Forever seek Him

No, not your potential husband. And not the man of your dreams. I’m talking about the One who is more than a man, and who is able to do above and beyond anything you could EVER ask, think, or dream (Ephesians 3:20). I’m talking about God Himself!

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

This passage goes on to describe Noah, Abraham, Enoch, Moses, and other people who went through life with one thing in common: They went through it via faith. God was with them, and they knew it, and they were not surprised at His presence.

Why do I say that they were not surprised at His presence? Because the Word lets us know that they lived by faith. Faith is not surprised. Faith knows now, though it may seem like knowing something in advance. They knew what was going to happen in their individual situations before having ever gone through the situations. Noah built an ark, Abraham went to sacrifice his son, Sarah believed she would have a son, Enoch pleased God. All of these things that happened wouldn’t have made sense to the mind, because the mind (our brain, our soul, our  “thinking cap”) cannot receive the things of the spirit. This simply means that your brain has the ability to comprehend nothing that is spiritual in nature.

Well, what is God, but spiritual in nature? John 4:24 says that He IS spirit, and they that worship Him MUST worship Him IN spirit and IN truth. Sidebar: Right now, the teens in our youth group are diligently seeking Him in spirit and in truth, taking Him at His Word and going to it to learn more about who God is, and what is character is like. But back to Abraham and those guys…

So, in their hearts – their spirits – they knew that God was going to make good on His Word, and on His promises. Noah had never seen rain, but he knew exactly how things were going to end up when his family and all those animals got onboard the ark. He knew it while he spent years building it (the history states that it took between 55-100 years to do!), and while others undoubtedly thought he was crazy. Abraham knew that God would provide him an heir, and Sarah conceived one. The faith that they all exhibited was not a shallow faith. The faith they had was deep. Why? Because they had built it over time. They believed that He was, and that He was a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.   

  What does it mean to diligently seek someone? Think about relationships. How many of you have a relationship with someone that you would consider “deep”? How about any relationships that you would consider “shallow” or “surfacey”? In which of these relationships have you spent the most time? What have you done to nurture this relationship? It is not up to one person to nurture a relationship; no, it is the responsibility of both parties involved to care for and look after that relationship. How have you contributed to its growth? Now ask yourself the same question about your relationship with God.

Have you nurtured this relationship? If not, you can start now! Spend time with God, like you would a close friend, or someone you actually WANT to get closer to. You know how to do this. You and I do it all the time with the people we “like like”. If we want to get to know someone better, we start paying attention to every little thing that we see in them. We literally absorb gobs of information about people whom we know nothing about at first, until one day, we feel strongly confident that if asked, we could honestly say that we really know that person.

Justin Bieber. Britney Spears. One Direction. Our crush. We say we know a lot about these people, and perhaps we do. But we only know what we were diligent to seek out.

God doesn’t want us to only know fact about Him though. It starts out that way, sure. But eventually, the relationship becomes less about knowing ABOUT God, and more about KNOWING God personally, on a one-to-one level. 

Some people think that this is impossible. That no one deserves to or has the right to know God in this deeply personal level, as one speaking to a friend and a Father. But the Bible disagrees.

But as many as have received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. Which were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, but of the will of God. John 1:12

You have the right to know God as a son. As a daughter. Seek Him, expecting that He will teach you, show you things, and guide you through things as a Father would to His sons. And never expect anything less. For He will never give you less.

Grace and peace,

Leon 🙂

In Christ Alone

Please read this if you are having a bad day. Or a good day. 🙂

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns I’ll lift His name—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.

“In Christ Alone”
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music

Known truth

This is going to be a short post. But I think simple points don’t need much explaining.

There has long been the idea that in order to be Christlike, we merely need to be doing the do’s. That we need to say the right things,sing the right songs, or carry an NIV or other translation, and know the words to every Sunday School verse ever taught in Mrs. Simpson’s Sunday School class from the dawn of time.

Well, my friends, I am more than ready to say that that simply is not true.

What good does it profit anybody to say words that appear and sound friendly, yet in their heart, there is hatred, malice, and spite? And what benefit is there for a person who sings the latest Christian hit, but has never sang the song from their heart, but rather from their head? What difference does it really make if you bought your Bible from the nearest Christian book store and got the nicest leather-bound copy or the one with the hologram of a cross on the front cover? Does it really matter that you have a notebook in your Bible bag, filled with notes scribbled on every inch of every page? And is it really doing anybody any good to know the words to John 1:1 without knowing Who the verse is actually talking about?

Hopefully you stopped for a moment and considered the last section of this post. If you have ever asked yourself those questions, no matter what answer you may have come up with at the time, it is important that now – right now – we understand that the answer to those questions are “None. Nothing at all. Nada. Nope. Not even a little bit.”

John 8:31-32 reads:

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in my Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

What Jesus is getting at hear is that these superficial tasks or traits that you could have checked off your list don’t really matter much in the long run. Knowing the truth shall make you free.

Please notice one thing: It is not that the truth by itself shall make you free. Case in point: God is the Creator. Knowing this point does not make you free. There are people and have been people all over the place who believe that nothing in this word could have been created with human or otherwise limited hands or random acts of physics. And if none of them actually accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Son of God, they are no more free now then they ever were. Jesus Christ came to preach liberty to the captives and to heal the oppressed. But knowing that He came to do that, and knowing that He succeeded in doing it are two different things entirely.

John 8 says that those who abide (remain) in His Words will KNOW THE TRUTH. And then when they know the truth, the truth shall make them free. Do you want freedom? Do you relish it?

Simply put, friends, know the Word. I’m not saying that you should go out and buy a study Bible and study the entire New and Old Testaments in a day. I’m not saying you should try to impress the world with your vast knowledge of Scripture, an act akin to raising your hand in Mrs. Simpson’s class repeatedly , but as an adult.

Take whatever bit of the Word you know, or have in front of you, and learn that. Study it. Know it. When you do, then that truth will be activated to make a change in your life. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And faith comes with each word spoken by God, if you know it. To hear and to know are two entirely different things.

So I challenge you. Or rather, I pose a question for you all: What truth do you know?

Jesus and Identity – Being Salt and Light

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” ⎯ Matthew 5:16

When was the last time you played a video game and thought to yourself, “Wow, the person who wrote the code for this game was incredible”? Or what about the last time you watched TV and thought, “The electricity that powers my TV is awesome”? Chances are, you haven’t had this experience very often, if ever. In most cases, we don’t really think about the source of the thing we’re enjoying. We’re too busy enjoying it.

But Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:16 point to the fact that this may not be the case when it comes to how other people see our lives.

Look, people notice your actions. If you live a life committed to God, people will notice. And here’s the cool part: they’ll know something is different about you. They’ll see your life, and they’ll be curious about what makes you different. And this curiosity will lead them to God.

You have the opportunity to draw people to God simply by the things you do and say. The opposite is true, as well. If you identify as a Christ-follower, yet live your life as if knowing Christ has never really changed you, then you can turn people away from God.

What will you choose? Will your identity point people toward God? Or away from Him?

—— This is the first of three devotions for this week based on our current youth group study on JESUS and identity. For more info, visit us at:
http://www.bwccog.org/classes/youth
We will be continuing this study for the next three weeks every Wednesday all through October! See you then!

Grace and peace,
Leon 🙂

Put it on

Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Put on. we are instructed to put on the full armor of God here. What exactly does this mean?

When you put something on, you have the option of just as easily taking it off, generally speaking. When you get dressed in the morning, you put on a jacket. And when you come home, you take it off again. It’s always there, in your closet ready and waiting until the moment you need it. But the armor of God is not so.

FINALLY.

What does it say in the first verse of this passage? It says “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Finally. What does that mean? Does it mean “This has taken you soooooo long”? No. It means for “the rest of time, from now until forever.”

See, when you put on the whole armor of God, it needs to be done with zero thought that you might get rid of it and take it off of you at any moment. You need to be putting it on once and for all. Unlike the weather, you don’t always get a warning to know when to put on the necessary garments. The armor here is needful to be called on at any time. In any season. At any moment.

Well, what does the armor do?

According to the Word recorded by Paul, it makes us able to stand and withstand.

Withstand? Withstand what?

Verse 11: the wiles of the devil.

So today, arm yourself, friend. Put on the whole armor of God, and find yourself able to stand the testing of your patience, your resolve, and/or your dedication. Put it on without any intention of giving it up or taking it off.

He says “put on, or sink into My armor.” Let it become part of you. Let the supernatural become natural to you.

Wait, “the supernatural?”

Yes. The supernatural. God’s armor is full of supernatural tools and weapons. They are not formed with human hands and therefore are not prone to human error. They are perfect. They are beyond natural, not having been created from the dust of the earth or the might and ability of men (one of the pieces of the armor is the Word of God, which has been written and recorded by man, but authored and inspired by God Himself). And it is necessary for this armor to be supernatural, because:

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our chief “battleground” where we stand is not physical. It is not natural. Even if something you are standing against shows itself in a tangible physical way, the battleground on which you make your stand is not natural. It is spiritual.

So let’s take a look at a few of the pieces of this armor, and make sure that we have “put on” every one, leaving no holes in our defenses.

Truth
Ephesians 6:14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…

Look at a suit of armor. Here’s one:

See the flaps over the upper legs? That’s the part this verse is talking about. Part of this man’s preparedness is to know the truth. The truth about himself, about God, and about his situation. He is not moved by false teachings about how weak he is, or about how insurmountable his odds are of coming out of a trial victorious. He filters every thought and every word spoken to him or around him through the truth contained in the Word. But it has to be known truth, doesn’t it? To wear this piece, you have to know the truth by getting in daily time with the Word. If you don’t, you leave yourself wide open to believing lies that are concocted by the evil one.

Righteousness
Ephesians 6:14b
…and having on the breastplate of righteousness…
This is the chest piece on the suit of armor. It stretches the full length of the chest and abdominal cavity, where the most vital organs are housed. Life is housed in the heart, and we learn from the Bible that the heart of man is his spirit, not his mind. Your spirit is secure, if you have accepted and confessed Christ. Your most important aspect – your spirit – is made new in Christ and is in a new place and position, where no lies of the evil one or of man can tear you down, because you already have right standing with God. You are unaccusable, and untouchable by the devil’s lies about you.

The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Look at the soldier’s feet. They are outfitted with a special shoe. Actually, a better image would be that of a Roman soldier, whose feet where housed in shoes with spikes on the heels. These spikes were not like the ones worn by World Cup soccer players. They were serious things. They would dig them into the ground so they could not be pushed back by the pressure of approaching enemy forces. But I want you to consider the gospel of peace here, and consider having a readiness to not only stand on the truth of the gospel but to have a readiness to present and share the gospel with others. The armor isn’t meant to only defend you. It is meant to have offensive uses as well, to be used against the kingdom of darkness.

We live in a world where people are literally walking dead. People are struggling with sickness and disease, not aware of the fact that there is a Healer, whose name is Jesus. People are wrestling with emotional duress, crippling their minds from grasping any hope of change, thinking themselves to be not only without hope, but beyond hope. Are we seeing these people? Are we noticing them? It takes a strong person to stand for themselves, and an even stronger person to stand with and for another. Someone has to cut through the fog that people are living under. Someone has to be ready to engage with the torment eating away at the hearts of the oppressed. Someone has to show them that “life as they know it” isn’t really life at all, not the life God intended. Life doesn’t get better. Life is better. Life is found in Christ.

Someone has to share the gospel with them, from a genuine love for them. Our neighbors, our loved ones, they need that love. They need that light. John chapter 1 says this about Jesus: “in Him was life and that life was the light of men”. Without Jesus, there is no life. Only something that we have convinced ourselves is life.

The armor of God is not only meant for you and I, to wear for ourselves. It is meant for the saving of this world. No, you may not need to stand on a soapbox on the lawn of the largest town plaza you know and scream “Jesus is Lord!” from sun-up to sundown, but you should be willing to give that gospel, that light, to the neighbor whose very life – or what they know as life – is shrouded in darkness.

So take the armor with you. And don’t leave out any pieces. Bring the belt of truth on your legs, the chest plate of righteousness, and the preparedness of the gospel. Let them work in you and through you, and work for you. And as you face opposition, do what it says in verse 13:

Ephesians 6:13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Grace and peace, Leon 🙂

Be strong in The Lord

Finally, my brethren, be strong in The Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked press in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. – Ephesians 6:10-14

There is a saying that if you want something done right you do it yourself. This saying has a flaw. It rests on the assumption that yourself is capable on its own of fixing a situation or doing something that is needed, the way that it is needed.

Here’s the absolute truth: You aren’t capable on your own of doing much of anything. What does it say here?

“Be strong in The Lord.” IN THE LORD

That means you can rest on Him. It will always be in Him, in His presence, in His company, in His Word, and in His Spirit that you will find your strength. The strength to go on. The strength to stand. The strength to be unmoved by man, devil, or circumstance. Having your feet shod with the gospel of peace, stand. Known truth produces. Know the truth. Know The Lord. Know and stand.

Stop clamoring for things. Let Him work through you. You know what is contained in the whole armor of God? Let’s look at the next few verses and see.

Ephesians 6:14-17
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Truth. Righteousness. The gospel. Faith. Salvation. The Word of God.

This is the armor.

The armor works. And every piece of it comes from the same armory, which we find in Christ.

From whom do we get any or all of these things? From the Giver of good things, through the One called Jesus. The Lord. Let Him do it. Whatever you stand for. Whatever you are believing Him for. Let Him do it. And stand. Steadfast. Believing. Not doubting. Trusting. Then seeing.

Just Like Jesus

So you may or may not know that one of the commands and desires of our God YHVH is that we learn to be like Him.

But what we all may not know is that God did provide us an example to follow. Jesus was like His Father, in fact, the Bible says He is the very IMAGE of God for us!

But being like Jesus can seem kind of hard. Jesus is perfect after all, right?

Fortunately, there are three simple things to know about our becoming more like Jesus, and we will learn on Wednesdays just how easy God made this for us!

That’s why this month’s series is titled Just Like Jesus!

Let’s talk about sex… (Deep breath if you need one)

(Read 1 John 2:15-17 for a recap of tonight’s lesson 🙂 !)

This week, I want you to consider the things that you say, think, and do (You will have to honest in order to do this activity). We saw today that the way that God sees things and the way that the world does are completely opposite of one another.

UPDATE 3/29/13:
The culture we live in takes an opposing stance from God on many issues, especially the issue of sex. Does your opinion of where sex and sexuality belong agree with what God says about it? This is where you do a check up on yourself.

Take this diagram and make one of your own on a piece of paper. Go through it and put in each circle some of the things you have said, thought, or done this week. Then ask yourself if that thing conforms to the way the world acts or the way that God acts (If you are wondering how to tell, a quick and easy way to judge this is by whether or not true LOVE is shown in that action or thought. Love is found in God’s ways. If there is no love, it is not His way. TRUE LOVE ALWAYS DIRECTS ATTENTION TO GOD, NOT AN EMOTION.)

Then consider how that thought or action affected you, or someone else. The things you say and do and the thoughts you think have an impact. Very rarely do our actions not have an impact. Very rarely do our choices have zero impact. Whom have you chosen to identify with in your words and actions? God? Or culture?

1 Peter 1:16 “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” – said God.

Stand out from the culture you live in. Be prepared to Live Different.

Share the Good news with others!

Being a parent is hard work. Kind of a strange way to start off a student devotion, right? I know. I thought the same thing.

Maybe your parents are your role models. Maybe they aren’t perfect in every way. Maybe they don’t know how to talk to you. Maybe you don’t know how to talk to them. Maybe they are easy to relate to. Maybe they aren’t. Whatever the case, everyone is someone else’s child.

And being a child of your parents can be tough. Think about it. Your parents expect you to do a lot of things as you grow up, and some of them might seem unfair.

Here’s the thing, though. As hard as being a child seems, it can be just as tough to be your parent – sometimes even harder. Where am I going with this? I’ll tell you.

God is a Father like no other. He is DIFFERENT, after all, right? He gives and gives and gives and gives and then keeps on giving so that His children can have the very best of every blessing He has to offer. Ephesians 3:1 says that God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has blessed us with ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSING. You know what one of those blessings is? His holiness… IN US.

So what makes that hard? Remember, we aren’t perfect. We mess up. And like any loving parent does as their children go through life, God does not enjoy seeing us mess up. He wants to see us succeed. He wants to se us do our best. We cannot do that without some guidance, though. Sometimes it seems tough to follow Him and His way of doing things. But we have to remember that His way will always lead us to success, just like when He led His people – the Israelites – through the desert and out of Egypt in the days of Moses. Just like He helped them, He will help you.

He says something very interesting to the Israelites around this time – He says they will be holy, because He is holy.* And He says that He brought them out, separating them from all other nations, so that they would be identified with Him.** He knew though, that there would still be times when His people would stumble and not listen to Him. Sound familiar? Your parents know firsthand the strain of seeing their children disobey them. It isn’t easy to do. But trust that whenever you walk away from God, your heavenly Father, He is always right there waiting with open arms for you to return. He is patient. He still sees you as holy. He still sees you as uniquely His. He will never give up on you. And neither would a loving parent. And, as a side note: neither will I.

*Leviticus 11:45

**Leviticus 20:26

Made Right DEVOTION: Day 1

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. No, if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” – Romans 8:16-17

 

Everyone is someone’s child. You might have the best parents in the world. Or maybe you don’t. You might know all there is to know about your mom and dad. Or maybe you’ve never met them. You may love hanging out with your folks. Or, you may rarely see them. Chances are, most people probably fall somewhere between these two extremes. However, the statement is still true: for better or worse, everyone is someone’s child.

 

Read Romans 8:12-17, paying close attention to verses 16-17. In his letter, the Apostle Paul said some pretty awesome stuff. If we fully understand what Hes saying here, it kind of blows our minds.

 

Paul says we’re God’s children. Don’t let that pass you by. The God who created the universe? The holy King of Kings? He’s your Father. In fact, as you learned in last week’s lesson, He made a tremendous sacrifices to make You His child. How cool is that?

 

Look again at verse 17. Because you’re child of God, you share in Christ’s inheritance. The picture here is that God is your Father, and Jesus is your brother. Master. Savior. Messiah. Brother. How unbelievably awesome is God! He never fails to blow our minds with the depth of His love for us.

 

Something to think about…

1. What kind of Father do you think God is? How does it make you feel to know you have God to turn to as a perfectly protective, wonderfully good, “always there” parent?
2. Why do we sometimes lose track of hos truly amazing and deep God’s for us is? What gets in the way? Spend a moment in prayer today simply thanking God for being God.