Christmas

It is the time where we remember two things:

1. When Full Divinity took on full humanity. . . in order to be able to provide a perfect blood atonement for sin. . .
2. When Full Divinity and full humanity shall return to earth to reign. . .

Even so LORD, come quickly. . .

Praise

I just wanted to let you all know that my dad got a job. He started on Monday. He works at John C. Lincoln. Thank you all for praying for my family.

Glorify God

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:55-58

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Ephesians 1:12

That last few days I’ve been thinking about what is really important in life: brining glory to God. It’s easy to get so consumed with my own plans that I lose the big picture! In my Bible class, we just finished studying Ecclesiastes, and I was reminded of how our lives are vapors and so much of what we do is “chasing the wind.” The only way to find true satisfaction that will last is through Christ.

My roommate’s mom died a few years ago and she was saying that ever since then she’s realized how short life is. She said she wants to run the race everyday with all she has because she doesn’t know when her last lap will be. So many of us think we will have forever to live, but our lives really are short. I know when I die I want to hear “Well done,” and have crowns to lie at Jesus feet. My life is short and I can’t waste it living for myself. I must use it to bring glory to God – He is worthy!

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11

Always the same

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Isn't that great? Jesus is always the same! He never changes and He will always keep His promises. Unlike our friends, family, or anyone else Jesus is always there for us and He will never leave. People are never perfect and they make mistakes and I think its great we can depend on God because He will always be there for us, keep His promises, and will never change.

Careful Worship

There have been posts here in the past that have focused on the right kind of attitude to have when coming to church. The following verse continues on that same theme.

Ecclesiastes 5:1
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

In our fast-paced day and age, it is common to kind of squeeze church into our schedules. Many times, right up to when the service begins and even continuing through the service, we are thinking and talking about things completely distracting or even contrary to our God—the cares of this world.

This verse warns against such a flippant attitude. It actually calls such an attitude evil ("for they consider not that they do evil"). Wow! It is kind of humbling to imagine that we may be sinning in church more than we even realize. How often do we take the time to examine our hearts before worshipping at church? How common is it for us to ask God to direct our thoughts and to change us as a result of what we learn from His Word? Do we guard our actions in such a way? Is that our primary focus?

Unfortunately, we often "give the sacrifice of fools." That is, we go through the motions, offering lip-service to God, but with no real focus, no real desire. That kind of flippant attitude toward worship is something that God hates. It is disrespectful to Him, and it is unconcerned with the wonderful opportunity that God has given to worship Him because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross in our behalf.

We need to be very careful in the way we approach worship. And if we will obey God in this way, He will make our worship something of immense profit. He will fill our hearts with joy when we take time to commune with Him—on His terms, and in His ways. May we consider what God’s Word has to say concerning this matter, even as we prepare ourselves for this coming Sunday.

Big Prayer Request

Hey everyone,
I really really would appreciate your prayers right now. Alot of my friends at IBC seem to either be walking away from God or getting burned out and it really hurts to see that. So please pray that God would do a mighty work in the student body, I would really appreciate it. My heart is breaking for so many of my friends there.

Prayer requests

My mom had foot surgery today. So if you could pray that it will be a fast recovery. She has to stay at the hospital over night but should be home tomorrow.

Also you can pray for Sean he broke his jaw. Just pray that it will heal fast and not be painful. It looks like it hurts really bad. thanks

A Biblical Perspective on Fear

Is it a bad thing to have fear? Is it proper to have fear? Look for a moment at the following verses in Psalm 112.

Psalm 112:1, 7
Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

Notice that this whole psalm is speaking of a person who fears the Lord. Then, notice how v. 7 gives us one of the life results of the person who fears the Lord: he is not afraid of evil tidings or bad news.

Fear is proper when directed toward God. The point this psalm is making is that if an individual is going to receive God’s benefits, he must live with a proper reverence and awe of Him. It is important, therefore, to constantly marvel at the attributes and works of God. Praise God for them in your prayer life. Meditate upon them throughout the day. Proper fear of God can only result from proper thoughts about God and much time spent meditating upon Him as a person.

One of the benefits for the individual who fears God is that he/she is then able to stop fearing the stuff of life that could happen. Sometimes, Christians are very pessimistic, almost expecting bad news to come. It is like we are afraid that somehow, in order to experience a dynamic Christian life, something terrible has to happen like it did to many of the great men and women of the Bible. Other times, we are simply paranoid about the future. We fear a substantial loss of money, or an accident, or a family crisis, or a health issue, etc. Instead of seeking first Christ’s kingdom and letting Him concern Himself with the rest of our lives (Matthew 6:33), we seek first our kingdom.

The message I gleaned from these two verses in this psalm is that if I find myself fearing bad news, I am not properly fearing God. I am not meditating upon Him enough. I am not depending upon Him. We should ask God to help us fear Him, and then trust Him to take care of the things that we might be tempted to fear.

Establish My Works

In reading through the psalms the last few days, I came across this prayer of Moses:

Psalm 90:17
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

This verse warrants careful observation. It contains the words of a man who fought and fought God's will at the burning bush because, in his pride, he felt he was not able to obey (Exodus 4:10-18). Yet, God used him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt en route to the Promise Land.

On the other hand, Moses was also the one who, in pride, hit the rock when God told him to speak to the rock (Numbers 20:7-12). Because of that, Moses would never actually enter the Promise Land himself.

This psalm may have been written before Moses struck the rock. Nevertheless, his words here contrasted with his actions in the two instances noted above make an important point: man is unable to accomplish anything of any lasting value for the Lord unless God Himself "establishes" that work. In other words, the works we do for Christ mean absolutely nothing without God giving them value. Moses could try to avoid God’s will or change God’s will, but God would have none of it. Moses needed to be in God’s will and submitted to it in order to have God’s power on his life. Just as dynamite has no power until it is touched by the flame, so we have no power unless the flame of God touches upon our lives and works and makes them powerful for Him. And then, things will be as they should be, and He gets all the glory, not us. We must quit trying to live a successful Christian life by ourselves, because our flesh and judgment are often weak.

May my prayer be today, "Lord, establish my works!"

Please pray for me

Hey everybody, i would really really REALLY appreciate your prayer right now. My life is really coming under spritual attack right now, so please pray that i would stay strong and fight the good fight. Satan busted out some heavy stuff today and i came under attack like i never have before. I will not give in to it, but i need your prayer! Thanks you.
Dan

Forgive others

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking,be put away from you, with all malice:And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Just think about those verses. When someone does something to you and hurts you we are to forgive them. We are to love them and forgive them just as God forgives us everytime we do something wrong against Him. Don't stay mad at them and hold a grudge against them. You can't grow in Christ when you are bitter at someone. Also if you dont forgive others God wont forgive you.


Matthew 6: 14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

College

I’d like to ask you to please pray for me this semester while I’m away at college. Please pray I’d do well in my classes and have fun, but most importantly that I’d trust God while I’m there rest and rely on Him for my strength. I know college is going to be really busy and I want to make sure I keep God first.

I’m so thankful for all the promises of God and who He is. Something I’ve been reminded of a lot this year is to know God, and how knowing Him brings so much peace. If I am truly focused on God and resting in Him, I can’t be worried at the same time. God promises so much to me! He is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower (read Psalm 18 for more). He says to me, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” I'm glad I have the privilege to serve such an amazing God!

-Rachel :)

Press toward the mark

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

We need to do what that verse says. We need to leave those things which are behind us. Even if we have fallen 7 times we need to just get right back up again and reach for the prize. Isn't it great that God is merciful and forgives us!

Psalms 26:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Psalms 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Jesus is my Best Friend

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. John 15:13-15

…A friend of publicans and sinners! Luke 7:34b

Jesus is my best-friend! He was a friend of sinners like me, and He died on the cross so that my sins could be forgiven! I have some great friends, and I am very thankful for them, but they can’t always be there when I need them. I am so glad that Jesus promises never to leave me or forsake me. He will always be there with me no matter what is going on! I can cast all my cares on Him, because He cares for me! Jesus is a friend who is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Other friends will let me down, but not Jesus…He will never be fair-weather. I praise Jesus for the friend that He is to me!

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged:
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our ev'ry weakness:
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

- Rachel

Prayer Request Update

This is what Miss Heidi said about the accident

Hey, Praise God no one was killed or anything like that. There is no life threatening injuries. Some people have to stay in the hospital overnight so they can keep an eye on them. Keep praying. The ones that are still in the hospital are Josh Ledgerwood, Lydia, Audrey Merrick, and Michelle Sekuras. They are injured.

And then this is what Miss Kat said:

Thank you for praying for them. Everyone is okay, just bruised a little. Audrey Merrick broke her pelvis in 3 places, but she will be alright after a few months and some physical therapy. Continue to pray for all of them as they heal and for the people working at camp. The accident has become a distraction to many of us and we have another week of camp to focus on.

Be thankful

I want to encourage you all to be thankful for what God has given you.

At Ironwood I was sitting by the big tree early in the morning waiting for everyone to come to go to the prayer chapel. No one was there yet. I sat there looking around and thinking. I was thinking.... God made everything is this world for us and it all is good. Isn't that great! God made everything for US! HE spent His time for us and sent His only Son to die on the cross for us and you know most of the time we don't even care! We go through our day not caring about anything , anybody but ourselves! We cant even hand out a track to the person standing next to us at work or at the grocery store. Its because WE DON'T CARE! You know what else.... we always want more things. There are people around the world that have much much less than us and they are happy for what they have. But no we have all this stuff and we want more!!! We have eternal life through Jesus Christ. That should be enough! So before you go through your day caring just about yourself or wanting that big screen TV think about what God did for us and what He gave us. This time do something for God. He has done everything for us... I think we can do some things for Him.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Wonderfully Made

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” ~ Psalm 139:14

“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” ~ Genesis 1:31a

God created each of us exactly how He wants us to be! It’s so easy to be discontent or complain about how we’ve been made, whether it’s something insignificant we don’t like, for example our hair, teeth, or our noses, or whether there truly is something big that is “wrong” with us. However, God didn’t make a single mistake, and it’s sin to complain about how we’ve been created.

"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” ~ Proverbs 31:30

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; but I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

Praise God for how you’ve been made, and focus on what He is most concerned about – your heart!

~ Rachel

God Makes No Mistakes

This is something I have been thinking about lately, God makes no mistakes. Isn't that a great thought?! God does everything for a reason wether good or bad, and He has a purpose for doing it wether we know why or not. He knows what is ahead of us. So we need to not question what God does or is telling us to do. We need to just trust and obey Him and He will take care of us.

Psalms 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Keep it up

Hey everybody,
I just wanted to challenge all you guys (and gals) who went on the Mexico trip to continue to do the all the stuff you did down there. The same God who blessed and worked down in Mexico can do the exact thing up here. A couple of years ago Pastor Scott challenge all of the youth group to stay faithful to God and stay humble before Him and let Him use us, that year we saw over 40 people saved at one activity. God can do that again and He can do it with you. Don't let everything stop just because your back at home and not someplace foreign. Grab some tracks, go knock on some doors, serve whenever you can, don't stop the work that God started in your lives down in Mexico. Remain faithful and let God use you, share what God has taught you and be willing to be used.

P.s. on a less serious note sorry for any misspelled words up there, I'm a terrible speller :)

May it be my desire to be humble,
Dan

Please Pray for Ironwood!

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

I'm writing to ask you to pray for camp! Pray for safety and a lot of fun. Pray for unity as a youth group and that we would all have a good spirit. Most importantly, pray that God would change lives! Pray that He would save people. Pray for people individually who you know are going to camp. Ask God to search your own heart and show you areas you need to change. Pray that God would make us soft towards spiritual things, and that we would be willing to grow. Pray that as a youth group we would see Christ, that we would be excited about living a life that is holy and useable for Him!

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. - II Chronicles 7:14

But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. -Isaiah 66:2b

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. - Isaiah 57:15

Serving God is Exciting!

I had an incredible time in Mexico! God taught me so much and gave me a new perspective on so many things. I was looking foward to the trip for such a long time and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to go!

The believers in Mexico were so full of enthusiasm and joy. You could tell they were passionate about serving the Lord. It was so exciting to fellowship with the believers there. Even though we live in different countries and speak different languages, we serve the same God.

It was convicting to me to see how much they witnessed and shared their faith. They were not timid or bold, but excited to share the gospel with others.

The preaching during the week was also very good. One thing in particular that I was reminded of was to serve God no matter what – even if it is difficult, or if you don’t have much. The people in Mexico didn’t have all of the nice things that we do, and their church buildings weren’t very nice, and their hymnals were falling apart. It is easy to go on a trip like this for a week and when you are with your friends be all pumped up about serving God in an out of the way village in a church with a dirt floor, but I was thinking about the fact that if you were there as a missionary for years and years, without your friends to talk to, it would lose the glamour. I was reminded though that Christ will always give me the strength that I need to do His will, and there is true joy in serving God no matter how much or how little I have. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can to all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:11-13

- Rachel :)

Amazing Thought

I Peter 1:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

I have a challenge for you guys. It's been on my mind since the half-way party for Scripture Scholarship, but I've only just now have it coherent to blog. So here goes.

I, like most of the rest of you, am a second, or even third-generation Christian. My parents are Christians and my living grandma goes to church. So, I grew up hearing about how Jesus died on the cross for me. But it was never real. I knew it in my head, but it didn't mean much. Then, in Scripture Scholarship I memorized that verse and it really stuck out. Jesus-the Perfect Son of God- died an agonizing death for me! I can't believe it. I know the wickedness of my heart and the thought that a perfect God loved me enough to die for me blows my mind away. It's amazing. And since we have that knowledge, why aren't we telling people about it? Anyway, that's my testimony. I hope God uses it.
In His Hands,
Kayla

MEXICO

Hi everyone! We are back from Mexico now!! Thanks for praying for us.

Well Mexico was GREAT! I LOVE it there. My favorite part was probably passing out tracks and John/Roman Bibles. The people there were so kind and nice. If you gave them a track they didn't just throw it away they took and started reading it and said thank you. When you give someone a track here in the US they usually dont really care and dont want it or take it and just throw it away. BUt it was great to see everyone reading the things you just gave them. The first night we got there we invited people to a youth rally and we also gave them John/Romans. And when we were walking around you saw people everywhere reading what we just gave them it was so great! Another thing i liked was how the people at church are so welcoming and kind. We would go to church and they would shake our hand and talk to us as though they have known us for awhile. What really hit me was at most of the churches we went to there wasnt any air conditioning. All they had we a couple of fans or nothing. And what amazed me was the people didnt care the still went to church every time and served God no matter what. Another thing was when we went out passing out things people were usually in their yard as a family talking and stuff. I think that is great because you can get so close to your family and spend so much time with them. They werent consumed with TV and Internet or games they were happy with what they had. I think thats amazing.

Well I want to encourage you all to just think how blessed you are by God. Some of you might be thinking that must be terrible that most of them dont have air or tv or games but you know I think thats a good thing. Because most of all that stuff is just destracting us from serving God. So think about what you have and how much time you are spending time with it. Serving God is the best thing ever!

Joyfulness

Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18

I don’t usually study my Bible topically, but a few days ago I decided to study the topic of joy. I went to look up verses on “joy” and “rejoicing”, and I was amazed at how many there were…over 400! (Bible Gateway makes topical searches very easy!) Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It should be continually increasing in my life as I grow in my sanctification.

Joy isn’t just a nice feeling when everything is going perfectly. Many people in the New Testament, like Paul, rejoiced even when things were extremely difficult. True joy is not fleeting, but is based on what I know to be true about Christ and His word. I can have joy because no matter what is happening, as a Christian, I have a different, eternal perspective. I have a personal relationship with the One who knows and is in control of all things!

What keeps us from having joy? Sin is one of them. David prayed in Psalm 51 that God would restore unto him the joy of His salvation. We can’t be joyful if our lives are full of sin. We also won’t be joyful if we aren’t spending time reading the Bible…God’s Word is a source of joy! Jeremiah 15:16 – Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.

There is joy in serving Jesus
Joy amid the darkest night
For I've learned the wondrous secret
And I'm walking in the light

There is joy, joy
Joy in serving Jesus
Joy that throbs within my heart
Every moment, every hour
As I draw upon His power
There is joy, joy
Joy that never shall depart

* Rachel *

I'm Saved!

I just started reading though Ephesians, and every time I read chapter 1 (I’d encourage you to read it), it just amazes me to be reminded of all Christ has done for me! I was chosen before the foundation of the world! I’m adopted! I’m accepted in the beloved! I am redeemed through the blood of Christ – my sins are forgiven! I have an inheritance! I have been given the Holy Spirit!

Do these things get me excited? I have to admit that they don’t always get me as excited as they should. I need to pray like Paul did at the end of chapter 1 that I would be illuminated to see spiritual truths. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according o the working of his might power.”

My salvation is so amazing! I was dead in my sins, but now I am alive through Christ. My salvation is a gift from God. Christ died for my sins! Christ’s righteousness has been made mine! I pray that God would get me, and our entire youth group to see what we have in Christ – that we would rejoice in our salvation!

And can it be that I should gain
An int'rest in the Saviour's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th'eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

~ Rachel

Favorite Verses?

I think that it would be cool if we had more posts on the blog with discussion. So, just to start out, what are some of your favorite Bible verses, and why? Just leave a comment with your answer - I think it will be neat to hear what everyone has to say. Also, if you've never posted on the blog before, this would be the perfect time to start! :)

- Rachel

Seeing Jesus

On the senior trip, Pastor Schaal read to us every night from a book called, “We Would See Jesus.” While I was on the trip and now as I’m reading back over it, I have been reminded of the importance of seeing God, and of having Him be my complete focus. I need to remember that my purpose is to know God, to love and glorify Him…to see Him! I need to make sure my focus is right, and that I am not allowing other things to distract me from seeing Him.

One specific area I had never thought much about before was how service for God can actually be a distraction to seeing Him. I am going to quote from the book because it says it better than I can, “To concentrate on service and activity for God may often actively thwart our attaining the true goal, God Himself. At first sight is seems heroic to fling our lives away in the service of God and of our fellows. We feel it is bound to mean more to Him than our experience of Him. Service seems to unselfish, whereas concentrating on our walk with God seems selfish and self-centered. But it is the very reverse. The things that God is most concerned about are our coldness of hearts towards Him and our proud, unbroken natures. Christian service of itself can, and often does, leave our self-centered nature untouched.”

While serving God is, of course, important, I can’t let service or anything else become more important than God Himself and my relationship with Him! The only thing I should glory in is that I know God! This takes time and effort…I need to take the time to spend in prayer, and in God’s word getting to know Him better and praying for Him to show me Jesus.

“Thus saith the LORD, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24

~ Rachel

Serve God

Are you serving God?Do you want to serve God? Many people will say "Yes I want to serve God". But you know..they aren't willing to confess and put away those things that are stopping them from serving the Lord. They don't want to give up what they listen to or what they watch or say or whatever it is. And you know that's the problem. God can't use you when you can't even give up what He doesn't want. I just want to ask you guys to stop and think if there is anything blocking you from serving God. If there is confess it make it right and replace it with something that is glorifying to God. God wants to use you but He can't when you aren't willing to do what He wants first.

Moses – The Servant of the Lord

I was recently reading through the book of Joshua, and the other day, I noticed something I had not specifically focused on before. When the book of Joshua looks back to the time of Moses and retells or gives reminders of some of the things that happened during his life, it says something along the lines of “Moses, the servant of the Lord.” Over and over again, those words appear in Joshua following Moses’ name.

How dedicated and focused upon the ministry of the Lord must Moses have been to be repeatedly referred to by that title, even after his time on earth was finished! We should each ask ourselves if such could be said about our lives. Is each of our lives so focused upon pleasing God that the first thing others would think about when they hear our name is "the servant of the Lord"?

Prayer Request

I would really appreciate your prayers this week. There has been alot going on in my life lately and some of the stuff going on is pretty hard. I know that God is good and that He will get me through all of it, but it would be a huge encouragement if you guys would be praying for me. Thanks.

Glorify God

What do you talk about?? What do you say. Are you glorifying God in everything you say and do?

1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

In one of our soccer games last week, we played a team that wasn't very kind in their words. But you know what happened? Our team and I would talk back to them like they were talking to us, which was not glorifying to God. And you know what I noticed? We didn't play as well. But then the next day we had another game against them. This game there was less talking bad against them. And guess what happened? We all played better and worked better as a team. We weren't all focused on bringing the other team down. I believe that God was with us and helped us because we were glorifying His name and being a good example.

We need to glorify God in everything we do, even in a soccer game or in taking out the trash. God will bless us and be with us if we obey Him and glorify Him and do His will.

God is my Guide

“O the depth and the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33

It is a wonderful fact to know what God is all wise, and that He has a perfect plan for my life. I have had a tendency in the past (and still do sometimes!) to make up some really good plans of how my life should work out, and how I would like it to be. However, that is not what I should be doing!

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” – Isaiah 55:8

God’s ways are so much higher than mine! Whenever I’ve planned out how my life “should” be, God’s way always turned out to be so much better. He’s done things that I could have never thought of! I’m so thankful that He is always up to something good in my life, and I don’t have to worry about anything, or try to work out a cool plan, I just need to trust God and obey Him day by day. (Psalm 37 is a really good chapter about trusting/waiting/resting in the LORD.) I have no clue where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing a few years from now, but I’m glad that God does know. He has given me so many amazing promises in His word. I am excited to see what His plan is, and I’m glad that He promises to lead me and be with me wherever He takes me.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works. Psalm 73:24-26, 28

Serving - Even When It's Hard

Pastor Schaal’s message Sunday night on service was very good. It is so easy to want to look out for myself first, but I need to be focused on serving Christ and others. I need to be able to say "no" to myself, and "yes" to God and others. I was just reminded that when I look at situations I shouldn't be looking to see what I can get out of them for myself, but what I can do in that situation to serve....I should leave a situation better than I found it. I want my mind to become so much like Christ's that I will think and act how He would (Philippians 2:5). That will only happen by spending a lot of time with Him.

I am also very thankful for God's grace to help me carry out the commands He gives. It's easy in a sermon like Sunday night to have a wave of inspiration pass over me and to decide I am going to be a servant from here on out. Right. It's another thing on Tuesday when I'm vacuuming, or when I'm perfectly cozy in my room and my parents ask me do to something. This is where it really gets tough (for me it seems hardest to serve at home). I'm so glad God doesn't ask me to do things that He doesn't promise to give me the strength to do.

I Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Cool Praise

Seeing that this blog is called "remember him now," i think I will do just that. At the beginning of this semester I was looking in to different ways of getting around campus and found that using a longboard was probably the best way by far. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's like an elongated skateboard, but they usually cost around $50-$100 for the cheap ones. I really couldn't spend that much, but I was praying that if God wanted me to get around campus faster that he would provide a way. This week, I was talking about longboards with a friend, and she said she had one if I could use if I wanted to. Isn't God awesome?! I had completely forgotten about that but God hadn't! Just thought I would share that.

Ministry at ASU

Thanks for praying for us as we had our week long meetings at ASU. Last night was our last night and we had a pizza party afterwards which was great because people would just stop by, and we had a chance to share the gospel with so many people that way. We had three visitors for the message as well, including one of my friends for whom I have been praying for a long time. He said he had a great time and wanted to do some more stuff with our group, which is such a great blessing! Please keep praying for ASU and i would appreciate it if you would pray for me there are some things that I am struggling with right now.

God is good!

I just wanted to let you all know that we saw one of our visitors get saved tonight! God is awesome and he is doing great things at ASU! Please pray for him. His name is Kevin and he asked that we pray for him as he starts a new life. Thanks for all your prayers!

Testimony

I just wanted to let you all know what God is doing over here at ASU, because he is doing some awesome things! This week IBC and Tri-City have had some amazing messages about being filled with the Spirit and live a life of power and that has really set up what has been going on at ASU this week. If you get a chance go to their website, www.tricityministries.org and you can listen to some of them online. Tonight started our outreach week at ASU, and at first it was really discouraging. We had gone on friday night and plastered signs and posters all over campus about what was going on, but almost all of them were taken down sometime over the weekend. On top of that, a really small group from the church showed up. It was really discouraging, but God let it all happen to show that it isn't going to be us that does the work over at ASU. We started praying and just passing out flyers hoping that we could at least get some visitors to come later in the week, but God gave us so much more. We had two stay for the service and several other contacts who wanted to stay but "just couldn't" tonight. The guy who preaced gave a message about how only God can satisfy and one of the girls that stayed was telling us afterwards that that was her and how she had been searching for awhile. She did not not make a profession of faith, but I think she is very close, she did promise to come tomorrow and throughout the rest of the week. God is so awesome and he is so powerful. He will work through us as long as we are broken before him and willing to be filled with his power! Please keep praying for us!

"May it be my glory to be humble and broken"

Surprise! I found something in Jeremiah!

I’m reading the Bible in a few different places right now, one of them being Jeremiah. Jeremiah is one of those books that are a little more difficult for me to read, and I’m not always sure just exactly what I’m supposed to be learning from it. Well, Saturday night, I was feeling a little low when I realized I still had about half of the book left. I picked it up, and I happened to be reading chapter 29. With my little faith, I didn’t expect to glean a whole lot, but, I read anyway, so I could get "through it." Well of course, chapter 29 turned out to be really amazing! It has the famous verses, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

The idea of searching for God with all of my heart really struck me. Sometimes it’s easy to spend time with God, but not really have my whole heart there. I’ve been spending time lately in Psalm 119, and I’ve also seen this a lot there.

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart (v. 2).

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments (v.10).

Give me understanding and I shall keep they law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart (v.34).

These are just a few of the verses that show David’s love and thirst for God and his Word. David wasn't haphazardly reading his Bible, or just spending a few minutes here and there with God when it fit in. He was continually meditating and rejoicing in God's Word!

When is it going to be? Will you be ready? - Revisited

Erika had a great article on being ready for death. I would like to pirate her title and add to the concept. Yet I don't want to necessarily think of death, but ultimately of life. When is it going to be? Will you be ready? Jesus is coming again. Some believers would mock and scoff and state that I make too much of the second coming, just another "dispensational date setter." But the second coming is intensely practical to our lives. 1 John 3:2-3 states, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."

Do you want to live purely? Live as if Jesus was coming back today. If he came back now, would you be ready?

Prayer Request

I just heard this about 30 mins ago. Mrs. Schroeder is in the hospital. I am not really sure why because no one really knew why we just heard. I believe its because her heart rate went up. If you could just pray for her and the family. If anyone else knows anything else you can post it if you want to, and if I find out anything else I will also post.

When is it going to be? Will you be ready?

I wanted to ask. Do you know when you are going to die? No, of course you don't. But are you ready to go? The Lord can take you at any time. Whether you are 15 or 55 or 95 or however old. Are you really ready? When you go through your day what do you think about? What do you say to your friends, teachers, parents, and those around you? When you walk into a room and when you leave do people think you are serving God or serving yourself? Doing what God wants you to do or doing what you want to do?
Are you serving God and obeying what He tells you to do? Or is your point of view, "Oh I am just going to do what I want today and say whatever I want and be how I want to be."

I just want to encourage you guys to do what's right. The Lord can come or take you at any time. Are you ready? Will the Lord say Well done my good and faithful servant? Just think about how you go through your days. Is it for yourself or God?

Luke 16:13
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Deuteronony 13:4
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

Praise/Prayer Request

There is some good news and some bad news. Let's start with the bad.

Some of you know that last night someone or some people broke into the Waycaster's house. They took purses, wallets, all the keys to the cars and house, some food, and some other things. So if you could pray for them because they have to do a lot of things.

Well, the good news is that no one got hurt. I mean the robber could have hurt any of them. I think the Lord was watching over them all. Isn't it wonderful how great the Lord is? He protects us every second or our lives.

Psalms 119:117
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Live Like a Christian

I was just reading an excert from a letter from an atheist to a Christian. He spoke of how Christians say they love God and then do nothing about it. He says we practically stand by and watch them all die. He compared it to standing on a street corner and watching people run in front of a bus and die. And we do nothing! How could we say we love God and not love the people He loves. Are we just being hypocrites? In 1 John 4:7 it says "Behold, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." So you say you believe the Bible. My challenge to you is start living like it!

Joseph

I'm telling a story about Joseph for Jr. Church on Sunday, so he's been on my mind lately. I think that Joseph is my favorite Bible character. There is just so much to learn from his life! A huge thing that always strikes me every time I read the story is how he was content and serving God in every situation. Joseph wasn't focused on himself and all of the things that had gone "wrong" in his life; he was focused on others. He did his best work for Potiphar and was a servant even in the prison. I love to read this story and see how God worked every detail out in Joseph's life, and how amazing His plan is. It's easy for me to read a Bible story I know well, and gloss over parts of it, but being in prison for two years and all the other things Joseph went through had to be really hard! I'm thankful for the reminder from Joseph's life to be content and trusting God in every situation, no matter what it is. Even though we can't always see it right away, His plan is always good!

When I was at camp this summer, I heard a very good message on Joseph called Prisons, Pits & Palaces...if any of you have time you can download the sermon and handout here.

Deuteronomy 31:8
And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.

God Works in Mysterious Ways

Alright, my dad has been really straying from God for a long while. He used to be a really, really spiritual person and actually, I believe deep down he still is, because he has a good knowledge of the Bible and the Christian faith, he's taught me a LOT. It's been a long time since he's read the Bible, but here's my praise.

Last night, he was outside, and I started having an interesting conversation with him. It was basically about a lot of biblical stuff, the KJV Bible and about people from the Bible and such, and I got out a Bible, and he took it from me and read it! My mom told me that she really believes God is working. It's been 2 YEARS since he's read God's Word, so I'm just really, really thankful for that.

I understand and know that God IS in control and that He's working through everything, and He reminded me of that last night after I was done talking to my dad. Today, I just want to remind everyone to fully rely on God, because God NEVER fails and He always knows what's right for you.

Devotional Challenge

Here's a challenge for any of you who have some extra time on your hands:

Read your Bible cover-to-cover in 52 days.

In order to do this, find a year long Bible reading plan (such as http://www.verseoftheday.com/year1.html) and read 7 days each day. It should only take on an average of an hour and twenty five minutes (It takes 72 hours to read the Bible outloud at "pulpit rate.") each day.

Any takers?

Prayer Request

I have a prayer request.....My Aunt,Uncle,and Cousin are coming over from England in May!! YAY!!!! But they are not saved, and I would ask that you all pray for them! Their names are Auntie Vicki, Uncle John, and Emma. My mom has been talking to them about everyday to build good relationships with them and so far she has had a couple opportunities to wittness but they didn't accept anything.

They said that they would go to church with us when they were here which is very exciting so you all can see them! Just pray that God would do His will, and we could see them get saved! Thank you all so much for doing this for me!

I also ask that you would pray for my family right now as we are having a rough time with things going on in our family(like my dad adopting kids)!!!!!!

A Perspective on Forgiveness

Over the past few months I have been slowly working through The Lord's Prayer by Thomas Watson, a Puritan writer. While speaking concerning the phrase, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," he had these words to say (p. 245):

Forgiveness of sin is the sauce which sweetens all the comforts of this life. As guilt embitters our comforts, and puts wormwood into our cup, so pardon sweetens all. . . . Health and pardon, estate and pardon, relish well. Pardon of sin gives a sanctified title and a delicious taste to every comfort. . . . It is observable that Christ joins these two together, "Give us our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses," as if Christ would teach us there is little comfort in daily bread unless sin be forgiven.

This short quotation really made me think about how needy we are of God's forgiveness in order to even enjoy the blessings that He abundantly gives to us. Thank God for His matchless forgiveness!

Fear Not - Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

I just wanted to say Why fear? I mean we don't have to fear anything. God is with us every single second of the day and He will gave us the strength to get through everything that is His will. He will help you through and lead you the right way. He will give you strength whether its big or small. Like taking a test, playing an instrument, witnessing, playing a sport, when you are alone, or anything else. The Lord with protect you and keep you.

My God Loves Me!

God's love is so amazing to me! Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." That is so overwhelming to me...that God really loves me! It's pretty easy for me to see God's power, but if God was all powerful and didn't love me, that would not be a good thing. I'm so thankful for the God that I have.

His love is perfect. Nothing that I do will make God love me more or less...He already loves me with perfect love. "If I hear 'well done thou good and faithful servant,' it's not because my godliness is so stunning, but because my heavenly Father loves me" (Jim Berg). Psalm 18:19b says, "He delivered me, because He delights in me." That is incredible...He delights and takes pleasure in me! I can't understand that.

I need to be constantly reminding myself about what is true about God, and thinking about it. When I remember how much God loves me, it stops my worry in its tracks. I need to pray for God to show me his love and to help me understand it, like Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:18-19, that I "may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

I love the hymn, "Blessed Assurance." The last verse says:

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

I pray that I would understand more and more of God's love for me. That I would continually be "looking above, filled with His goodness and lost in His love."

Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace

First, I would like to reintroduce myself to the group. Perhaps some are new and do not remember me. Perhaps some who have gone before have forgotton about me. I left the youth group in 2001 when I graduated HS and attended NBBC for 4 years. In the summer of 2003 I interned under Pastor Scott Olson. In the summer of '04 I was a youth sponsor. In 2005 I graudated and moved to Minneapolis, got married and started work on a MDiv from Central Baptist Seminary. If you don't remember me, I'm the guy that used to write the devotionals for camp/camps.

Now I am writing to respond to a post by Billy a few weeks ago. Billy posted some great theology on the topic of grace. I completely agree with what he said, but I feel that more must be added to the post to give a fuller exposition of grace. The reason that I feel that I must post this fact, is that I have had several friends, roomates, and peers (whom I previously ministered with in different ways) focus so strongly on grace, that they took grace as a license for what could be perceived as sinful behavior (drinking, etc.). Of course Romans 6 lays out the fact the we should not sin in order for grace to abound. I actually believe that there is a stronger set of verses in Scripture that give a fuller explanation of the function of grace in the life of a Christian.

Titus 2:11-15 states:
11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
15) These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Billy has already explained v. 11 in his post, so that I have no need to repeat his statements.

This passage really gives to us one point on what grace teaches the believer. Grace teaches the believer that we ought to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world. The word "teach" is the verb form of the word that was used by the ancient Greeks (both classical, such as Plato, and contemporary with the New Testament, such as Plutarch) for education. Grace formally educates us as in a school.

Grace educates us to live:
Soberly - look at all of the uses of the word "sober" in Titus 2. You would think that Paul had a serious point to make with the word "sober." Sober, simply put, is right thinking (orthodoxy) that leads to right feelings.

Righteously - Our judicial (legal) position before God the father through the imputation of the righteousness of Christ. We are to live in the light of the righteousness that has been given to us.

Godly - Piety - speaking of our personal relationship with God.

"in this present world" - literally "in the now age" - Speaks of in this present time, or in this dispensation of the church. Here's how we ought to live in the church age because of Grace.

But how do we live in a manner that thinks right, that works in its legal position of righteousness, and in a pious relationship with God? Paul tells us two ways:

1. By means of denying ungodliness and worldly lusts. Ungodliness is a negative word with the same root word as "godliness" in v 12. That is to say, "impiety," or that which causes a rift in the relationship with the father. Worldly lusts are lusts and temptations that lead us away from the relatioship. Deny anything that gets in the way with your relationship with God.

2. By means of looking for Christ's return. Jesus is coming again! He is coming to take His glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, with Him into the clouds, to wed to His beloved Bride! This is the blessed hope of the believer. He is also returning bodily to the earth to set up His kingdom which will last for a thousand years, and then ushering in the eternal age. This is the glorious appearing. Are you looking and waiting earnestly for Christ to return? Are you living your life in a manner that if Christ would return today he would find you watching and waiting?

(As an interesting side note: There is a grammatical construction in the original that makes "God" and "Savior" describe the same person: Jesus Christ - thus giving a clear reference that Christ Jesus is God/Deity.)

Are you living in the lessons of Grace? Are you living while thinking right with right affectiosn towards God? Are you living in light of your legal position before God? Are you living in a right relationship with Him? Have you denied yourself everything that gets in the way with a relationship with Him? Are you looking and waiting and living in a manner that if Christ returned TODAY he would say, "Well Done?"

I hope you are. The grace that brings salvation is wonderful! The lessons that we learn from that grace lead us to live more piously day by day before God.

Thank God

We need to thank the Lord for everything He has done for us. Sending His only Son to die on the cross for our sins so we don't have to take the punishment of sin. Loving us everyday even though we sin and don't always obey Him. Keeping us. Giving us things we need. Putting things in our life that help us grow in Him. Always keeping His promises. Giving us a great family and friends and people who love us. Protecting us through hard and good times. And lots more things that I can mention. We should be thankful for what God has given us and be content with what we have.

Psalms 75:1
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks,unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

Psalms 106:1
Praise ye the Lord.O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.

2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.

Pray always

Ephesians 6:18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.

We should always pray to the Lord.We can tell Him anything.He should be our best friend.We can ask Him anything.He is always there for us and He wants to hear from us.We might get mad if one of our friends doesn't talk to us one day at school or something.How do you think God feels when we don't talk to Him at all for more than one day.Except maybe when we eat we say a quick pray just so you can eat dinner.

The Lord wants to hear from you. Even though He knows everything He still wants you to pray to Him.He also wants you to ask for things.When you ask for things you need to believe that we will receive it.

Matthew 21:22
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe the ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Comparing

God has been reminding me lately not to compare myself with other people, but just to use all the talents He has given me for His glory. In 1 Corinthians 10:12b it says, "but they meausuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." It's easy for me to get intimidated when I see someone else doing something so much better than I will ever be able to do it. God has given all the abilities that He wants me to have, and I need to be using them all for Him, even if humanly speaking I'm "not the best." I think it's encouraging that in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), Jesus rewarded the man with five talents just the same as the man with two talents, because they had both been faithful. Jesus wasn't concerned about the ammount of talents, but with what being done with the talents.

1 Peter 4:10-11 says, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the abilitiy which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever."

I just need to humbly serve God through the strength that He gives, and be a good steward of the talents and abilitities I've been given, for God's glory.

Elijah – A Portrait of God’s Sovereignty

One of the dire needs that Christians have is to feast and meditate upon the truths of God’s Word that are given to us in a worship service setting. It is common for a believer to be listening attentively, devouring the truths of God’s Word, but then to promptly forget what was said as soon as the final “Amen” is spoken and the other cares of life quickly reenter the picture.

Understanding this own need in my own life, I try to make a habit of taking notes that can be reflected upon later. Another thing that I believe would be helpful is to discuss what the Lord has taught us or reminded us of when His Word is shared. With that thought in mind, I would like to encourage a regular reflection upon the preached Word of God here at this blog. This does not mean that every sermon needs to be completely rehashed or even mentioned, but it is a call for us to meditate on what we have heard so that we might not soon forget what God is seeking to teach us. This is another area that I trust will not be something that is confined to this blog, but that will reach the lunch table, sidewalk, etc.

This previous Sunday morning, Pastor Schaal’s insight on the sovereignty of God in the episode in Elijah’s life recorded in 1 Kings 17 was a wonderful reminder to me concerning the depth of God’s sovereignty. Specifically concerning vv. 3-7, this statement jumped out at me: “God’s hand is in both the provision and the lack of provision.” What a concept to meditate upon! Elijah was in God’s will, both when the brook was flowing and when it had dried!

Sometimes, God’s sovereignty is something that Christians “deal with” instead of rejoice in. What a shame! Elijah learned so much about his God through that episode that I am sure he never forgot. I hope that you and I will not forget that truth either. Your view of God has a significant impact on how you view you current situation, whether it be “good” or “bad.”

For further study on this subject, I would highly recommend that you purchase and read Not By Chance: Learning to Trust a Sovereign God by Layton Talbert, a seminary professor at Bob Jones University. It may be the best book outside of the Bible that I have ever read. I believe it is currently available in the church bookstore, and if it is not, it can be ordered.

Praise - Valentine Banquet

I am so thankful that the Valentine banquet turned out well! I was nervous about the music and the skit, because I didn't feel like I'd had a lot of time to prepare, but God just gave so much grace and strength. There weren't any major flops, and everything went smoothly.

Devotion Ideas

I know that people are constantly reminding you of the necessity of staying in God’s Word and spending time with the Lord in prayer—something we normally refer to as having devotions (because we are seeking to show our devotion to the Lord). I have had some ask me about various ideas for Bible-study and prayer, and I am always happy to help others out. But it occurred to me that those of you in the youth group could possibly be a help to each other in this area. Not only do you have the opportunity to share with others the things the Lord is teaching you, but you can also share ideas for studying the Bible, creating a prayer list, etc.

So, that being said, I wanted to make a post that you guys could add comments to with answers to some of the following questions: What are some things that you have specifically done during your devotions that you have found helpful for you? What books or other tools have been a blessing? Are there any particular studies that you have done that were especially enjoyable to you and that brought you closer to the Lord? What are some ideas that you have toyed with, but have not tried? (Maybe someone else has tried it, and can tell you about it.) How do you try to structure your prayer time?

The purpose for this is not to promote anyone’s own spirituality or the time they spend in devotions; rather, it is to help one another. I am actually interested in some of your ideas for my own sake, and I may occasionally throw in an idea or two myself. Keep building one another up, seeking to help each other see Christ better so that we might “remember Him” more than ever.

Trust God

I just wanted to remind you all that God is in control and you need to trust Him through every step of your life.

God might have put something hard in your life, but He knows what He is doing. He will never give you something that you can't get through. He is always with you and will protect you. Don't be bitter against Him because He did something to you, your friends,or family. God does things for a reason. Though at the moment you might not know why He did it or you might never know why, but all you have to do is trust God and He will guide you through the hard times.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths.

2 Samuel 22:3
The God of my rock, in Him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my Salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Saviour; thou savest me from violence.

2 Samuel 33:31
As for God, His way is perfect; the word or the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all that trust in Him.

Giving Up That Which Costs - Leviticus 1:1-2

Leviticus 1:1-2
1) And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.

You may have at some point heard a saying along these lines: “A thing is worth only as much as you are willing to pay for it.” It is generally true that most people take better care of the things that they purchased for themselves than they do those things which are given to them. When a person counts the cost and then makes a decision to part with his money, he is demonstrating that he believes the money he is giving up is of equal or lesser value than the product he is purchasing.

This leads me to ask myself: What is my relationship to the Lord worth? What am I willing to give up for the sake of my Lord? In Leviticus 1:2, the children of Israel are commanded to bring an animal sacrifice to the Lord, but it could not be just any animal sacrifice. They were to bring an “offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.” This statement indicates that they were limited to sacrificing their own domesticated livestock (The Reformation Study Bible, p. 156), not just a wild animal or someone else’s animals. They had to decide whether or not it was worth it to give up that animal they had raised and poured so much of their resources into. It was a significant monetary sacrifice to obey the Lord. It cost them something.

So, what is my relationship to the Lord worth? What am I willing to sacrifice for Him? At this point, it is easy for me (and maybe you too) to think of all the things that I have “sacrificed” for the Lord (though it is not really a sacrifice to give up something for God because there is nobody or nothing that has more real value than He does). Even this past Sunday, Pastor Schaal mentioned how tempting it can be to think highly of ourselves for sacrificing something in our lives that may be a more difficult for someone else to give up theirs. We think critically of them in order to think better of ourselves. For example, if you look at my user profile on this blog, you will see that I am not really into watching movies. It is not that I despise them or think they are inherently wrong. There are just many other things that I would rather do. Now, it would be easy for me to look down on another Christian who cannot control his movie-watching habits, maybe even to the point that he is watching that which clearly does not please the Lord. I could think that I am something special because I do not have the same struggle. But does that make me more spiritual? Hardly. Where that believer may be struggling in one particular area, there are areas in my life that I have the same difficulty surrendering in order to prioritize my relationship to the Lord. It does not have to be something that is inherently wrong; just something that I have allowed to become a god in my life. Am I willing to give up whatever it is in order to be completely obedient to God? Am I willing to sacrifice something that has value to me so I may be more submissive to Christ? Am I willing to give up that which costs me something?

Oh, that we who know Christ would quit giving Christ lip-service in our sacrifice, and instead, give Him preeminence (Col. 1:18)!

Biography of God

I remember a few years ago, (I think it was in a Meat Chew), I learned about making a Biography of God. I thought it was a good idea, so I started one, and it has been one of the most helpful things I have done over a long period of time in my devotions. I’ll admit there have been times when I’ve just been excited about “adding a new verse,” but God doesn’t care the number of verses in my Biography of God, He cares that I really know Him, not just know about Him. If I really know God, it will change me. When I get worried, I am completely forgetting what kind of God I have…a God who loves me, who gives me grace, who is always in control of all things, who always forgives my sins, who is always trustworthy, etc. When I really understand and meditate on what God is like, it brings so much peace in my life.

I am doing this Bible study right now called Quieting a Noisy Soul, and a big focus of it is to know God, and how we need to realize that God is more than enough for us, and that knowing Him will bring peace and stability. “Grace and peace be multiplied until you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” II Peter 1:2-3. I’ve been learning a lot from it, and over the next few weeks I’ll probably post more specifically about certain attributes of God that have really meant a lot to me.

By the way, did any of you make a Biography of God way back when we learned about it, and if so, do you still have it/use it?