The Art of Mentoring Part 1- Abraham and Lot

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday. I didn't have wifi so it threw me off my schedule.

Today, we will be looking at the first of three sets of mentors and students.

    1.  Abraham and Lot

    2. Jethro and Moses

          3. Naomi and Ruth

      

     The story of Abraham and Lot is oftentimes looked at as a very sad story. Though they were family, they eventually had to split up after some fights. Lot chose to go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and was entrenched in that place of sin. But there are lessons that we can learn from the time that Abraham and Lot spent together, and even the time that they spent apart

  1.    A mentor can be trusted.

• Genesis 12:4a- “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him:”

In this passage of scripture, it is important to understand the exact translation from the Hebrew text to English. This translation is- “Go Abram Yahweh Go Lot.” The importance of this is that it shows the dependence on God that Abram had. Abram first had to trust in Yahweh before he could go out and do what He had commanded. When Lot saw that Abram trusted God, he then could trust Abram with his life, and go wherever Abram went. Can those that you mentor trust you? Can they see a faith in God so strong that they will follow you as you follow God?

             2.    Mentoring isn’t forever.

• Genesis 13:11b-12- “and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.”

As I mentioned earlier, Abram and Lot had their differences and split up. But even in what seems to be a tragic time for a promising student, we can still learn a lesson. You will not be with your student(s) forever. It doesn’t matter how much you love them or want to stay with them forever, God has plans for each of us that take us down different roads. Don’t be afraid to let go of your student and let God have a chance to work specifically in their life.

             3.    Mentoring means rescuing.

• Genesis 14:16- “And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”

Good old Abraham to the rescue! With just 318 trained servants (and God on His side), he took on the armies of four kings and won the victory! He brought back everything and everyone that had been taken. This also supplies a lesson for us. While Lot made a mistake in where he was living (Sodom), Abraham was there for his student. God wants us to be there for those that he entrusts in our care, even when they make mistakes. This means even when it comes at a cost to our time and/or resources.

            4.     Mentors intercede through prayer.

• Genesis 18:16-33, 19:27-29- (18:23-26) “And Abraham drew near, and said, ‘Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ And the Lord said, ‘If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes’”

Abraham was told by God that the place where his nephew was living was going to be destroyed for its wickedness. Because of this, Abraham was concerned for his nephew whom he had brought from the east with him. He then demonstrated one of the most important qualities that any follower of God should have- a prayer life that was strong. He interceded on behalf of Lot and his family just like he did in the above verses, and went from 50 righteous people down to 45, 40, 30, 20, and finally asking God to spare the city if there were only 10 righteous people living there. It’s not that Abraham showed a lack of faith in God to spare the city, it’s that he knew how the people in the city lived. I believe that this holds true for us today. Each of us must find time for prayer, not just for ourselves or our family, but for those God has placed in our care, our students.

Bigger. Faster. Stronger

Ready

"Exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." - 1 Tim. 4:7-8 

Set

Growing up, sports were my life. No matter what the season, I had a ball in my hand. When I got to high school, I realized that I had to train with more focus and intensity. I needed to get bigger, stronger, and faster. Over 95% of an athlete's time is spent training and less than 5% competing.

Training prepares us for game time. We make sacrifices to get better. Tim Tebow says "hard work always beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." Some athletes want the results without the work, but that's not the way it works. Our desire needs to be matched by our do.

Spiritually speaking, most of us spend very little time training for life. We call it devotions, but we aren't very devoted. We call it quiet time, but then rush through to tackle the noise of the day. If we're honest, most of us don't even have a plan. And our hit-and-miss approach is littered with excuses that we're too tired or too busy. We need to put ourselves in position for God to do what only He can do - transform us from the inside out.

We need to show up and put in some time. We can't be weekend warriors. If we want to experience real life-change, we have to train. Make a sacrifice, get a plan, and show up for the workout. There are no shortcuts to godliness. We must do the training and let God do the changing.

Go

1. What are some things that you could do on a daily basis that will increase your spiritual capacity?
2. If you could do one thing for maximum spiritual growth and life change, what would you do?

Workout

2 Peter 1:3-4 Hebrews 12:10-12 Philippians 2:12-13 

Overtime

Father, give me the desire and discipline to begin and stick with a spiritual training program that increases the capacity of my heart and soul. When I show up and train, you will bring change from the inside out. Amen.


About the Author :
Jimmy serves as the Mid-Atlantic Vice President of Field Ministry for FCA. As a twenty-year medical fitness leader and former National Director of FCA Health & Fitness, he hosts Fit Fridays on 95.1 SHINE FM. Jimmy is an author of four best-selling books - WisdomWalks, WisdomWalks Sports, PrayFit, and One Word That Will Change Your Life. He is a coach, cyclist and triathlete. He and his wife, Ivelisse, started a cancer foundation called believebig.org following her victory over cancer. They reside in Maryland with their four children. You can e-mail Jimmy at jpage@fca.org.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes, All Rights Reserved 2014 ©

Job: Our Ever-Living Redeemer

Job 19:23-27

23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

In Exodus and Leviticus, we looked at Christ as our Passover Lamb and our Sacrifice. But that is not the part of the story that excites me most. That part is His resurrection on the third day, what we now call Easter Sunday! Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20 cover the story of Jesus' resurrection in great detail. But while I do love that story, today I want to look at Jesus as the first and the last, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

When Job spoke verses 25 and 26, He was doing much more than just stating his faith in his Redeemer. Rather, he was speaking prophetically. Because God is still living, Job has a hope. We today have the same hope, that one day, we will live together with God in Heaven. Scripture is filled with verses from people who have faith in this hope. 

Psalms 17:15
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. 

I Corinthians 13:12 
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

John 14:1-4
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

I John 3:2
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.

David, Paul, and John all say that they, and we who are Christians, will see God. Jesus Christ even promised us this. But this hope is not only that we will see God, it is that we will be like Him. When Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His followers in His glorified body. And one day we will have this body, a body like John described in Revelation 21:4- "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Who Am I

Psalm 8:3-4

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

So many songs have been written about who we are in Christ. Common themes such as our being conquerors, over-comers, and warriors echo throughout many of the great songs that I and so many others hold dear. But that is not the theme of this song. 

In an interview, the writer of this song, Mark Hall commented, "Me being a conqueror is true, but at the same time I need to understand that my life is a vapor, and me being able to even pray to [God] is because of what he's done for me."

I believe that before we can truly see all of who God is, we need to see all that we cannot be. The chorus of this song describes so much of who we as mere men are: "a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow; a vapor in the wind." These excerpts that I have chosen are scriptural and recognize our own mortality. Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:" James 4:14 says, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." We have no control over our life. Compared to God, we are little specks with no eternal value on our own.

But that is where we see God come into the picture. It's not because of who we are (sinful, fallen men) but because of what He has done (die on the cross for our sins and rise again from the dead). It's not because of anything that we have done (not of works, lest any man should boast- Ephesians 2:9), but because of who He his- our holy, sinless, perfect God!

Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZP0HAg0GAA

God's Talent Show

This summer, I have been watching America's Got Talent a little more closely than I have in the past. Each act that has advanced to the live shows has been amazing and even some that did not advance were quite exceptional. But as I look back on the season to this point, I ask myself, "What must it be like to be told that you're not good enough to go on? What must that do to one's confidence? To someone as a person?"

Sometimes in life, we may be told that we are not good enough. That we don't have what it takes. That we are too small, too weak, or too inhibited to do what some one else is doing. Or even that because of the circumstances we are in, we are stuck and cannot break free. 

You want a list of people who were not good enough?

• Moses stuttered.
• David was overlooked, was too young, and his armor didn't fit.
• John Mark was rejected by Paul.
• Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
• Amos's only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
• Solomon was too rich.
• Gideon was too poor.
• Abraham and Sarah & Zachariah and Elizabeth were too old.
• Timothy had ulcers.
• Peter was afraid of death.
• Lazarus was dead.
• John was self-righteous.
• Naomi was a widow.
• Miriam was a gossip.
• Paul was a murderer (so were Moses and David).
• Jonah ran from God.
• Jeremiah was depressed.
• Elijah was burned out.
• John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
• Martha was a worrywart.
• Samson struggled with lust.
• Did I mention Moses had a short fuse? So did Peter, Paul--well, lots of folks did.

And I can go on, and on. By any human measure many of the people that we call heroes in the Bible would not have even been considered for the tasks that God had commanded them to perform.

But that is where the God's power comes into play.

You see God judges on a different field of play than we do. I Samuel 16:7 says, "... for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." God sees us not for what we have done, but for what He has done in us. He has given each of us talents and abilities that we can use for His honor and His glory. Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."

So what about you? 

Have you been told or do you feel that your gifts are not adequate for the task that God has called you to do? James 1:17-- "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Are you letting yourself be held back by the mistakes that you have made in the past? Romans 8:1-2-- "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

Do you feel like God has forgotten you or is not with you? Philippians 1:6-- "He [God] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

Are you afraid to take the next step for God? II Timothy 1:7-- "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

God is with you. He has given you a specific set of abilities and a specific situation that is designed for you. And He is ready to help you succeed. Are you ready to follow Him, no matter what the cost?

Photo Source:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0d/d4/25/0dd4252aba1cf105e5168348256e4f3f.jpg

Don't Miss the Little Things

I received this devotional from the FCA this morning. It's put in a perspective that sports fans understand, but the idea is still the same whether you love sports or not.

FCA Daily Impact Play

Little Things

Ready :
"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."- Matthew 25:21 (KJV) 

Set :
One of my favorite things about John Wooden's coaching was that he taught his players each year to put on their socks and tie their shoes properly. You'd think college-age athletes could already do this, but Wooden took nothing for granted. He paid attention to the little things which made the big things come easier for his teams over the years.

Of course, Coach Wooden wanted to teach his players a lesson: if they were going to play in his program, they had to put aside what they wanted to do and follow his plans for the team. That discipline in the small things gave his teams great results, winning ten national championships and setting an example for us of the fact that little things make the biggest difference.

Sometimes in our walk with the Lord, we neglect what we might perceive as "the little things" because we get too busy. We forget that daily time with God in His Word, prayer, and serving others all help us learn to be faithful. However, as we learn from the parable in Matthew's Gospel, we can't assume we'll be given many things until we're first faithful with the few. These seemingly small steps make a huge difference in how we'll handle bigger responsibilities.

To serve the Lord, we must put aside our own selfish desires and follow Christ in the little things. After all, He gave up His position as God to endure life as a man. Scripture says, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Phil. 2:8) As a result of His willingness to serve faithfully, God exalted Him and gave Him the name above all names.

Go :
1. What little things do you need to do to help your team?
2. What small steps can you take toward faithfulness in your spiritual walk?
3. How can you be faithful in all areas of your life?

Workout :
Luke 16:10-12; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

Overtime :
Thank You, God, for Your faithful love toward me and for helping my attitude today be like Christ's. Amen.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes, All Rights Reserved 2014 ©

Esther: Our Intercessor

Esther 4:15-16

15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,

16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Esther is one of the most dramatic stories in the Bible. It starts off with the queen of Persia being banished. This leads to a beauty contest and through one of God's divine plot twists, a poor Hebrew orphan raised by her cousin becomes queen of the most powerful empire on the planet at the time. Her cousin works in the palace of the king as a guard and is hated by the man who is visier, second to only the king. Because of this, the visier decides to kill all of this man's family. He doesn't know that the queen is a relative of this man. And that is where we pick up the story and I see a picture of Jesus.

Mordecai, the palace guard, is seen crying by his cousin Esther's maids. After a back and forth with their messengers Mordecai tells Esther to go to King Ahasueres. Esther saw that God had sent her as the intercessor for her people. Just as Esther was placed in the palace as the intercessor for Israel, Jesus was sent to earth as the intercessor for us. There are two similarities between Esther and Jesus as they intercede for those they love. 

First, both were willing to lay down their lives. Esther said in Esther 4:16, "... and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish." By going before the king uninvited, she could have been put to death. Jesus DID lay down His life for us.

Secondly, they both went before a king to intercede for their people. Esther went before King Ahasueres and asked him and Haman to come to dinner. At that dinner, she asked them to come to another dinner. Finally, at their third meeting, she laid her request before the king, for her life and for the lives of her people. Jesus Christ goes before God, the ultimate King, to make intercession for us. Romans 8:34 says, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Now ultimately, this study on Christ is to show us who we are to be. Paul writes to Timothy in I Timothy 2:1, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;" We are called by God to intercede for one another. James 5:16 says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." The Bible is full of prayer, and this prayer of intercession is one of the most important prayers that we can pray.

Ezra and Nehemiah: The Rebuilder of the Broken Down Walls of Our Lives.

Photo Source: http://abidanshahdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/nehemiah-rebuilding-walls.jpg

Ezra 1:1-4
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:1-6
1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

The people of Israel were granted permission by the king of Persia, Cyrus to rebuild the temple in the book of Ezra. But while they were rebuilding the temple and living in tents, they had no protection from outside invaders. So God called Nehemiah to lead the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah and the people of Israel worked tirelessly to get the walls built. They did face opposition, however. The people of the land, led by Sanballat and Tobiah, tried to stop Israel from rebuilding the capital city of the once powerful nation. But Nehemiah was not fazed at all. In Nehemiah chapter 2:20, he told those who opposed Israel, "The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem." It looked like Israel was not going to get this wall done at all at one point. But with God's help, they built an enormous wall, one that surrounded the entire city of Jerusalem, in just 52 days! Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God."

I see Jesus and we who have been saved symbolically throughout both of these books. When the people of Israel were taken in captivity, their home and the walls surrounding it were destroyed. When Adam and Eve sinned, our "home" of fellowship with God that was surrounded by the walls of his protection was destroyed. And yet, God was merciful and sent someone who could help us rebuild the walls and restore our relationship with Him. And Jesus can do what may seem impossible: change the lives of sinners and build a relationship as strong as the walls of Jerusalem were when they were completed. And when He is building that fellowship, Satan gets angry. He tries many things to get us to stop following Christ. Several of these things that Satan uses were also used by the occupants of Canaan against Israel. 

One device that is used is ridicule. In Nehemiah 4:1, Sanballat hears that the wall is being built. And when he does, he begins to openly mock the children of Israel. His companion Tobiah does likewise. And through all of this, the people prayed to God to help them. When we are ridiculed, we must do the same. We must turn to God in prayer.

A second device that is used is the threat of attack. Now the attacks used then and now may be different. In those days, Israel was threatened by and army. In some countries today this is the case. But in our America, many of the threats are merely peer pressure. The people of Israel set watchmen to warn of any attacks that could come their way. In our lives, we must watch out for any attacks of Satan, whether they be peer pressure, or some other form of temptation that he may throw our way. 

A third and final device used by Satan and the Canaanites is that of discouragement. Life may not seem to be going our way. It certainly was not working out for Israel at that time. But they had a reliance on God that was further strengthened through the trials that they had already faced. It is times like our trials that we can learn to rely on God and not become discouraged. It is when this happens that we can grow as Christians and change the world.

Nehemiah, Ezra, and the children of Israel rebuilt the city walls within 52 days. God is working to rebuild our lives throughout our lifetime. It is our job to build it up through prayer and the reading of the Bible as He works in us.

Next Sunday we will be looking at Christ in the book of Esther as our Advocate. Until next time, God bless!

 

Kings and Chronicles: Our Reigning King

Photo Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/kingsolomonwrite.jpg

Tonight's study is fairly straightforward, so I don't plan to spend to much time discussing it. The Bible is full of stories about kings: kings in the land of Canaan, Egypt, Israel, Babylon, Persia, Rome, and more. But it is the king who has reigned on the throne of Heaven since time began who the Bible obviously devotes much of its text to. 

In the Old Testament, it was prophesied that Jesus would be king. Isaiah 9:6 says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

The Gospels speak several times about Christ as king. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary in Luke chapter one, he said these words: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (vv. 32-33)." When the wise men from the east came searching for Jesus they said, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him (Matthew 2:2)." In Matthew 27, the Roman governor Pilate was questioning Jesus and said, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered this by simply saying, "Thou sayest." And finally, when Jesus was lifted up on the cross to die, the Romans mocked Jesus by putting a sign over His head in several languages that said, "This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews."

Like we saw when people called Jesus a prophet, He did not deny what they were saying. Jesus knew who He was and is and also what He had come to do. You may be wondering what all of this has to do with the books of Kings and Chronicles. Well, I have tried to look at different characters in the books and see where Christ fits in. Kings and Chronicles give us the records of the kings of Israel and Judah from the end of David's reign, through the Divided Kingdom, and all the way to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. What do all kings have in common? They reign over a kingdom. All of the kings we see in these books had their kingdoms come to an end. Each of them died and passed the kingdom on to their sons until they were eventually destroyed. But Jesus is not like any other king. Just like Gabriel said to Mary, "of His kingdom there shall be no end."

Stay tuned throughout the week for updates. Next Sunday we will look at Jesus Christ in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah as the Rebuilder of the Broken Down Walls of Our Lives.

 

The Courageous Teens

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Tomorrow night, my church will be showing the movie Courageous. So today, I wanted to look at the three main teenagers in the movie. Though the movie is geared toward fatherhood, I feel like there are lessons that we can learn from these three: Dylan, Derrick, and Jade.

These three teenagers all have different struggles. Dylan is afterthought in his father's eyes compared to his little sister. Derrick only has his grandmother at home. Jade wants to start dating but her parents don't approve of who she likes. 

They each try to cope with their struggles. Dylan tries to lose himself in his video games, running, and in the novel, starts to turn to drugs. Derrick turns to Gangster Nation, the largest gang in Albany, where he thinks he can find acceptance in "the man's world" of drugs, alcohol, and crime. Jade secretly is seeing Derrick behind her parent's backs.

It's not until Dylan and Jade see God working in their families that they begin to turn around. This is the first thing that I see that we can learn from them. We should not have to see God working in someone else to let Him work in our lives as Christians. When we become saved, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us. With Him inside of us, we should desire to follow God and do what He loves. Galatians 5:25 says, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

The next lesson I see is both in Jade and Derrick's "relationship" and in the relationship between Dylan and Shane's son Tyler. In the beginning of the movie, Jade was very interested in Derrick, while her father, Nathan, wanted nothing to do with him. Later, when Derrick was caught with the leaders of Gangster Nation, the two swapped places. Jade wanted nothing to do with Derrick, and Nathan wanted to be there to show the love of Christ to Derrick. Where did this change come? Well, Jade learned to trust both her earthly father and her heavenly father (Hebrews 12:9). Nathan wanted to be a mentor to Derrick, something that had helped rescue him from the life that Derrick was now leading. Proverbs 13:20 says, "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." Derrick had been a companion of fools, but God gave him a wise man to follow in Nathan Hayes. 

When Shane went to prison, he asked Adam to help take care of Tyler. If you read the novel, Dylan took to Tyler and treated him like a little brother. God gave him another chance to be an example to a younger person. Dylan missed this with his sister Emily, but allowed God to work through him and influence Tyler. 

The lesson I want you to see here is that God has given us an opportunity to influence other people. We can take advantage of this opportunity and change the world we live in by influencing the next generation for Christ. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Someday I hope to post another study that I did, titled "The Art of Mentoring" which goes into more detail on this subject.

Tomorrow I will be continuing the Portrait of Christ Series, which will now be posted each Sunday, rather than sometime during the week.

Photo Sources:

1: http://www.courageousthemovie.com/_dvdimages/_stills/nathanstepsin.jpg

2: http://www.courageousthemovie.com/_dvdimages/_stills/runningtogether.jpg

A Letter to My Future Spouse: 3 Things I Want You to Know

Tonight I wanted to post something that I had posted on Facebook a couple of months ago. I feel that it is important that each of us do the things listed for our future spouse, whether it be ones future husband or wife. While the wording is written by man, the principles are grounded in the Word of God.

1. I want you to know I am praying for you.

I am praying that you will love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and that you will love His Word and allow it to bloom you into Christlikeness. I am praying that you will find your beauty and identity in Christ and reflect His character. I pray that you will be gracious, speaking the truth in love and avoiding gossip; that you will be grateful and find your contentment in Christ, not your circumstances; and that you will be hospitable and diligently serve others with Christlike joy. I also pray that you will be loving, patient, hard to offend and quick to forgive; and that you will be devoted to prayer and effectively intercede for others. Finally, I pray that you will keep your life pure and holy, acceptable unto God.

2. I want you to know I am preparing myself for you.

I am learning to love God with everything I am more and more every day so I will be prepared to love you more. I am fully embracing my responsibilities before God so I am prepared to care for you. Every day I sacrifice myself before God so I will be prepared to do all things for His glory. I strive to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God now so I will be prepared to do those things as the spiritual leader of our home. I am resolved to live with honor and integrity so no one will be able to accuse me of doing wrong toward you or our future children. I am learning to be faithful in little things so I will be prepared to always be faithful to you. Which brings me to number 3:

3. I want you to know I am preserving myself for you.

I have made my mistakes, but I have come before God with "a broken and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17)" and have asked Him to "create in me a clean heart ... and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10)." I have resolved before God live out Matthew 5:8- in purity, free from moral fault and guilt. This begins with my eyes (Job 31:1) and ends with my heart(Proverbs 4:23). My desire is to make it easy for me to do right and difficult for me to sin. I have also made the decision to walk in the Spirit, as it is impossible for me to sin while I am in constant fellowship with Him.

Go live for Christ and may God bless our future home together.

An Unstable Way

At the beginning of the last NFL season, we all were horrified by the Ray Rice video. Unfortunately, this video showed Roger Goodell that Ray Rice only deserved a two-game suspension. And while the commissioner eventually did what I believe was the right thing with a suspension of a full season, it put doubt in my mind and many other fans minds about what was going on in the NFL. This video featuring Sportscenter anchor Hannah Storm entitled "What Does the NFL Stand For?" capped off an emotional week, one that many sports fans would rather forget.

Since then, several other suspensions have been handed down, most notably a ten-game suspension to Greg Hardy and a four-game suspension to Tom Brady. 

Hardy's suspension, for domestic violence.
Brady's suspension, for deflating footballs.

If that is where the suspensions ended, I would not be writing this article. Both suspensions were deserved. Both suspensions, I believe, were the proper length. But that is not where it ended. Greg Hardy's suspension dropped to four games. Tom Brady's suspension stayed at four games. How can we abide by such a double standard? Is deflating footballs really as bad as domestic violence? Is cheating in a game as bad as sexual assault?

I believe that unless we see a change in how the NFL operates in these situations, situations that really should never come into question, we may begin to see the collapse of the National Football League. James 1:8 says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." When a double standard comes in, we see collapse. Communism, a philosophy full of double standards and contradictions, has collapsed when it is practiced to its fullest. And even here, in our America, a double standard is raging. One cannot turn on the news without seeing some form of hypocrisy. Today, we are seeing the collapse of morals in the country that we love. 

And so today, I echo the sentiment of Hannah Storm and other sports fans: What exactly does the NFL stand for? What exactly does the Constitution stand for? What exactly does our history as Americans, the men and women who fought and died, the people who suffered for what was right, stand for?

Photo Sources: 
http://i.forbesimg.com/media/lists/people/tom-brady_416x416.jpg
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--XcsZYzAa--/18s4feuoxqv78jpg.jpg
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/bb9699acc7481397d4e591b6a839a1b3b07b2d94/c=89-114-2980-3969&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2015/03/04/USATODAY/USATODAY/635610725637255783-c02-hardy-0912.jpg

Video Source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY6wO7asRMk

Why We Do What We Do

Photo Source:
http://www.oraclemagazine.biz/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/man-comforting-a-friend-2-890x395_c.jpg

Tonight I wanted to take a break from the study that I have been doing and use this post to encourage you in whatever area of ministry you may be in.

Last week at my church’s Vacation Bible School, a little girl who in past years had always been right in the middle of everyone and having so much fun was feeling very down. About halfway through the week, I found out that her grandmother had died. On Thursday night after our Family and Friends program, she was sitting by herself on a log outside of our church. I felt God leading me to go and try to cheer her up. The next day, the final day of VBS she gave me a note with these exact words:

“Dear, Justan. Thank you for cheering me up last night. i really appreciate you being like a big brother to me. good luck on coledeg. i hope you will do good. well thank you Justan for cheering me up.”

When I read that note, I nearly started to cry. I didn’t do what I did to get recognized or anything. I did it because it was what God wanted me to do. That whole week served as a reminder to me of why we do what we do as Christians.

First, we do what we do to see the unsaved saved. During VBS last week, out of about 60 or 70 kids, 19 were saved. That’s more than 25% of the students that attended!!! Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That’s the main reason we live for after we are saved.

Secondly, we do what we do to comfort those who are hurting. God put me in a place where I could cheer up that girl at VBS.  Paul wrote in I Corinthians 14:26, “Let all things be done unto edifying.” Edifying is just a fancy word for encouraging one another. We shouldn’t be using our words, our actions, or our influence to tear someone down, but rather to build them up!

Finally, we do what we do to give honor and glory to God.  Psalm 100 is, I believe, one of the Bible’s best praise songs unto the Lord. There, David wrote, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” In fact, many of David’s psalms were songs of praise to God.

I hope this encouraged you in your walk with God today. Now go out and witness, encourage, and glorify God!!

I & II Samuel- Our Trusted Prophet

Photo Source: http://agapegeek.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/prophet1.jpg

For this study, we will not be so much looking at a specific scriptural passage, or even at characters in the books themselves (like Samuel and Nathan, who were trusted as prophets and spiritual leaders in the lives of the children of Israel). But rather we will be looking at the attributes that made these men trusted as prophets. Each of these fulfilled the characteristics of a true prophet, which were set by God in the Bible. 

1. A true prophet does not lie. His prediction will be fulfilled (Jeremiah 28:9).
2. A true prophet prophesies in the name of the Lord, not in his own name (II Peter 1:21).
3. A true prophet does not give his own private interpretation of prophecy (II Peter 1:20).
4. A true prophet points out the sins of the people against God (Isaiah 58:1).
5. A true prophet warns the people of God’s coming judgment (Jonah 3:4, Zephaniah 1:1-3).
6. A true prophet edifies the church, counsels, and advises it in religious matters (I Corinthians 14:3-4).
7. A true prophet’s words will be in absolute harmony with the words of the prophets that have preceded him (Isaiah 8:20). 
8. A true prophet recognizes the incarnation of Jesus Christ (I John 4:1-3).
9. A true prophet can be recognized by the results, or fruit, of his work (Matthew 7:16-20).
10. A true prophet acts in accordance with the will and approval of God (Deuteronomy 18:19). 
(http://www.bibleplus.org/prophecy/visions-egw/tests_of_a_true_prophet.htm)

Jesus was referred to as a prophet and He even referred to Himself as a prophet during His ministry.

Luke 4:24- And he [Jesus] said, “Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.”
John 7:40- Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, “Of a truth this is the Prophet.”

So did Jesus really fulfill the office of a prophet? Let’s look at the tests that God has set forth:

1. What He prophesied has been fulfilled to this point (e.g. Matthew 17:22-23, John 11:4, 43-44).
2. Jesus spoke what the Father told Him to say (John 12:49).
3. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies literally, rather than explaining them away(Psalm 78:2, Matthew 13:35).
4. Jesus knew the sins of the people and told them when they were doing wrong (John 4:16-19).
5. Jesus foretold the coming judgment which we are still looking for (Matthew 25).
6. Jesus gave a sermon which edified, counseled, and advised people in all religious matters (Matthew 5-7).
7. Jesus often quoted from the Old Testament prophets, many times in relation to prophecies that He either fulfilled or would fulfill (Matthew 10:35, Mark 7:6-7, Luke 7:24-28, John 12:12-15).
8. Jesus, obviously, knew that He was God (Luke 22:67-71).
9. The result, or fruit, of Jesus’ work was, ultimately, His death on the cross and His resurrection (Luke 23:26-24:43)
10. Jesus could do nothing by himself, but rather, the will of His Father (John 5:30).

As we can see, Jesus fulfilled the characteristics of a true prophet. He still has some prophesies that are unfulfilled, however, so each of us must continue to “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:42).”

Next time we will look at Christ in Kings and Chronicles as our Reigning King. Until then, go make a difference in the world by making Christ known to someone who does not know Him. God bless!!