MONDAY, June 16th, 2008

Another Monday of Summer!! What are your plans for this week? I hope that you sleep in today to recover from the campout last week. I am very excited about Wednesday night, so be thinking about who you can invite to bring with youthis week! It will be a great time!

A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Brooke: I love the fact that you were able to read the comments that other people put on here about the messages and that you were able to make a personal application for both the Sunday School lesson and the Morning Service message. I am glad that everyone else listened and posted their thoughts so it could speak to you as well! Great Job!
Josh S: I am glad you listened so well to the sunday school lesson... sorry for poking your eye out! :)
Phil: I love outback as well... and I always get the outback special (12 oz. beccause for like a dollar more you get 25% bigger steak: good for leftovers) with garlic mashed potatoes... mm mmm delicious! Katie offered to take me there, but I said naa. Your comment made me wish that I accepted her offer!
Tyler: Where were you last night man? and What are your plans for this week? I want to get together with you guys some time... let me know!
Jeff: I liked your "Happy Fathers Day God"; He is the best father of all! :)

John 7:1-9
1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.
4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”
9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

This is a neat passage: It begins with Jesus walking through the city of Galilee. The reason why He was in Galilee was because He did not want to go to Judea, because He knew the jewish authorities would seek to kill Him. His brothers make a comment to Him in verses 3 and 4 that show their unbelief in who Christ really was.
Jesus' brothers make a sarcastic comment to Him, basically saying that NO ONE does anything is secret when he seeks to be known openly. In other words, they think that they need to give God advice on how to run his program.
Sometimes I do the same thing... Gods word is clear on how I am supposed to live, but I try to justify why I should do it my way instead of Gods way. How foolish!
Jesus knew that His brothers did not believe in Him, so therefore He just explained to them that it was not His time to come, but they could go ahead.

Once again, Christ shows kindness in the face of skepticism, and sarcasm. That is a love that I cannot understand! I am so thankful for that unconditional love that Christ shows!

The application here is that I dont need to try to convince God why He should do what I want Him to do. I need to trust Him and trust that He is the All-knowing God! If He is all knowing and all loving then I know that I can just trust him! In every aspect of life! I will trust Him by obeying what He says about sin, purity, love, faithfulness, holiness and everything else! Trust His Word!


Stay Faithful!!