John 20:30-31
Jesus provided far more
God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are
written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of
God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way
he personally revealed it.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
This morning, seven second
and third graders studied the Book of James with me and my assistant,
Carie. We learned about trials and how God allows all of us to endure
trials and problems…and that even Jesus had trials. If we had no
problems or trials, we would not learn to depend on God. We talked
about how God wants us to study His word and talk to Him, so that we
know what to do…and learn how He gives us wisdom, perseverance, and joy –
even when things are going all wrong.
One of our exercises was
to pretend that we just got up and came to church without brushing our
teeth, combing our hair – or even changing out of our pajamas. A couple
of the children said, “It doesn’t matter how we look – God loves us
anyway, and the people at church will love us.” We all agreed that this
is true. But then I showed the children a mirror and asked, “Suppose
you looked in the mirror and saw that you were a wreck…that your hair
needed combing and your teeth needed brushing…but you put down the
mirror and didn’t do any of these things.”
We talked about how
God’s word is like a mirror that shows us where we could make changes or
improvements – and “clean up our act!” When we read the scriptures, we
see guidelines for how to handle certain situations…rules to live by…and
comfort and consolation when things don’t go so smoothly. If we don’t
pay any attention to what this “mirror” shows us, we are essentially
saying that we don’t need God – or believe in His word! And nothing
changes.
One of the points in today’s lesson was that it isn’t
enough to have faith in Jesus…we have to DO His work as well. We have
to take our own trials and use them to encourage and comfort others who
are going through similar experiences. We have to demonstrate how we
seek God’s wisdom and comfort through prayer and Bible study – and how
He builds our faith – so that others are encouraged to do the same
thing. This is discipleship in action!
How are you
handling the trials in your life? Do you trust God to show you how to
find joy and courage even in the midst of problems and adversity? Do
you demonstrate this faith to others? Do you pay attention to what God
shows you in His “mirror”…and make necessary adjustments and
improvements?
All of these things take work and effort…but they
are vital to furthering God’s Kingdom and serving well until He calls
you to your perfect, trial-free home in Heaven. It’s a lot to take
in…but we serve a BIG God who is more than able to help us make the most
of His word. I stressed to the children that there are answers in the
Bible for handling our questions and problems…but we have to open it and
dig in.
If God’s word sits on the shelf unopened, His message
may not reach us. Will this be the week that you open your Bible, dig in
and get busy? Don’t you think it should be?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label faith in the Word of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith in the Word of God. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 14, 2016
John1:1-2
Before anything else existed, there was Christ*, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God.
*(Before anything else existed, literally, “In the beginning.” Christ, literally, “the Word,” meaning Christ, the wisdom and power of God and the first cause of all things; God’s personal expression of himself to men.)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
There is a popular phrase circulating in “Christian” circles today…”LORD, break my heart for what breaks Yours.” I hear it often in association with foster children and orphans. And this is a noble sentiment. I do want to be so in tune with God’s desires that my heart breaks for what break’s His. But God’s heart is broken over a lot more than just the plight of orphans. God is also heartbroken when we operate in fear and misunderstanding - or mistreat those who are different from us in some way…those who do not share our beliefs or lifestyles…the poor and downtrodden…people from other races or ethnic backgrounds.
And yet, discrimination has become more and more the norm in our society. If someone is not like us – in any way – they are wrong…and we are right. In many cases, it has escalated to the point where people are willing to injure – or kill – a person who is different. And sadly, this violence is often encouraged by would-be leaders…others with a “high profile”…and social media.
As I read today’s scripture passage and thought about Jesus…how He is God’s personal expression of Himself to men…I asked myself, “What would HE think of all of this?” And I knew instantly that this must devastate Him. To think that God expressed Himself – His wisdom, power, and caring – in the form of Jesus Christ - and gets this sort of reaction…is heartbreaking, and incredibly disrespectful.
This is nothing new. People have been mistreating others – and disrespecting God for centuries. But when we know better, we should do better. And don’t we know better than to mistreat others? Don’t we understand that this is a direct insult to Jesus Christ – the WORD in flesh?
Doesn’t this attitude and unloving action represent a direct contradiction to our faith? We say we love Jesus…that we want to follow Him and live out His teachings and truths. And then we treat others unkindly. We show everything from mild disdain to downright cruelty and abuse. We gossip, lie, steal, cheat, and murder in order to make OUR point…to show that we are right – and the other guy is wrong. And in doing so, we pretty well nullify “the WORD” in our lives.
I am not sharing this to say that you must accept those who are different in some way…although I do hope you will consider that they are as precious to God as you are. What I am suggesting is that we take a long hard look at what we are claiming…what we believe and how we demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ.
See if you are truly representing the One who is a personal expression of God to the human race. How are we demonstrating His power, wisdom, love, and compassion to others? Or are we? Isn’t it time we stopped trying to make OUR point…and truly started making a difference for God as we share the Word with others? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Before anything else existed, there was Christ*, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God.
*(Before anything else existed, literally, “In the beginning.” Christ, literally, “the Word,” meaning Christ, the wisdom and power of God and the first cause of all things; God’s personal expression of himself to men.)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
There is a popular phrase circulating in “Christian” circles today…”LORD, break my heart for what breaks Yours.” I hear it often in association with foster children and orphans. And this is a noble sentiment. I do want to be so in tune with God’s desires that my heart breaks for what break’s His. But God’s heart is broken over a lot more than just the plight of orphans. God is also heartbroken when we operate in fear and misunderstanding - or mistreat those who are different from us in some way…those who do not share our beliefs or lifestyles…the poor and downtrodden…people from other races or ethnic backgrounds.
And yet, discrimination has become more and more the norm in our society. If someone is not like us – in any way – they are wrong…and we are right. In many cases, it has escalated to the point where people are willing to injure – or kill – a person who is different. And sadly, this violence is often encouraged by would-be leaders…others with a “high profile”…and social media.
As I read today’s scripture passage and thought about Jesus…how He is God’s personal expression of Himself to men…I asked myself, “What would HE think of all of this?” And I knew instantly that this must devastate Him. To think that God expressed Himself – His wisdom, power, and caring – in the form of Jesus Christ - and gets this sort of reaction…is heartbreaking, and incredibly disrespectful.
This is nothing new. People have been mistreating others – and disrespecting God for centuries. But when we know better, we should do better. And don’t we know better than to mistreat others? Don’t we understand that this is a direct insult to Jesus Christ – the WORD in flesh?
Doesn’t this attitude and unloving action represent a direct contradiction to our faith? We say we love Jesus…that we want to follow Him and live out His teachings and truths. And then we treat others unkindly. We show everything from mild disdain to downright cruelty and abuse. We gossip, lie, steal, cheat, and murder in order to make OUR point…to show that we are right – and the other guy is wrong. And in doing so, we pretty well nullify “the WORD” in our lives.
I am not sharing this to say that you must accept those who are different in some way…although I do hope you will consider that they are as precious to God as you are. What I am suggesting is that we take a long hard look at what we are claiming…what we believe and how we demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ.
See if you are truly representing the One who is a personal expression of God to the human race. How are we demonstrating His power, wisdom, love, and compassion to others? Or are we? Isn’t it time we stopped trying to make OUR point…and truly started making a difference for God as we share the Word with others? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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