites who took a stand for something. But, before you read what he said, I need to give you a little background. You are going to pick up where Joshua, leader of the Israelite (God’s chosen people), is getting older in age and he is issuing them a sort of farewell speech.
He has highlighted to all of them all God has done for them – how God them out of Egypt, helped them cross over the Red Sea and into the promised land. Read Joshua 24:14-15
What was said here?
Joshua said a few key things:
The 1st thing he said was Choose today who you will serve – either God or some random other gods
Whoever you choose to serve, serve them wholly. You cannot serve both God and something else. You see, despite all that God had done for the Israelites, they always struggled with worship other gods and idols. No matter what God did, it never seemed good enough.
Why can’t you serve more than one? Remember what Christ said when talking about serving 2 masters? Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
You cannot serve God and something else. Why? Because, you will be love one and despise the other. Trust me, I have tried it doing 2 jobs before. When I worked at a church part time and Young Life part time, I was constantly being pulled in many different directions. Because of that, I would love one and hate the other. I almost drove me crazy as I tried to figure out my loyalties. Are you trying to serve 2 masters?
In the same way, when we try to serve God and something else, we are constantly torn between the 2 and both suffer.
Joshua was challenging them to pick one and serve that one completely.
The 2nd thing that Joshua said was that no matter who you choose to serve, me and my family will serve the Lord
He took a stand. He said, I don’t care what you choose to do…me and my family, we are standing by God.
Why did he say that? Because he knew all God had done for them. He saw the promises that God had fulfilled. Joshua took a stand for God and others followed it – Read Joshua 24:16-21
They said that they too wanted to follow. When he challenged them more and said that this isn’t a half-butt commitment this is all the way, they stepped up to the challenge.
I had a choice in college. I could have either taken a stand for Christ, who was apart of my life, or be a follower of what wasn’t so good. One of my roommates was the model Christian and spent his time trying to follow Christ with all his heart, mind and strengthen. He encouraged me as well, but I wasn’t able to step up. Instead, I stepped up to the pitchers of beer and clubs in college. Largely because I couldn’t stand up for anything, yet alone Christ. I followed another friend and we drank and drank and drank. Why? Because I was a wuss and other people’s opinion of me was more important than taking a stand and being who God desired me to be. I was the puppet on the string for these guys.
Application
The great thing about God is that He didn’t make you a puppet on a string – you have free will. You are free to acknowledge God as your creator and follow Him or not.
Just as Joshua knew, many of us have seen God work in our lives. We know the truth about God. However, when it really comes down to it, do you take a stand for Christ like Joshua did or do you wuzz out like college boy Pounder did?
Don’t wuss out like me because you’re too afraid of what other people will think. Joshua didn’t care what others thought – he shared who he was and what he was going to do. Because of his boldness and confidence in Christ, others followed it.
Even if you don’t have a relationship with God, you can make a stand for Him. How? By beginning to walk down the road to find out all that God has to offer you. By coming back week after week to hear about Him, to open a Bible and discover for yourselves the promises of God and to surround yourself with godly friends who will help walk down that path with you.
So, I ask, what are you standing for? Right now, I want you to take a piece of paper and write down what you stand for. Who do you stand for?
What will you do this week to make a stand for what you believe? Commit to something and stand by it. I promise you though, if you commit to make a stand for Christ, you won’t be sorry.
If I want him to hit someone, I make him do it. If I want him to sit down on someone's lap, I will make him sit down. He has no say in what he does – I am the master. You see, this puppet can do nothing on its own. As I mentioned before, I control it completely. My question is, does anyone or anything control you? If so, who and why?
Today, we are going to talk about taking a stand. More importantly, we are going to talk about taking a stand for Christ. To quote the lesser known, but great country singer Aaron Tippin, “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. You’ve got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string”.
What do you stand for and why?
There is a man in the Bible named Joshua who was the leader of the Israelites who took a stand for something. But, before you read what he said, I need to give you a little background. You are going to pick up where Joshua, leader of the Israelite (God’s chosen people), is getting older in age and he is issuing them a sort of farewell speech.
He has highlighted to all of them all God has done for them – how God them out of Egypt, helped them cross over the Red Sea and into the promised land. Read Joshua 24:14-15
What was said here?
Joshua said a few key things:
The 1st thing he said was Choose today who you will serve – either God or some random other gods
Whoever you choose to serve, serve them wholly. You cannot serve both God and something else. You see, despite all that God had done for the Israelites, they always struggled with worship other gods and idols. No matter what God did, it never seemed good enough.
Why can’t you serve more than one? Remember what Christ said when talking about serving 2 masters? Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
You cannot serve God and something else. Why? Because, you will be love one and despise the other. Trust me, I have tried it doing 2 jobs before. When I worked at a church part time and Young Life part time, I was constantly being pulled in many different directions. Because of that, I would love one and hate the other. I almost drove me crazy as I tried to figure out my loyalties. Are you trying to serve 2 masters?
In the same way, when we try to serve God and something else, we are constantly torn between the 2 and both suffer.
Joshua was challenging them to pick one and serve that one completely.
The 2nd thing that Joshua said was that no matter who you choose to serve, me and my family will serve the Lord
He took a stand. He said, I don’t care what you choose to do…me and my family, we are standing by God.
Why did he say that? Because he knew all God had done for them. He saw the promises that God had fulfilled. Joshua took a stand for God and others followed it – Read Joshua 24:16-21
They said that they too wanted to follow. When he challenged them more and said that this isn’t a half-butt commitment this is all the way, they stepped up to the challenge.
I had a choice in college. I could have either taken a stand for Christ, who was apart of my life, or be a follower of what wasn’t so good. One of my roommates was the model Christian and spent his time trying to follow Christ with all his heart, mind and strengthen. He encouraged me as well, but I wasn’t able to step up. Instead, I stepped up to the pitchers of beer and clubs in college. Largely because I couldn’t stand up for anything, yet alone Christ. I followed another friend and we drank and drank and drank. Why? Because I was a wuss and other people’s opinion of me was more important than taking a stand and being who God desired me to be. I was the puppet on the string for these guys.
Application
The great thing about God is that He didn’t make you a puppet on a string – you have free will. You are free to acknowledge God as your creator and follow Him or not.
Just as Joshua knew, many of us have seen God work in our lives. We know the truth about God. However, when it really comes down to it, do you take a stand for Christ like Joshua did or do you wuzz out like college boy Pounder did?
Don’t wuss out like me because you’re too afraid of what other people will think. Joshua didn’t care what others thought – he shared who he was and what he was going to do. Because of his boldness and confidence in Christ, others followed it.
Even if you don’t have a relationship with God, you can make a stand for Him. How? By beginning to walk down the road to find out all that God has to offer you. By coming back week after week to hear about Him, to open a Bible and discover for yourselves the promises of God and to surround yourself with godly friends who will help walk down that path with you.
So, I ask, what are you standing for? Right now, I want you to take a piece of paper and write down what you stand for. Who do you stand for?
What will you do this week to make a stand for what you believe? Commit to something and stand by it. I promise you though, if you commit to make a stand for Christ, you won’t be sorry.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Investing in your future - What is your calling?
I want you to think to yourself all the things you enjoying doing or are gifted at doing
When I say the word investing, what comes to mind?
Investing is the "action of putting something in to somewhere else". Investing is commonly used in financial and economic terms.
You can invest in a lot of things. You can invest in the stock market, you can invest in a home, or you can invest in a mutual fund.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we are going to be talking about Investing in Your Future. We are going to go over things you can do now, characteristics you can start developing now so that your future can be bright.
This week, we are going to talk about following your calling in life. Each of us has a calling in life. Some people’s calling is to be a firefighter. Some is to be a teacher. Some is to be a Youth Pastor…isn’t that all of yours? :)
Each of you has a calling. But, how do you find it? Then, once you find it, what do you do with it? Let’s look now to find out.
Scripture
How do you find your calling?
What are you gifted at? Back to my initial question – what excites you? What drives you?
Your calling comes from God (1 Samuel 3:1-14; 19)
- Samuel didn’t know God at the time God spoke to him. However, God had a calling for his life.
- What was that calling? To be a prophet – who is a person who has directly encountered God, of whose intentions he can then speak
- So, the encounter Samuel had with God was his first, but as it is pointed out, God continue to speak to Samuel for many, many years.
God’s calling on Samuel’s life was to be a prophet. His calling for you is probably different. Regardless, he has a plan for you and wants to share it with you.
What happened when Samuel responded to his calling? He invested in it and became one of the great prophets.
So, how do you find your calling? Ask God. Matthew 7:7-8 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
What do you do with your calling? – Read Matthew 25:14-30
1. Everyone is given a talent. You need to invest in it…start becoming great at it
How do you invest in it? How do you become great at it?
- Practice
- Become a student in it – know the hows and whys that make your talent so special
- Seek God’s desire for you and your gift. He gave you the gift, he probably knows how to best use that gift.
2. Use your gift for the Lord
After all, He gave you the gift. We should honor him by investing in it and give him the glory for blessing us with it.
How?
- The way is probably the most visible way – particularly in the past 5 years or so. But when you are honored for your particular gift (ie, win an award or get celebrated for hitting the game-winning shot), give thanks to God for the impact He has in your life and give him praise. By that, all who hear you will realize God’s impact in your life and, hopefully, be challenged in their life.
- Use it to serve others. There are so many ways, but some right off the top of my head is if you are good at basketball, try playing in those FCA camps that will help others. If you are gifted musically, try being apart of a worship band and use your gifts to help lead others in worship. If you become a doctor or nurse, try helping out various organizations that go and help people in other countries and share your faith with those you help.
There are countless ways for you to use your gift for God.
Challenge
So, as you invest in your future, know that:
We all have a calling from God. Each calling is different, but none-the-less, it is from God
We need to invest in our calling by practicing it, becoming a student of it, and seek God’s desire for the use of it.
Lastly, we need to use our gift for God
Who wants to wander through life aimlessly? No one. We can find out what our purpose, what our call in life is by asking God for it. God has gifted you with something great. Will you use it the way that God intends?
Right now, I want you to think of 1 thing you can do this week to start finding or developing your calling. What will you do?
Now, write it down and share it with another person. That way, you can remind yourself and someone else can start praying for you and helping you this week.
When I say the word investing, what comes to mind?
Investing is the "action of putting something in to somewhere else". Investing is commonly used in financial and economic terms.
You can invest in a lot of things. You can invest in the stock market, you can invest in a home, or you can invest in a mutual fund.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we are going to be talking about Investing in Your Future. We are going to go over things you can do now, characteristics you can start developing now so that your future can be bright.
This week, we are going to talk about following your calling in life. Each of us has a calling in life. Some people’s calling is to be a firefighter. Some is to be a teacher. Some is to be a Youth Pastor…isn’t that all of yours? :)
Each of you has a calling. But, how do you find it? Then, once you find it, what do you do with it? Let’s look now to find out.
Scripture
How do you find your calling?
What are you gifted at? Back to my initial question – what excites you? What drives you?
Your calling comes from God (1 Samuel 3:1-14; 19)
- Samuel didn’t know God at the time God spoke to him. However, God had a calling for his life.
- What was that calling? To be a prophet – who is a person who has directly encountered God, of whose intentions he can then speak
- So, the encounter Samuel had with God was his first, but as it is pointed out, God continue to speak to Samuel for many, many years.
God’s calling on Samuel’s life was to be a prophet. His calling for you is probably different. Regardless, he has a plan for you and wants to share it with you.
What happened when Samuel responded to his calling? He invested in it and became one of the great prophets.
So, how do you find your calling? Ask God. Matthew 7:7-8 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
What do you do with your calling? – Read Matthew 25:14-30
1. Everyone is given a talent. You need to invest in it…start becoming great at it
How do you invest in it? How do you become great at it?
- Practice
- Become a student in it – know the hows and whys that make your talent so special
- Seek God’s desire for you and your gift. He gave you the gift, he probably knows how to best use that gift.
2. Use your gift for the Lord
After all, He gave you the gift. We should honor him by investing in it and give him the glory for blessing us with it.
How?
- The way is probably the most visible way – particularly in the past 5 years or so. But when you are honored for your particular gift (ie, win an award or get celebrated for hitting the game-winning shot), give thanks to God for the impact He has in your life and give him praise. By that, all who hear you will realize God’s impact in your life and, hopefully, be challenged in their life.
- Use it to serve others. There are so many ways, but some right off the top of my head is if you are good at basketball, try playing in those FCA camps that will help others. If you are gifted musically, try being apart of a worship band and use your gifts to help lead others in worship. If you become a doctor or nurse, try helping out various organizations that go and help people in other countries and share your faith with those you help.
There are countless ways for you to use your gift for God.
Challenge
So, as you invest in your future, know that:
We all have a calling from God. Each calling is different, but none-the-less, it is from God
We need to invest in our calling by practicing it, becoming a student of it, and seek God’s desire for the use of it.
Lastly, we need to use our gift for God
Who wants to wander through life aimlessly? No one. We can find out what our purpose, what our call in life is by asking God for it. God has gifted you with something great. Will you use it the way that God intends?
Right now, I want you to think of 1 thing you can do this week to start finding or developing your calling. What will you do?
Now, write it down and share it with another person. That way, you can remind yourself and someone else can start praying for you and helping you this week.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
What's your gameplan to win yourself to Christ?
I want you to, on a paper, list your closest friends.
Next to their name, write where they are at with Christ. Are they a Christian, not a Christian, a Christian who doesn’t live it out, etc.
Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Day in and day out, it is so ingrained in us to look out for you and you alone…no one else matters. You are the only that matters.
That view, however, is not God’s view. Time after time, Christ looked out for everyone else first. Just look at what He did on the cross. He didn’t do that for himself – who would? He did that for us!
However, in order for us to reach out to our friends and be a witness to them, we have to first win ourselves to Christ. We have got to be the person God desires us to be before we could ever lead anyone else to where God wants them to be.
How do you do that?
Think of it on these lines… In order to be great at sports or in a musical instrument what steps must be taken in order for that to happen?
You need to:
Get the right equipment
Get training & practice
Go out and perform
Scripture:
How do we win ourselves to Christ?
Get the Right Equipment:
Get a Bible (or open it), get a notebook and Staying close to Christ (Matthew 6:33)
Get Training and Practice:
Being in Community of Believers (Acts 2:42-47)
- You get training in practice in a community where you are taught and encouraged to do as others are. The 1st Church Community was the perfect example
- We have that opportunity here to be a Community of believers committed to Christ 1st then each other 2nd
- Look at the people around you. We are all here because we know people and desire to be with them.
Think of the impact you can have on each other’s lives by being committed to Christ 1st and each other 2nd. With Christ as our source of strength and each other to rely on, we could immeasurable things for Christ and for others.
Go out and Perform:
Remember when you 1st committed your life to Christ – the joy and excitement you felt. How you were unafraid of what people thought of you? We cannot forget our first love (Revelations 2:2-5)
We were unafraid then, we need to be unafraid now and make the most out of the opportunities that are before us.
My small group has been going through Acts lately and the 1 thing that has stood out to me above all else is the fact that the believers made the most out of their opportunities:
- When the Holy Spirit came upon them all in Acts 2, people were saying that they were drunk and a bunch of idiots. But Peter got up there and shared the gospel with them all. What happened because he acted on his opportunity? 3,000 people were saved
- When a Blind beggar asked Peter and John for some money, Peter said, “I don’t have any money for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” (Acts 3:6) He took that opportunity and ran with it. What happened? Many people began asking questions about Jesus and wanted to know him.
God will bless us when we take the opportunities before us and run with them.
Why should we act on these opportunities? Because we are so in love with Christ that that love compels us to share about him.
We cannot forget our first love!
In order to be effective in reaching others for Christ, you have got to win yourself to Christ.
Application:
True or False: “You can only take others as far as you have allowed yourself to go in Christ.”
It’s true. We can’t take people past where they are if we haven’t allowed Christ to be that in our life.
So the question is - Is your faith worth imitating? (1 Corinthians 4:16)
We have got to take hold of our faith and win ourselves to Christ first and foremost before we can win others.
Let’s start imitating Christ and others that have gone on before us like Peter and Paul.
Let’s stay close to Christ, never forgetting our first love. Let’s fully commit to Christ ourselves so that we can win our friends to Him.
Write down 1 thing you are going to do this week to help win yourself more to Christ
Next to their name, write where they are at with Christ. Are they a Christian, not a Christian, a Christian who doesn’t live it out, etc.
Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Day in and day out, it is so ingrained in us to look out for you and you alone…no one else matters. You are the only that matters.
That view, however, is not God’s view. Time after time, Christ looked out for everyone else first. Just look at what He did on the cross. He didn’t do that for himself – who would? He did that for us!
However, in order for us to reach out to our friends and be a witness to them, we have to first win ourselves to Christ. We have got to be the person God desires us to be before we could ever lead anyone else to where God wants them to be.
How do you do that?
Think of it on these lines… In order to be great at sports or in a musical instrument what steps must be taken in order for that to happen?
You need to:
Get the right equipment
Get training & practice
Go out and perform
Scripture:
How do we win ourselves to Christ?
Get the Right Equipment:
Get a Bible (or open it), get a notebook and Staying close to Christ (Matthew 6:33)
Get Training and Practice:
Being in Community of Believers (Acts 2:42-47)
- You get training in practice in a community where you are taught and encouraged to do as others are. The 1st Church Community was the perfect example
- We have that opportunity here to be a Community of believers committed to Christ 1st then each other 2nd
- Look at the people around you. We are all here because we know people and desire to be with them.
Think of the impact you can have on each other’s lives by being committed to Christ 1st and each other 2nd. With Christ as our source of strength and each other to rely on, we could immeasurable things for Christ and for others.
Go out and Perform:
Remember when you 1st committed your life to Christ – the joy and excitement you felt. How you were unafraid of what people thought of you? We cannot forget our first love (Revelations 2:2-5)
We were unafraid then, we need to be unafraid now and make the most out of the opportunities that are before us.
My small group has been going through Acts lately and the 1 thing that has stood out to me above all else is the fact that the believers made the most out of their opportunities:
- When the Holy Spirit came upon them all in Acts 2, people were saying that they were drunk and a bunch of idiots. But Peter got up there and shared the gospel with them all. What happened because he acted on his opportunity? 3,000 people were saved
- When a Blind beggar asked Peter and John for some money, Peter said, “I don’t have any money for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” (Acts 3:6) He took that opportunity and ran with it. What happened? Many people began asking questions about Jesus and wanted to know him.
God will bless us when we take the opportunities before us and run with them.
Why should we act on these opportunities? Because we are so in love with Christ that that love compels us to share about him.
We cannot forget our first love!
In order to be effective in reaching others for Christ, you have got to win yourself to Christ.
Application:
True or False: “You can only take others as far as you have allowed yourself to go in Christ.”
It’s true. We can’t take people past where they are if we haven’t allowed Christ to be that in our life.
So the question is - Is your faith worth imitating? (1 Corinthians 4:16)
We have got to take hold of our faith and win ourselves to Christ first and foremost before we can win others.
Let’s start imitating Christ and others that have gone on before us like Peter and Paul.
Let’s stay close to Christ, never forgetting our first love. Let’s fully commit to Christ ourselves so that we can win our friends to Him.
Write down 1 thing you are going to do this week to help win yourself more to Christ
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Strength that Prevails
Right now, we are going to do a little Word Association game – What do you think of when I mention theses things?
- Superman
- Steel
- A Professional Weightlifter
What one characteristic do these all possess? They possess great strength.
I'm sure most of us have had moments in our life where we had to be strong and courageous in the midst of a tough time. Can you think of a time in your life in which you had to be strong – not physically strong, but emotionally and mentally?
Let's think back on what Christ went through 2 Fridays ago. It took peace to get to that place, but it must have taken tremendous strength to withstand the beating he got.
Remember the crown of thorns? Remember the whipping he got? Remember all the guards beating him and mocking him? Remember him carrying the cross? Remember the cross? The pain and suffering he went through had to be unbearable. I just watched the “Passion of the Christ” this past week and if you want to see true strength and determination, you need to watch it.
He took a beating! It had to take strength to go from 1 beat down to another and still not die until he finally said enough. It had to take strength to resist saying enough with all of this, and just walk away or even call down lightening and kill all those responsible.
Where do you think he got that strength from? Where can we get that kind of strength?
We can get it from God.
Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
What are the promises found here?
- Don’t fear, for I am with you
- Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God
- I will strengthen and help you
- I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
These are promises that God intents to fill. Remember God is always faithful and will always come through on his promise
So, then, what does this show us about the kind of relationship God desires with us?
- God desires to be in relation with us. He wants to give us strength in all situations.
- He wants to give us strength and help us – especially in those tough situations
- He wants us to know that we shouldn't worry or fear for he is with us
Challenge
So, what do yo do with this?
What is a situation(s) that you are in now that you could use God’s strength? Think of all that is going on around you – the good the bad. Where could you use some extra help?
Look at all the benefits there are to trusting him – he is with us, he is our God, he will strengthen us and help us, he will uphold us with his righteous hand.
Even if you think your situation is beyond help – know this: Philippians 4:13 – “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
- It doesn't say we can do somethings or most things.
- It says we can do all tings through Him who gives us strength
Nothing is beyond God's ability to help. He has strenght that will prevail!
If God’s strength and peace can get Jesus through his death…If God’s strength allowed Christ to rise again 3 days later…what do you think His strength can do for you?
I want you to think of 1 thing you can do this week in which you can tap into God's strength
Think of 1 way in which you can rely on Christ.
You can do it and you will benefit from it.
- Superman
- Steel
- A Professional Weightlifter
What one characteristic do these all possess? They possess great strength.
I'm sure most of us have had moments in our life where we had to be strong and courageous in the midst of a tough time. Can you think of a time in your life in which you had to be strong – not physically strong, but emotionally and mentally?
Let's think back on what Christ went through 2 Fridays ago. It took peace to get to that place, but it must have taken tremendous strength to withstand the beating he got.
Remember the crown of thorns? Remember the whipping he got? Remember all the guards beating him and mocking him? Remember him carrying the cross? Remember the cross? The pain and suffering he went through had to be unbearable. I just watched the “Passion of the Christ” this past week and if you want to see true strength and determination, you need to watch it.
He took a beating! It had to take strength to go from 1 beat down to another and still not die until he finally said enough. It had to take strength to resist saying enough with all of this, and just walk away or even call down lightening and kill all those responsible.
Where do you think he got that strength from? Where can we get that kind of strength?
We can get it from God.
Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
What are the promises found here?
- Don’t fear, for I am with you
- Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God
- I will strengthen and help you
- I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
These are promises that God intents to fill. Remember God is always faithful and will always come through on his promise
So, then, what does this show us about the kind of relationship God desires with us?
- God desires to be in relation with us. He wants to give us strength in all situations.
- He wants to give us strength and help us – especially in those tough situations
- He wants us to know that we shouldn't worry or fear for he is with us
Challenge
So, what do yo do with this?
What is a situation(s) that you are in now that you could use God’s strength? Think of all that is going on around you – the good the bad. Where could you use some extra help?
Look at all the benefits there are to trusting him – he is with us, he is our God, he will strengthen us and help us, he will uphold us with his righteous hand.
Even if you think your situation is beyond help – know this: Philippians 4:13 – “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
- It doesn't say we can do somethings or most things.
- It says we can do all tings through Him who gives us strength
Nothing is beyond God's ability to help. He has strenght that will prevail!
If God’s strength and peace can get Jesus through his death…If God’s strength allowed Christ to rise again 3 days later…what do you think His strength can do for you?
I want you to think of 1 thing you can do this week in which you can tap into God's strength
Think of 1 way in which you can rely on Christ.
You can do it and you will benefit from it.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Are we making the most of our Opportunities?
I have been going over Acts with my high school small group lately. It has been very encouraging seeing how the first church was formed and the leadership that Peter and the others have shown.
The main idea (in the beginning of the book) that keeps coming to me, especially with Good Friday and Easter here, is how these believers made the most out of their opportunities.
Read Acts 2:14-4:23
I know it is long passage, but ask yourself these questions:
1. What opportunities did the believers have to share about Christ?
2. What did they do about the opportunity they had?
3. What was the result?
I can identify at least 3 opportunities.
1. When the Holy Spirit came upon then.
2. When the crippled as for money
3. When the crowd gathered to see the healed crippled
Each time that an opportunity presented itself before the believers, someone stepped up and shared about Christ.
Challenge
So, what do you do with the opportunities that are there before you? Do they pass by with no action or do you seize the opportunity and present Christ?
I'm not saying that you have to get on your soapbox and share Christ with everyone in the halls. No - in fact, you probably don't want to do that. You may not get too many good responses.
What I am saying is that if you honestly look around you, you will see that there are many opportunities each day. If you are having trouble identifying them, ask God for help. He will show you opportunities. Then, it will be our job to act on those opportunities.
Back the the Acts passage. After Peter and the others acted on those opportunities, what was the result of their actions? Numbers were added! MORE PEOPLE BECAME BELIEVERS!
God will bless you and others when you act on the opportunities that are before you. I don't know about you, but I have spent too much time on the sidelines watching opportunities go by. This week, let's look for and act!
The main idea (in the beginning of the book) that keeps coming to me, especially with Good Friday and Easter here, is how these believers made the most out of their opportunities.
Read Acts 2:14-4:23
I know it is long passage, but ask yourself these questions:
1. What opportunities did the believers have to share about Christ?
2. What did they do about the opportunity they had?
3. What was the result?
I can identify at least 3 opportunities.
1. When the Holy Spirit came upon then.
2. When the crippled as for money
3. When the crowd gathered to see the healed crippled
Each time that an opportunity presented itself before the believers, someone stepped up and shared about Christ.
Challenge
So, what do you do with the opportunities that are there before you? Do they pass by with no action or do you seize the opportunity and present Christ?
I'm not saying that you have to get on your soapbox and share Christ with everyone in the halls. No - in fact, you probably don't want to do that. You may not get too many good responses.
What I am saying is that if you honestly look around you, you will see that there are many opportunities each day. If you are having trouble identifying them, ask God for help. He will show you opportunities. Then, it will be our job to act on those opportunities.
Back the the Acts passage. After Peter and the others acted on those opportunities, what was the result of their actions? Numbers were added! MORE PEOPLE BECAME BELIEVERS!
God will bless you and others when you act on the opportunities that are before you. I don't know about you, but I have spent too much time on the sidelines watching opportunities go by. This week, let's look for and act!
Monday, April 10, 2006
Where do you turn?
Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you faced an uncertain outcome or situation? Where you don’t know what is going to happen?
We all have stories of a time in which we had to face an situation where the outcome was uncertain. It can be scary at times and can be very challenging. Today, as we continue our series on Relying on Christ, we are going to look at how we can rely on Christ to give us the confidence and peace to get through all of life’s circumstances.
To best illustrate this, we are going to look at what Christ did when faced with a tough situation.
Read Matthew 20:17 – 19
- What does Jesus say here?
- What would you do, knowing that you were going to die once you got to a place?
So, knowing that he is going to die, what does he do?
Read Matthew 21:8-11
- What was Jesus doing?
- Why was he riding into Jerusalem? Wasn’t he going to die?
- Jesus answers that question a little later. Matthew 26:39 – “He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.”
Obviously, Jesus didn’t want to die. But He turned to God in the midst of this tough situation. Why did he do that?
- It says in 1 Peter 5:7 to – "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
Christ, in the midst of one of the toughest situations any person will ever have to go through, turns to God – His father – Our Father – for help. Why did he do this? Because of the truth found in the Bible that we should cast all our anxiety…all of our pain…all of our troubles on Him. Why? Because he cares for us. Because he cares for us, He will help us through the situation.
Challenge
So, what am I saying? That, in the midst of a great struggle, in the midst of doing something unthinkable (knowingly walk into a death trap), Jesus turned to God for guidance. He turned to Him and God gave Him peace.
So, my question for you is, where do you turn when life throws you a curveball? Where do you run to when things get tough? Do you turn to friends, family, substances, etc.? Forget tough situations, where do you turn to when you face any situation, good or bad?
Have you tried turning to God? Why or why not? After all, it says that we should cast all our anxiety on Him because he cares for us. So, if He cares for us, won’t he help you through it? I’m not saying God is going to whip out the Easy button for you, but he will help you through it.
So, again, where do you turn? What will it take for you to turn to God? Don’t let the situation get too out of hand before you turn to God, but know that God is faithful and desires to help.
This week, when you are facing decision after decision, situation after situation, let’s turn to God for guidance and see where he leads. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
We all have stories of a time in which we had to face an situation where the outcome was uncertain. It can be scary at times and can be very challenging. Today, as we continue our series on Relying on Christ, we are going to look at how we can rely on Christ to give us the confidence and peace to get through all of life’s circumstances.
To best illustrate this, we are going to look at what Christ did when faced with a tough situation.
Read Matthew 20:17 – 19
- What does Jesus say here?
- What would you do, knowing that you were going to die once you got to a place?
So, knowing that he is going to die, what does he do?
Read Matthew 21:8-11
- What was Jesus doing?
- Why was he riding into Jerusalem? Wasn’t he going to die?
- Jesus answers that question a little later. Matthew 26:39 – “He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.”
Obviously, Jesus didn’t want to die. But He turned to God in the midst of this tough situation. Why did he do that?
- It says in 1 Peter 5:7 to – "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
Christ, in the midst of one of the toughest situations any person will ever have to go through, turns to God – His father – Our Father – for help. Why did he do this? Because of the truth found in the Bible that we should cast all our anxiety…all of our pain…all of our troubles on Him. Why? Because he cares for us. Because he cares for us, He will help us through the situation.
Challenge
So, what am I saying? That, in the midst of a great struggle, in the midst of doing something unthinkable (knowingly walk into a death trap), Jesus turned to God for guidance. He turned to Him and God gave Him peace.
So, my question for you is, where do you turn when life throws you a curveball? Where do you run to when things get tough? Do you turn to friends, family, substances, etc.? Forget tough situations, where do you turn to when you face any situation, good or bad?
Have you tried turning to God? Why or why not? After all, it says that we should cast all our anxiety on Him because he cares for us. So, if He cares for us, won’t he help you through it? I’m not saying God is going to whip out the Easy button for you, but he will help you through it.
So, again, where do you turn? What will it take for you to turn to God? Don’t let the situation get too out of hand before you turn to God, but know that God is faithful and desires to help.
This week, when you are facing decision after decision, situation after situation, let’s turn to God for guidance and see where he leads. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Do you want what He is offering
What are some of the great debates of all time?
Now, what are some of the great debates about God?
Lastly, what are some of the great debates about the character of God (Who He is)?
These are so many that have been argued for centuries, and I’m sure there are many, many more that can be talked about for centuries to come.
Today, however, we are going to look at something that is undebateable – God’s desire to provide and bless us.
We will look at his desire to bless us, how we can be blessed and what that means for us. Let’s begin.
Romans 8:32 – “Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?”
He didn't even spare his own son for us, can you imagine what that mean? That means that there will be nothing that separates or stops His love from coming down on us.
Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
What is this telling us? It actually has 2 parts.
- The 1st part is that He will meet all our needs
- However, those needs that He will meet are closely tied to His son, Christ (the 2nd part). That, if we are in a relationship with Him, we will have those needs met. There is a reward in being in a relationship with Christ! He wants to bless us!
How do we get these blessings? Being in a relationship with Him!
John 15:7 - "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
Are needs are met by being in a relationship with Him.
Does that mean you won’t be blessed if you don’t have a relationship with Christ? No – people succeed all the time without Christ. HOWEVER, by staying close to Christ and by receiving his blessings, we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are headed down the right path.
Challenge
So, to sum up:
God wants to bless us
We get those blessings by being in a relationship with Him
Whether you realize it or not, we have a choice – rely on our resources and our means to achieve the end goal – which is the norm, or rely on Christ and his provisions and blessings to achieve the end goal. Which path will you take?
Remember what we talked about last week - Numbers 23:19 - "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"
God wants to, He seeks too and will bless us. The thing we have to ask ourselves is, do we want what he is offering?
Now, what are some of the great debates about God?
Lastly, what are some of the great debates about the character of God (Who He is)?
These are so many that have been argued for centuries, and I’m sure there are many, many more that can be talked about for centuries to come.
Today, however, we are going to look at something that is undebateable – God’s desire to provide and bless us.
We will look at his desire to bless us, how we can be blessed and what that means for us. Let’s begin.
Romans 8:32 – “Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?”
He didn't even spare his own son for us, can you imagine what that mean? That means that there will be nothing that separates or stops His love from coming down on us.
Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
What is this telling us? It actually has 2 parts.
- The 1st part is that He will meet all our needs
- However, those needs that He will meet are closely tied to His son, Christ (the 2nd part). That, if we are in a relationship with Him, we will have those needs met. There is a reward in being in a relationship with Christ! He wants to bless us!
How do we get these blessings? Being in a relationship with Him!
John 15:7 - "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
Are needs are met by being in a relationship with Him.
Does that mean you won’t be blessed if you don’t have a relationship with Christ? No – people succeed all the time without Christ. HOWEVER, by staying close to Christ and by receiving his blessings, we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are headed down the right path.
Challenge
So, to sum up:
God wants to bless us
We get those blessings by being in a relationship with Him
Whether you realize it or not, we have a choice – rely on our resources and our means to achieve the end goal – which is the norm, or rely on Christ and his provisions and blessings to achieve the end goal. Which path will you take?
Remember what we talked about last week - Numbers 23:19 - "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"
God wants to, He seeks too and will bless us. The thing we have to ask ourselves is, do we want what he is offering?
Monday, March 27, 2006
What does "the Notebook" have to do with God's Faithfulness?
Last week a friend of mine encouraged me to watch a particular movie. No, it wasn’t you encouraging me to watch “V for Vendetta”. It was my friend Will who encouraged me to watch “the Notebook”. I figure mostly girls would have seen it. After all, where there is no violence or sports involved in a movie, rarely will a man watch it…except, of course, if his girlfriend wants him too.
Anyways, he encouraged me to watch it so, on Wednesday, Anne and I rented it. Might I say, I was impressed. I liked it. I’m not ashamed to admit it.
For anyone who doesn’t know what it is, I’m going to show a clip, but I need to give some background info before I do.
Background:
- In the movie an older man is reading a love story to an older woman about Noah and Allie – no Brokeback Mountain here
- It is about a wealthy girl and a country boy who fight the odds and end up sharing a love unmatched anywhere else.
- As the man is reading this love story, it become clear that Allie, the older woman, has Alzheimer’s. However, the man is still unknown, but it is clear he is the husband.
- At one point in the movie, Allie and the man’s grown kids come and visit. Allie doesn’t recognize them. After Allie leaves, the grown children try to convince the man that he should come home – that mom doesn’t remember any of them anymore. The husband responds by saying, “That’s my sweetheart in there. I’m not leaving her. This is my home now. Your mother is my home.”
- He continues to stay by her and read this love story. It then becomes clear that the man is Noah when Allie all of a sudden remembers the story and recognizes the man as Noah. She only remembers him for a few minutes, but it is cherished by the both of them.
- Finally, we reach to the end of the movie where they reunite and eventually die together.
We are surrounded every day by faithfulness. However, most of the time it involves people being unfaithful – Look at Brad Pitt with Angelina Jolie or Jessica Simpson with the Maroon 5 singer.
However, this man was faithful everyday to come, visit his wife, in hopes that she would remember the love they shared. Again, my background doesn’t do justice to the love they shared or the heartbreak involved with having a loved one with Alzheimer’s. But he was faithful because of his love for her – her love for him.
This man represents the kind of faithfulness Christ demonstrates to us. He is there, sitting right next to us every day, sharing a love story in hopes that we will remember that kind of love we can have. Most of the time we don’t remember – we forget and go our own way – but He is still there sitting next to us.
What am I talking about when I say that God is faithful? What does that mean and is there any proof to His undying faithfulness to us?
Numbers 23:19 - "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"
- God is not like us! He’s not going to turn His back on us for some better looking model.
- He is there for us and his promises always ring true. Every time he makes a promise, he backs it up. He comes through. He is the clutchest of clutch hitters.
For example:
- The promise to Abraham that he will have a son
- The promise to Noah that he will never again flood the earth
So, God is faithful, but how do we benefit from that?
Lamentations 3:22-23 - "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (ESV)
- Not only is He faithful – standing by us always, it says that his LOVE never ceases! His mercies never come to an end – that they are new every morning
- It’s like every morning we have a clean slate! No matter what happened the day before, God is there ready to share more love and more mercies on us the very next day!
In the Bible it points out many times – but I’m only going to pull out a few instances in which God tells us his promises.
Matthew 7:7-8 - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
- Simple – if we ask, we will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. All this in reference to turning to God. He is there wanting to help. We have to take the initiative to ask, seek, and knock
Romans 8:39 - “Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- NOTHING will ever be able to separate us from the love of God! Who else can make a promise like that?
These are just a few of God’s promises that he is faithful to fulfill. There are many more in the Bible!
Challenge
So, the question now is – what will you do with God’s faithfulness?
Will you look at it and say, “those are nice promises – he seems like a pretty faithful guy.”, but not do anything with it. Or will you latch on to his faithfulness, latch on to those promises and say, “I need to stay close to this guy.”
Remember just what we talked about – how God’s promises are there for us and he provided. It says this in Psalm – Psalm 22:4-5 – “Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. You heard their cries for help and saved them. They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.”
They were never disappointed! Hey, life happens - people consistently let you down, turn their backs on you – remember, unfaithfulness is more the norm these days. But, you have God, who is sitting there, right next to you, ready to continue a love story that doesn’t have to end.
It is up to you! You have got to make a decision to tap into it or not. What will you do? Think of 1 thing you can do to tap into God’s faithfulness.
Anyways, he encouraged me to watch it so, on Wednesday, Anne and I rented it. Might I say, I was impressed. I liked it. I’m not ashamed to admit it.
For anyone who doesn’t know what it is, I’m going to show a clip, but I need to give some background info before I do.
Background:
- In the movie an older man is reading a love story to an older woman about Noah and Allie – no Brokeback Mountain here
- It is about a wealthy girl and a country boy who fight the odds and end up sharing a love unmatched anywhere else.
- As the man is reading this love story, it become clear that Allie, the older woman, has Alzheimer’s. However, the man is still unknown, but it is clear he is the husband.
- At one point in the movie, Allie and the man’s grown kids come and visit. Allie doesn’t recognize them. After Allie leaves, the grown children try to convince the man that he should come home – that mom doesn’t remember any of them anymore. The husband responds by saying, “That’s my sweetheart in there. I’m not leaving her. This is my home now. Your mother is my home.”
- He continues to stay by her and read this love story. It then becomes clear that the man is Noah when Allie all of a sudden remembers the story and recognizes the man as Noah. She only remembers him for a few minutes, but it is cherished by the both of them.
- Finally, we reach to the end of the movie where they reunite and eventually die together.
We are surrounded every day by faithfulness. However, most of the time it involves people being unfaithful – Look at Brad Pitt with Angelina Jolie or Jessica Simpson with the Maroon 5 singer.
However, this man was faithful everyday to come, visit his wife, in hopes that she would remember the love they shared. Again, my background doesn’t do justice to the love they shared or the heartbreak involved with having a loved one with Alzheimer’s. But he was faithful because of his love for her – her love for him.
This man represents the kind of faithfulness Christ demonstrates to us. He is there, sitting right next to us every day, sharing a love story in hopes that we will remember that kind of love we can have. Most of the time we don’t remember – we forget and go our own way – but He is still there sitting next to us.
What am I talking about when I say that God is faithful? What does that mean and is there any proof to His undying faithfulness to us?
Numbers 23:19 - "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"
- God is not like us! He’s not going to turn His back on us for some better looking model.
- He is there for us and his promises always ring true. Every time he makes a promise, he backs it up. He comes through. He is the clutchest of clutch hitters.
For example:
- The promise to Abraham that he will have a son
- The promise to Noah that he will never again flood the earth
So, God is faithful, but how do we benefit from that?
Lamentations 3:22-23 - "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (ESV)
- Not only is He faithful – standing by us always, it says that his LOVE never ceases! His mercies never come to an end – that they are new every morning
- It’s like every morning we have a clean slate! No matter what happened the day before, God is there ready to share more love and more mercies on us the very next day!
In the Bible it points out many times – but I’m only going to pull out a few instances in which God tells us his promises.
Matthew 7:7-8 - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
- Simple – if we ask, we will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. All this in reference to turning to God. He is there wanting to help. We have to take the initiative to ask, seek, and knock
Romans 8:39 - “Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- NOTHING will ever be able to separate us from the love of God! Who else can make a promise like that?
These are just a few of God’s promises that he is faithful to fulfill. There are many more in the Bible!
Challenge
So, the question now is – what will you do with God’s faithfulness?
Will you look at it and say, “those are nice promises – he seems like a pretty faithful guy.”, but not do anything with it. Or will you latch on to his faithfulness, latch on to those promises and say, “I need to stay close to this guy.”
Remember just what we talked about – how God’s promises are there for us and he provided. It says this in Psalm – Psalm 22:4-5 – “Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. You heard their cries for help and saved them. They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.”
They were never disappointed! Hey, life happens - people consistently let you down, turn their backs on you – remember, unfaithfulness is more the norm these days. But, you have God, who is sitting there, right next to you, ready to continue a love story that doesn’t have to end.
It is up to you! You have got to make a decision to tap into it or not. What will you do? Think of 1 thing you can do to tap into God’s faithfulness.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Relying on God's resources (not the worlds)
I want you to think for a minute of things that we can physically put into our body that can bring us harm?
Some things that I just randomly thought of were
Diet Coke has nutrasweet – it has been known to cause cancer
Sugar – too much of it can cause diabetes and it ruins teeth
Cigarettes – cause various forms of cancer
Alcohol – ruins your liver
All these things bring in harm to our bodies – especially when we have too much of it. Those are easy targets as to things that we inject in our bodies that can cause harm. What else, other than things that we physically “inject” into our lives that can bring us harm?
Well, how about these – when you hear a song on the radio - can that cause harm to you? Why or why not? What about when you watch your favorite Family Guy or OC episode. Can that cause harm to you? Why or why not?
Listen, I’m not picking on these shows, but I watched 90210 (the 1st OC) and I would argue yes, they do bring harm to you because of the messages they send you about how life should be lived and what you should do. They are small subtle messages involving pre-marital sex, dating, friendships, drinking, cigarette use, family life. You get a small dose here and another small dose there, you begin to believe that this lifestyle is right.
The point I’m trying to get across now is that the things we inject into our lives/our bodies shape who we are and what we do.
Over the next few weeks we are going to look at what God has to offer you compared to the world and how relying on His resources helps us have a better, more complete life.
The 1st resource we are going to look at is how to rely on God’s Spirit and how He alone can help you. Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about this.
1 Corinthians 3:16 – “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
2 things here:
1. We are God’s Temple
What does that mean?
Think of all the temples you know of. How do they look? Are they clean or dirty? Are they elegant or trashy?
All the temples ever create are these beautiful masterpieces built with the best materials, covered in marble and gold. Why are they created that way? It is to show honor and glory to God – it is a sacred institution and God deserves the best.
Well, in the same way, you are God’s temple – you are God’s sacred institution. You were perfectly created as you are and you need to treat yourself that way. By that I mean that you need to be careful what you put into your body as it can either give you life or cause harm to you. Because….
2. God’s spirit lives in you
Just like every temple dedicated to God, God’s spirit lives in us. He is there waiting to make an impact in our lives.
The question is…HOW DO YOU USE GOD’S SPIRIT and start living a better, more complete life?
We need to inject ourselves with some life giving resources
* Prayer - John 15:7 - "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
* Studying God’s word - Joshua 1:8 - "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
* Right Friendships. We surrounding ourselves with the right friends to sharpen us and push us towards Christ will only benefit us down the road. Proverbs 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend”
* Being Obedient to God’s plan Most of us know in our heart of hearts the right path to take. We just have to look beyond ourselves and make those right decisions and go down the right path. It takes obedience to God’s plan, knowing that He has the right way, not us.
Challenge
By putting these things in our body, God’s spirit will dwell in us and will help us through life. We will be putting the right things in our life to help us instead of all the destructive things we talked about earlier.
So, what are you putting in your life?
What part of God can you put into your life this week?
An activity for you to do - Write on a note card what life giving resource you can inject in your life as a reminder for the week so you can start building into a healthy lifestyle that brings honor to God’s temple
It is a difference between life and death. What you should have rather than what you are having now. Don’t get me wrong, your life may be “good” right now. But it can always be better. Better begins with tapping into the life giving resources of Christ.
Some things that I just randomly thought of were
Diet Coke has nutrasweet – it has been known to cause cancer
Sugar – too much of it can cause diabetes and it ruins teeth
Cigarettes – cause various forms of cancer
Alcohol – ruins your liver
All these things bring in harm to our bodies – especially when we have too much of it. Those are easy targets as to things that we inject in our bodies that can cause harm. What else, other than things that we physically “inject” into our lives that can bring us harm?
Well, how about these – when you hear a song on the radio - can that cause harm to you? Why or why not? What about when you watch your favorite Family Guy or OC episode. Can that cause harm to you? Why or why not?
Listen, I’m not picking on these shows, but I watched 90210 (the 1st OC) and I would argue yes, they do bring harm to you because of the messages they send you about how life should be lived and what you should do. They are small subtle messages involving pre-marital sex, dating, friendships, drinking, cigarette use, family life. You get a small dose here and another small dose there, you begin to believe that this lifestyle is right.
The point I’m trying to get across now is that the things we inject into our lives/our bodies shape who we are and what we do.
Over the next few weeks we are going to look at what God has to offer you compared to the world and how relying on His resources helps us have a better, more complete life.
The 1st resource we are going to look at is how to rely on God’s Spirit and how He alone can help you. Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about this.
1 Corinthians 3:16 – “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
2 things here:
1. We are God’s Temple
What does that mean?
Think of all the temples you know of. How do they look? Are they clean or dirty? Are they elegant or trashy?
All the temples ever create are these beautiful masterpieces built with the best materials, covered in marble and gold. Why are they created that way? It is to show honor and glory to God – it is a sacred institution and God deserves the best.
Well, in the same way, you are God’s temple – you are God’s sacred institution. You were perfectly created as you are and you need to treat yourself that way. By that I mean that you need to be careful what you put into your body as it can either give you life or cause harm to you. Because….
2. God’s spirit lives in you
Just like every temple dedicated to God, God’s spirit lives in us. He is there waiting to make an impact in our lives.
The question is…HOW DO YOU USE GOD’S SPIRIT and start living a better, more complete life?
We need to inject ourselves with some life giving resources
* Prayer - John 15:7 - "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
* Studying God’s word - Joshua 1:8 - "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
* Right Friendships. We surrounding ourselves with the right friends to sharpen us and push us towards Christ will only benefit us down the road. Proverbs 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend”
* Being Obedient to God’s plan Most of us know in our heart of hearts the right path to take. We just have to look beyond ourselves and make those right decisions and go down the right path. It takes obedience to God’s plan, knowing that He has the right way, not us.
Challenge
By putting these things in our body, God’s spirit will dwell in us and will help us through life. We will be putting the right things in our life to help us instead of all the destructive things we talked about earlier.
So, what are you putting in your life?
What part of God can you put into your life this week?
An activity for you to do - Write on a note card what life giving resource you can inject in your life as a reminder for the week so you can start building into a healthy lifestyle that brings honor to God’s temple
It is a difference between life and death. What you should have rather than what you are having now. Don’t get me wrong, your life may be “good” right now. But it can always be better. Better begins with tapping into the life giving resources of Christ.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
More to this Life than Living and Dying
This past week, my wife gave birth to our 3rd daughter, Ella. She is beautiful and everything that I could ever ask for.
Looking at Ella and the new life that she is, you can often get caught up in the moment and think – this is what life is about. She is so precious, innocent, delicate and a blessing from God – nothing else matters. However, eventually you grow up and you start going through the motions of life until you die – right?!? You go to school, hang out with your family and friends, go to college, get married, have kids of your own, help them through life and die. That’s how life is suppose to go, right?
No, there is more to this life than just living and dying – there is more to this life than just going through the motions – and as we wrap up our series on this, we are going to talk about how you can live your life more effective by doing 3 simple things.
The 1st thing you need to do is to make the Right choices
Sure, easy to say – make the right choice. But how do I know what is the right choice?
Read James 1:5 & 2 Timothy 2:22
There are 2 things here:
Ask God for wisdom and hw will give it to you
Pursue what is right & stay away from youthful lusts
· It says to pursue faith, love and peace
· Everything that we do should follow this
To make the right choices you have got to pursue faith, love, and peace. It is hard to stay away from youthful lusts – they all seem fun and “youthful”, but they lead to destruction.
The last thing in mentions in the 2 Timothy scripture is to enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. This leads perfectly into the 2nd
In order to live your life more effectively, you need to surround yourself with the Right friends
Read Proverbs 13:20
Who are wise people? People who make right choices
What are right choices? People who choose faith, love and peace
What friends are you surrounding yourself with?
It is as simple as that folks. Are your friends pursuing the faith, love and peace that is found in Christ alone?
We have got to be surrounding ourselves with people who are following Christ.
Let me just add – there are “Christian” people who have no intention on following and pursuing Christ. Make sure your friends are those who pursue Christ; who pursue faith, love and peace. You will be better off because of it.
Lastly, we need to make sure we are following the Right path
How do we know what the right path is?
Romans 12:2 – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” (NLT)
The right path is not copying what the world is doing – it is letting God transform you into a new person!That is what happens when we follow God – we become transformed into a new person!
When you allow God to work in your life – to transform your life – the right path is easy to know because you will be making the right choices and surrounding yourself with the right friends.
To be honest, most of us know now what the right path is. However, it is so hard to follow it because of all the things we “won’t be able to do”. However, don’t look at it through those lenses. Look at it as all that you will be able to gain. All the peace and certainty you will have in your heart knowing that you are doing what God designed you to do. By that I mean, God has a unique plan for all of your lives. Some it is to be an architect, others a movie star, some a stay at home mom, others an entrepreneur. Just because you are a “Christian” doesn’t mean you are going to be a missionary in Africa – although it might. Whatever God’s plan for you is, you can reach it by following the right path.
Challenge
So, to sum up – I want to challenge you:
What choices are you making?
What friends are you surrounding yourself with?
What path are you headed down?
There is more to this life than where you are now. You can become transformed in God.
So, to make better choices, to surround yourself with better friends and to go down the better path all starts with following Christ.
Where are you with Christ? What’s preventing you from following him? Why wouldn’t you follow him?
Know this - Philippians 4:13 – “For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.”
Nothing is too hard for you as long as you are with Christ! You can do this!
Looking at Ella and the new life that she is, you can often get caught up in the moment and think – this is what life is about. She is so precious, innocent, delicate and a blessing from God – nothing else matters. However, eventually you grow up and you start going through the motions of life until you die – right?!? You go to school, hang out with your family and friends, go to college, get married, have kids of your own, help them through life and die. That’s how life is suppose to go, right?
No, there is more to this life than just living and dying – there is more to this life than just going through the motions – and as we wrap up our series on this, we are going to talk about how you can live your life more effective by doing 3 simple things.
The 1st thing you need to do is to make the Right choices
Sure, easy to say – make the right choice. But how do I know what is the right choice?
Read James 1:5 & 2 Timothy 2:22
There are 2 things here:
Ask God for wisdom and hw will give it to you
Pursue what is right & stay away from youthful lusts
· It says to pursue faith, love and peace
· Everything that we do should follow this
To make the right choices you have got to pursue faith, love, and peace. It is hard to stay away from youthful lusts – they all seem fun and “youthful”, but they lead to destruction.
The last thing in mentions in the 2 Timothy scripture is to enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. This leads perfectly into the 2nd
In order to live your life more effectively, you need to surround yourself with the Right friends
Read Proverbs 13:20
Who are wise people? People who make right choices
What are right choices? People who choose faith, love and peace
What friends are you surrounding yourself with?
It is as simple as that folks. Are your friends pursuing the faith, love and peace that is found in Christ alone?
We have got to be surrounding ourselves with people who are following Christ.
Let me just add – there are “Christian” people who have no intention on following and pursuing Christ. Make sure your friends are those who pursue Christ; who pursue faith, love and peace. You will be better off because of it.
Lastly, we need to make sure we are following the Right path
How do we know what the right path is?
Romans 12:2 – “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” (NLT)
The right path is not copying what the world is doing – it is letting God transform you into a new person!That is what happens when we follow God – we become transformed into a new person!
When you allow God to work in your life – to transform your life – the right path is easy to know because you will be making the right choices and surrounding yourself with the right friends.
To be honest, most of us know now what the right path is. However, it is so hard to follow it because of all the things we “won’t be able to do”. However, don’t look at it through those lenses. Look at it as all that you will be able to gain. All the peace and certainty you will have in your heart knowing that you are doing what God designed you to do. By that I mean, God has a unique plan for all of your lives. Some it is to be an architect, others a movie star, some a stay at home mom, others an entrepreneur. Just because you are a “Christian” doesn’t mean you are going to be a missionary in Africa – although it might. Whatever God’s plan for you is, you can reach it by following the right path.
Challenge
So, to sum up – I want to challenge you:
What choices are you making?
What friends are you surrounding yourself with?
What path are you headed down?
There is more to this life than where you are now. You can become transformed in God.
So, to make better choices, to surround yourself with better friends and to go down the better path all starts with following Christ.
Where are you with Christ? What’s preventing you from following him? Why wouldn’t you follow him?
Know this - Philippians 4:13 – “For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.”
Nothing is too hard for you as long as you are with Christ! You can do this!
Thursday, March 02, 2006
More to Life than being Popular?!?
I was looking through my iTunes the other day and ran across a song that I listened to years ago in my college years. As I was listening to this song – reminiscing of all my great college years exploits, I couldn’t help but think about what this song was actually saying. So, I thought it would be good to ask you all to play it and see if you all can identify with this theme and if it is true of you and people in your school.
Download and play “Popular” by Nada Surf
This is the world’s view of how to be popular. Being popular is so important in today’s middle school and high school. There is so much pressure on you all to look a certain way, hang with the right people and be the coolest person you can be. I don’t care what kind of social circles you run in, no one wants to be excluded or not accepted. No one wants to look like the fool amongst all the students. We all desire to be popular in some way.
In looking at being popular, I wonder if there is more to this life than being just popular. I think there is and it is found in how God views us and others.
Often times, when we view ourselves, we are our own worst critic. We see things that others will not and really judge ourselves too harshly. However, despite our perfections or imperfections, it is good to see God’s perspective on this whole matter.
Our view of ourselves
Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT)
We are all God’s “MASTERPIECE”
God doesn’t make a mistake – we were designed as we are; for a purpose
Romans 8:38-39 – “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. 39Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Translation: we are loved!
I don’t care what you look like or what you have done – God created you to be who you are and loves you all the same.
Our view of others
Now that you know how God views each and every one of us individually, what does God say about how we should treat others?
Matthew 22:36-40 - “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Christ was asked what the greatest commandment is. Basically, he was asked, if I could follow 1 thing and 1 thing only, what would it be. His response is two-fold:
1. Love God
2. Love others as you would yourselves
He raps it up by saying that everything hinges on those 2 commandments.
So basically, if you aren’t loving God and aren’t loving people – you are missing the point. Loving others is so important – everything else is based on this! If it is so important, we need to do it and treat others as God would.
Another section in the Bible talks about this as well. I’m not going to post it because it is a long story, but here is the gist of it.
Matthew 25:31-46
Christ returns and divides the group up into 2. One group he says, come with me because, I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick or in prison and you visited me. He said, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
To the other group, he told them to depart from him for they never took care of the least of them. For he said, “whatever you did not do for the least of these, you id not do for me.”
Who are the least of these that you come into contact with? How do you treat them?
In many ways, the way you treat them is the way you would treat Christ
So how does this apply to popularity? How do you treat others around you? Are you so tied up with hanging with the “cool” crowd and the “winners” that you make fun of, neglect, or down right insult others? That is not God’s intent and it needs not to be ours.
Challenge
Remember, because God views us as loved (not one person isn’t loved); because we are God’s masterpiece - we need to view others they same way! Just because the way they dress or act is different from us, does not mean that we should or even can make fun of them. We are all loved by God and judged by God. We do not have that right to judge others.
Christ died for us all – not just you certain people. It doesn’t matter who they are, what they do, we are all God’s workmanship.
Live this week with this mindset: YOU ARE GOD'S MASTERPIECE & LOVE OTHERS AS CHRIST DOES!
Can you imagine the difference you can have in someone’s life by treating them with love and appreciating who they are for who they are? Let’s take the mindset of Christ!
Download and play “Popular” by Nada Surf
This is the world’s view of how to be popular. Being popular is so important in today’s middle school and high school. There is so much pressure on you all to look a certain way, hang with the right people and be the coolest person you can be. I don’t care what kind of social circles you run in, no one wants to be excluded or not accepted. No one wants to look like the fool amongst all the students. We all desire to be popular in some way.
In looking at being popular, I wonder if there is more to this life than being just popular. I think there is and it is found in how God views us and others.
Often times, when we view ourselves, we are our own worst critic. We see things that others will not and really judge ourselves too harshly. However, despite our perfections or imperfections, it is good to see God’s perspective on this whole matter.
Our view of ourselves
Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT)
We are all God’s “MASTERPIECE”
God doesn’t make a mistake – we were designed as we are; for a purpose
Romans 8:38-39 – “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. 39Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Translation: we are loved!
I don’t care what you look like or what you have done – God created you to be who you are and loves you all the same.
Our view of others
Now that you know how God views each and every one of us individually, what does God say about how we should treat others?
Matthew 22:36-40 - “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Christ was asked what the greatest commandment is. Basically, he was asked, if I could follow 1 thing and 1 thing only, what would it be. His response is two-fold:
1. Love God
2. Love others as you would yourselves
He raps it up by saying that everything hinges on those 2 commandments.
So basically, if you aren’t loving God and aren’t loving people – you are missing the point. Loving others is so important – everything else is based on this! If it is so important, we need to do it and treat others as God would.
Another section in the Bible talks about this as well. I’m not going to post it because it is a long story, but here is the gist of it.
Matthew 25:31-46
Christ returns and divides the group up into 2. One group he says, come with me because, I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick or in prison and you visited me. He said, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
To the other group, he told them to depart from him for they never took care of the least of them. For he said, “whatever you did not do for the least of these, you id not do for me.”
Who are the least of these that you come into contact with? How do you treat them?
In many ways, the way you treat them is the way you would treat Christ
So how does this apply to popularity? How do you treat others around you? Are you so tied up with hanging with the “cool” crowd and the “winners” that you make fun of, neglect, or down right insult others? That is not God’s intent and it needs not to be ours.
Challenge
Remember, because God views us as loved (not one person isn’t loved); because we are God’s masterpiece - we need to view others they same way! Just because the way they dress or act is different from us, does not mean that we should or even can make fun of them. We are all loved by God and judged by God. We do not have that right to judge others.
Christ died for us all – not just you certain people. It doesn’t matter who they are, what they do, we are all God’s workmanship.
Live this week with this mindset: YOU ARE GOD'S MASTERPIECE & LOVE OTHERS AS CHRIST DOES!
Can you imagine the difference you can have in someone’s life by treating them with love and appreciating who they are for who they are? Let’s take the mindset of Christ!
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Praying
Who likes to read? What types of books do you like to read?
The books I like to read are those “How to” or biography books. I’ve never been big on fictions or any other kind of book because they offer me nothing - I'd rather watch a movie. “How to” or biography books give me directions on how to do something that I never knew how to do before. Biography books help me see the real person of someone I looked up too or admired. It is the True Hollywood Story of these people.
Today, we are going to hear from Jesus the “how to” of prayer. If I were to ask you to raise your hands if you know “how to” pray, would you raise your hand? You don’t need to, but I’d be curious to see who knows how to pray. Today, you will find out exactly “how to” pray.
Read Matthew 6:5-15
Two keys here:
1. Don’t be showy. Pray for the right reasons, not to put on a show
Why can’t we be showy? Isn’t it good to let others know how good we are at prayer or that we are fasting for a good reason? In v. 6-8, it says to go in a secret place to pray and don’t babble on in your public prayer, or even in your prayer time alone because God already knows what you are going to ask.
Is Jesus saying public prayer is bad? No, public prayer happens all the time. Jesus is criticizing the guy who prays forever about nothing, just to give off the image that he is such a good prayer.
Why should you pray in secret? Although it is great to pray in a public setting, it is also necessary to pray by yourself. It is important that you have that individual time with God in which you can be honest with Him and share your thoughts and concerns. It is also a chance for God to speak to you and reveal things to you then. If you don’t allow God a chance to speak to you, then you are missing out on some pretty important things he could desire to share with you.
Christ tells you how to pray
One thing that I have found out through time is that a lot of people do not know how to pray. Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you this…it is not rocket science. In fact, Christ has given us a diagram on how to pray.
- Give honor and glory to God (v. 9). Why do this? Because he is our creator and he is worthy of honor and glory
- Ask for God’s will to be done, not ours (v. 10). Why do this? We are selfish people aren’t we? I’m not saying this in a bad way, but we really do look out for ourselves in what we do, don’t we? Well, by praying that God’s will, not ours, be done, we are asking for his way, not our way be done. We are admitting that it is really he, not us in control and that we want to be apart of his way.
- Provide for us (v. 11). Why do this? Why not? Why wouldn’t you pray that He helps us and provide for us? He is the God of all and can do all.
- Forgive as God forgave you…if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven (v.12)
Once again, Christ is the model here. Christ says to forgive as He has forgiven us.
However, Christ says if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven! Imagine that. You will be forgiven as you forgive others. Important step here. How willing are you to forgive others?
- Help us resist temptation (v. 13). Why do this? Hey, believe it or not, there are things in this world that are not good for us, but look awful good by their appearance. Temptations are different for each person, but the results are the same…they often lead to consequences for your actions. Hey, but throwing up because you had too much to drink is fun…having to raise a child at a very young age is easy and what you really wanted when you decided to go for it all…having gained an additional 20 pounds because of your binge eating looks good. Christ is there, in the midst of it all ready to help (Hebrews 2:18)
As I tell you all this about how you should pray, I want you to know that this is not a magic formula, that you have got to pray these things in this order for it to work. However, what I will say is that this is a guide and a help for you in what you should pray for when you pray.
What is missing is that in prayer, there has got to be a time when you listen. A time that all you do is just sit there and give God a chance to talk to you. All prayer is a conversation between you and God. If you do all the talking, there isn’t much conversing going on. You have got to allow God to talk to you. It is only then that he will be able to help you.
Challenge
So, today, whether you are at home hanging out or when you are in bed trying to fall asleep, try praying as Christ modeled. Again, nothing showy, just a little heart to heart with God. He has given you an example, try just praying that for a while. Then, as you feel more comfortable, make it more personal. Why wouldn’t you?
The books I like to read are those “How to” or biography books. I’ve never been big on fictions or any other kind of book because they offer me nothing - I'd rather watch a movie. “How to” or biography books give me directions on how to do something that I never knew how to do before. Biography books help me see the real person of someone I looked up too or admired. It is the True Hollywood Story of these people.
Today, we are going to hear from Jesus the “how to” of prayer. If I were to ask you to raise your hands if you know “how to” pray, would you raise your hand? You don’t need to, but I’d be curious to see who knows how to pray. Today, you will find out exactly “how to” pray.
Read Matthew 6:5-15
Two keys here:
1. Don’t be showy. Pray for the right reasons, not to put on a show
Why can’t we be showy? Isn’t it good to let others know how good we are at prayer or that we are fasting for a good reason? In v. 6-8, it says to go in a secret place to pray and don’t babble on in your public prayer, or even in your prayer time alone because God already knows what you are going to ask.
Is Jesus saying public prayer is bad? No, public prayer happens all the time. Jesus is criticizing the guy who prays forever about nothing, just to give off the image that he is such a good prayer.
Why should you pray in secret? Although it is great to pray in a public setting, it is also necessary to pray by yourself. It is important that you have that individual time with God in which you can be honest with Him and share your thoughts and concerns. It is also a chance for God to speak to you and reveal things to you then. If you don’t allow God a chance to speak to you, then you are missing out on some pretty important things he could desire to share with you.
Christ tells you how to pray
One thing that I have found out through time is that a lot of people do not know how to pray. Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you this…it is not rocket science. In fact, Christ has given us a diagram on how to pray.
- Give honor and glory to God (v. 9). Why do this? Because he is our creator and he is worthy of honor and glory
- Ask for God’s will to be done, not ours (v. 10). Why do this? We are selfish people aren’t we? I’m not saying this in a bad way, but we really do look out for ourselves in what we do, don’t we? Well, by praying that God’s will, not ours, be done, we are asking for his way, not our way be done. We are admitting that it is really he, not us in control and that we want to be apart of his way.
- Provide for us (v. 11). Why do this? Why not? Why wouldn’t you pray that He helps us and provide for us? He is the God of all and can do all.
- Forgive as God forgave you…if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven (v.12)
Once again, Christ is the model here. Christ says to forgive as He has forgiven us.
However, Christ says if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven! Imagine that. You will be forgiven as you forgive others. Important step here. How willing are you to forgive others?
- Help us resist temptation (v. 13). Why do this? Hey, believe it or not, there are things in this world that are not good for us, but look awful good by their appearance. Temptations are different for each person, but the results are the same…they often lead to consequences for your actions. Hey, but throwing up because you had too much to drink is fun…having to raise a child at a very young age is easy and what you really wanted when you decided to go for it all…having gained an additional 20 pounds because of your binge eating looks good. Christ is there, in the midst of it all ready to help (Hebrews 2:18)
As I tell you all this about how you should pray, I want you to know that this is not a magic formula, that you have got to pray these things in this order for it to work. However, what I will say is that this is a guide and a help for you in what you should pray for when you pray.
What is missing is that in prayer, there has got to be a time when you listen. A time that all you do is just sit there and give God a chance to talk to you. All prayer is a conversation between you and God. If you do all the talking, there isn’t much conversing going on. You have got to allow God to talk to you. It is only then that he will be able to help you.
Challenge
So, today, whether you are at home hanging out or when you are in bed trying to fall asleep, try praying as Christ modeled. Again, nothing showy, just a little heart to heart with God. He has given you an example, try just praying that for a while. Then, as you feel more comfortable, make it more personal. Why wouldn’t you?
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Living a life without Regret
Have you ever regretted something you said or did?
I’ve regretted a few things that I have said before. For instance, there was this girl in middle school named Donna. I was your typical middle school boy – annoying and stupid – and I thought it would be fun to sing her name in order to make fun of her. It was that song, “Donna” by Richie Valines. It was popular once again back in the late 80s because of a movie. Anyways, I so annoyed her that one day, when I least expected it, she turned around, kicked up her leg and racked me! That’s right, right in the middle of the locker room. I was down for the count and done for many minutes. Do you think I regretted what I said? You bet.
On a more serious note, we are going to focus on Living a life without regrets. We are going to look at living a life without regret and how can you possibly take back something you might have said or done.
So, starting out: How do you live without regret?
1. Be wise in your actions
In order to be wise with the decisions you make, it might be good to know what actions are appropriate or not.
Read Galatians 5:19-21
- Do your actions produce these results? If you are involved with these things or are involved with people that do these things, I think it is safe to say that you are not headed down the right path. I’m not being critical here, but let’s just look at some of these. What could be positive about:
· Sexual immorality or orgies. Sure it seems like fun, but what is fun about getting an STD or pregnant? I know some of you are real daredevils, but do you really want to tempt fate? I know we are living a life to the extreme, but that is a little too extreme, don’t you think?
· Outbursts of anger. Listen, I struggle with my anger, but what is good about getting so mad you punch a hole in the wall or break something?
· Lastly, drunkenness. What good could become of this? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that you wake up not knowing what just happened the night before? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that your judgments go out the window and you may have gone too far with a girl/boy you hardly knew? Do you think it is fun to get drunk that you spend half your night throwing up and the next day with a crazy hangover?
I’m not trying to over-spiritualize this talk boys and girls – most of this is just good old common sense. To live without regret, we have to avoid these things. Not because you shouldn’t have fun, but because of the consequences that you are messing with. Believe me, there are other ways we can have fun with far less serious consequences.
2. Be wise in your words
We’ve all heard of the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but….” (Let students finish). Could that statement be any further from the truth? Words have a tremendous impact on people and us. Well, if we are going to live without regret, we have to choose our words wisely. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about it.
Read Proverbs 12:18 and 15:1, 4
How many people find these sayings to be true? I definitely do – every time I respond to someone in anger and say something harsh, the response I get back is typically harsh. However, when I respond in kindness and love, the conversation usually has a more positive tone.
Look at the consequences of lashing out
· It stirs up anger and crushes the spirit
Look at the benefits of responding in kindness and in love.
· Brings healing, life and health; it turns away wrath
What if you have so much regret now? What can you do?
As much as you may not want to admit it, was have all made mistakes and I’m sure that there is something we all wish we could take back. Whether it is something you said to your friends, your parents or you siblings or whether it is something you did, we all wish we could take it back.
Unfortunately, that is impossible. We can not take back what we said or did. However, we can do 2 things to help give us some peace:
o Go and Ask forgiveness
Whether they forgive you or not, you have asked for it and express your sincere apology. You have done your part and you can move on.
o Begin anew
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 8:1-11
· This girl probably did something she regretted – either she was married and having an affair or she was having an a
· What was Jesus’ response to her? “Go and sin no more.”
Challenge
That is my challenge to you all this week and from here on out – Go and sin no more. Take Christ’s challenge of having life and life to the full in him – live a regret free life by being wise with your actions and your words. You see, when we have a relationship with Christ, we don’t have to care about what others do or say to us – we can respond in love because we know that no matter what Christ loves you and is with you. By having this attitude, you can save yourself and others a lot of restless nights wondering what might have been.
I’ve regretted a few things that I have said before. For instance, there was this girl in middle school named Donna. I was your typical middle school boy – annoying and stupid – and I thought it would be fun to sing her name in order to make fun of her. It was that song, “Donna” by Richie Valines. It was popular once again back in the late 80s because of a movie. Anyways, I so annoyed her that one day, when I least expected it, she turned around, kicked up her leg and racked me! That’s right, right in the middle of the locker room. I was down for the count and done for many minutes. Do you think I regretted what I said? You bet.
On a more serious note, we are going to focus on Living a life without regrets. We are going to look at living a life without regret and how can you possibly take back something you might have said or done.
So, starting out: How do you live without regret?
1. Be wise in your actions
In order to be wise with the decisions you make, it might be good to know what actions are appropriate or not.
Read Galatians 5:19-21
- Do your actions produce these results? If you are involved with these things or are involved with people that do these things, I think it is safe to say that you are not headed down the right path. I’m not being critical here, but let’s just look at some of these. What could be positive about:
· Sexual immorality or orgies. Sure it seems like fun, but what is fun about getting an STD or pregnant? I know some of you are real daredevils, but do you really want to tempt fate? I know we are living a life to the extreme, but that is a little too extreme, don’t you think?
· Outbursts of anger. Listen, I struggle with my anger, but what is good about getting so mad you punch a hole in the wall or break something?
· Lastly, drunkenness. What good could become of this? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that you wake up not knowing what just happened the night before? Do you think it is fun to get so drunk that your judgments go out the window and you may have gone too far with a girl/boy you hardly knew? Do you think it is fun to get drunk that you spend half your night throwing up and the next day with a crazy hangover?
I’m not trying to over-spiritualize this talk boys and girls – most of this is just good old common sense. To live without regret, we have to avoid these things. Not because you shouldn’t have fun, but because of the consequences that you are messing with. Believe me, there are other ways we can have fun with far less serious consequences.
2. Be wise in your words
We’ve all heard of the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but….” (Let students finish). Could that statement be any further from the truth? Words have a tremendous impact on people and us. Well, if we are going to live without regret, we have to choose our words wisely. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about it.
Read Proverbs 12:18 and 15:1, 4
How many people find these sayings to be true? I definitely do – every time I respond to someone in anger and say something harsh, the response I get back is typically harsh. However, when I respond in kindness and love, the conversation usually has a more positive tone.
Look at the consequences of lashing out
· It stirs up anger and crushes the spirit
Look at the benefits of responding in kindness and in love.
· Brings healing, life and health; it turns away wrath
What if you have so much regret now? What can you do?
As much as you may not want to admit it, was have all made mistakes and I’m sure that there is something we all wish we could take back. Whether it is something you said to your friends, your parents or you siblings or whether it is something you did, we all wish we could take it back.
Unfortunately, that is impossible. We can not take back what we said or did. However, we can do 2 things to help give us some peace:
o Go and Ask forgiveness
Whether they forgive you or not, you have asked for it and express your sincere apology. You have done your part and you can move on.
o Begin anew
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 8:1-11
· This girl probably did something she regretted – either she was married and having an affair or she was having an a
· What was Jesus’ response to her? “Go and sin no more.”
Challenge
That is my challenge to you all this week and from here on out – Go and sin no more. Take Christ’s challenge of having life and life to the full in him – live a regret free life by being wise with your actions and your words. You see, when we have a relationship with Christ, we don’t have to care about what others do or say to us – we can respond in love because we know that no matter what Christ loves you and is with you. By having this attitude, you can save yourself and others a lot of restless nights wondering what might have been.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Witnessing - is it for you?
When I say witnessing, what do you think of?
When I say testimony, what do you think of?
Do you need a testimony to witness?
So often, we think we need a written testimony in order to properly witness to others. Althought that is very help and I strongly encourage you to write down your own testimony for the proper time, you do not need a written testimony to witness. Our testimony is our life change that God made in us. I believe that it is more of our actions than our words. We can all get up and share what God has done in our lives, but, I believe it is more of a witness/testimony when someone sees the life change in us day in and day out.
Today, we are going to talk about Christ's commandment to witness to others and how you can effectly witness to others without a written testimony - how your life in Christ can be an impact to others.
Read Acts 1:8
If you look at it in a map, Christ said this in or around Jerusalem. So He was telling them to witness to the closest group of people they know (people in Jerusalem). Then he told them to witness to Judea which was the region in which they lived in. Then He told them to witness to all of Samaria which was the outward reaches of the region. So, His model was to witness to those closest to you, those that you are associated with and then those who are out there, further out.
If we were to relate what Christ is telling them to what he could be telling us, I believe that he is telling us to be witnesses in:
Jerusalem: close friends
Judea: your school
All Samaria: the world
Let’s break this down a little bit deeper.
Jerusalem: Close Friends
The single closest mission field we have in front of us (besides our family) are our friends. They are the ones we hang out with the most. However, despite this closeness, our friends are a mission field we rarely tap into. Here are a few questions to think about in rating how you are doing with your non-christian friends:
One last way to minister and witness to the world is by doing service and mission opportunities. How does doing service and mission opportunities allow you to witness to others? Through our deeds. On service projects and mission trips, we have a unique opportunity to go to another place and help people in need. By doing this, we win the right to share with them why us NOVA people would help others. We win the right to share with them the impact that Christ has made in our lives, in hope that they would come to know Him as well.
A bunch of students and leaders at my Church had the opportunity to help a single mom move apartments last spring. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, as it took most of the day, and many of them sacrificed their “day off” to do this.
Well, because of their sacrifice, this family saw the love of Christ demonstrated. You see, a woman in our Church has been working with this woman and her kids for quite some time and has been telling her about Christ. However, it wasn’t into this past spring in which she actually got to see the love of Christ demonstrated in a great magnitude. In fact, for the past few months, she has been coming to our Church regularly - hearing about Christ.
What an impact you all made on this mother!
Challenge
Even without a written testimony, your life testimony can have a huge impact on others. I have outlined 3 different Groups that we can share Christ. Our friends, our schools and the world.
Christ gives us a plan, a strategy to reach others for Christ. Now, we have to go and do it.
Step out in faith and Christ will bless what you do. Maybe not immediately, but Christ will bless your efforts.
Read Philippians 4:13 - Christ can empower all of us to share our faith with others - with or without a written testimony.
When I say testimony, what do you think of?
Do you need a testimony to witness?
So often, we think we need a written testimony in order to properly witness to others. Althought that is very help and I strongly encourage you to write down your own testimony for the proper time, you do not need a written testimony to witness. Our testimony is our life change that God made in us. I believe that it is more of our actions than our words. We can all get up and share what God has done in our lives, but, I believe it is more of a witness/testimony when someone sees the life change in us day in and day out.
Today, we are going to talk about Christ's commandment to witness to others and how you can effectly witness to others without a written testimony - how your life in Christ can be an impact to others.
Read Acts 1:8
If you look at it in a map, Christ said this in or around Jerusalem. So He was telling them to witness to the closest group of people they know (people in Jerusalem). Then he told them to witness to Judea which was the region in which they lived in. Then He told them to witness to all of Samaria which was the outward reaches of the region. So, His model was to witness to those closest to you, those that you are associated with and then those who are out there, further out.
If we were to relate what Christ is telling them to what he could be telling us, I believe that he is telling us to be witnesses in:
Jerusalem: close friends
Judea: your school
All Samaria: the world
Let’s break this down a little bit deeper.
Jerusalem: Close Friends
The single closest mission field we have in front of us (besides our family) are our friends. They are the ones we hang out with the most. However, despite this closeness, our friends are a mission field we rarely tap into. Here are a few questions to think about in rating how you are doing with your non-christian friends:
1. What do you all talk about?
2. Why not talk about Christ? If they aren't Christians, they might be challenged to look deeper into who Christ is. If your friends are Christians, you might be able to hold each other accountable to living your life for Christ. Either way, it is a win, win.
3. Do your close friends even know that you believe in Christ? Why or why not?
4. What are you afraid of? Rejection? If they are your friends, won't they still be your friend even if you talk about Christ?
If your close friends don’t even know that you believe in Christ, how can you expect to share Christ with complete strangers? We need to put our trust solely on God to ask Him to give us opportunities to share our faith and to give us the words to say when those opportunities present themselves to us. God will not leave you high and dry. (Isaiah 41:10)
Judea: Your School
If I were to see you down the hall at your school…see you live your life, do the things you do at school and with your “school” friends, would I be able to tell there was something different about you?
What I’m asking is, Is Christ revealed in everything you do or are you no different than the average Joe in the halls?
If we are going to make an impact in your school, in your community, you need to be different than the average Joe. Why be like everyone else?
John 13:34-35
It says for us to love one another. By the way we love others (treat them, respond to them, etc), others will know that we are Christ’s disciples.
The way you treat people can make all the difference in the world. Wouldn’t it be great to be remembered in your school as a person who treats people right…never degrading or picking on people. Not because you’re this “Ned Flanders” guy who thinks the world is hunky dory, but because Christ has made a life-changing impact on you. Think of the impact you can have one others through that.
One last way to minister and witness to the world is by doing service and mission opportunities. How does doing service and mission opportunities allow you to witness to others? Through our deeds. On service projects and mission trips, we have a unique opportunity to go to another place and help people in need. By doing this, we win the right to share with them why us NOVA people would help others. We win the right to share with them the impact that Christ has made in our lives, in hope that they would come to know Him as well.
A bunch of students and leaders at my Church had the opportunity to help a single mom move apartments last spring. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, as it took most of the day, and many of them sacrificed their “day off” to do this.
Well, because of their sacrifice, this family saw the love of Christ demonstrated. You see, a woman in our Church has been working with this woman and her kids for quite some time and has been telling her about Christ. However, it wasn’t into this past spring in which she actually got to see the love of Christ demonstrated in a great magnitude. In fact, for the past few months, she has been coming to our Church regularly - hearing about Christ.
What an impact you all made on this mother!
Challenge
Even without a written testimony, your life testimony can have a huge impact on others. I have outlined 3 different Groups that we can share Christ. Our friends, our schools and the world.
Christ gives us a plan, a strategy to reach others for Christ. Now, we have to go and do it.
Step out in faith and Christ will bless what you do. Maybe not immediately, but Christ will bless your efforts.
Read Philippians 4:13 - Christ can empower all of us to share our faith with others - with or without a written testimony.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Better than the Super Bowl?
With the Super Bowl tonight, it brings to mind many of the great Super Bowls in History.
· Super Bowl 6: Cowboys rushed for 252 yards and held Dolphins to under 200 yards total offense. Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3
· Super Bowl 12: Cowboys 27, Broncos 10
· Super Bowl 27: Who can forget the Cowboys forcing 9 turnovers from the Bills? Aikman had 4 TDs! Cowboys 52, Bills 17
· Super Bowl 28: Emmitt rushing for over 100 yards and 2 TDs as he single handedly beat the Bills. Cowboys 30, Bills 13
· Super Bowl 30: Larry Brown picking off Neil O’Donnell for a TD score! Cowboys 27, Steelers 17
Oh yeah, did I tell you I was a Cowboy's Fan?
Today we are going to talk about another super moment. However, this moment is different from all those other Super Bowl ones. In fact, it is different from any other moment in history. It is the most defying moment in all of history. It has changed history and can personally change your life.
Let me share it w/you.
Read Luke 23:13-46
This, my friends is the greatest single moment in all of history! Forget about all the great sports moments or civil rights moments or even the war moments - don't get me wrong, they are all great and important moments in the history of this world. The only thing that can compare is the Easter Sunday…when Christ rose from the dead.
Why is the death of someone a great moment? Because 1 person saved us from death! He saved us from present and eternal death.
How?
You see, because of this barrier between us and God, we can never have a full and complete life. This barrier arose when we decided that we know how to live our life better than God, the creator of the world and us. When he died, the wall that separated us from a relationship with God is gone! Now, because of Christ we can have life...present and eternal life.
He took the burden of our sin and pain upon him so that we wouldn’t have to experience that pain. He made it possible for us to have life and life to the full.
It’s kind of like a Rocky Movie. It is Christ vs. the Sin Wall the prevents us from having a relationship with God. Christ took the beating for us. Then, after he took the beating, he came back with a fierce assault and destroyed that wall to claim the prize for us…a relationship with Christ.
Bad analogy, but you get the point. This, by far, is the greatest victory ever.
Challenge
So, how does this affect you?
Someone took the punches for you…someone took the pain for you…someone died for you. How do you respond?
The way I see it, you have 3 different ways to respond:
Go on with your life. Think to yourself, that was a good story, but my life doesn’t really need any help right now. I’m fine where you are.
· My question to that is, are you really fine? Are things really going good enough that you don’t need any help? Well, what happens when things don’t go so well? Where are you going to turn then? Know that God/Jesus are there for you. However, it is in your best interest not to wait.
Be changed and begin a relationship with Christ
· As I’ve said earlier, Christ desires to lead you through life so that you can live life to the full. We can have that, but developing a relationship with Christ and have him lead us.
Recommit your life to Christ
· You may have already given your life to Christ, but have fallen away from living the way God intended. Well now is your chance to re-up with Christ. Now you have a chance to start over and begin all over.
Either way you choose to go is fine. Do not feel pressured to do any of the ones I just mentioned. You have to do what you are comfortable with, but I will say that having life and life to the full is God’s desire for you (John 10:10). You can have that with Christ by your side. Will you walk along side of him?
· Super Bowl 6: Cowboys rushed for 252 yards and held Dolphins to under 200 yards total offense. Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3
· Super Bowl 12: Cowboys 27, Broncos 10
· Super Bowl 27: Who can forget the Cowboys forcing 9 turnovers from the Bills? Aikman had 4 TDs! Cowboys 52, Bills 17
· Super Bowl 28: Emmitt rushing for over 100 yards and 2 TDs as he single handedly beat the Bills. Cowboys 30, Bills 13
· Super Bowl 30: Larry Brown picking off Neil O’Donnell for a TD score! Cowboys 27, Steelers 17
Oh yeah, did I tell you I was a Cowboy's Fan?
Today we are going to talk about another super moment. However, this moment is different from all those other Super Bowl ones. In fact, it is different from any other moment in history. It is the most defying moment in all of history. It has changed history and can personally change your life.
Let me share it w/you.
Read Luke 23:13-46
This, my friends is the greatest single moment in all of history! Forget about all the great sports moments or civil rights moments or even the war moments - don't get me wrong, they are all great and important moments in the history of this world. The only thing that can compare is the Easter Sunday…when Christ rose from the dead.
Why is the death of someone a great moment? Because 1 person saved us from death! He saved us from present and eternal death.
How?
You see, because of this barrier between us and God, we can never have a full and complete life. This barrier arose when we decided that we know how to live our life better than God, the creator of the world and us. When he died, the wall that separated us from a relationship with God is gone! Now, because of Christ we can have life...present and eternal life.
He took the burden of our sin and pain upon him so that we wouldn’t have to experience that pain. He made it possible for us to have life and life to the full.
It’s kind of like a Rocky Movie. It is Christ vs. the Sin Wall the prevents us from having a relationship with God. Christ took the beating for us. Then, after he took the beating, he came back with a fierce assault and destroyed that wall to claim the prize for us…a relationship with Christ.
Bad analogy, but you get the point. This, by far, is the greatest victory ever.
Challenge
So, how does this affect you?
Someone took the punches for you…someone took the pain for you…someone died for you. How do you respond?
The way I see it, you have 3 different ways to respond:
Go on with your life. Think to yourself, that was a good story, but my life doesn’t really need any help right now. I’m fine where you are.
· My question to that is, are you really fine? Are things really going good enough that you don’t need any help? Well, what happens when things don’t go so well? Where are you going to turn then? Know that God/Jesus are there for you. However, it is in your best interest not to wait.
Be changed and begin a relationship with Christ
· As I’ve said earlier, Christ desires to lead you through life so that you can live life to the full. We can have that, but developing a relationship with Christ and have him lead us.
Recommit your life to Christ
· You may have already given your life to Christ, but have fallen away from living the way God intended. Well now is your chance to re-up with Christ. Now you have a chance to start over and begin all over.
Either way you choose to go is fine. Do not feel pressured to do any of the ones I just mentioned. You have to do what you are comfortable with, but I will say that having life and life to the full is God’s desire for you (John 10:10). You can have that with Christ by your side. Will you walk along side of him?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
