Filed under: October
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
Philippians 3:14
I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Observation
Paul was looking forward to the Heavenly prize he would receive when his life was over. He realized that the Heavenly prize he would receive was far more important than any earthly prize he would get here on this earth. He wanted to keep his focus on eternity without being distracted by the earthly prizes mid-race.
Being distracted mid-race reminds me of DeSean Jackson’s “touchdown celebration” on Monday night football a few weeks ago. DeSean Jackson, a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, was so excited about scoring a 61-yard touchdown that he threw the football behind him and began to dance in celebration. The only problem was that Desean was not in the end zone when he threw the ball behind himself, he was only on the 1-yard line. This cost his team a touchdown. DeSean’s problem was that his focus was on the praise of the fans when he celebrated as opposed to the excitement of his team for his contribution when the game was over. This is a classic example of the fact that when we lose focus on the end result, we often make decisions that we regret later on.
Application
I can’t get so focused on earthly prizes that I forget to work towards heavenly prizes. I can have a nice car, a big house, a lot of money, and be very popular here on this earth for 70 years, but if that was all I was living for, I would miss out on a greater Heavenly prize when my life was over. Instead, I need to focus on using the earthly things God has blessed me with to be a blessing to others. I can use my car to give others rides, I can use my house to host a home team, I can give of my money generously, and I can use the platform that God has given me to reach more people for Christ. The thing I need to keep in mind is that earthly rewards are fun for a season, but I need to keep my focus on the heavenly rewards which can be enjoyed for eternity.
Prayer
God, thanks for the reminder that the Heavenly prizes you have lined up for me are far more important than any earthly prize I could ever receive. I pray that I won’t lose focus of eternity while I’m here on this earth.
Filed under: September
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Observation
This verse tells us a few things. First of all, we are like a stunning work of art that God thought up. In all His creativity, He considers human beings His masterpieces. Secondly, He had great intentions when He created us. He planned out a number of things that we could do here on this earth to bring Him glory.
Application
This verse should help us to think about life a little bit differently. At times we can get down on ourselves because we don’t like the way we look or the shortcomings that we have. In times of frustration we sometimes begin to think, “God must have made a mistake when He made me.” This verse helps us realize that there is no way possible that God made a mistake when He created us. After all, we’re referred to as His masterpieces. A masterpiece is not some random piece of art that turned out OK. A masterpiece is a piece of art work with careful attention to detail. God carefully thought out exactly what He wanted you to look like and be like. Not only that, God created you with the purpose in mind that you would do good things here on this earth.
I remember asking God in high school why He made me ugly. I had big feet that I tripped over, big thick glasses, nappy hair, and none of the cute girls cast a second glance in my direction. I saw the way that I looked as a curse. In hindsight, it was actually a blessing. Not being gifted with “good looks” forced me to develop a good personality (Yeah, I was the guy that you would try to set your friend up with by saying “He has a good personality”). Also, girls were not a distraction to me in life in pursing my educational goals. Most importantly, I was able to keep myself pure until my wedding night. Now I have an incredible testimony to tell students about the joys of saving their virginity until marriage. God knew exactly what He was doing by not making me “good looking” in high school. Now I’m able to see why He created me the way that He did and how He is using my story to influence teenagers to remain pure in life.
Prayer
God thanks for creating a masterpiece when You created me. I pray that anybody that reads this post that is struggling with the way that they look or their shortcomings in life would be able to see that You created them exactly the way You did for a reason. They may not understand that reason until a few years down the road, but nonetheless, you created them that way for a reason. Help people to see that they too are a masterpiece that You created.
Filed under: September
posted by: Darius Sanders
Scripture
II Corinthians 11:24
Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes
Observation
Paul was beat with a whip on 5 different occasions. On each occasion, Paul was beat 39 times. That means Paul was beat with a whip 195 times! Paul had been slapped by a whip that was filled with glass, bones, nails, barbed wire and a number other types of sharp objects 195 times because he was a follower of Christ. He must have really loved Jesus to endure all that persecution for His name!
Application
I used to think I had it bad as a teenager because people teased me for being a Christian or talked about me behind my back…but I’ve never had people beating me across the back with a whip because I have a personal relationship with Christ. I guess I’ve never really suffered for Christ the way Paul did. This verse was a great reminder for me to count my blessings. Compared to the followers of Christ in the early church, I really have it easy. I get to talk freely about Christ without fear of being physically harmed by the government for doing so. I hope this verse inspires teenagers to be more bold for Christ knowing that the worst type of persecution they may receive living as a Christian in America is nothing compared to the persecution the early church received.
Prayer
God, thanks for the reminder of just how well off I have it. I’m grateful that I don’t have to endure the physical beatings Paul endured for your name as well as the suffering the early Christians went through. I’m thankful that I live in a country where I can proclaim your name freely. Please help me to use that freedom to boldly spread the good news of Your Name.
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.
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.
