The Least of These- Day 3

Greed. 

It fuels our society.  Money talks, and in our world today, sometimes it yells.  The "American Dream" is characterized by financial success, and the implied happiness that follows.  We are never satisfied with what we have.  We want to "super size" everything and are always looking for the best deal or bargain.  More... we are always looking for more.

But what about believers?  Should we allow greed to be a motivating factor in our lives?  And if not, what is the cure for our human nature that is always wanting more?

"Then the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy- full of greed and wickedness!  Fools!  Didn't God make the inside as well as the outside?  So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor and you will be clean all over.  What sorrow awaits you Pharisees!  For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God.  You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the important things."
Luke 11:39-42

The Pharisees were super-religious.  They were the crew that went to church every Sunday and followed all the rules... and there were a lot of them.  They were admired and esteemed.  People looked to them for guidance and as examples of godly men.  But Jesus saw through their act.  He knew their hearts, and what else did he see but GREED.  They were greedy.  They loved money.  Oh, of course they paid their tithe like they were supposed to.  But tithe is meant to be a minimum that we should give to the Lord. It's what was done out of obligation, not out of love.

Here Jesus addresses their greed and their belief that following rules was more important than justice and mercy.  Jesus wanted to make sure that they understood that to be true children of God, our lives will be impacted by His love.  He wasn't saying that giving to the poor would be what makes you a believer in God.  He was saying that generosity that flows from the heart is a sign of a true believer.  When generosity to the least of these fuels where our money and energy go rather than greed, our focus is shifted off of "self" and onto justice, mercy and compassion- the "important things". 

Whether or not you have a lot of money right now, the choices you make about what you do with what you have are a good sign of whether you are motivated by greed or by love.  Following religious rules won't get you anywhere.  Living a life of love and generosity will lead you straight to the heart of the Father.

The Least of These- Day 2

"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,  and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless."  James 2:14-17

William Wilberforce once said, "You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know."  How many injustices happen in the world that we are aware of, yet we do nothing about?  How many people in our own neighborhoods, schools and communities are mistreated and hurting that we come in contact with, yet we wish them well and pass them by?  

The Scriptures are clear- good works don't save us.  We can't earn our way into heaven.  No one can ever be good enough to achieve salvation on their own.  But the scripture above clearly says that if our faith in Jesus Christ doesn't produce good deeds, it isn't really authentic faith.  It's actually dead.  What this means is that true faith in Jesus will result in a desire to do good to our fellow man.  If we are truly followers of Christ, we will be his hands and feet extended to the world around us.  

Reflect on your life right now- how do your faith and deeds measure up?  Are they lopsided?  If you have faith but no deeds, you may need to re-evaluate the level of your commitment to Jesus and His commands.  If you do a lot of good things but your faith is weak, take some time to think about why you're doing what you're doing.  Are you trying to earn something that can't be earned?  Rest in knowing that God loves you as you are and any good thing you do should only be in response to His love. 

Take a moment today to follow this link and watch some news coverage about something happening in our world right now that shows how even the media can play a part in social injustice.  

http://reliablesources.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/04/undercovered-nigerias-kidnapped-schoolgirls/

The Least of These- Day 1

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?  Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?  But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?  Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

James 2:1-9

Discrimination.  Usually when we hear that word we think of race, gender, or sexual orientation.  Those are the three types of discrimination we hear about most often in our culture.  It makes us mad when people discriminate because of their skin color.  People get upset when women are treated unfairly in the workplace.  The news media has a hayday when companies or groups discriminate against people who choose a homosexual lifestyle.

But how often do we think about discrimination when it comes to the poor?  Have you ever really thought about what it would be like to be poor, oppressed, homeless or struggling and have people look at you, passing judgment constantly?  Think about if we had two guests walk into our youth group one night.  One was dressed in trendy clothes and was friendly and attractive.  The other was dressed in secondhand clothes, looked a little disheveled and seemed shy and intimidated.  Who would you gravitate towards?  Who would feel more welcome? 

In these scriptures, James is calling us Christians out in the way we favor some people over others.  He says, "if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin."  It's not enough just to be nice to everyone.  If favoritism is in the picture at all, it's sin.  

Take a moment today and reflect on the way you view others: at school, at church, at work.  Do you discriminate against the poor?  Do you make fun of them?  Do you pass judgement on them?  Or do you love and treat them just like you would someone who was wealthy and popular?

Check out this video about a resource called "The Locust Effect" to learn more about the poor and their struggle to get out of poverty.

New Blog Series Coming Soon!

Alright, guys...we took a break from the blog for a while but we're back and ready to start things up again next Monday with a devotional series called "The Least of These."  We will be digging into Scripture to see what God has to say about how we treat others in our world, especially the poor, broken and hurting.  We will also be highlighting some different ministries that are actively reaching those people and encourage you to start thinking more about what you can do right where God has placed you.

For now, take a moment and read Matthew 25:31-46 and answer these questions:

- Right now, at this place in your life, would Jesus consider you a "goat" or a "sheep"?
- Salvation isn't about works, it's about the grace of God.  But scripture also tells us that we are not truly followers of Christ if we don't love others.  How does this verse change the way you think about what it means to be a Christian?
- What is a common excuse we give not to serve and love people in need?  What could we say instead?

Join us on Monday and be a part of the conversation by commenting below!

Friday, March 21st, 2014

Yesterday morning we got the news that my cousin was tragically killed in a car accident.

He was 19 years old.

At 19, most of us are just beginning to figure out what we want to do with our lives.  We're looking to the future, making plans, dreaming of what we might become.

At 19, we are transitioning into the next phase of our lives with more freedom, and sometimes more fear.

At 19, we aren't kids anymore.  We are adults and we feel the rush of being able to make our own choices and hope they turn out right.

At 19, the possibilities seem endless.  We can make tomorrow into whatever we want it to be.

But...

...what if tomorrow never comes?

What if the plans and the dreams and the hopes you have today never make it to tomorrow?  What if you never made it to college, never started your dream career, never got married, never had kids, never traveled the world, never grew old and experienced all the things the world has to offer?

What if today is all you have?

Derick preached an amazing sermon this past Wednesday about the will of God being more present than future.  It's tempting to live for the future and to place all our value on what we will do rather than what we are doing.  But who's to say that that future will ever come?  For my cousin, it didn't.  Does that mean that he missed out on God's will?  Of course not.  God's will wasn't about my cousin's future.  It was about his every day, his hour by hour, his minute by minute.  My cousin had the opportunity to complete the will of God for his life by walking in it daily.

This morning I read a passage in John that seemed so fitting for what my family is going through. It was such a humble reminder about God's will for our lives and how every.moment.matters.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father,save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”  John 12:27-28

Here Jesus had just finished predicting his death to his disciples.  He knew what was coming.  He was going to have to give his life as a sacrifice for the sins of the very men and women he was addressing at that moment.  It was hard.  His flesh wanted to ask for a way out.  But he knew God's will, and he was willing to complete it.  He knew he had to walk in obedience in the hour of his greatest pain and despair.

Just like Jesus, you and I were made for this very hour, and God can be glorified through our obedience in this hour, and every hour after when we choose to submit to His will for our lives.  My prayer today is that you and I would comprehend the importance of God's will being a present thing rather than a future thing so that whether we have 50 more years on this earth or only 50 more minutes, we will have glorified God's name with our lives.

Tomorrow isn't promised.  What will you do with today?  Choose to walk in His will.

-Heather

Thursday, March 13, 2014

"One day, as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers- Simeon, also called Peter, and Andrew- throwing a net into the water for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, 'Come, follow me and I will show you how to fish for people!' And they left their nets at once and followed him.". Matthew 4:18-20

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be different.  I have longed to live a life that would inspire others. I wanted to stand out, to be my own person making my own way in history.

Some people want the exact opposite.  They want to fit in, to fade into the background.  They don't want to be noticed.  But I believe that even these people have a desire to live a life that is unique to them and makes a difference, even if just for one.

When I think of people in the Bible who wanted to do something great, I automatically think of Peter.  Bless him, Peter was always letting his big dreams and bold words get him into trouble.  I can identify with Peter.  He was outspoken, quick to react and had no fear of how his hasty actions would affect those around him.  For goodness sake, he cut off a man's ear on a whim!  But he also longed to be a part of something great.  He was passionate and wanted the world to know that salvation had come in the form of a man named Jesus Christ.

I love that Jesus met Peter where he was- out at sea fishing for a living- and invited him to become a fisher of men.  Jesus knew what Peter was good at.  Although he asked Peter to sacrifice his comfortable life and follow him, he let Peter know that the purpose ahead was something he was created for and knew about- fishing. 

Jesus knows this about us too.  He knows what we are good at, what we are passionate about.  What he calls us to will be bigger and will rely sacrifice and complete trust in him.  But he hasn't put those gifts in us for no reason.  He will draw on those gifts to accomplish the purpose he has for us. We can trust in who he created us to be.

Know today that, just like Peter, Jesus is meeting you where you at, calling you to do exactly what you were made for.  Maybe you know what it is, maybe you don't.  But follow Jesus wherever he leads, and I can promise it will be better than your wildest dreams.

-What has God put in you that he might be wanting to use for his purpose?

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

So we kicked off our new series Divergent. The word divergent means- di·ver·gent: tending to be different or develop in different directions. 

The goal of this series is to help us answer the questions that every teenager faces: “Why am I here?” “What is my purpose?”

The first step in answering these questions is to look to the creator! If you wanted to know how something worked or know what it's used for you would go to the manual or ask the person that created it. So the best way for us to discover our purpose is to look to God our creator.

Colossians 1:16 ESV

16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

My girls draw me pictures almost every day. Sometimes those pictures are clear and they’re easy to see what they are, but sometimes they aren’t so clear. It’s almost a guessing game to figure out what they created. I could speculate what they created (which I've done before, and it didn’t go well), or I could ask them to reveal to me what they created (this one has a much better result). 

The same thing goes with the purpose of our life. Sometimes it seems clear and we know our purpose, but most of the time it’s not so clear. We have two choices: speculate or ask God our creator. When we speculate we can end up missing it all together. The best way is to ask God to reveal it to us. Rick Warren says “You discover who you are and your purpose through a relationship with Jesus.” Another way God reveals to us what our purpose is is through His Word.

Father, thank you that you created me with purpose. You have ordered my steps and know the path my life will take. Help me to look to you for guidance and direction as I seek to know the plans you have for me. Make your purpose in my life clear.