Monday, October 20, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
fruit bearing tree
Psalm 1:1-3
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
I find that every once in awhile I am trying to achieve things through my own power or someone else’s power but not through God’s power. Especially in situations with finances, women, and even ministry some times I try to do everything by myself. But do I think to pray to God to help? Honestly most of the time I don’t. In all situations if it is blessed by God then it will happen.
When I’m in a situation and I don’t know what to do I typically turn to my friends and family for advice, but sometimes that leads me down a sinful path that I wouldn’t have been on if I relied on God. How can he bless something that I don’t completely give up to him?
We as Christians need to be better than the majority, we need to set a good example for those that look to us as leaders. As humans we will make mistakes and we will slip up, but we are also leaders and we have people that look up to us and notice all those mistakes. Especially in youth ministry some of the kids really look up to us and will think that everything we do is ok because we are church leaders. The bible says that if you cause a youth to sin you should be thrown into the sea with a millstone around your neck.
I know that we can never be perfect, but we can make changes in our lives so that we don’t constantly make mistakes and cause others to stumble in turn. Especially purity for me has been a constant struggle. I cant tell someone not to look at a smokin’ hot girl if I am already looking. So I have taken precautions to help me to stay pure. I have deleted my Myspace because the ads were to “racy”, I only use my computer certain times during the day, and when I’m out I make it a point to not look at women like they are objects.
Unfortunately trying to live a life without sin is a never ending story, but if we give it to God and believe that he has our best interest at heart he will bless us and we will be like trees planted along the riverbank.
God, I pray today that I could continue to live my life whole heartedly for you and that I can really be an example to those around me so that they can do the same. I also pray that you bless the youth ministries and all the people that they are trying to reach. In Jesus name
Amen.
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
I find that every once in awhile I am trying to achieve things through my own power or someone else’s power but not through God’s power. Especially in situations with finances, women, and even ministry some times I try to do everything by myself. But do I think to pray to God to help? Honestly most of the time I don’t. In all situations if it is blessed by God then it will happen.
When I’m in a situation and I don’t know what to do I typically turn to my friends and family for advice, but sometimes that leads me down a sinful path that I wouldn’t have been on if I relied on God. How can he bless something that I don’t completely give up to him?
We as Christians need to be better than the majority, we need to set a good example for those that look to us as leaders. As humans we will make mistakes and we will slip up, but we are also leaders and we have people that look up to us and notice all those mistakes. Especially in youth ministry some of the kids really look up to us and will think that everything we do is ok because we are church leaders. The bible says that if you cause a youth to sin you should be thrown into the sea with a millstone around your neck.
I know that we can never be perfect, but we can make changes in our lives so that we don’t constantly make mistakes and cause others to stumble in turn. Especially purity for me has been a constant struggle. I cant tell someone not to look at a smokin’ hot girl if I am already looking. So I have taken precautions to help me to stay pure. I have deleted my Myspace because the ads were to “racy”, I only use my computer certain times during the day, and when I’m out I make it a point to not look at women like they are objects.
Unfortunately trying to live a life without sin is a never ending story, but if we give it to God and believe that he has our best interest at heart he will bless us and we will be like trees planted along the riverbank.
God, I pray today that I could continue to live my life whole heartedly for you and that I can really be an example to those around me so that they can do the same. I also pray that you bless the youth ministries and all the people that they are trying to reach. In Jesus name
Amen.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Healer
Luke 20:45-47
45 Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said, 46 “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. 47 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”
Today we have the freedom to believe in pretty much whatever we want to. We can believe in Christianity, Catholicism, Mormonism, Atheism, and so on. Because we have that freedom we are always being pressured into conforming into some religion or no beliefs at all.
I remember in High School I would walk home and on the way home there would be someone on the corner handing out mini bibles that contained just the new testament or just psalms, there would be people passing out flyers for the catholic church across the street, Mormons would go door to door wanting to talk about God. Sometimes it was all a bit to much that I would take the long way home just so I wouldn’t have to deal with all that pressure.
God calls us to believe in only one God, and that is him. There are religions out there that exist for the sole reason to cheat you out of your money, your time, and your life. But every once in awhile we find people in the Christian faith that try to deceive us. One example is the guy that wrote the worship song Healer. He wrote an amazing song and told everyone that his inspiration was that he had a fatal condition, but in reality he didn’t have a health problem, He lied to everyone about his inspiration and was secretly involved with pornography.
Working with High School I see how the students sometimes will just accept what you say because you are a leader. They expect us to know the right facts and all the correct details. That is why it is so important that we constantly check ourselves and the things that come out of our mouths.
It is so easy for us to just accept what people say especially if it sounds good. Like a good message, a long prayer, or an amazing worship song. So how do we know if we are being deceived? There is no way that we could possibly tell that we are being deceived. Some people are just excellent liars and deceivers. We have to pray and trust that God is with us through the good and the bad.
God, I pray that we not just be accepting of what people that are in a leadership position tell us. It is so easy these days to be deceived and misled. I pray that you just keep watch over myself when I am connecting with the students and that I don’t tell them something that isn’t of you and your love God. Keep being awesome God. In the father, spirit, and the son
Amen
45 Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said, 46 “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. 47 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”
Today we have the freedom to believe in pretty much whatever we want to. We can believe in Christianity, Catholicism, Mormonism, Atheism, and so on. Because we have that freedom we are always being pressured into conforming into some religion or no beliefs at all.
I remember in High School I would walk home and on the way home there would be someone on the corner handing out mini bibles that contained just the new testament or just psalms, there would be people passing out flyers for the catholic church across the street, Mormons would go door to door wanting to talk about God. Sometimes it was all a bit to much that I would take the long way home just so I wouldn’t have to deal with all that pressure.
God calls us to believe in only one God, and that is him. There are religions out there that exist for the sole reason to cheat you out of your money, your time, and your life. But every once in awhile we find people in the Christian faith that try to deceive us. One example is the guy that wrote the worship song Healer. He wrote an amazing song and told everyone that his inspiration was that he had a fatal condition, but in reality he didn’t have a health problem, He lied to everyone about his inspiration and was secretly involved with pornography.
Working with High School I see how the students sometimes will just accept what you say because you are a leader. They expect us to know the right facts and all the correct details. That is why it is so important that we constantly check ourselves and the things that come out of our mouths.
It is so easy for us to just accept what people say especially if it sounds good. Like a good message, a long prayer, or an amazing worship song. So how do we know if we are being deceived? There is no way that we could possibly tell that we are being deceived. Some people are just excellent liars and deceivers. We have to pray and trust that God is with us through the good and the bad.
God, I pray that we not just be accepting of what people that are in a leadership position tell us. It is so easy these days to be deceived and misled. I pray that you just keep watch over myself when I am connecting with the students and that I don’t tell them something that isn’t of you and your love God. Keep being awesome God. In the father, spirit, and the son
Amen
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Thrown into the sea with a giant rock
1 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.
As sinners we struggle with temptation on a daily basis, I know for myself I struggle with it every single second. Temptation is something that we will never fully conquer, unfortunately we will continue to struggle with it probably until the day we die.
Working with youth is truly a blessing and I have a great time doing so, but if my heart is not in the right place it could spell disaster for the students. I remember back when I was a little kid and admiring my brothers and trying to mimic everything they did. I thought that they were so cool. My oldest brother got heavily involved with substance abuse and gangs that I began to see that as something that was ok.
The same applies to the kids that I work with in ministry. I see that some of the kids look up to me and that I have to set an example. God says that if I cause anyone of those kids to sin then I should be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around my neck.
I see that a lot of kids try to copy everything that I do and everything that I say. There is a boy in the 7th grade that saw that I wear a calculator watch so he went out and bought a calculator watch. So how could we possibly not cause these kids to sin if they watch our every move?
We need to live our lives for God and not for ourselves. If we try to accomplish everything in life just using our own power than we really cannot accomplish much at all. We may get a good job, a house to live in, family. But what happens when all that is gone where will you be. With God in our daily lives our accomplishments will begin to become and show so much more. We will still stumble and fall into sin, but we will be repentant and God will forgive us of that sin.
Lord I pray that when I connect and build relationships with the youth that I can be a good example of what living our lives for you is really about. That when I speak that the words be glorifying to you Lord. I pray that these kids can make a decision to not live their lives solely for themselves but for you. In Jesus name
Amen.
As sinners we struggle with temptation on a daily basis, I know for myself I struggle with it every single second. Temptation is something that we will never fully conquer, unfortunately we will continue to struggle with it probably until the day we die.
Working with youth is truly a blessing and I have a great time doing so, but if my heart is not in the right place it could spell disaster for the students. I remember back when I was a little kid and admiring my brothers and trying to mimic everything they did. I thought that they were so cool. My oldest brother got heavily involved with substance abuse and gangs that I began to see that as something that was ok.
The same applies to the kids that I work with in ministry. I see that some of the kids look up to me and that I have to set an example. God says that if I cause anyone of those kids to sin then I should be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around my neck.
I see that a lot of kids try to copy everything that I do and everything that I say. There is a boy in the 7th grade that saw that I wear a calculator watch so he went out and bought a calculator watch. So how could we possibly not cause these kids to sin if they watch our every move?
We need to live our lives for God and not for ourselves. If we try to accomplish everything in life just using our own power than we really cannot accomplish much at all. We may get a good job, a house to live in, family. But what happens when all that is gone where will you be. With God in our daily lives our accomplishments will begin to become and show so much more. We will still stumble and fall into sin, but we will be repentant and God will forgive us of that sin.
Lord I pray that when I connect and build relationships with the youth that I can be a good example of what living our lives for you is really about. That when I speak that the words be glorifying to you Lord. I pray that these kids can make a decision to not live their lives solely for themselves but for you. In Jesus name
Amen.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
"Veteran Needs Help"
Luke 14:12-14
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
We live in this world that demands that we have all the newest and coolest trends so that we can function in normal society, but do we really have to own the newest CD, video game, or clothing trend so that we can be liked?
We take advantage of all the things that God has blessed us with on a daily basis. We have food in the fridge, clothes for our back, and a bed to sleep in. But there are people out there that don’t have these comforts. Even here in Hawaii I drive past bus stops and see people sleeping on the benches late at night, outside the lead center on the side of the road there is a man that holds a sign that say’s “Veteran needs help” he is struggling just to find food.
When I read this verse I almost felt a sense of guilt. I see these people everyday and I never even think of lifting a finger to help them out in their times of need. Sometimes I feel that when I help someone out that they now in turn owe me a favor, but why do I demand that they owe me? Why can I not just help them because it is the right thing to do?
I don’t necessarily need to give them the shirt off my back but there are many things that I can do to help those that are less fortunate. Even getting to know them would be a start. I once saw a book in borders about a photographer that went out and took pictures of all the homeless people in his city and just got to know them. Those people then wrote those feelings of joy that someone would want to get to know them into the book.
Something that small could be so significant.
God, today I just pray that I can be more loving to those around me and that I can be a servant to those that are in a time of need. Please be with me when I build friendships with those people and that you give me the right tools to be a light to them. In Jesus Name
Amen.
3:30 in the morning
I don't remember having ever woken up this early before, but it was a very fulfilling day nonetheless.
I had some good devotions today and thought I would share them.
Luke 13:24-25
24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
Everyday we live under the idea that just because God gave us free will we can just run around and do whatever the heck we want, and that may be true but that is not what God had intended for his children. He gave us free will so that we could make the decision to do his work to be a light to those that dwell in the dark.
We go to Sunday school, youth group, big church and accept the Lord into our lives but what happens when we leave church. We show that we lack in character. Character in my understanding is your actions and what you do when no ones there to watch you. We live the Godly life on the weekend and the secular life during the week.
We take advantage of what God has given us and we run around like chickens with our heads cut off. We blindly go about with our lives without thinking about the repercussions that our negative actions have. We have a real chance to do something with our time on this Earth and to often we waste it by selfishly doing what we want to do. God is giving us a chance to walk through that doorway and to have something more than just what we can attain on our own.
In my opinion it should be the easiest decision we could ever make. If someone offered you courtside tickets to go watch the NBA finals would you turn them down? Would you say no to a free Apple computer? Would you say no to your dream job? The answer would be HECK NO! So why would you turn down a chance to be with the Lord?
God, my prayer today is that I have character and that I can continue to decide to make good use of the time and the chances that God has given me, and to please be with those that have not yet realized the chance that they have to be with you Lord.
Amen.
I had some good devotions today and thought I would share them.
Luke 13:24-25
24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
Everyday we live under the idea that just because God gave us free will we can just run around and do whatever the heck we want, and that may be true but that is not what God had intended for his children. He gave us free will so that we could make the decision to do his work to be a light to those that dwell in the dark.
We go to Sunday school, youth group, big church and accept the Lord into our lives but what happens when we leave church. We show that we lack in character. Character in my understanding is your actions and what you do when no ones there to watch you. We live the Godly life on the weekend and the secular life during the week.
We take advantage of what God has given us and we run around like chickens with our heads cut off. We blindly go about with our lives without thinking about the repercussions that our negative actions have. We have a real chance to do something with our time on this Earth and to often we waste it by selfishly doing what we want to do. God is giving us a chance to walk through that doorway and to have something more than just what we can attain on our own.
In my opinion it should be the easiest decision we could ever make. If someone offered you courtside tickets to go watch the NBA finals would you turn them down? Would you say no to a free Apple computer? Would you say no to your dream job? The answer would be HECK NO! So why would you turn down a chance to be with the Lord?
God, my prayer today is that I have character and that I can continue to decide to make good use of the time and the chances that God has given me, and to please be with those that have not yet realized the chance that they have to be with you Lord.
Amen.
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