WEDNESDAY, June 11th, 2008

Hey everyone! I have so many cool things to tell you about! I am very excited about tonights service. We will be announcing the reward trip qualifies, we will be having a guest speaker, and we are going to be giving all of you your last minute information about the campout. Make sure you are in youth group tonight! We are going to have a great time!

A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Alex: That is funny that you called it CSI research, I thought the same things yesterday morning!
Jessica B: That was a great illustration with the new computer and only using one part of it!
Phil: You are hilarious man! It was 11:00 when you did your devotions! That is not early. You are right at that rate you are going to have to buy yourself a prize! :) I like the "chicken soup for the soul" part! Thanks for being faithful!!
Rachel and Ryan: We will miss you both dearly tonight! Have fun at Bush Gardens!
Cary: What is up with that?? You went on just to tell me that and then didnt even do the devotions?!?!
Jessica M: It doesnt look like you are going to qualify... sorry! :)

John 6:28- 40
28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?
31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

This is a little bit of a longer passage today, but I really think you can pull some great stuff out of it! So Jesus is still talking to those guys that have been searching for Him. You could almost say these guys were stalking Jesus. The fact is that Jesus wants us to follow Him and search for Him. But He wants us to follow Him with a believing heart, not a skeptical heart.

The men in this story clearly are not sure if they believe what Jesus is saying to be true or not. That is why Christ makes a point to tell them, that God's will is that they would believe in Him (Jesus Christ) and have eternal life.

There are many skeptical people around today. People that claim there is no God, people who claim that Jesus Christ wasn't God, but today Jesus still explains to us through His word that we MUST BELIEVE in Him to have eternal life.

Now, most of you are saved already, so I am going to jump to another application of this passage.

We as Christians "believe in Jesus" but many times we believe in Him for salvation and not much else. We will ask Him to get us to Heaven, but when it comes to living Holy lives, seperate from sin, we decide to go our own way on that.

These men were the same way... They chose to believe what they wanted: That is why in verse 30 they say... we will believe if you show us a miracle. When I read that It set me back. The truth is that they had already seen some amazing miracles... yet the still did not believe. We are the same way. We see over and over how sin hurts us and how Jesus heals and protects us, yet we say with our actions: I will believe if you show me your greatness one more time... I will believe if you forgive me "this time".

Lets not be like these skeptical stalkers... Lets Believe! Not only for our salvation; but in every aspect of our life... Lets believe and obey God with our dating life, with our money, with our family, with our friendships, WITH EVERYTHING!

Plus: I think it is Great that Jesus explains that He has come to "do the will of His father". If Jesus came to earth to obey His father, maybe we should obey our father: both our earthly father and our heavenly father!

Stay faithful!