Devotions for Teens

[Soldier4Christ]

  "Praising the Lord"

Psalm 113

“Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the
Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From
the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to
be praised. The Lord is exalted above all nations, His glory above the
heavens.   Who is like the Lord our God the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor
from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with
princes, the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in
her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord. “

As servants of the Lord it is our mission to praise the Lord. But what
is praise? You know when you see a really pretty girl, or a really cute guy,
or when you go do something with your friends and have a blast? Do you talk
about how much fun you had or how pretty that girl was? Of course! In
Genesis12:10-20 the Pharaoh's servants praised Sarai because she was so
beautiful. Notice the word praise. When you see something you like or do
something fun you talk about it! That's praising! The servants say Sarai and
she was so beautiful that they talked and talked about her beauty until
Pharaoh himself wanted to see her beauty. Wow! That's praising something!
The psalmist wrote that forevermore we will have something to praise
the Lord about.  We have so many things to praise the Lord for! Our family,
friends, roof over our head, food, and the computer that you are on right
now are just a few things! Are you praising God?

Last year some of my friends and myself went to a Christian camp and had
a blast! When we got back we couldn't stop talking about how much fun we
had, that's praise. How come we don't praise God like that? Do you talk
about God in your everyday conversation?  If not then we have a problem! You
can talk about how much fun you had yesterday but you can't talk about how
much God has changed your life?

As servants of the Lord it is our mission to praise Him. If we don't
praise Him in front of others then are we really praising Him for
everything? Is your "coolness" more important the praising God?
I hope not! ~~~

[Soldier4Christ]

  "Remember the spikes....."


Luke 22:33 “When they came to the place called The Skull, there they
crucified Him and  the criminals, one on the right and the other on the
left.” (NASB)


It never fails.  It is always something that happens every time that I go
to town.   It happened again this morning.  I am going to have to learn to
just plan on it.  The train came through as I was trying to get to the
store.  Humph!    As sure as the sun rises in the west, it never fails in
my town,  the train comes through every time that I want to get somewhere.  Sometimes, I wait only a few minutes while at other times,  I have to wait what seems like an eternity.   Maybe, you have the same problem in the town where you live. 

Sometimes it is an annoyance, but as the train went through this morning,
I began to think about all of the pressure that must be on the tracks
while the train is coming through and what they use to build them.  The
massive ties, the weight of the steel, and the length of the spikes. 

As I was sitting there this morning, thinking about those things, I began
to think about our Lord on the cross.   The weight of the lumber and
especially,  the piercing of the spike.  If you think about it, in order
for a spike to be able to hold up a man on a tree so that while he
struggled he would not fall off, had to be something you would not hang a
picture on a wall with.   Friends, the spikes that held Jesus on the cross
that dreaded day were spikes that were sharp enough to pierce the skin,
big enough to hold Him up on the cross, yet slender enough to fit through
the bones of his feet and hands.  What grueling pain that would have to be!
What a cruel death! 

But, that was not the end.  Jesus chose the spikes for you and for me. 
He chose those spikes so that you and I could have remission for our sins.
When we think of  all that Jesus did for us this celebration of Easter,
let us not only take to heart what Jesus did, but we ought to have it live
and burn in our souls the rest of the days of our lives. Burn so much that
we want to tell others about it.  That is my challenge to you today,  seek
the cross and the resurrection, burn them in your hearts, and never forget
them as long as you live.  Remember the spikes.

[Soldier4Christ]

"From a Dr.'s Point of View"


A medical doctor provides a physical description:

The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown
backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for
the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square,
wrought iron nail through the wrist deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves
to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the
arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement.

The cross is then lifted into place. The left foot is pressed backward
against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is
driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed.

The victim is now crucified. As he slowly sags down with more weight on
the nails in the wrists, excruciating fiery pain shoots along the fingers
and up the arms to explode in the brain - the nails in the wrists are
putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to
avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail
through his feet.

Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves
between the bones of his feet. As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through
his muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain.

With these cramps come the inability to push himself upward to breath.
Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise
himself in order to get even one small breath.

Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream,
and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push
himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. Hours of
limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint wrenching cramps, intermittent
partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated
back as he moves up and down against rough timber.

Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain in the chest as the
pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.
It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical
level - the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish
blood into the tissues and the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort
to gasp in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of death creeping
through his tissues. . .

Finally, he can allow his body to die.

All the above the Bible records with the simple words, "and they crucified
Him."
(Mark 15:24)

What wondrous love is this? Most people don't know how much pain and
suffering our Lord, Jesus Christ, willingly endured for us. Because of
its brutality, crucifixion was given as a sentence to only the worst
offenders of the law. Thieves, murderers, and rapists would be the types
of creeps who got crucified. Yet, here Jesus is being crucified between
two hardened criminals. What was Jesus guilty of? Did He murder anyone?
Did He steal anything?

The answer as we all know is NO!! Jesus did nothing to deserve this type
of death, yet He was willing to die, in between 2 thieves, so that we
might be saved. He took the punishment we deserved. He paid the price.
There, on that rugged cross our Savior was crucified for our sins.

"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

[Soldier4Christ]

  From The Grandstands


"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." (Ephesians 1:3-4)

I remember like it was yesterday.  My father would sit in the stands, when I played baseball as a kid, and he would yell for me and my team.  He would scream, "Whadda say big red, whadda say?"  My teams' colors were red.  Some of the guys on my team would laugh, but I was proud because I knew that my father was supporting me.  I didn't care how ridiculous he looked.  I had someone who was backing me up no matter if I struck out or hit a home run (which did not happen too often). 

Here we have a letter to a church that needs some encouragement.  They are in a culture that is rampant sin and godlessness.  They are getting discouraged. However, they received a letter that is just like my father screaming in the stands. Paul has written a letter saying that God was supporting them.  Verses 3-11, in the greek, are one sentence.  For the sake of time, only 3-4 will be emphasized.  God has given them a blessing already because of what Christ had done for them. 

Already they have been blessed.  That is what God had thought of them.  He thought so much of them that he chose to bless them.  Before they were ever born, God was in love with them.  He had already placed them to a high point, in heaven, with Jesus.  It is like they were already there.  He had already given them every spiritual blessing.  The blessing was already their's.  It was not waiting for them.  It was already there.  The same is true for us. 

God is waiting in heaven for us.  He has been in love with us since before the creation of the world.  That is how much God loves us.  We should not let the theology of this passage blind us from seeing that has so much love for us that set us at this high place. 

The next time you feel that things are not going well for you.  Just remember that God is there cheering you on.  He has loved you before he even created the world. Let that be the father in stands that is cheering you on.

[Soldier4Christ]

  An Intimate Portrait


Let's take a trip back 2,000 years in time. Are you ready? Great! Buckle up, here we go. Zooooooommmmmmmmmm! All right, we're here. It's Friday afternoon, the day they crucified Jesus. Look over there. That's Calvary. Can you see the three crosses in the distance? On the two outside crosses hang thieves. Then the cross in the middle, that's Jesus. Oh quick, look at the foot of the cross. You see that? Those are two Roman soldiers, they're gambling to see who will receive the clothes of Jesus. We have another name for Him though. We call Him Savior.

      Let's move in a little closer. You see those thorns pressing on the brow of His head? Can you see the blood dripping off His cheek? Why would anyone go through this type of pain? Oh, and the one thief. He knows he's dying. So, he mocks Jesus. Listen to what he's saying. "If you are truly the Son of God, why don't you save yourself and us." Wow, you know that's a good question. I wonder why?

      Oh, but look, the other thief is about to reply. "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnations? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he looks to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom." Those are powerful words. What is Jesus doing? Oh, He is about to reply. I wonder what He will say? Will He yell at him? Condemn him for all of his sins? No, not this Man. "Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

      To actually be able to see this event would probably bring tears to most men's eyes. Just the thought of someone going through this much pain, this much suffering for us, is unreal. I'm here to try and show you, and tell you that this is very real. Jesus died for us, and this Easter, we should take time to look over these events. Try and picture what took place. Try and grasp the events as they really happened.

      He loves us with a love that will never be matched. More than a friend or loved one. He died so that we can have eternal life. Not just any death either. He was nailed to a tree to hang a slow and painful death, but He did it for you, for me. Paul once said, "We are all sinners, of whom I am the chief." Paul knew how bad a Christian he was, and he knew that Jesus would cover all of his sins with His blood.

      If today you're not sure if you have been saved, if you're not sure whether you would go to heaven if the world would end today, or if you would die in an accident, I would love to be able to share the gospel of Jesus with you. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, then please don't take it lightly. If you're not living your life for Him 24/7, then change. He gave His life on a cross for us. The least we can do is give our hearts back to Him. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

[Soldier4Christ]

A DONUT

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending Seminary in Utah. In
this Seminary classes are held during school hours. Brother Christianson
taught Seminary at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and
would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long
as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth
period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother
Christianson's Seminary class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before
the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also
be the first to leave after the class was over.

One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could
talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said,
"You think you're pretty tough, don't you?"

Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think
you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this
to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother
Christianson said.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it."

Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room.
When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now
these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG
kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it
was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early
start on the weekend.

Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked,
"Cynthia, do you want a donut?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten
push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then
Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's
desk.

Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you
want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups
so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person
before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro.
Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football team and
center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for
female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a
donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten
pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want
one!"

Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and
my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a
donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on
the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and
down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his
brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were
beginning to get a little angry.

Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Jenny said, "No."

Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so
Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a
donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these
uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot
of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a
small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were
beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten
pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for
all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro.
Christianson started down the fourth row.

During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the
heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this;
he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if
Steve would be able to make it.

Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near
the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a
lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each
one?"

Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can
do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when
all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No,
let him come."

Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to
do ten pushups for him."

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right
now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

"Yes."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did
ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed
a donut and sat down.

Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on
the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to
lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his
face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro.
Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you
want a doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that
Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then
Bro.
Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson , can I
help him?"

Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone,

Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that
he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups,
his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our
Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my
spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was
required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those
in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of
grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

[Soldier4Christ]

  He's Alive


     The hush whips across the mountainside as the crowd leaves the place
called Golgotha.  Not very much conversation will be happen on the road home
today.  Tears are being shed, feelings have been hurt, Jesus was just
crucified on the cross this morning.

     Lifeless, the corpse of Christ lay in the tomb.  Broken and crushed
were the twelve, and not to mention the number of different lives that He
touched.  Will He raise from the dead as He promised?  Would this be the
end?  Friday night came and went.  Sunday morning came and the earth began
to rumble.

     Two women came to the tomb with the intent of bringing spices to the
body of the one that called Himself the Messiah.  To their surprise, the
stone was rolled away, and they could not find His body.  The angels
proclaimed, "He is Risen! He is alive! He is truly the Messiah!  He is
Alive!"

     Jesus died and rose so that you and I may have eternal life!  The same
is true for us today!  Jesus is risen, and He is alive and wants a
relationship with you and I! He wants to fulfill His promises and touch your
life.  Won't you accept Him today?  May God Be With You

[Soldier4Christ]

  Breaking The Fall


But when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith, He said, "why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:30-31)

This reminds me of how some people, instead of asking for help when they begin sinking deeper and deeper into trouble, keep saying they can do it themselves. Instead of asking for help from God, they sink lower and lower until they hit rock bottom in their troubles, and then they cry out for God to save them.  I know, because I do it a lot as well.

I remember when I was learning a new and dangerous gymnastics skill.  My coach wouldn't spot me and I would be scared to death of getting hurt.  Instead of asking God to help me with the fear of falling and hurting myself, I went ahead and tried the stunt on my own. After my first fearful attempt at doing the trick I decided that doing this with out His help was not a good idea. I panicked in the middle of the trick and landed in an awkward position on the mat. Landing in such a position made me break seven of my toes.

It was so painful to walk for the next couple of weeks! Just think if I had asked for help before I had tried the trick! I probably wouldn't have been in so much pain and I know that I wouldn't have had to battle the fear of being hurt by myself.

Are you like me and sometimes wait until you are in trouble or are hurt before asking God to help with something? Wouldn't it be easier and less painful to ask God for help first thing? When we ask God for help He willingly gives it.  He wants to help us, but He also wants us to learn to ask Him for help before we need it.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Being Put To The Test


Genesis 22 : 1-2
1.  “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.  2.  Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

The day for my test finally came!  I was tremendously excited.  I had been working for about three months, training, sweating, breaking boards, sparing, and failing before I was ready to test for my yellow belt.   Friday afternoon was the big day!

I got all dressed up, wore my white belt, and away I was off to the Karate School to take my test.  The test itself involved many different skills. Kicks, punches, and self-defense only to name a few.   I had technically been put through the ringer.

Saturday morning came.  The moment of truth.  Had I passed?   I drove to the Karate School, opened the door, and to my surprise, I had passed! It was a real accomplishment for me.

Friends, in the “School of Faith” we all will have occasional tests that God will put us through so that we can know where we are spiritually.   A test is something that causes us to soul search our faith and really be sure that the glory of God is number one in our life. Abraham had his share of tests as well, but the sacrifice of his son had to be on the top of the list.   Abraham had broken hearts, leaving of family, and many other tests of his faith.   Sometimes, he passed and other times he failed. This particular time Abraham passed and gave his son back to God.  Tough test huh?

We too are put to the test as Christians.  Some of them are small tests to see if we will listen to God and what He has for our lives.  Other tests are more extensive and we are really put through the mill to see what we will do.  Will we do all for the glory of God, or will we go by the wayside?   It seems that so many of us, especially as teenagers are choosing to go by the wayside.  What would happen if we all turned into Abraham’s and really sought the glory of God in the tests that we face in our lives?  I believe that we could have a faith that is so on fire for the glory of God that our hearts would be ever flowing!

So, how about it?   How about the challenge of our faith?  Some of you are facing tests of your faith right now, and are looking for the answer. Friends, the answer lies within the life of Abraham.  Choose to glorify God, and you will pass every time. May God Be With You

[Soldier4Christ]

  Just Wait


"...who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him [God.]"
Isaiah 64: 4b (NIV)

"You [God] open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing."
Psalm 145:16 (NIV)

One of the deceptions of being a teenager is that every guy or girl you're attracted to is the perfect one.  You meet someone, begin dating, and think this must be love! Two months later you've broken up and are wondering what could have gone wrong. 

Last summer my sister Joy and I visited my big brother and his family in New York.  Since our plane came in at Buffalo, we planned to go and see that magnificent display of God's creation...Niagra Falls.  Getting out of the car Joy and I could hardly wait to cross the border.  Even though I had lived in Pennsylvania for nine years, I had never seen this magnificent sight.

While we were in the parking lot getting coats on and preparing to make our trek across the bridge into Canada, Joy and I were waiting with our seven-year old nephew, Matthew.  Joy leaned down and said, "Matthew, we're at Niagara Falls!"  Matthew looked around at the asphalt and cars and taking a deep breath replied, "Beautiful!"  Joy and I tried not to laugh as she explained that we still had to cross the border to reach the falls.

Not many of us would compare Niagara Falls to a parking lot, but because he was so young, Matthew didn't know the difference.  How many times in our lives have we looked at a boyfriend or girlfriend and thought "Beautiful! This must be the one!" when God is watching over our shoulder and trying not to laugh at our ignorance.  And if we're listening, we can hear him when He leans down and whispers, "Wait."  Because just across the bridge God has your perfect match.  And I am sure that, like Matthew, once you see the real thing, whether it be Niagara Falls or your future husband or wife, you will see the vast difference between what you thought was beautiful, and what truly is.  I encourage you today to wait, and not miss out on one of the most wonderful blessings you will ever receive!

[Soldier4Christ]

  Satan's Game


Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (Ephesians 6:11) NIV.

One fact that we can't seem to get away from is the constant temptations thrown at us by Satan. Every time we seem to get a handle on our life, he comes around and we get thrown back down again. Why does this always happen? How can I prevent it?

I was playing around with my stepbrother's Nintendo 64 the other day when I tossed in a game called Star Fox. Not having touched a video game in a few months I ran into a few problems. OK so they were more like buildings, but you get the idea. After a while I finally got the hang of it. Then the end enemy of the first level came into the picture. The big robot took up half the screen and I didn't even consider this remotely fair. But I flew around for about a minute until my mission came to a sudden stop this mountain decided it wouldn't move out of my way and I hit it. So needless to say Star Fox left the board with more than a headache.

After about the 347th try, I finally figured out the weak spot of the robot. If you take out his legs and shoot him in the back you have a chance to win. So that's what I did. I went and of course crashed through his legs which took them out. For some reason I was better at crashing through them than shooting them off. Then I proceeded to beat the level, and do a victory dance around the TV

It's funny how Satan uses the same concept when controlling our lives like the video game. He takes hold of the controller and will keep hitting the reset button until he finds your weak spot. Then even if it takes him all night, he will constantly attack you until you fall and crumble. That's why we have to put on the full armor of God. We all have our weak spots and need God's protection. Go to Him tonight and ask for forgiveness and help with dealing with those weak links in your life. Also remember that God makes us perfect through our weakness we just have to hand over the controls. May peace be with you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Can The Music I Listen To Affect Me



Psalm 101:3
Phil. 4:8

“Can the music I listen to affect me?”

It seems that as the years go by, music and its lyrics have become much
worse than they were before. Being a "child of the 80's," it seems that
music has "evolved" so much and is still a young persons identity, and I
fear that will never change. For some of you, it reflects the kind of
friends that you hang around, the kind of personality that you portray, and
we are all drawn to a whole subculture of people based on what kind of music
that we listen to. Some of what we wear, how we act, and how we communicate
with others all comes from the music that we listen to.

Can music affect our lives? I feel that without a doubt it can. The rock
stars become our heroes, our idols, and we want to do what they want to do.
Their values, ideas, and morals that we hear in the lyrics are infused into
our hearts and spirits.

"So, what can I do as a Christian teenager about controlling the music that
I listen to and how it affects me? First, go to Scripture. What does God say
about the lyrics? Second, study your lyrics.  If they are Christian lyrics,
see if they add up theologically and doctrinally.  You might try to go over
them with your parents, or maybe your youth pastor and see what they would
have to say about them and the impact that they can have on your life. I
believe in doing this you will be able to make wise decisions for yourself
and also involve some other people.

Finally, Psalm 101:3 says "I will set before my eyes no vile thing." That is
what the Psalmist had to say, a man who wrote music himself. He did not want
anything that could possibly take him away from his relationship from God,
nor did he want to put any garbage into his life because God wanted him to
think on things that were pure, holy, and of a sound mind. I would tend to
want the same. Music does affect our lives and how we think. May the Holy
Spirit be with you as you seek Him in choosing what you do and do not listen
to.   May God Be With You

[Soldier4Christ]

  It Wouldn't Change


I loved being around him.  We sat and talked about all of the good old days,
we told the good old stories, and we faced different things together, being
family, especially the loss of my cousin to a motorcycle accident.   A man
who was at one time called to preach, and would tell me about having that
calling in his own life.  Finding later that he had succumbed to alcoholism,
and now a few minutes ago, at this early hour in the morning, I heard that
my uncle had passed away.

How could this be?  Why would God allow something like that to happen to
such a good man as he was?  A man I loved being around and cracking jokes
with?  There are so many questions that are running through my mind, and so
many “what if’s”  that I am asking myself.   But, I cannot do that to see
what our God and His sovereignty is really all about.

God's in charge, and totally has a purpose for our lives.  God is not only
the one who is in charge; God is also good, and everything he does is good.
What Romans 12:1-2 says is that we have the opportunity by the renewal and
transformation of our minds—that is, how we think about these things and
even in the times of the death of a family member to actually to find out
what God's will is key. It says, "His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Is
that good, pleasing, and perfect to God? You bet it is!  The point of it is
that it has to good, pleasing, and perfect to us no matter what we are
facing  and what we are looking for in the will of God.

Dr. James M. Boice a great theologian and pastor about 7 weeks before he
passed away from liver cancer last summer, said in one of his final
statements to his church,  “If God does something in your life, would you
change it? If you'd change it, you'd make it worse. It wouldn't be as good.
So that's the way we want to accept it and move forward, and who knows what
God will do?”

The same goes for the passing of my uncle a few minutes ago.  If I would
change it and ask God for him to still be here, I would make things worse
and they would not be as good.  But, if we stop and look at it and be
satisfied in what God has done, then God will get the most glory.  Friends,
we have to do a reality checks in our own lives, and say hey, “I am put here
in this earth to do God’s will and give God the glory no matter what
happens, what temptations, what events in my life I face, I have to complete
God’s plan in my life.”

Finally, it is sad to hear that my uncle had passed away, and especially
under the circumstances, but I have to be like Boice, and say, “If I would
change it, it would not be as good.”  Nor would it be in God’s will.  I am
not sure if you have ever faced a death, or just need to hear God’s will and
see His glory in your life, but think about things in your life right now,
are you wanting to change what God already is making beautiful in your life?

If we would then God’s glory would not be key.   May His glory burn in
your souls, as well as in mine, and may we never forget that God is in
charge!  May God Be With You.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Don't Laugh


The Promo Contest is still alive and doing fantastic. We also have a new Leader of the Pack! I'm extremely happy to see the amount of dedication that you guys are putting into this. The official Prize list for the top ten will be posted Thursday in a special devotional. Make sure you check the bottom of this devotional to see the current standings. There is still plenty of time to subscribe more people so don't think you are to far out of it. Contest ends Sunday at midnight eastern standard time.

"Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tone, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman."
Psalms 15:1-3 (NIV)

During my Kindergarten and 2nd Grade year, I attended Bethel Christian School.  Although I had a ride into school, a bus took me home.  I had a pass that I showed to the bus driver, proving my enrollment in the school.  Otherwise, I would have had to pay a dollar to board the bus.

An older high school student who rode the bus along with me was Theresa Russell.  She was overweight, and didn't have many friends.  The other high school teens teased her a lot.  I remember one time when she was late boarding the bus.  One of the girls called for the bus driver to start leaving and see if Theresa would run.  I'm ashamed to say that I thought this was funny.

One day I switched backpacks, and forgot my bus pass.  It wasn't until I was walking up to the bus that afternoon that I realized it.  I was already crying when I boarded the bus, because I was afraid the bus driver wouldn't let me on.  The driver allowed me to ride, but I had to fill out a form, so that the company could send a bill for a dollar.  As I went to my seat, I was still crying because my parents would have to pay the bill.  Theresa came over and put her arms around me, and told me that it was okay.  She said that the same thing had happened to her, and that they hadn't charged her a dollar anyway.  Her words relieved me and I finally stopped crying.  I think that she sat by me until my stop came.

There are people like Theresa in every school.  They aren't accepted because they look unusual or dress different.  It's easy to make fun of them because everyone else is.  I hope that you will have the courage to put a stop to it, or at least not take part in it.  Please, don't base your judgments on physical appearance like I did with Theresa.  Look a little deeper and you may find one of the best friends that you will ever have.  May God bless you and keep you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Final Lap


Since the start of our lives we have been thrown into a constant race to the finish line. A constant battle that leaves us feeling great knowing that we have accomplished something one minute, only to throw us into the depths of depression the next. It seems like it started decades ago, but can finish in a blink of an eye. No body knows this much better then the family of the late Dale Earnhardt.

It was the last lap of the Daytona 500, victory was out of the question but a strong finish was in his grasps. The checkered flag was in his sights. Then as quickly as the legend started, it ended. A crash into the wall and a dysfunctional seat belt put a quick end to the life of a hero known to a lot of racing fans.

At that moment in time, points didn't seam to matter. Trophies were never even pondered upon. Nor did the Winston Cup cross anyone's minds. For a brief period, all that mattered was life, and that one of NASCAR's best was no longer with us. Pictures were later shown of his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr., running across the field towards his late father. I'm positive he would trade in his racing career to be able to spend just a little more time with his dad.

Friends, so many of us get caught up in the race of life that we forget to live and most importantly who we are living for. We get so hung on the points, the accomplishments, the plaques, status, and other awards that come from this world. We often forget the reason we are here, which is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is time to stop worrying about earthly prizes and set our sites on that far greater, heaven. We only have one chance and when it is over, and the white flag comes out, there is no turning back. Live each day as it could be your last, try and make an impact on people's lives that will forever change them. But do it all to the glory of God.

Dale Earnhardt will always be remembered as one of the best of racing and to his family as an outstanding man. What legacy will you leave behind? May peace be with you.