Serve God Only

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

The Corinthian society had started to acquire a mindset that because they were saved they could do anything. That is still being taught in some churches today. “All things are lawful, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Paul gives us the perfect reason we should avoid sin. Sin is submitting to temptation. We should resist sin because we cannot submit to two masters. We are bought by God through Jesus’ blood and so we are to serve Him. Yes, we have forgiveness but if we want to grow in God, we have to serve Him.

The Full Mystery

Ephesians 3:9-13

Abraham followed God. Moses parted the Red Sea. Joshua destroyed the walls of Jericho. And all this they did when the power of God was limited to people of Israel. But now because of Christ’s sacrifice everyone “boldness and access with confidence in Him.” That has to make us jump for joy. We have unlimited access to the Creator of the world. We can stand before His presence to glorify His Name. In the Old Testament all this was limited to God’s Chosen people but now the full mystery of God’s plan has been revealed to the Gentiles. We can stand before principalities and powers to declare God’s wisdom.

Reward of The Law

Proverbs 3:1-10

“My son, do not forget my law. But let your heart keep my commands. For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.” Serving the Lord is not without its reward. God asks a lot from us but He is also well able to return the favour. And when we feel we can’t live up to all God wants, Verses 5 and 6 tell us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” When we commit all we do to Him, we can do all things because He enables us to and the natural consequences of doing God’s law are long life and peace. When we fear the Lord, we are strong and healthy. When we honour God with our possessions we will prosper.

God Is Listening

Psalm 34:11-22

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” We are never alone; God is always there with us. What makes a person righteous? A righteous person is one who fears the Lord. So if we fear the Lord then God is actually listening for our prayers. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” It’s not always easy. Even in high school we have trials and it may feel like there’s no way out but God promises that He is listening for a chance to deliver us.

The Price of Dishonor

2 Kings 2:19-25

Respect! It’s something that we as youth want a lot. Respect however is something that is given, and in doing so we earn it. There is a price for disrespect, especially towards men of God. When God anoints a man or woman of God, He makes a covenant like with Abraham that says, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” We may not get mauled by bears but there is always a consequence to disrespecting men of God. Honor those appointed by Go to serve a role.

Carrying gods

Isaiah 46:1-13

You know people still worship idols today. For some people it’s Hollywood. Some people worship money and would do anything to satisfy their lust for money. Some people worship drugs. The truth is idols cannot satisfy our needs. Isaiah 46 verses 4 and 7 provide a contrast. Man has to carry his idols. They don’t do anything for us but we spend our time on them. God however promises to carry us till our old age as long as we lean on Him and Him alone. God alone is God and there is none like Him

Abraham's Obedience

Hebrews 11:8-16

We don’t have to know everything when we are called to do stuff. Abraham did not know why he was called to a new land. He did not know how it was possible to have a son when he was so old. He did not know why he was asked to sacrifice his son. But he obeyed. All he knew was that following God brings blessings and that was enough for him and he was rewarded for his faith. We are allowed to have questions, but faith means obeying even before the answers. All we need to know is that we have a reward in heaven.

Evidence For God

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

How do you know God is real? What evidence do you use to convince yourself? For the longest time I tried to use science to prove to myself God’s existence. I spent hours on Christian Science websites so I could prove Him. Science is not how we can know God is real. We prove His existence through our relationship with Him. After reminding the people of Israel what God did for them Moses said, “Therefore know this day and consider it in your heart that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.” How do we know God is real? Because we’ve experienced Him time and again.

Free to Pray

Psalm 17:1-5

“You have tested my heart; you have visited me in the night; you have tried me and found nothing.” When we live righteously, our prayers are easier. Faith comes easier. You see, the devil is called the accuser f the brethren. He tries to keep us from praying and pouring our hearts to God by bombarding us with our past sins. Guilt can overwhelm us and make us feel unworthy to pray. And we can spend time trying to overcome the guilt or we can live righteously. When we live right, we empty the devil’s ammunition. Prayer can be hard when we are heavy laden with sin, but it doesn’t have to be. David could pour out his hear to God because he was right with God. We can be right with God as well.

United We Stand

Ephesians4:1-6

Unity. When we talk about love and faith and purity and witnessing, unity sometimes gets lost in the huddle. But unity is something we cannot survive without as Christians. Hebrews 10:25 says we cannot be, “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” We have been called by one God to one faith. We may not agree about everything but we can walk together. Romans says that in as much as it is dependent on us, we should live at peace with all men. Divided we fall, united we stand. No soldier goes to war alone. We need our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Faithfulness of God

Psalm 89:1-8

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness.” When we think of how faithful God has been, how can we not proclaim it loud and unashamed? He sustains us daily, provides everything we need, enables us to enjoy the bounties of life. And even if that is not your lot in life, you have a hope in Christ for a better life because the Lord looks to prove Himself strong on behalf of those who fear Him. And God’s faithfulness becomes even more pronounced as His presence comes in worship. Even when we are not faithful, He is always there to bring us back.

Jesus Lives

Luke 24:1-12

Everything we believe is based on one fact: Jesus is alive. If He isn’t then our faith is dead. Our Spirit man is made alive in Christ. Paul said that if Jesus was not raised up then we of all people are to be pitied. But Jesus is alive. He lived His life as an example for us, He died as the sacrifice for our sins and he rose again to give us victory over every circumstance we will face. A song says, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.” Jesus is alive and because He lives we can face every situation and overcome. We have the same Spirit working in us that raised Jesus from the dead.

Giving Thanks

Luke 17:11-19

There were ten lepers who got healed of leprosy. One came back to thank Jesus and he was made whole. What was he doing when he gave thanks? He gave glory to God. He was acknowledging the source of his healing. God does things so His name will be glorified. And when we give glory to Him, He continues to do great things in our lives. He said in exodus that He is a jealous God and will share His glory with no man. He deserves all the glory for all He does in our lives. The tenth leper gave God glory and was made whole. In everything we should give thanks to the Lord. Philippians 4:6 tells us that even when we bring a request to God, we are still to thank Him. God is the source of every good thing in our lives; let us acknowledge Him.

Settled

Psalm 119:89-96

Settle: to resolve definitely and conclusively, to pay a bill; make a financial arrangement. The Bible is settled in heaven. There is no debt on it, no conditions that have to be met before we can draw on its promises. When a person’s estate is settled, it means al parties have been satisfied and there is no dispute. His faithfulness extends to us. His laws still keep us in times of trouble. Psalm 119 is a psalm that talks about the goodness of God’s Law, which is the bible, and so we have to assume that there is a lot of good because it’s a long psalm. And guess what? It’s all ours if we are willing to call on Him.

Written in Red

1 John 4:7-19

My first Bible was printed mostly in black type, but some of its words were in red. It didn’t take me long to discover that the ones in red had been spoken by Jesus.
More than 100 years ago, a man named Louis Klopsch published the first “red-letter” Bible. As he thought about Jesus’ words in Luke 22:20, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you,” he purposely used blood-red ink to call specific attention to His words.
The words of the Bible are priceless to us because they tell of the “love letter” God sent 2,000 years ago in the Person of His Son (1 John 4:10).
Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth as a Man was to die, to be sacrificed, to give His life for ours. God’s plan was written in red—written with “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19).
Those of us who have accepted God’s gift of love are called to be “letters” to those who don’t know Him. We are epistles of Christ “written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor. 3:3).
Long before a day in February was set aside to celebrate love, the world received a love letter—and that changed everything (John 3:16). — Cindy Hess Kasper

Th Pure Standard

1 John 3:1-3

God so loved the word that He gave His only son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God (1 John 3:1). God had given us an amazing gift. He restored our spirit-Spirit communication with Him through Christ. We have become children of God and as children of God, we take on His characteristics. Purity is not something that happens moment by moment. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle that Jesus lived on earth. He was exposed to cheaters and liars and sexually loose women and maintained a standard. And thanks to the Holy Spirit we can maintain that standard. That’s why today’s passage tells us to purify ourselves just as God is pure. Purity is one of many ways that our light shines before men and they can glorify God. (Matthew 5:16).

Whose Advice...?

2 Samuel 10:1-14

We’ve got to be careful who we allow to advise us. People don’t know everything. They can try to give the best advice using what they know and they can be wrong just like the Princes of Ammon. They advised the King of Ammon to make war against David and were soundly defeated. Advice is good. Sometimes another person’s perspective in a situation is exactly what we need. But we have to know what advice to take and what to discard. Luckily we have the best standard of measurement: God’s Word. It may not tell us exactly what to do in specific situations like getting stabbed in the back by a friend, but it does tell us to love those who spitefully use us. Any advice that goes against the principles of God’s Word is not good advice.

Dealing With Enemies

Matthew 5:38-48

Ever wonder why God doesn’t have a visible mark on the heads of people who would hurt us so we know who they are? It would make life a whole easier if we could know who we could trust, wouldn’t it? Well our job on earth is not to judge people and try to protect ourselves. We are to love everyone. Anyone can love a good person but it takes the special grace of God to love those who are not so nice. God’s Word says, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you.” We are not different from the world when we retaliate when we get hurt. But if someone hurts us and we continue to do good to them, we are a testimony to God’s work in us.

The Key to Greatness

Mark 1:16-20

What does it take to be great? Very few people stumble upon greatness, maybe through an act of heroism. Even then, their moment of fame is shortlived and life quickly becomes mundane again. However you look at people like President Obama, Bill Gates, Walt Disney, etc. They became great and continue to be great. If you ask them how they became great, they will tell you that there was a moment they had to step outside what was comfortable and do something. They had to take a risk to achieve anything. The disciples in today’s text were called to follow Jesus and they stepped out of their boats to follow Him. Two thousand years later we still remember them as founders of the church. Greatness starts when you step out and act on an idea or dream.

The Word in our Hearts

Proverbs 4:20-27

The Word of God is precious. It’s like a diamond ring to those who understand it. Its words are “life to those who find them and health to all their flesh.” We cannot afford to lose God’s Word. It contains everything we need to get through life. When we truly understand this, we will keep the word in the midst of our heart and not let our eyes depart from it. When the Word takes its proper place in our hearts, we will guard it with all we have.

The Mind of Christ

Philippians 2:1-8

“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Humility is a characteristic of Jesus. In everything He did He considered the needs of others above Himself. Therefore, if we are imitators of Christ and we claim the Spirit of God is working in us then we must be humble. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Humility is looking out for others before ourselves. We don’t esteem ourselves above everyone, but we serve anyone.

Stewardship of Gifts

1 Peter 4:7-11

Go has given everyone a gift. Some people can deliver the Word eloquently and systematically. Some people can take care of kids; some can work magic with computers. Gifts come in all forms. It could be the ability to smile at people at the right time or talk to strangers. Unfortunately, sometimes we wait for the “big gifts” to manifest and we miss our real gifts. “As each one has received a gift, minister to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Whatever our gifts, God wants to us them to His glory. We are stewards of our gifts. That means we will have to give account of how we used them.

Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

What does it mean to be a Christian? The word means to be an imitator of Christ. This theme is resonated throughout the New Testament. Jesus commanded us to love others as He loved us. Matthew 6:12 says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” God has delivered us from a variety of sins, some of which would kill us to have to testify. Nobody is perfect. But now that we have been forgiven, let’s get forgiving. We have received grace and as true imitator of Christ, we must grant grace. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you are wrong. It’s just understanding that God gave us this gift and He expects us to forgive as well.

Standard of Purity

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

What is purity? Purity means to be free of blemishes. It’s not a flash occurrence but a process. A good example of this is gold. When it is found, it was a high percentage of impurities. It is put in a fire and these begin to fall of. The element is what remains to be crafted into something beautiful. We go through the same processes. God allows us to go through temptation so that when we overcome, we are continually purified. Purity does not only apply to sex, but in all areas of your body: drugs, junk food, even exercise. We need to maintain a standard of purity so we can possess our vessels in sanctification and honour, not in passion of lust. (Vs. 4-5)

The Fools

Psalm 14:1-7

The fool says in His heart, “There is no God.” Consequently there is no higher morality and he can do whatever he wants. If there’s no absolute good, then there’s no absolute evil; evil is what he feels. The Bible calls such a person a fool: one who has no wisdom. Why are we scared to talk to them? We know there is a God. We experience His presence in worship, prayer, fasting, bible meditation, etc. God is good; He is real. We should not be afraid to tell people about our God. “Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” Let the people of God say so. There is a God and there is a devil. There is a heaven and there is a hell. If we truly believe that, none of our friends should be in the dark.

The Feeling of Forgiveness

Psalm 32:1-7

Sin enslaves us. It’s a chain that binds us and it constantly torments our conscience and mocks our righteousness. It weighs us down and we continue to get more and more tired. But, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). David knew what it meant to be forgiven and he said, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” God forgives because He loves us. He’s not a cosmic punisher waiting to beat us every time we fall; He’s a loving Father waiting for us to come back. There’s no reason to ever hold on to sin. Confess it to God and He will care for you.

Ambassadors For Christ

2 Corinthians 5:12-21

Imagine you were applying for a post-secondary scholarship and fund an organization willing to give money to anyone that applied, would you tell your friends? Everyone is guilty of sin but Jesus came, not to count it against us but too reconcile us to Himself. Shouldn’t we tell our friends? We hear a lot about living right, stepping into personal ministry, love, faith, etc. All these are vital to the Christian and are directed towards one goal: winning people to Christ. We are ambassadors for Christ. His job is not to appear to people and magically save them. He already did His part, now it’s our turn. We don’t have to go to Africa or Asia or South America to share the Good News. They have dozens of people we see everyday that need to know the gospel.