Hey everyone! I hope you are excited about church tomorrow! It is going to be a great day! PLEASE bring your Discount card money and turn it in!
A Few Thoughts from Yesterday:
Josh L: What a funny Guy! You and Jessica had me laughing so hard yesterday!
Jessica: ... What do I say... You had me laughing like crazy. "my parents dont know...". AND I enjoyed another day of Silly songs with Jessica, (GIVE ME A BREAK)
Alex: Thankyou so much for that book on Babyruth Candy bars!! I didnt know if I would ever find out all that information. What a relief! :) Your Funny Too!
Tyler: Wise words man! Being religious is "trying to please man, instead of God"
Philippians 3:12-16
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
These 5 verses pack a powerful punch. If you dont understand what it is talking about, that is ok. Just read and meditate on verses 13 and 14. Paul is sitting there and he says: This is one thing that I do: I forget the past and look to the future. I can think of several reasons why... Paul had a rough past, Paul was the man that so many Christians were scared to death of, because He killed Christians all the time. He had a rough past. Do you? Is there a lot of things that you look back on a regret? Well, Paul says that He purposely FORGETS those things which are behind, so that He can reach to the things which are in front of Him to accomplish.
That is one side of the coin, then the other side is that fact that Paul had done many great things in the past (since his conversion), but He did not just sit back and boast in his accomplishments, No, He said, Hey I am going to forget the past accomplishments and press on for what God has for me to do tomorrow.
APPLICATION:
Satan often tries to use our past to hold us back from spiritual growth. But the truth is that when we are forgiven for our sins, Jesus Christ removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. I must trust the truth, instead of believing the lies of satan. I AM FORGIVEN! Believe It! And Maybe that is not my problem, if you are like me, when you accomplish something great, usually you want to just relax afterwards. When I mow the lawn, then usually I want to go inside afterwards and get a drink, sit down for a while, then it becomes a long time... because Hay, I ALREADY MOWED THE LAWN. I did my duty. Paul says. Hey! PRESS ON! FOR THE PRIZE. When you are competing for a prize you dont just chill out, you are focused and you are diligent! Press on for the Lord! Be DILIGENT about living for Him!
FRIDAY, May 9th, 2008
PRAISE GOD IT IS FRIDAY!
Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads anything that I write up here. Especially when I say something like "write a personal application", or "make up some youth group names" and nothing ever happens...(?) I am not sure if you read it or not, so here is what we will do to test it out. At the very beginning of your Devos, THE FIRST WORD OF THE FIRST LINE, type your favorite candy bar. Then the people who dont read the top will have no clue WHAT we are talking about. Lets Try It.
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jessica: Did I read that Wrong, or did you actually say: "not much to say"... WOW! :)
Rachel: It is so nice to have a network of friends that you can call on to pray for your friends: Everyone take a minute to say a prayer for Erica and Elizabeth.
Mr. Carl: Right On! Thanks for joining us! It is encouraging for us to see an adult get on here and read what we have to say. Come on here any time... or all the time :)
Everyone Else: When you are on here and you go a day or two without seeing someone specific doing their devotions call them up and encourage them to stay faithful!! That is one of the great benefits of doing them together like this. If you dont call that person, Who will?????
Philippians 3:1-11
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Butterfinger
This passage may be a little difficutl to understand, in fact, I went and read part of a commentary, so that I could explain it as best as possible to you. Have you ever heard someone say... "I am a religious person"? Well this passage is Paul writing to the church at Philippi telling them, DO NOT BE RELIGIOUS! But BE N A RELATIONSHIP with Christ. Paul even goes as far as saying, Beware of Dogs (refering to these packs of "religious zealots" that go around "barking" at everyone) Then he says beware of Evil workers, and finally the most interesting of all... Paul says Beware of mutilation... ?? What is he talking about? Well, I must be careful how I describe this, because I dont want to upset any parents, so here is what I will tell you to do. I will refer to this practice as circumcision or "cutting the body" and you can ask your parents if you are not sure what I am talking about.
When a baby boy was born in the old testament, If he was Jewish then he had to be circumcised, to be "saved", to show that he was a "child of God". However when Christ came to earth and died for the sins of man, Circumcision was no longer necessary for salvation.
But their were some people that would not believe it. During this time, their were Religious people that would go around telling people they could only be saved if they were circumcised, so Paul writes this letter as an explanation.
In verse 3 Paul makes it clear that "cutting the body" has nothing to do with getting someone saved. In verse 4 Paul explains that if anyone could be saved by circumcission then HE could! 5 and 6 explain his family "religious roots" He was born jewish, and so on...
and verse 7 is a key verse... Paul says those things that I thought were "good" I realized they meant nothing.
This is where our application comes in... Do we do "the right things" because we just follow the "religious rules" or do we do wat is right because of our relationship with Christ. You see, we have all kinds of "religious" things in our life... going to church, singing during worship, helping pastor Lee... Why do you do these things? To be religious? or to be closer to Christ.
Paul makes it clear that we should not live "religious" lives, trying to please men, by doing things withor to the flesh, HOWEVER, we must obey God, because our heart longs to KNOW HIM, AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING.
It is not about Rules, But about the Relationship!
When we are in a good relationship then we will follow the rules with the right heart attitude.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads anything that I write up here. Especially when I say something like "write a personal application", or "make up some youth group names" and nothing ever happens...(?) I am not sure if you read it or not, so here is what we will do to test it out. At the very beginning of your Devos, THE FIRST WORD OF THE FIRST LINE, type your favorite candy bar. Then the people who dont read the top will have no clue WHAT we are talking about. Lets Try It.
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jessica: Did I read that Wrong, or did you actually say: "not much to say"... WOW! :)
Rachel: It is so nice to have a network of friends that you can call on to pray for your friends: Everyone take a minute to say a prayer for Erica and Elizabeth.
Mr. Carl: Right On! Thanks for joining us! It is encouraging for us to see an adult get on here and read what we have to say. Come on here any time... or all the time :)
Everyone Else: When you are on here and you go a day or two without seeing someone specific doing their devotions call them up and encourage them to stay faithful!! That is one of the great benefits of doing them together like this. If you dont call that person, Who will?????
Philippians 3:1-11
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Butterfinger
This passage may be a little difficutl to understand, in fact, I went and read part of a commentary, so that I could explain it as best as possible to you. Have you ever heard someone say... "I am a religious person"? Well this passage is Paul writing to the church at Philippi telling them, DO NOT BE RELIGIOUS! But BE N A RELATIONSHIP with Christ. Paul even goes as far as saying, Beware of Dogs (refering to these packs of "religious zealots" that go around "barking" at everyone) Then he says beware of Evil workers, and finally the most interesting of all... Paul says Beware of mutilation... ?? What is he talking about? Well, I must be careful how I describe this, because I dont want to upset any parents, so here is what I will tell you to do. I will refer to this practice as circumcision or "cutting the body" and you can ask your parents if you are not sure what I am talking about.
When a baby boy was born in the old testament, If he was Jewish then he had to be circumcised, to be "saved", to show that he was a "child of God". However when Christ came to earth and died for the sins of man, Circumcision was no longer necessary for salvation.
But their were some people that would not believe it. During this time, their were Religious people that would go around telling people they could only be saved if they were circumcised, so Paul writes this letter as an explanation.
In verse 3 Paul makes it clear that "cutting the body" has nothing to do with getting someone saved. In verse 4 Paul explains that if anyone could be saved by circumcission then HE could! 5 and 6 explain his family "religious roots" He was born jewish, and so on...
and verse 7 is a key verse... Paul says those things that I thought were "good" I realized they meant nothing.
This is where our application comes in... Do we do "the right things" because we just follow the "religious rules" or do we do wat is right because of our relationship with Christ. You see, we have all kinds of "religious" things in our life... going to church, singing during worship, helping pastor Lee... Why do you do these things? To be religious? or to be closer to Christ.
Paul makes it clear that we should not live "religious" lives, trying to please men, by doing things withor to the flesh, HOWEVER, we must obey God, because our heart longs to KNOW HIM, AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING.
It is not about Rules, But about the Relationship!
When we are in a good relationship then we will follow the rules with the right heart attitude.
THURSDAY, May 8th, 2008
Hey everyone! Thanks for coming last night! We had almost 40 teenagers in youth group! Think about it, If we would have had Cary, Tyler, Jill, Kacey, Kervin, Marvin, Ashley, Cheyanne, Tres, Scott, and Courtney then we would have had 50 teenagers in youth group last night! Lets be faithful! Lets hit the 50 mark before July. Can you do it?
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jill: Where did you get a job?
Tyler: We missed you in church! Next time you need a free physical, DONT SKIP CHURCH! I will pay for it if I have to. AND BESIDES, you said you were done at 6:45, well the YMCA is 20 minutes from church, and YOU WOULD HAVE ONLY BEEN 5 MINUTES LATE! We would have been over 40 if you were here. :(... Love You! :)
Gaby: AP EXAM... Woo Hoo... Are'nt we smart. We will pray for you!
Jon: You are the Man! Thanks for the youth group name: you were the only teen to come up with a youth group name. Although we wont use it, I appreciate it! :)
Kacey: Come to church! We miss You! I would have picked you up!
Philippians 2:19-30
19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.
21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.
23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.
24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;
26 since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.
29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;
30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
Ok, so this passage talks about two men, Timothy and Ephroditus, I think it is amazing to see the value that Paul has on placing good, Godly men around him in his life. It is clear that Paul had a great relationship with these two men. What kind of people do you have around you? What kind of people are in your life influencing you? Godly friends are hard to find, as Paul explains in verse 21, when he said, I have no man, because ALL SEEK THEIR OWN. In other words, they are all living for themselves, instead of living for God. Paul influenced Timothy as we see in verse 22. So my question is, Who are you sharpening? Who are you positively influencing? And Ephroditus was a FELLOW worker, and a FELLOW servant. In other words Paul looked at Him as if they were side by side going into battle for the Gospel. Who do you have in your life by your side that you can grow spiritually with and hold each other accountable? AND LIFT each other up, when they fall. WE MUST HAVE GODLY FRIENDS IN OUR LIFE! Who are yours?
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jill: Where did you get a job?
Tyler: We missed you in church! Next time you need a free physical, DONT SKIP CHURCH! I will pay for it if I have to. AND BESIDES, you said you were done at 6:45, well the YMCA is 20 minutes from church, and YOU WOULD HAVE ONLY BEEN 5 MINUTES LATE! We would have been over 40 if you were here. :(... Love You! :)
Gaby: AP EXAM... Woo Hoo... Are'nt we smart. We will pray for you!
Jon: You are the Man! Thanks for the youth group name: you were the only teen to come up with a youth group name. Although we wont use it, I appreciate it! :)
Kacey: Come to church! We miss You! I would have picked you up!
Philippians 2:19-30
19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.
21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.
23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.
24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;
26 since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.
29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;
30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
Ok, so this passage talks about two men, Timothy and Ephroditus, I think it is amazing to see the value that Paul has on placing good, Godly men around him in his life. It is clear that Paul had a great relationship with these two men. What kind of people do you have around you? What kind of people are in your life influencing you? Godly friends are hard to find, as Paul explains in verse 21, when he said, I have no man, because ALL SEEK THEIR OWN. In other words, they are all living for themselves, instead of living for God. Paul influenced Timothy as we see in verse 22. So my question is, Who are you sharpening? Who are you positively influencing? And Ephroditus was a FELLOW worker, and a FELLOW servant. In other words Paul looked at Him as if they were side by side going into battle for the Gospel. Who do you have in your life by your side that you can grow spiritually with and hold each other accountable? AND LIFT each other up, when they fall. WE MUST HAVE GODLY FRIENDS IN OUR LIFE! Who are yours?
WEDNESDAY, May 7th, 2008
WELL HELLO!
Great Job Yesterday! I cannot believe how many Night Owls there are in my youth group. I went to bed at 10:50 last night and when I woke up there were 9 more devotions posted. (some of which were done at 1:23AM) UNBELIEVABLE! Go to Bed Teenagers! :)
A Few Thoughts from Yesterday:
Tyler: Great words when you said: "Don't be selfish because God died on the cross for US not HIMSELF"
Cary: I am so glad that you will skip your "manditory" football practice, to come to camp with us! You and I both know that you WONT REGRET IT!
David: It is kind of funny that you were SO EXCITED that Alex didn't do his Devos! We have to work on that :) you are supposed to call him up and tell him to do his devos, NOT jump up and down with excitement because he didn't do them! :)
Brooke: I will try to ask your parents about you doing devos online.
Jill: Where did you get a job? You better be careful girl. I am known to pray that people lose their job when they skip church for it. (ASK JEFF) Just kidding! I wont pray for that yet, but I do want you to know that we miss you! AND Kacey better come, even if you don't!
Philippians 2:12-18
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.
Verse 12 and 13 begin by reminding us once more, how Paul was pleased with the church at Philipi, because they did what was right, with or without someone watching them. Then Paul makes it clear that God is working in our hearts to fulfill his pleasures in our life. Do you let him?
14 is such a powerful verse, one that we all need to hear, Do some things without complaining! ... NO! DO ALL THINGS WITHOUT COMPLAINING! Are you a complainer? Do you complain to your parents? your boss? your teacher? your youth pastor? Dont! we must seek to be blameless and harmless, like "Children of God"
**Jessica: do you remember that Steve Green song? "Do everything without complaining, Do eveything without arguing, so that you may become, blameless and true, children of God..."
Ok, sorry to get side tracked, Just had a "silly songs with Jessica moment" Ha!
But the point of verse 14 is to remind us that we must live without fault, in a world full of fault! We must be clean in this dirty world! We are in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation and we must shine as lights fro Jesus Christ. How do we do that? Verse 16 gives the answer: "by holding fast to the word of life" GODS WORD! If we hold fast to Gods word, then we will not live in vain. We will not waste our life, and our opportunities to shine for Christ!
READ THIS:
I want us to come up with a new youth group name: "Mad 4 Christ" Is old and outdated, and in a way that was the teens who have already graduated. I want us to come up with a youth group name that has something to do with the Word of God. AND IT HAS TO BE VERY COOL!
(Maybe even something to do with todays passage, about growing up in a perverse nation and being the light of the world with the Word of God) EVERYONE THINK ABOUT IT! and let me know!
Great Job Yesterday! I cannot believe how many Night Owls there are in my youth group. I went to bed at 10:50 last night and when I woke up there were 9 more devotions posted. (some of which were done at 1:23AM) UNBELIEVABLE! Go to Bed Teenagers! :)
A Few Thoughts from Yesterday:
Tyler: Great words when you said: "Don't be selfish because God died on the cross for US not HIMSELF"
Cary: I am so glad that you will skip your "manditory" football practice, to come to camp with us! You and I both know that you WONT REGRET IT!
David: It is kind of funny that you were SO EXCITED that Alex didn't do his Devos! We have to work on that :) you are supposed to call him up and tell him to do his devos, NOT jump up and down with excitement because he didn't do them! :)
Brooke: I will try to ask your parents about you doing devos online.
Jill: Where did you get a job? You better be careful girl. I am known to pray that people lose their job when they skip church for it. (ASK JEFF) Just kidding! I wont pray for that yet, but I do want you to know that we miss you! AND Kacey better come, even if you don't!
Philippians 2:12-18
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.
Verse 12 and 13 begin by reminding us once more, how Paul was pleased with the church at Philipi, because they did what was right, with or without someone watching them. Then Paul makes it clear that God is working in our hearts to fulfill his pleasures in our life. Do you let him?
14 is such a powerful verse, one that we all need to hear, Do some things without complaining! ... NO! DO ALL THINGS WITHOUT COMPLAINING! Are you a complainer? Do you complain to your parents? your boss? your teacher? your youth pastor? Dont! we must seek to be blameless and harmless, like "Children of God"
**Jessica: do you remember that Steve Green song? "Do everything without complaining, Do eveything without arguing, so that you may become, blameless and true, children of God..."
Ok, sorry to get side tracked, Just had a "silly songs with Jessica moment" Ha!
But the point of verse 14 is to remind us that we must live without fault, in a world full of fault! We must be clean in this dirty world! We are in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation and we must shine as lights fro Jesus Christ. How do we do that? Verse 16 gives the answer: "by holding fast to the word of life" GODS WORD! If we hold fast to Gods word, then we will not live in vain. We will not waste our life, and our opportunities to shine for Christ!
READ THIS:
I want us to come up with a new youth group name: "Mad 4 Christ" Is old and outdated, and in a way that was the teens who have already graduated. I want us to come up with a youth group name that has something to do with the Word of God. AND IT HAS TO BE VERY COOL!
(Maybe even something to do with todays passage, about growing up in a perverse nation and being the light of the world with the Word of God) EVERYONE THINK ABOUT IT! and let me know!
TUESDAY, May 6th, 2008
Good Day To You! I am starting to feel like this is becoming somewhat routine for some of you. That causes good news and bad news. I will go with the good news first. If the devotions become routine, then you are well on your way to forming a habit out of it, in other words, you will remember to do them more often. However the bad news is that when something becomes routine it becomes less effective and even boring. I notice a few of you literally putting like 10 words for a devotion. Try to apply the passage to your heart and life a little more, remember the purpose of doing this. It is not just to do them, and it is definitely not to earn an incredible trip at the end of June, but it is to gorw in the Lord. ALSO, Keep up the conversation amongst yourselves in the comments, because that is what keeps you unified and excited about getting back on. Wow, sorry this is so long, I will shorten up the other stuff to make up for it! But DONT YOU shorten anything up! :)
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
CCM: Great application of the passage, but we are all wondering who you are?
Josh: Listen man, if you didnt understand the passage, then READ WHAT I SAID ABOUT IT, it doesnt get much clearer than that. (Besides, I know how smart you are, and I KNOW you could have figured it out)
Jessica: Those were some great truths about using your time wisely! We all need to do that!
Jill and Kacey: We will pray for your Dad today, Keep us updated on how his doctor visit goes.
Phillippians 2:1-11
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE PASSAGE! This is one of my favorites. It is a good passage for all of us to have memorized. (at least verses 5-11) So lets start at the top. Verse 1 and 2 may be a little difficult to understand, but here it is: Paul says, hey, if these things (love, fellowship, affection, and mercy) and in Jesus Christ, then we should also have them in us. (vs. 2- "that ye be likeminded, having the same...") He need to grow in the attributes of Christ. NOT only that, but the remainder of this selected passage is great! It asks the question: "Who do you live for?"
WHO DO YOU LIVE FOR? Most people would have to honeslty answer, "themselves". But Paul tells us that there is something far greater to live for. 3 tells us not to be proud or willing to fight over something, instead treat everyone else as if they were BETTER than you. WHAT A CONCEPT... we do the exact opposite: we treat everyone around us as if they were not as good as us. 4 says that we must not focus on ourselves and our own interests, but on the interests of others. Here is the great part then I will be done: 5-11 Give a perfect example, or should I say THE PERFECT EXAMPLE. These verses explain the example that Christ was for us. He, BEING GOD, came down from heaven, He thought of little old you and me, and put our interests above His own. Thank you God for being our savior, our perfect example of how to treat others.
HOMEWORK: Write out an application teenagers. How does this apply to you personally? Here is something I am reminded of, when I was at the Wilds one year, I hung out in the creek to flip all the girls tubes that floated by (at 6:30 in the morning). Well, truth be told, they did not want to get wet, they just wanted to float down the creek, but... that didnt happen. They got wet, and I got called out on it. Someone came to me and said, Hey! you should treat other people better than you treat yourself. In other words, just because it is fun to flip girls out of the inner tube, doesnt mean you should, think about their interests instead of your own. The fact is: Guys, if you want the girls attention, flipping them out of a tube is not the way to do it, but, THINKING about their interests and doing that will get their attention. Am I Right Girls?
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
CCM: Great application of the passage, but we are all wondering who you are?
Josh: Listen man, if you didnt understand the passage, then READ WHAT I SAID ABOUT IT, it doesnt get much clearer than that. (Besides, I know how smart you are, and I KNOW you could have figured it out)
Jessica: Those were some great truths about using your time wisely! We all need to do that!
Jill and Kacey: We will pray for your Dad today, Keep us updated on how his doctor visit goes.
Phillippians 2:1-11
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE PASSAGE! This is one of my favorites. It is a good passage for all of us to have memorized. (at least verses 5-11) So lets start at the top. Verse 1 and 2 may be a little difficult to understand, but here it is: Paul says, hey, if these things (love, fellowship, affection, and mercy) and in Jesus Christ, then we should also have them in us. (vs. 2- "that ye be likeminded, having the same...") He need to grow in the attributes of Christ. NOT only that, but the remainder of this selected passage is great! It asks the question: "Who do you live for?"
WHO DO YOU LIVE FOR? Most people would have to honeslty answer, "themselves". But Paul tells us that there is something far greater to live for. 3 tells us not to be proud or willing to fight over something, instead treat everyone else as if they were BETTER than you. WHAT A CONCEPT... we do the exact opposite: we treat everyone around us as if they were not as good as us. 4 says that we must not focus on ourselves and our own interests, but on the interests of others. Here is the great part then I will be done: 5-11 Give a perfect example, or should I say THE PERFECT EXAMPLE. These verses explain the example that Christ was for us. He, BEING GOD, came down from heaven, He thought of little old you and me, and put our interests above His own. Thank you God for being our savior, our perfect example of how to treat others.
HOMEWORK: Write out an application teenagers. How does this apply to you personally? Here is something I am reminded of, when I was at the Wilds one year, I hung out in the creek to flip all the girls tubes that floated by (at 6:30 in the morning). Well, truth be told, they did not want to get wet, they just wanted to float down the creek, but... that didnt happen. They got wet, and I got called out on it. Someone came to me and said, Hey! you should treat other people better than you treat yourself. In other words, just because it is fun to flip girls out of the inner tube, doesnt mean you should, think about their interests instead of your own. The fact is: Guys, if you want the girls attention, flipping them out of a tube is not the way to do it, but, THINKING about their interests and doing that will get their attention. Am I Right Girls?
MONDAY, May 5th, 2008
Hey Everyone! Lets have a great week of devos! Stay faithful each day and lets try to add another detail to our devos. Here is what we do in the Word of Life books, and I think it is very effective. We do two things, 1. What does this passage mean? (what is the writer saying?) 2. How does this apply to my life. Just answer those two things. It is easy to get lazy with the devos and just write a sentance or two about what the passage is saying, but the point of devos it to apply the word of God to our life! Lets try it out!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jill, Kasey, Jessica, Tyler, Alex, David, anyone else who is missing, and Jeff: We missed you in church yesterday!!! BE FAITHFUL! it is important!
Gaby: I am glad your face is not all sliced up. That is how I understood it to be.
Jon Massey: If me falling into the baptistry made your day "a great day", then it was worth it!
Phillippians 1:27-30
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
What is the passage saying:
1. Let your conduct be WORTHY of the gospel of Christ. There is a song I use to sing at the Wilds called "Walk Worthy of the Lord". We as Christians arae supposed to walk in a way that makes Christ sacrifice for us worth while. Now obviously Christ sacrifice was worth while, but do our actions prove that. We must not make it appear that Christ wasted his time when He died on the cross for us. WE KNOW HE DID NOT, but when we live in an ungodly manner, we are telling other people that. Paul writes to the church at Philippi and tells them that he wants their testimony to be positive whether he is with them or not. (Do you remember when your teacher would leave the room, and when she would, everyone would run around the classroom and break all the rules - Because she wasnt there) Paul explains, we should live Godly whether He (Paul) is watching, whether your parents are watching? whether Pastor Lee or Pastor Chip are watching, be real with or without someone watching over your shoulder)
Don't Be afraid of your enemies, or Gods enemies, we have the power of God. Paul finishes this chapter by explaining to us that we should not only BELIEVE in God but me should be willing to suffer for Christ if the opportunity arises. Paul can say that because he was sitting in Jail while he was writing this. He was suffering.
How Can I Apply This To My Life:
2. Ok, now to the life application: I MUST live Godly whether my boss is watching, whether my wife is watching, whether God is watching (because He is). I just need to be the same with or without witnesses. And Like Paul I must TRUELY BELIEVE in God, to the point that I would be willing to suffer for Him! Am I willing to really suffer for my savior who suffered for me?
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Jill, Kasey, Jessica, Tyler, Alex, David, anyone else who is missing, and Jeff: We missed you in church yesterday!!! BE FAITHFUL! it is important!
Gaby: I am glad your face is not all sliced up. That is how I understood it to be.
Jon Massey: If me falling into the baptistry made your day "a great day", then it was worth it!
Phillippians 1:27-30
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
What is the passage saying:
1. Let your conduct be WORTHY of the gospel of Christ. There is a song I use to sing at the Wilds called "Walk Worthy of the Lord". We as Christians arae supposed to walk in a way that makes Christ sacrifice for us worth while. Now obviously Christ sacrifice was worth while, but do our actions prove that. We must not make it appear that Christ wasted his time when He died on the cross for us. WE KNOW HE DID NOT, but when we live in an ungodly manner, we are telling other people that. Paul writes to the church at Philippi and tells them that he wants their testimony to be positive whether he is with them or not. (Do you remember when your teacher would leave the room, and when she would, everyone would run around the classroom and break all the rules - Because she wasnt there) Paul explains, we should live Godly whether He (Paul) is watching, whether your parents are watching? whether Pastor Lee or Pastor Chip are watching, be real with or without someone watching over your shoulder)
Don't Be afraid of your enemies, or Gods enemies, we have the power of God. Paul finishes this chapter by explaining to us that we should not only BELIEVE in God but me should be willing to suffer for Christ if the opportunity arises. Paul can say that because he was sitting in Jail while he was writing this. He was suffering.
How Can I Apply This To My Life:
2. Ok, now to the life application: I MUST live Godly whether my boss is watching, whether my wife is watching, whether God is watching (because He is). I just need to be the same with or without witnesses. And Like Paul I must TRUELY BELIEVE in God, to the point that I would be willing to suffer for Him! Am I willing to really suffer for my savior who suffered for me?
SUNDAY, May 4th, 2008
Well, Good to see you on this wonderful SUNDAY! Hey, get out of bed you lazy head, come to church today!! We have some great things going on, including "Word of Life Ensemble Group" Tonight in the evening service. Very Cool Stuff!
You can get credit for todays devos by either coming to sunday school or by memorizing Psalm 119. :) Just kidding. But seriously COME TO SUNDAY SCHOOL!
You can get credit for todays devos by either coming to sunday school or by memorizing Psalm 119. :) Just kidding. But seriously COME TO SUNDAY SCHOOL!
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