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!

Scripture:

“And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind.  Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.” Titus 2:7

Own Words/Observations:

Paul tells Titus that he needs to live by example and make sure that everything he does points others to Christ.  We are examples to the rest of the world.

Apply It:

I want to always point others to Christ.  I need to lead by example in everything I do.

Prayer:

Hey God, thanks so much for reminding me of this today.  Help me to constantly be an example to people who don’t know you.  I love you.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Scripture:

Titus 15-16

“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. ^[16]Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.

Observation:

• If corruption and disbelief have made a home in your heart it will be reflected in the way you perceive what is pure.
• This corruption causes you to act in a way that does not reflect your relationship with God.
• Paul describes this type of person with awful adjectives; detestable, disobedient, and worthless.

Application

• Have I allowed corruption and disbelief to take up residence in my heart and mind?
• I need to protect myself from these things that will destroy my relationship with God. I should be feeding my heart and mind pure things (Philippians 4:8) so that my actions will reflect my relationship with God.
• I do not want to be characterized as detestable, disobedient, or worthless.

Prayer:

God, it is my desire to live my life in a way that is honoring to You. I want the students that you have given me influence over, to look into my life and see You. I pray that Your word would take up residence in my heart to protect it from corruption and disbelief.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Scripture:

“There are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk ant deceive others.  This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation.” Titus 1:10

Own Words/Observations:

Sometimes people get so caught up in rules that they forget about relationships.  When people use their words to deceive others, they are wasting their time.

Apply It:

I can always remember to put people first.  I need to make sure I am not deceiving my family and friends.

Prayer:

Hey God, help me to always remember to put relationships with people in front of rules.  Thanks for sending Jesus down here to allow me to have that relationship with you.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Scripture
I Timothy 5:25
In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious.  And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light. 

Own Words/Observation
When some people do good things, everybody finds out about what they did.  They may get an award for what they did, they may get recognition from their peers, they might get to make speeches about it, they may even get on TV where the public makes it out to be a big deal.  There are other people however that do good things that they get no recognition whatsoever for.  That’s because they did these good things when no one else was around or they never told anyone about what they did.  God saw exactly what these people did in secret; and one day, a lot of people will know about it.  That day might not be while they are here on this earth, but rest assured, whether in heaven or on earth, their good deeds will be noticed by others at some time or another.

Application
This verse reminds me a lot of a verse I read last week in II Thessalonians 3:13 that says “…never get tired of doing good.”  Some people feel that since they don’t get any recognition for the good things they do, they should just stop doing them.  They get discouraged because they feel that other people are getting recognized for doing things while they aren’t getting any recognition for what they do. 

The great thing is that God sees every single good deed done in secret and He will someday show others what you did.  Sure, there are some people that will get recognized by hundreds of people here on this earth for what they’ve done, but that’s nothing compared to the billions of people that will recognize you in Heaven for what you’ve done in secret here on this earth.  We need to keep doing good deeds knowing that God will choose when He wants those good deeds to be exposed to others, whether it be now on this earth or later in Heaven.

Prayer
God, thank You for the motivation to do good deeds, even when no one else is watching.  I pray that the people in my life that do good deeds that I never recognize them for would one day get to experience how much greater Your recognition and timing are for bringing those good deeds to light.