E is for Effort

You know I loved the sign that Lanes Chapel had up a few weeks ago. (and that is ironic because usually I make fun of there signs because they are pretty corny) This one read, "Any plan will work if you will." I love the thought behind this simple plan of action. If you are dealing with a child and don't know how to handle it, try something new. I would say exercise caution by doing some research, look up on the web answers, ask trusted friends who have children a few years older than yours, or ask your youth pastor; he may not have raised a teenager yet, but he does a lot of baby sitting with them :)

Not only can we apply this principle to raising children, but also to raising ourselves in Christ. If want to see God at work in our lives then we need to be willing to put forth some effort. How many of us search the wall for the most comfortable place to serve at VBS? Or anywhere else for that matter. We often want acknowledgment for doing a mediocre job, but with God only a full onslaught of effort will really bring the spiritual value and reward that we all are searching for.

Youthfullness

Timothy 4:12 clearly teaches us that youthfullness is not something to be thought of as a hindrance to ministry. If we search the Scriptures we will find a vast amount of evidence of young men and women serving God thru faithful actions. The men Jesus chose were younger men, evidence to support this would come from the lack of any family being mentioned by any of these men, they could simply leave what they were doing. Christ Himself was 33 when His ministry ended in earthly human form. Elisha was without a family, adn king David was merely a young boy whenever he defeated Goliath. Do not allow yourself to get caught in the very thing that you despised when you were young, rather lead your children to a strong outpouring of faithful actions. never again will they have the time they have now to serve God. So we should not get in their way and more importantly His way in their lives.

Wake Up!

Hey this was my senior message from last night with the youth, hope you enjoy it, sorry for those who have already heard it.

Genesis 2:1-3 (You will need to read this first)

In the first 6 days of creation God created a lot of stuff. (If we were in class right now I would ask you to list some things created from the first 6 days) We are not in class, so I will simply name a few: animals, birds, fish, continents, oceans, day and night, light, plants, universe, & people. God created all of this and more in just 6 days. (I believe literally 6 days, you can be wrong if you'd like.) The word then tells us that on the 7th day He rested. God had done some good work and then found Himself deserving of a rest. Now some folks have asked if this limits God's power because He needed rest. (Silly people with their questions, to rest means to cease)God had done good and was able to cease His creating. Now this in itself has very little to do with being a graduating senior, until you ask the question: "God created everything in 6 days, what have you done with your ____ years of life?"

(long pause for added drama)

To this there was some stunned silence of. I know it is not always popular to ask ourselves what we as Christian are actually "doing for God", not saying or thinking, but actually "doing". But I want to ask. What have you done for God? He has creation to His credit, do we even bare fruit? It is tought to look at ones own life and judge it. We all have plenty of skill in pointing out the lackings in others, but can we see the need for action in our own lives?

Kids mess up.

So this morning had a heart to heart with my 2 year old. She woke up cranky and wouldn't eat breakfast. This has been going on for about 2 weeks now at every meal. The problem is she won't take naps, so she is always completely exhausted during the day which cause her to irritable.
So why do I write this?
Because Kylie is 2 years old, I have to be realistic in my expectations of her. She does not understand the benefits of a nap, she only sees what she is missing while she is going to be asleep.
This principle exist in all of God's children regardless of age. We don't want to miss anything out there, and end up being cranky and irritable due to our lack of rest. Let's take more time to do less. find rest in the Lord, and you will find Him giving you more strength.

Isa 40:29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Isa 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
Isa 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.

Spiritual influence begins on the home.

Hear the Words of the OT prophet Moses this morning:

Dt 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Dt 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Dt 6:6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.
Dt 6:7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Dt 6:8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Dt 6:9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

This is one of the most influential passages in the history of God's people. For the nation of Israel today Verse 4 is still something quoted on a daily basis. Verse 4 & 5 was repeated by Christ in the NT. Mk 12:29-30. What I want you as parents to focus on today is the latter statements. Verses 7- 9 are the pivotal teachings in Scripture that lead us to know that God's best plan for training the youth in our lives is thru the PARENTS. We as parents should be placing the Word of God everywhere in our lives, making it visible all around us. Look at the language of "when you walk along the road", we must be in close relationships with our children. Interaction is a must for Spiritual development. Make your house a billboard for the Word of God, "Write them on your doorframes". We often fear pushing away our children from the Lord, but the teachings of Scripture are to continually remind them visibly of the Word of God.

The tough part of this passage for parents however is found in verse 6. In order for your children to take the teaching well and to grow spiritually, it is imperative that "these commandments... are to be upon your heart".

"The difficulty of ministry is that we cannot minister people

to a place that we have never been."

Bro. J