Filed under: January
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
Revelation 22:7
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”
Observation
God is coming back! He promised in His word that He will come back. He doesn’t tell us exactly when, but according to His time scale, it will be soon.
This reminds me of when I was younger and my parents would leave the house and say, “When we get back, this house better be clean.” We would then respond by asking, “When will you get back?” (After all, there is no sense in cleaning up the house really quickly if they wouldn’t be back for a long time ). They would then respond by saying, “We’ll be back soon.” They never gave us a specific time, but according to their time scale, it would be soon.
Just like my parents made good on their promise time after time, God will make good on His promise. He will return to the earth again soon!
Application
We can’t assume that God is coming years down the road. We need to keep in mind that He could come at any time. As fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ we may be prepared for His second coming, but we need to make sure others around us are prepared as well. Sadly, most people don’t even know about the first coming of Christ. The reason God has left us on this earth after starting a relationship with Him is to tell others about Him. We need to maximize our time here on this earth by letting as many people know about Christ as possible.
Prayer
God, thank You for helping us as a Student Ministry to read through the entire New Testament this year! My prayer is that more important than just reading the bible from cover to cover, we would put what Your Word says into practice in our every day life. I pray that we would be proactive in telling other about Your love for them and Your desire to start a relationship with them. Thanks for the hope of knowing that You will come back soon. I look forward to seeing You!
Filed under: January
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
II Corinthians 6:3
We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.
Own words / Observations
Paul was living his life as an example to others of how to live out a relationship with Christ. He didn’t want anybody to falter in their relationship with Christ because of him. He wanted to make sure that his ministry to others wasn’t tainted by actions that didn’t back up what he said. Basically, Paul was telling people that he practiced what he preached.
Application
My wife Nicole and I take seriously the role of mentoring Jr. High and High School students, so we live lives that set Godly examples for them. We don’t drink alcohol, and we don’t smoke. Although we could legally do those things, we feel that the best way to teach students about living Godly lives is to live it out ourselves. To us, it’s not about what we can legally get away with, but rather what we can do to set an excellent example for students to follow.
We want students’ relationship with Christ strengthened after seeing our example backed up by the words we share with them when we interact with them. In living our lives this way, we pray that no one will find fault with our ministry. What I mean by that is students may not like a certain song that we sing, or a particular game that we play, or even the way I deliver a specific message…but they’ll never be able to accuse us of living our lives differently than we call them to live their life.
Prayer
God, I want to be a shining example here on this earth of living out a relationship with You. Students and leaders are following my example in life and the last thing I want them to do is be driven away from their relationship with You because of my actions. Please help me to always practice what I preach.
By Julie Orona
S – Luke 9:51-56
As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But they were turned away. The people of the village refused to have anything to do with Jesus because he had resolved to go to Jerusalem. When James and John heard about it, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we order down fire from heaven to burn them up?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village.
O – James and John felt rejected by the people in the village, so much so that they wanted to destroy the people. How many times have we been hurt by rejection that we want to cause bodily harm to others? How fast are we to “order down the fire” on someone that has hurt us? By doing this, we are saying that we are the judge of their motives and actions and will take the situation into our own hands. We don’t trust God to make it right.
A – Thankfully, God is in control and we are not. Jesus showed mercy even in rejection. He heard of the rejection and moved along to the next village. Why? In Luke 9:56 it says, “For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” When I feel rejected do I show mercy? Do I follow Jesus’ example? Does my response to the situation point others to Christ?
P – Lord, help me to remember to show mercy when I feel rejected. Help me to walk away especially when I’m hurt or angry. Help me to remember what it feels like to be rejected so I don’t reject others. Help me to be more like you.
Filed under: January
Posted By Brion Miller
S – Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
O – God’s plan for salvation is easy confess and believe and I am saved.
A – Many times we put too many rules on how to be saved and act, but God said to simply confess and believe and then we are saved. After this step it is up to each individual to read his word, pray and seek wisdom from mature Christians such as Pastors and Leaders in our church. By doing these things we can live a successful Christian life. Now that we know the plan it is time to spread it.
P – God, Thank you for the gift of salvation, that you made an easy plan for me to follow. Help me to share your plan with those around me that do not yet know you.
Filed under: January
Posted By: Christina Samuelson
S: Matthew 21:15-16
[15]The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. [16] They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’”
O. Jesus has just performed a miracle – he made two blind men see. Even the children praised him, but the leaders were indignant. This means that they did not approve what the children were doing. Jesus rebukes these so called leaders and quotes Scripture supporting the children and their praise.
A. If Jesus accepts the children’s praise, if he does not look down on them, should I? I sometimes find myself holding on to things that could become great ministry opportunities for students because I do not give them enough credit. I am reminded of 1 Timothy 4:12. Paul challenges Timothy and tells him that his youth is not a disability. The Christina paraphrase is this: Tim, don’t take smac from those older than you. Be an example of how to live and how to speak. If Jesus accepts the children’s praise and he accepts mine, then surely he accepts a teenager’s. I need to understand that the potential in our students is far greater then I could imagine because it is really God’s potential.
P. God, help me see the potential, Your potential, in the students of our ministry. Take my unwillingness to let go of great ministry opportunities and let our students be the example. Thank you for accepting my praise and thank you for accepting the praises of the students in our ministry.
