Filed under: August
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
John 19:22
Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”
Observation / Own Words
Pilate ultimately made the decision to have Jesus killed. He made that decision because he went with the crowd.
On the cross that Jesus hung from, Pilate had a sign posted that said, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The leading priests were furious that he wrote that and they wanted him to change it to “He said, I am King of the Jews.”
Pilate stood up for what he believed in in this situation and told the leading priests that what he wrote was going to stay on the sign. It was good to see that even though Pilate made a poor decision by following the crowd’s advice, he stuck with his guns later on and made the decision to stand up for what was right.
Application
It is easy to get pressured into making poor decisions as a result of following the crowd. After all, if you want to be liked by people, doing what they want you to do is a good way to gain their approval. We need to keep in mind that the decision the majority wants us to make is not necessarily the wisest or best decision.
This reminds me of the decision that I made not to let high school students take their cell phones on the GO Mission Trip. They weren’t exactly trilled about that decision. I had to let them know however that I wanted that week to be free from distractions because that would be the best way for them to truly minister into the kids lives. Making that unpopular decision was hard and it did cause me to be disliked for a while, but I knew in my heart that it was the right decision to make.
After the trip was over, I actually had some students thank me for not allowing them to bring their phones because it was the most spiritually significant week of their lives. Praise God that he used an unpopular decision like that to get a hold of students’ hearts in a greater way.
Prayer
God, making unpopular decisions is a hard thing to do. However, like Pilate, I pray that I would make the right hard decisions even if they cause me to be disliked in life. I’m living my life for You and I pray that as long as the decisions I make in life please You, I would stick by those decisions, even if they are unpopular.
Filed under: August
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture:
John 17:9
“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you.”
Observation / Own Words
Jesus is saying His prayer for His disciples at that point is more important than His prayer for the world. He’s praying here for the people God blessed Him with; the people that God called Him to equip here on this earth; the people on board with the vision He has for reaching the world for Christ.
Application
This is a great reminder for me to pray for our student leaders and adult youth mentors more often. These are people that You have placed under my leadership that belong to You. In order to make a big impact here in the West Valley for Christ, I need to be intentional about equipping adult and student leaders that will in turn go out and change the world. My focus therefore shouldn’t be solely on changing the world, but rather changing the people that will go out and change the world.
Prayer
God, thank you for placing students and adults in my life and ministry that are sold out followers of You. I pray that You will continue to use them in huge ways to make a difference for You here in the West Valley. Also, thanks for giving me the gift of leadership. I pray that I will use it to change the lives of students and adults within our ministry who in turn will change the world.
Filed under: August
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
John 14:29
I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe
Observation
Jesus is telling His disciples things about the future. He lets them know what is going to happen in advance so that when it does happen, they will believe more strongly in Him.
Application
God has so many promises about Himself and His Son that are fulfilled throughout the New Testament. Reading about how God predicts one thing and then comes through with that promise years later really confirms my faith in Him. If you ever start to doubt something that the bible says or a promise that God makes in the bible, remember the amazing accuracy of the Scriptures and how God always comes through on His promises.
Last week a student believed God’s promise that if we give to Him with a joyful heart, He will make sure all are needs are met. This student proceeded to place the highest bill he had, a $10 bill, in the offering. Later that evening, he returned home to an envelope on the counter with his name on it. He opened it up and there was a late birthday present in there for him… two $10 bills. God doubled the amount of money he would have had. After seeing that, this student now believes more strongly in God than ever before. God is faithful to come through on His promises, we just need to trust Him enough to put our faith in action.
Prayer
God, thanks for showing how amazing You are by predicting the future. I pray that students will always keep their belief in You as that is the one thing that will really make a difference in their everyday life. Please come through on you promises in huge ways so that students will not continue to doubt You.
Filed under: August
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
John 12:43
“For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.”
Observation
Some people believed in Jesus and some people didn’t. Some of the ones that believed in Him, didn’t admit it in public for fear that the religious leaders would kick them out of the synagogue. They were being praised by people at the temple and they didn’t want to give that up so that acted as if they didn’t believe in Jesus in public. Sadly, these people chose to love human praise over God’s praise. If they would have admitted that they believed in Jesus they may have been kicked out of the temple but God would have been very proud of them for standing up for Him.
Application
I need to be careful not to be driven by human praise, but by God’s praise. It’s OK to have a love language in which “Words of Affirmation” mean a lot to me, but I can’t let that be what encourages me daily. I need to be daily doing what God has called me to do so that I will get praise from Him.
Prayer
God, please help me not to seek the approval of people here on this earth. I pray that You will be proud of me in all that I do for You.
