Devotions for Teens

[Soldier4Christ]

American Idolater

I think it's official now- if not obvious at the very least. We are living in one of the most affluent cultures in the history of the world. Americans these days love to saunter in their sumptuous surroundings and luxuriate in our lavish lifestyles. And why not? We work hard. Scrimp and save. Plan and produce. So what's the big deal?

In a word: deception. Somewhere along the way we have believed the lie that possessions can make us happy. When that happens, we become nothing short of idolaters who worship at the shrine of shekels. We bow to the almighty dollar instead of the Almighty Himself.

Am I telling you how to spend your money? No... that's pretty much between you and God. But remember that He had more than a few things to say about the subject. Let's review a few of those insights- shall we?

Looking at his disciples, Jesus said:

    "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who "have it all' to enter God's kingdom?" The disciples couldn't believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: "You can't imagine how difficult. I'd say it's easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for the rich to get into God's kingdom." (Mark 10:23-25)

    So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? (Luke 16:11)

    You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both. (Matthew 6:24)

    Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. (I Timothy 6:10)

And that's just a few. Did you know that the Bible has 500 verses about prayer, close to 500 verses that deal with faith, and over 2,000 verses that deal with how we acquire our money and possessions?

Perhaps now is a good time to re-evaluate your priorities, and especially how big a role bucks play in your view of happiness and fulfillment.

To help with that process, here is a great story that will help get you started:

    The Rich Family in Church
    By Eddie Ogan

    I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12, and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.

    By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.

    When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us babysat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three pot holders to sell for $1.

    We made $20 on pot holders. That month was one of the best of our lives.

    Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.

    The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change.

    We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before.

    That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering.

    We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet.

    But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt rich.

    When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids put in a $20.

    As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills.

    Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night.

    We had two knifes that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor.

    That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed--I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor!

    I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time. We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way.

    Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week.

    Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.

    When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."

    Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100."

    We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on I've never been poor again. I've always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus!

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sky is Falling



    When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history and no sign of the end." (Luke 21:9)

Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? If it has been awhile since you heard this telling tale before you were tucked in, let me give you a brief rundown.

So there's this bird named Chicken Little, and one day an acorn falls on her head. She is then convinced that the sky itself is falling, so in a panicked rush she alarms a number of her friends (Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, etc.) and converts them into 'sky falling' doomsters. They are all on there way to tell the King about the whole deal, when they meet up with Foxy Loxy. For those of you playing along, you are probably aware that foxes don't exactly qualify as vegetarians- thus he sees a nice chance to get a nice meal with leftovers to boot. So he volunteers to "show" the foolish fowls where the King resides. But just kidding! He actually leads them to his cave where he apparently enjoys a bird banquet.

Moral? Well, there's quite a few here. I guess the main one would be "don't be a moron", but there is another relative application given the current world situation.

Yes, we are at war. Yes, it is terrible and awful when these things happen- but take care not to think that the 'sky is falling'. So what does a Chicken Little look like?

    * Constant worry over the world situation
    * Constant attention to the media coverage of the war- to the neglect of everyday responsibilities (like loving your neighbor and spending time in God's word)
    * Constant and needless disputes with people over the "rightness" or "wrongness" of the war (when you could have been praying for peace!)

Remember as well that there is a real "foxy loxy" out there who is looking to eat your lunch. His name is Satan, and he would love to get you distressed and distracted from the task at hand: Operation Sinner Freedom. As long as we are glued to the tube and wringing our hands in worry, we won't be very effective in sharing the gospel with our friends and family.

Jesus had a message for Chicken Little over 2000 years ago:

    "When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history and no sign of the end." (Luke 21:9)

Catch that? "Routine history" says the One who holds "everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels--everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment." (Colossians 1:15-17)

So if you feel like a little acorn just dropped on your head- remember a little acronym that has helped me many times over:

    G (God)
    I (is)
    I (in)
    C (control)

Simple? Yep...but also true- and maybe just the reminder you need so that you don't end up in the cave with foxy loxy.

[Soldier4Christ]

Look!



    When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. (Luke 23:48-49)

A little girl named Faith, 3, went to Good Friday services. That night she prayed,

    "Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the Cross. And thank You we didn't have to watch!"

I can certainly understand where Faith is coming from...viewing The Passion of the Christ was bad enough- I don't think I could have taken the real thing. Watching my innocent Jesus suffer and die like a common thief and thrown into a borrowed grave. Knowing that if I even lifted a finger to help, I would be cut down by a Roman sword and be dead in an instant- yet dying on the inside as each drop of blood spilled to the ground in front of a weeping, mocking, indifferent crowd. Yes, I'm also glad that I didn't have to watch.

But then there were those who "knew Him", and even though every shred of their being was pulling them away from the scene of the crime of all crimes, they "stood at a distance, watching these things" (Luke 23:49).

How would my life be different if I was there? How would yours? We'd like to believe that we have an idea of what happened on Good Friday- but motion pictures, plays, and paintings don't even come close to what it must have been like that unbearable day. Imagine your worst horror, your most frightening nightmare, and your deepest loss all combined together in the space of 6 long hours. Multiply that times infinity as you look into the suffering eyes of the loving Savior. Would you ever doubt His word or His ways again? Could you even conceive of betraying the One who hung in your rightful place? It's easy to live a wishy-washy faith when you are basing it on a story and a holiday- it's quite a different matter if you had been a part of the crowd that witnessed the unjust death of the Lord of life.

Nearly 300 years ago, a song writer named Isaac Watts attempted to capture in writing what people saw on Good Friday. Slowly meditate on his words below, and try to picture in your mind the scene he portrays and connect emotionally with what he felt:

    When I survey the wondrous cross
    On which the Prince of glory died,
    My richest gain I count but loss
    And pour contempt on all my pride.
    Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
    Save in the death of Christ, my Lord;
    All the vain things that charm me most
    I sacrifice them to His blood.
    See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
    Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
    Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
    Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
    Were the whole realm of nature mine,
    That were a present far too small;
    Love so amazing, so divine,
    Demands my soul, my life, my all.

This weekend could change you forever...this weekend should change you forever! Jesus died and came back from the dead for you- questions?

Perhaps you need a good survey of the wondrous cross to bring your life back into proper perspective. The celebration of Easter Sunday takes on a whole new significance when you spend meaningful time considering what happened on Friday. I don't wish you a happy Easter, I wish you a transforming Easter.

Grieve at the loss of your Savior, then joy at the grief.

[Soldier4Christ]

Imagine the Magi

I'e heard this a few times in various versions, but the basic idea is the same:

    "One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

In other words, it is pretty crazy to continue the same behaviors, attitudes, actions, etc., and then hope that circumstances will somehow change for the better.

They won't.

So why then do we think that each year Christmas will be great, yet end up with a certain level of disappointment on December 26th? Probably because we are still doing the same thing over and over again each year, expecting different results. Then we blame 'Christmastime', like it was the calendar's fault or something, and nothing ever seems to change.

It's enough to drive anyone crazy. So are you ready to break free from Yuletide insanity?

There was a group of people who 'got' Christmas, and if we follow their pattern- I can just about guarantee that a great holiday time will be had by all.

This band of unbelieving brothers had been waiting for the first Christmas for a very long time. The rumor about the King of all Kings coming to earth had been circulating for hundreds of years, so when the gossip turned into gospel truth, you better believe these folks were ready to hit the trail.

I'm talking about the Magi who came to visit the newborn Jesus- and here is their story:

    Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him." Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. "Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?" he asked them.

    "In Bethlehem," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:

    `O Bethlehem of Judah,
    you are not just a lowly village in Judah,
    for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'"

    Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star. Then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!"

    After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. (Matthew 2:1-12 NLT)

Some versions of the Bible call these persons "wise men" or "scholars", but make no mistake about it: the Magi were not a bunch of nerdy bookworms who had nothing better to do than take a trip across the desert to offload some strange gifts. Let me help you understand them using a modern analogy:

Magi = Jedi

That's right- these guys were bad to the bone. They knew history, science, astrology, medicine, you name it. I doubt they had light sabers, but I'm sure they carried very cool walking sticks.

Their order had been informed by the prophet Daniel hundreds of years ago that one day a star would appear and take them to the newborn Ruler of the universe. Go figure- they paid attention! So one night, a brand new star appears in a strange place, and the Magi are out the door.

Back for a minute to our original problem with Christmas. It can be summed up in a single word: expectations. We build up this holiday in our minds to the point that the smallest issue blows the whole deal up. We want a white Christmas, the perfect gifts, the family to get along (even though they haven't for the other 364 days of the year- but maybe for just one day?), and a certain mystical magical merry mood to simply overtake our emotions.

I imagine the Magi had built up some expectations for that day as well. They were going to meet the King of Kings- so in their mind there would be media coverage, a huge parade, a blowout party at the palace, and enough Jesus souvenirs to fill a small eastern nation.

Then they got there, and found a mother and her baby...end of story.

By all human standards, they should have been completely bummed. After all, they had traveled a massive distance, brought some incredible gifts, and expected to see a royal procession.

Yet instead, they were filled with joy, and fell down on their knees worshipping Christ the Lord.

Their Christmas was completely unforgettable because they took their eyes off the circumstances and put them square onto the Savior.

So what if everything didn't go as planned- they were in the presence of Jesus...does anything else matter?

No, it doesn't. It may not be a white Christmas, people may be impossible, lines will be long and the presents might be one step above a lump of coal. It doesn't matter folks- you are called to worship the Lord of all and give Him the gift of yourself.

So spend a little time each day getting away from the crowds and closer to the King. Worship Him with music, writing, prayer, and even in silence.

You want a better Christmas season this year? Let go of what you can't control, and imagine being a Magi. It won't change circumstances, but it will change the results that you have experienced year after year.

[Soldier4Christ]

The First Star Trek

Now it's the week after Christmas, and all through the nation, not many people are stirring because we're still on vacation. The presents have all been ripped open with little care with the hope that the garbage man soon will be there.

Sometimes the week after Christmas can be a letdown. All the excitement has waned, and most of us have had enough holiday music and turkey to last quite a while. Could it be that our enthusiasm towards the birth of the King of Kings has died down a bit as well? If so, I propose we take a lesson from some pagan astrologers who lived at the time of Jesus' birth.

    After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:9-12)

These are the famous 'wise men' that we all have heard about. Let me fill you in on a couple facts that might surprise you:

    * The wise men weren't three kings; they were more like psychic stargazers
    * There were more than three of them
    * They weren't followers of God
    * They weren't there on Christmas night

Oh, it's o.k. to sing "We Three Kings" and put their cool looking statues at the nativity scene, but let's not miss the point. The Persian astrologers came to Jerusalem to pay tribute to a newborn King that they had read about 'in the stars'. When they pulled into Jerusalem, their 'Santa Sleigh' was so loaded down with gifts that the King of Israel took notice. Of course, he was a little bummed when he discovered that the presents weren't for him, and the astrologers were surprised that he didn't even know what they were talking about. Eventually, they made their way to Bethlehem, and the rest is Biblical history.

Isn't it interesting that this took place several weeks after Christ was born? These guys weren't caught up in the holiday partying; they were serious worshipers who knew that they were in the presence of the High King of Heaven. Isn't it also remarkable that those we least expect to honor Jesus may worship him, and those we least expect to oppose him may seek his death?

As we head into the last week of the year, all of us should make a 'post-Christmas' spiritual journey and continue to worship our Savior with great joy. Bring your heart, soul, mind and strength as gifts to the Messiah on a daily basis. Most importantly, remember that if a bunch of pagan astrologers recognized the significance of the birth of Christ, how much more should we? Take some time to read the story of our Lord, and make some contacts with people who desperately need the message of the gospel. By doing that, you will 'wrap up' your Christmas season in the best way possible.

[Soldier4Christ]

Wimpy Worship?



    But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9)

It seems that there has been quite a move over the past few years towards more 'authentic' worship. Yet if I were to ask you to define worship, what would you say? Can you worship without emotion, or can you worship without thought? Is worship a feeling, an attitude, an intellectual/spiritual focus, or some combination of all three?

God must be very concerned about this topic, because it is mentioned in Scripture well over 200 times! Throughout the Bible, adoration of the living God is a common theme of extreme importance. In fact, one of the reasons God saved us in the first place was to establish a "worship team" that would perform for eternity. (see I Peter 2:9).

As we enter into this season of remembering the death of the Savior, it becomes crucial to have an accurate understanding of what it means to truly worship God. These days, it seems that there are as many different styles of praising God as there are denominations and groups- so where do we start?

There is one passage from the Old Testament that should be well thought through by anyone who seeks to bring adulation to the Lord. The text is Isaiah 29:13- notice carefully what God says:

    And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote."

If you want to come back to the "heart of worship", you must begin with the "heart of you". On the outside, people may see you bow your head, raise your hands, dance in the aisles, or shout to the Lord- but all that is putrid pretense to Christ if your heart is in the wrong place.

To have your heart in the right place and truly worship God is to meet at least three conditions. Go ahead- give these three a try, and see if your duty to glorify God becomes an authentic experience.
Condition one: Show up!

The Bible knows nothing of a lone ranger Christian. If your times of praising God are confined to your closet, you're missing the point. Our attendance at church symbolizes our thankfulness and commitment to God. Take time to prepare yourself and be on time for the most important part of the service.
Condition two: Make up!

    "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24)

Too often we forget that there is a key horizontal aspect to praising God. You cannot simultaneously offer praise to God and harbor bitterness towards another. Don't go to church and play sweet on the outside when you are sour on the inside- that's called worshiping in bad taste.
Condition three: Look up!

Pay attention to the focus of your heart and mind. Don't worry if the band is off-key, the vocals are flat, or the guy next to you who has too much cologne. The enemy wants to distract you from bringing honorable praise to God, because authentic worship is an amazingly transforming process. If Satan can divert you from turning your eyes upon Jesus, he has already won the battle for the week. Believe me, spiritual warfare is going on inside the walls of the church every bit as much as it is on the outside. The devil knows what worship is more than we do, so he is incredibly effective in getting our focus off the glory of God and on to our petty problems.

This weekend, make it your prayer and your purpose to go to church with the singular focus of being a true worshiper- He'll be glad you did!

[Soldier4Christ]

Italian Birth

I love Italian food. I love Italian music. I love the language. I'd love to be an Italian. But I never will be. I wasn't born an Italian. I could change my hair, learn the language, and even sing operas, but no amount of Italian performance would change my identity. To be Italian, I'd have to be born Italian.

And so it is as children of God. Birth determines who we are, and in Christ we are re-born with a new identity. Our old identity as a sinner is crucified and we are made righteous, accepted, and holy. This is true even if we don't always act like it. Living the Christian life is both knowing and doing. When you know who you are in Christ, you can act like that person by tapping Christ as your source.

[Soldier4Christ]

General Patton

As General George Patton watched his tank divisions conquer the brilliant German commander, Irwin Rommel, he screamed across the desert at his fleeing foe, "I read your book!" Patton knew Rommel's tactics before the battle began, giving him the advantage. In our war against the enemy, if we rely upon our own ingenuity, Satan will win the day. He knows that apart from Christ we can do nothing. Because it is through Christ we reject our flesh and live victoriously.

Our security is in Him, and alongside other Believers. It is here we know that our Father loves us, and that we are not alone in the fight of faith.

[Soldier4Christ]

A Father's Love

A 9 year-old boy I know was taking a walk with his dad. Right in the middle of a discussion about frogs, he stopped, looked up and said "Dad, I love you." His dad said, "Why do you love me so much?" The boy replied, "Because I know how much you love me." Why do you love God? Is it because you're supposed to, ought to, or have to? Maybe it's because you're trying to get God to love you back? Boy, have I got great news for you: Your heavenly Father's love is not a love that is based upon your performance. It's based upon who He is...and He is love...perfect love.

A 9 year-old boy I know was taking a walk with his dad. Right in the middle of a discussion about frogs, he stopped, looked up and said "Dad, I love you." His dad said, "Why do you love me so much?" The boy replied, "Because I know how much you love me." Why do you love God? Is it because you're supposed to, ought to, or have to? Maybe it's because you're trying to get God to love you back? Boy, have I got great news for you: Your heavenly Father's love is not a love that is based upon your performance. It's based upon who He is...and He is love...perfect love.

[Soldier4Christ]

Hanging Out With Heroes

I recently met with a group of veterans who participated in the D-Day invasion. They loved being together, not just to tell war stories, but because men of proven character like to spend time with others who are faithful.

Is it possible that God wants to spend time with people who, like Him, have proven themselves to be faithful? I believe He does. As you grow in godly character, you'll appreciate the friendship between you and God.

Like those veterans, we have an opportunity to prove our character every day. Stand firm, and as you do, know that your heavenly Father is proud to call you His friend.

[Soldier4Christ]

Cody

I was plowing with an old tractor in a Kentucky bean field. Cody rode beside me, 12 years old and desperate. His dad bailed out on the family ... and took with him the blessing of manhood he was supposed to bestow on Cody.

Seeing a man up close is how masculinity is acquired, and it begins as a father passes on life's lessons. Cody's teaching was cut short, and that's why I was there; filling in. Men were built to ride together, and share a legacy dating back to creation.

Perhaps you're like Cody and never received a blessing from your dad. Did you know your Heavenly Father stands ready to bless you as a man? Through Jesus, even those who've missed their blessing can find all they need in Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Corner Post

It was a hot Texas day, but my buddy and I knew if we didn't get the corner post set that afternoon, building a fence tomorrow would be out of the question. You know, building a fence is like most things-preparation and attention to detail are essential. But above all, to have a strong fence the corner post has to be firmly anchored.

A man is a lot like a corner post. If he's not anchored securely he will give way to pressure, and then insecurity takes root. But when a man is firmly anchored, he becomes a benchmark and dependable standard. Like the corner post, a man can be a stabilizing pillar, but only if he's firmly established in Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

Being different this school year.


  1 Peter 1:14-16 "As obedient children, not fashioning(comforming) yourselves according to(after) the former lusts(sinful fleshly desires) in your ignorance: But as he which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation( manner of conduct or daily life); Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. "

  S ummer is coming to a screeching halt and the new school year is about to blast off. The Camps, mission trips, vacations, youth conferences, VBS and other events of the summer are written in the history book entitled, "The exciting summer of an average teen" The public pools will be closing soon, the weather will be changing and some of you will be changing to Junior High and or High School. With all of the changes taking place so quickly, will you chance?

  When we are away from the peer-pressures and the daily stresses of school life, it is easy to be who we really are, "holy or set apart" children of God. If indeed that is who you really are. But lets be honest with ourselves, when we get back into the "swing of things" it becomes much more difficult to be holy or set apart in all manner of our daily lives: our speech, our music, our clothes, our church attendance and our personal quiet time with the Lord. The same God we served and were on fire for this summer, is the same God that we serve this coming school year right? If he is the same God, then shouldn't we be the same child of God?

  The Apostle Peter is writing to encourage some of his brothers and sisters, who were suffering persecution from the world for being Christians. He reminded them that the same God they served when things were going good is the same God they served when things weren’t going to good. He says “Look guys!” "Don't run back to the old sorry way you were before you got saved, but God has called you and he is holy and set apart from the world and you should be too!"

  I know when we think of the word “Holy”, we think of a monk sitting in a monastery somewhere on the other side of the world on his knees praying for eight hours. But to be holy simply means to be different or set apart from the world and set apart to Christ. Now being like Jesus in a world that is anything but like Jesus takes sacrifice. You will not always be the one with the little group around you, the one chosen first for sports or Mrs. this or Mr. that in the yearbook; but you will be something in the kingdom of God and someone at your school may get saved because you were holy in all manner of daily life. Think about it, is popularity more important than seeing your lost friends and peers find what you found in Jesus?

  I encourage you to stand for God and be a lighthouse, even if it means standing alone. One lighthouse is all it takes to send out a light to countless passing ships and keep them from disaster and all it takes is for one lighthouse to quit shining the light for passing ships to suffer disaster.

[Soldier4Christ]

IT IS A MATTER OF THE HEART

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye
therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of, before ye ask him," MAT 6:7-8.

The Lord Jesus is using our text to show us the contrast between the
hypocrite and the true believer. That contrast is the emphasis, the
central theme, of the entire Sermon on the Mount. We must be able to
sort out and examine the differences between the hypocrite and the true
believer in our own heart. Jesus says, "And when thou prayest, thou
shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen
of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly," MAT 6:5-6.

Our text begins, "But when ye pray..." Prayer is a personal thing; Jesus
is showing us the contrast between acceptable prayer and the prayer of
the hypocrite. "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the
heathen do..." Isn't this what the Pharisees did? They used vain
repetitions. Jesus shows us the contrast between Godliness and hypocrisy
in our own hearts. The seed of hypocrisy lies deep in the heart of man
by nature.

The Lord Jesus is not showing a contrast between us and the hypocrites
as though we are the holy ones and the Pharisees are the hypocrites.
That is not the lesson. He teaches us how to sort out the hypocrisy of
our own heart. Then he says, "But when ye pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen [or hypocrites] do." He shows us how we must
weigh ourselves in the balances. God wants sincerity, holiness, and
Godliness in prayer.

Matthew 18 shows our need to examine our heart. V:1 says, "At the same
time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven?" Do you see that leaven of the Pharisees? It was in
the heart of the disciples of Christ; that leaven of the Pharisees, that
puffing up, that self- exaltation was in there by nature. That is the
root of our fallen nature. The disciples asked, "Who is the greatest...?
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of
them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven," MAT 18:2-3.

Until you are changed and converted, until the leaven, the hypocrisy of
the Pharisees is purged out, and you "become as little children, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Jesus is saying you cannot
enter into God's service under the Kingship of Christ as long as that
hypocrisy still reigns in your heart.

We must become converted. Jesus teaches us how you and I must become
converted from a proud, self-exalting hypocrite to a believer with a
childlike faith and true humility. We must come seeking God's will with
all of our heart and soul before we can serve in His Kingdom.

We find in JOH 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my
word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
Everlasting life does not begin after our death. Everlasting life begins
in this life; it must become ours in this life. "He that heareth my
word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath [not shall have]
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life."

The Lord Jesus teaches us that the things of death no longer have their
clutches on us. That is the same message we read in EPH 2:1-2, "And you
hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. [You see, death
no longer has us in its clutches. Oh, it is so precious the way this
unfolds.] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience."

Verse 3 continues, "Among whom also we all [The Apostle Paul is
including himself] had our conversation in times past..." When we speak
of our conversation, we are talking about that which traffics the mind,
that which proceeds from the heart; where the conversation is, the heart
is there also. We have to understand this when we pray. "But when ye
pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that
they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like
unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before
ye ask him."

Jesus shows us what the true spirit of prayer is when we pray; it is the
spirit of Godliness. The principle taught here is that our private
prayers to God are to be kept private; our heart communicates with the
Lord in private, not boasting before men. That is the same principle the
Lord teaches in MAT 18:1 when the disciples were striving to see who
would be the greatest.

In LUK 18:11-12 Jesus said, "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with
himself..." The Pharisee stood before the men, the temple, and  the men
of the world. He went on to boast and exalt himself saying, "God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give
tithes of all that I possess." This example shows what is displeasing to
God; it is ungodliness. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

STILLING THE WAVES

"Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves
thereof arise, thou stillest them," PSA 89:9.

God's poor, tried, tempest-tossed, weather-beaten, exercised
children understand the raging of the sea and the blessed calm
when their God stills those waves. The hymn writer spoke their
heart's desire saying:

The billows swell, the winds are high,
Clouds overcast my wintry sky;
Out of the depths to thee I call,
My fears are great, my strength is small.

O Lord, the pilot's part perform,
And guide and guard me through the storm;
Defend me from each threatening ill,
Control the waves, say, 'Peace be still.'

Dangers of every shape and name,
Attend the followers of the Lamb,
Who leave this world's deceitful shore,
But leave it to return no more.

When the Holy Spirit works grace in the soul, He sets that soul
out to sea in his journey of spiritual life. Those will turn
their backs on the sins and vanities of this world, "to return no
more."

As their spiritual travail becomes genuine, they begin to
understand what the apostle said in EPH 6:12, "We wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places."

Our text shows how the Psalmist learned God's sovereignty in both
sending and controlling every trial. "Thou rulest the raging of
the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them." We
learn God's preserving care in His school of affliction where He
manifests His mercy in the deep waters of tribulation.

The calmed sea has its blessings of peace. HEB 12:11 says, "Now
no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Oh, beloved, what peace there is when our faith's eye is fixed
upon our blessed Peace Maker, who made peace by "the blood of His
cross". It was through His righteousness and sacrifice that He
stilled the lightening and thundering of Mount Sinai for His
people. Oh, what peace He obtained for His bride!

Now the Spirit speaks to the heart of the anxious soul, "Peace,
be still," when He gives us faith to see that Jesus is with us on
this boisterous sea, MAR 4:37-41.

The lions will not tear,
The billows cannot heave,
The furnace shall not singe thy hair,
Till Jesus gives them leave.

There is no shelter from the storm of God's wrath against sin
except in the sacrifice and righteousness of our blessed
substitute. EPH 2:8-10 says, "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of
works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them."

The apostle John said in 1JO 4:10-11, "Herein is love, not that
we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation [i.e., the appeasing of God's wrath] for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
Amen.