M.Y.X. @ Six

John 8

 ¹But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.  But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  ⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”  ¹¹“No one, sir,” she said. ”Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

In the above verses, Jesus is talking to a woman caught red handed in her sin. But, he never takes on the role of a judge. We see in the way Jesus deals with the religious leaders, it’s evident that Jesus doesn’t care about religion but a relationship. He also explains several things when he tells the crowd to throw stones, but only those who haven’t sinned. He first levels the playing field for everyone – religious leaders included – and shows that all sin is sin, and all sin is looked at the same by God. Second, it demonstrates Jesus’ holiness in that he could even issue that command. Finally, he shows that he could judge – after all he’s God – but that that’s not why he came to earth. He came to earth to reconcile us to God, not condemn us. Jesus had the right to call these people out, but he didn’t. He was the only one who could pronounce her not guilty because he was the one that would die on the cross for THAT sin, for her sin.

Hebrews 4:13 tells us that, “Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes.” Therefore, we must examine our hidden sins. What is it? And what do we do with it? Deny it…Focus on it…or Explore it and confess it? Denying out sin will lead to a hardened heart, far from God. Focusing on it will consume you. And exploring it and confessing it with lead to forgiveness and freedom.

Jesus wants to:

1. Replace your guilt with grace daily.

2. Replace your shame with that daily grace for eternity.

When we’ve met Jesus, our lives will be changed. Our guilt will be replaced with grace. We will not the condemned but forgiven if we confess and turn away from our sin. Jesus has come to reconcile us to God. Pursue Jesus – investigate, ask questions, stop making excuses like “I have to quit _________ before I can meet Jesus,” and drop the rocks of judgement and condemnation we throw at others!

1 Corinthians 2:9b says “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no ind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Seek him out to find out what he has in store for you!

Week 3 – A Heart for Spiritual Change

The heart of a champion is committed to grow spiritually. Here are some ways we can grow spiritually:

Head God’s way (your life God’s way) and away from your own way or the world’s way. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to throw off our old evil nature and former way of life and instead we must display a new nature because we are a new person created in God’s likeness. God gives us choices and free will because He loves us, and this gives us an opportunity to choose to love Him. After all, we aren’t robots or puppets. 

Educate yourself on God’s way. For example, when we are going on a trip, we use Google Maps to map out our course so we know what to do when driving, which way to turn, etc. In the same way, we study the Bible to know how God wants us to go, to act and what to do. Joshua 1:8 tells us this:

Study this book of the law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed…

We can think about another way to think about the Bible – Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. We rely on the Bible because it’s God’s words, never changing and is truth. We shouldn’t base our life and decisions on our feelings and emotions because they are ever changing, often dependent on circumstances and even physical reactions; instead we rely on God’s words of truth for consistency and absolute truth.

Absorb God’s way. This is the difference from just knowing a fact and being able to understand it, apply it and/or explain it. If we absorb God’s way, we will know His commands and be able to apply them in our daily life. Ephesians 6 tells us to use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy. When we absorb God’s way we will experience the Holy Spirit convicting us of areas in our life where we need to stop and redirect towards God.

Reflect God’s way.And what you absorb is what you reflect. Proverbs 27 explains that “as water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” Also in Psalm 119:7  is an example of how we reflect God in our hearts – that when we learn His righteous laws, I will thank you by living as we should! What is on the inside will show on the outside; if we are consumed with the Holy Spirit, characteristics of God will be reflected in our lives. Consider all your thoughts, words and actions – what is your message?

Teach God’s way to others. 2 Timothy 2 encourages us to teach the great truths of Christ to others who can pass them on. Think about how when you learn something new – how to solve a math problem or how to perform a procedure – and that you KNOW you know what you’re doing when you can teach it to someone else. The same is true about God’s word; telling others, explaining it to others and researching it to answer the questions of others helps us KNOW that we know God’s word. We can teach others directly, and also indirectly through our life and conversations.

The heart of a champion doesn’t settle…it’s not content with spiritual mediocrity…a champion’s heart pursues spiritual growth.

Week 4 – A Heart for Serving Others (putting care into action)

Okay…there’s good news and bad news…

Good news:  Serving others strengthens your heart. When we serve, we become more like Jesus. Jesus came to serve, not to be served, even though He is the King. This is an attitude of thinking of others more important that yourself. It’s often said that doing something for someone else will in fact improve your mood and make you feel good.

Bad news:  Serving others isn’t a natural reaction, it’s a choice. Philippians 2:3-4 tells us, “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.”

Good news:  Serving others, as a lifestyle, leads to significance. Think of the celebrities who have turned to focus on serving those less fortunate, to find significance in their life. Jesus explains in Matthew 16, “If you give up your life for me, you will find true life.”

How can you make this good news YOUR news?

1. Recognize what is NATURAL. In other words, the first step is to acknowledge your problem.  We acknowledge that serving others doesn’t come naturally to us and that we have to choose to do it. Jesus came to earth, and had all the power, but He CHOSE to serve. Remember, self indulgence leads to self destruction.
2. Battle for what is SPIRITUAL. This is to battle to be obedient to God’s way. Romans 7:24-25 offers Paul’s perspective of contradictions in his life where he wants to serve God will all his heart and mind, but that he is pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.
3. Follow Jesus’ EXAMPLE. Jesus did big things and so should we! Matthew 20:28 reiterates that Jesus came to serve others and to give His life for others. Again in John 13 He tells us of the example He has given us to follow, to do as I have done to you.

One last thought: Make it a goal…try to serve without recognition…and without reservation.

Week 2 – A heart for quality relationships

Champions never become champions on their own. We are wired for love and need to be deeply connected and committed. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22 that we are to love God with our heart, mind, soul and strength – this is first and foremost. Second, we are to love others as ourselves. He further explains the importance of having people that we are connected to in our lives. He tells us in Ecclesiastes that we should pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. This is why we need to be and be with V.I.P.’s.  Most commonly, this stands for Very Important People . Important can also mean quality, as in we should be quality friends to others, and have quality friends and relationships ourselves.

V : God uses people who validate you. To validate you is to affirm you, to support you. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us that God has given each of us some special abilities and that we should be sure to use them to help each other. A person who validates you recognizes your unique contribution and desires to bring out the best in you. And if you’re not getting validation from productive and constructive methods, like quality relationships, you may resort to destructive methods. Destructive ways of finding affirmation include seeking your self worth from the acceptance of others or to resort to acting in a way that they want you to. You may compromise your personal beliefs, morals or boundaries because you think that if you do this, you will be accepted or affirmed. Many times this is in the form of caving into friends pressuring you to do something you don’t agree with or that you don’t want to do.

I : God uses people who improve you. Proverbs says “As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.” In other words, a friend can challenge you, help keep you on track and encourage you to be better. A friend who is pursuing Christ will help you improve your pursuit of Christ. Just like you play against someone better than you in sports to learn to play better, you will improve yourself if you surround yourself with relationships with people who are also improving themselves. This isn’t improvement of your appearance or popularity, but improvement of yourself to be a better you – and for Christians this is to try to be like Christ. A person who improves you makes you better simply because you are connected to them. You want to be like them because they have admirable characteristics, just like with Jesus, we want to be like Him because of His kindness to others, His purity and His grace.

P : God uses people who pray for you. They care about your relationship with God and they want to “journey” with you. If you have a quality relationship with someone, they want to help you pursue your goals, which are to be more like Christ, to glorify God and live a life that is pleasing to Him. Therefore, God uses people who will support you with prayer, who will help keep you in line with your goals and help you reach them. James 5:16 says to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other…that great things happen when a believing person prays. How encouraging to have a friend that will pray for great things to happen for you!

Most importantly we have to be connected to God (and through prayer we can be) and the only way God can use YOU as a V.I.P. to someone else is for you to know Him.

How can you have a heart for quality relationships?

1. Evaluate yourself by these V.I.P. standards – do you validate people, live in such a way that they become better just being connected to you, and do you pray for people?

2. Commit to get connected with V.I.P.’s. Find and put effort into relationships with people who validate you, who you want to be like or who make you want to be better, and also with people who pray for you.

3. Put together an action plan to answer the question “how?” How will you evaluate yourself? How will you connect with other V.I.P.’s? Take action to get yourself to a place where you have a heart for quality relationships.

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.      -Romans 5:11 NLT

Life works best when you’re connected to the right VIP’s. Our ultimate VIP – most important person- is God who, as we read in Romans 5:11, is our friend.

We finished celebrating the birth of our Savior and now we celebrate the birth of the new year and new decade!

Wednesday January 6th, 2010 - HEART OF A CHAMPION

Having a heart of a champion is having a heart for others.  Everyone has needs – physical, spiritual and emotional. And our Champion – Jesus – can meet all of our needs. He can also allow us to meet the needs of others.

We all know the story of Zacchaeus, the short tax collector. He was a wee little man, who climbed up a tree, for the Lord he was goin’ to see. Then some special happened, as we read in Luke 19. Jesus, the Lord, called out to Zacchaeus by name. You probably know you have to be pretty close to someone who is your superior in order to be on first name basis with them. Think of your teacher or neighbor – you call them Mr. or Mrs. But someone who is a friend calls you by your name. Jesus met Zacchaeus’ emotional needs of being known, being accepted and being pursued by calling him by name. And God knows your name too! Jesus went on to invite himself over to the tax collector’s house.  You can experience the same joy that Zacchaeus did when he welcomed Jesus into his life.

In another story in the Bible, we see Jesus meet spiritual needs as well. In John 4:9 we start the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. She was an outcast woman who had resorted to visiting the well during the heat of the afternoon so as not to have to face the general public. Additionally, the Jewish people didn’t speak to Samaritans at this time. And here was Jesus, a man AND a Jewish person, and He is seeking out this woman to speak with her. As He approaches her and begins talking to her, she questions his motives. He asks for a drink. She asks why He is talking to her.  He leads into the spiritual conversation with his question, which is about the basic physical need of water. But He goes on to explain that not only can He meet her physical thirst, but her spiritual thirst as well. After all, He explains, He is the living water of life. And every person NEEDS Christ. God loves each person and provides a way for a personal relationship with Him. He desires to save each lost person. God has chosen to use others to show and share their experience in order for others to drink of the living water of Christ. Knowing Christ, having your spiritual needs met, allows you to be changed, to have a reason to live, to have a heart for others and to be saved for eternity.

Jesus can meet your needs and give you a heart to meet the needs of others. Some things to do to show your heart for others:

1. Show genuine concern for others. Demonstrate outwardly that you care on the inside. Use eye contact, positive touch, and repeat back what you have learned, heard and understood.

2. Listen to a story and share your story as well. You have to open up to others for them to open up to you. They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

3. Extend an invitation. If you are outgoing, this may not make sense to you. But the majority of people want to be invited to events, parties, church, games in order to feel comfortable taking part. Invite people to talk, to hang out, to church and to meet Jesus.

4. Expect a variety of responses. You may get a smile, you may get blown off. You make make a new friend, you may lose a friend. Remember the parable of the sower. We must plant the seed  in obedience to God. He will handle the response.

5. Follow up on the possible (to love them) and ask God for the impossible (pray for a response for Christ). You can control your behavior, so make sure you are acting with love. Only God can call someone to know Him, pray for your efforts to be fruitful.

Tie it all together with Alex’s sermon from Sunday January 10th. In Mark 6 we see Jesus showing compassion for a large gathering of people. He takes all they have, which isn’t much, and gives it away in love. He asks God to do what needs to be done to make it work. This is what we have to do too. We have to be willing and have the heart for others. Then, we ask God to use us and do what needs to be done to make it work. Alex finished with 2 Corinthians 5 :14-16 which says :

¹⁴For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.

We cannot look at things through our own eyes and own abilities. Christ’s love must make us want to love others and see them through His eyes. In living no longer for ourselves, but for Christ, we can see others through His eyes and try to meet their needs.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Someone who is living life well is…

Loving toward others. Romans 13:8 tells us we can never finish paying the debt of love we have to others; this means we should act as if we owe others our love. Jesus has also told us that his true disciples will be known by their love for others. Would Jesus be able to tell you were one of his true disciples?

Investing in significant relationships. Our most important and first significant relationship should be with God, to make Christ the Lord of our life. Ecclesiastes 4:10 tells us “People who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.” We need others to help support us, and we need to support others in the same way. This starts after we begin to be loving towards others.  Often we try to impress those at school or even church, to fit in with them, and we won’t see them again after graduation. We compromise our life, and our beliefs, for someone we may never see again.

Valuing life vs. existing. Existing is like going through life blindly…not thinking about actions, not seeking a purpose or trying to fulfill it. Paul, in the Bible (Phillipians), explains that for him “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” He lived and breathed the Lord. He lived  a life of value. And he valued his life because he was in Christ.

Expecting to grow. Hebrews 6:1 encourages us to stop repeating the basics of Christianity, and mature in our understanding. A person living life well is curious, wants to know more, expects to learn more; that person is excited and enthusiastic. Their attitude shows their expectation to be changed – but because of God only! Ephesians 4  speaks of holding to the truth in love and becoming more and more, in every way, like Christ. And the only way to become more like Christ, is to learn more about Him. To expect to come to church and learn of ways to imitate Him as His follower; to expect to learn new verses and facts about Christ in Sunday school.

Displaying Christ. See above point about imitating Christ. The bible tells us to be a fragrance to God – and we want to be a pleasurable fragrance to our God. We are all displaying something, through how we act, dress, talk and what we make our priorities. Our outward actions are the first thing that someone can look at to decide who we are, or who they they think we are. Hopefully they will not make a complete decision based simply on our outside self; but many times we come into contact with someone briefly and this is all they have to go by….did they get a glimpse of God from their encounter with you? Make that your goal.

Questions/Application:

How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 on each of these points?

Are you stumbling through life or valuing life and living it well?

How often do you spend time thinking about what you are displaying on the outside? the inside? which is more important to God?

How can you show people a glimpse at God through your life?

Week 3 -Living Today with Hope for Eternity

“A thief comes to steal, kill and destroy;  I came [Jesus] so they can have real eternal life, a better life than you’ve ever dreamed of.” John 10:10

The ordinary “life” the world offers. What it offers, and how it leaves us empty:

1. Pain (Relational, depression, addiction, for example)- “Will I always be surrounded by pain?”

2. Hate (Bitterness, envy, for example) – “Can’t somebody love me as I am?”

3. Temporary Happiness (infatuation, alcohol, drugs, for example) – “Why can’t it last?”

4. Despair (not being happy where you are) – “Is there anything better than this?”

BIG IDEA: The world is imperfect so this is all it has to offer. This life is temporary, so is everything it has to offer!

The rescued life God offers:

1. Freedom – “I want you to feel different.”

Ephesians tells us that our freedom was purchased through the blood of Christ.

2. Love – “You can never escape my love.”

Romans 8: 35-29 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? For I am convinced that neither death nor life…nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3. Joy – “My presence will fill you up.”

This is not based on temporary circumstances but is lasting and from God.

4. Hope – “You will spend eternity with me.”

You have something to look forward to, if you’re a Christian, and that is a future/eternity in heaven.

BIG IDEA: Where will I spend eternity? Where will others in my life?

Responding to the rescue:

Acknowledge the rescue.

Appreciate the rescuer.

Announce the rescuer to others.

If you were rescued from drowning, in the ocean or a pool or a lake, by someone, would you easily forget that event? If someone pulled you up out of the water, so you could breathe, to free you from a life & death situation, would you be retelling the story to everyone you know? Heaping praise and thanks on the person who saved your life and gave you hope that you could keep living?

Making a decision to turn your life over to Christ is a life & death situation….this life is temporary, and we all have the same physical end…but what about the hope of eternity with the greatest Savior and Rescuer of all? Do you have this? Does your best friend, sister, neighbor or dad?

Let God rescue you from an ordinary life!

Week 2 -When God Came Near

John 10:10

The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I came {Jesus} so they can have real eternal life, a better life than you’ve ever dreamed of.

Why Jesus came to earth…

1. To restore you to God. We are all created to have a relationship with God. Romans 5 tells how, through Jesus, we have been made friends with God.

2. To reveal God’s character. Colossians 1 says that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.

3. To rescue you and I from an ordinary life. He sets us free, delivers us from confinement, from violence or evil. As Galatians 1:4 says, “He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”

Ordinary living misses…

1. God’s personal presence. Ephesians 3:12 tells us we can come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.

2. God’s promise of wisdom, or unusual insight to every day life. Scripture tells us that if we need wisdom, if you want to know what God wants you to do, to ask him! James 1:5 says God will gladly tell us, and not resent our asking.

3. God’s power to use you. Ordinary people are used by God for extraordinary purposes. In Ephesians 3:16 explains that God has glorious and unlimited resources. And through his Holy Spirit, we can take part!

Live beyond the ordinary…

1. Commit to live God’s way, not your way.

2. Commit to look for God’s work.

3. Commit to spend time with God. The Bible says to pray without ceasing.

How can you commit to live God’s way? By committing to look for His work. What is God’s work? Commit to spending time with Him, and He will show you. Praying without ceasing? Be constantly aware of your Creator, and take moments throughout the day to acknowledge Him, to praise Him, to thank Him, and to ask Him for wisdom. And you’ll know then that God came near.

Watch Out for the Thief

“A thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; I came so they can have real eternal life, a better life that you’ve ever dreamed of.” John 10:10

The thief is the devil, the enemy of  God. He is always in pursuit of knocking you off course, off God’s path for your life. As a thief often does, Satan comes in disguise, using deceit and manipulation to get his way. He usually portrays it as something to benefit you, but his only goal is to steal, kill and destroy. Fortunately, Jesus came. Christ offers us life; he gives, lives and loves.

There are 3 types of people, all potential victims of the enemy. You are either:

SOLD OUT : A consistent Christian, a disciple of Christ. Obvious who you’re living your life for. And the thief wants to STEAL your JOY. This is joy, not happiness and isn’t dependent on circumstance.

STUMBLER: An inconsistent Christian. You’ve acknowledged Christ as your Savior, but are not living it out consistently. You haven’t completely let go of your old self, or keep stumbling back over old struggles. The thief wants to KILL your WITNESS. Happens a lot in younger years when we fall into the temptations of alcohol, drugs, hanging out with a certain type of person – the thief uses these things to give others the opportunity to say “But I thought you were a Christian…”

SEEKER: You are not yet a Christian yet. You’ve heard of Jesus and God. Maybe even believe that God exists. But you haven’t turned over your live to the Lord, you haven’t accepted the free gift of salvation. The thief wants to DESTROY your LIFE. He wants to blind you to the things of God so that you never make the life-altering decision to follow Jesus the rest of your life.

God’s door to life:

Matthew 7:13 says “You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way.

The enemy’s door to life:

2 Corinthians 4:4 says ” Stan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the good news that is shining upon them. They don’t understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Satan camouflages his ways to make them look good so you take a bite…you’re then hooked and regret follows when his ways inevitably let you down. God’s path is narrow, yes, but available to all; He is the creator of the universe and his way is glorious and good.

The rescue by God begins when:

1. You recognize your need to be saved. You ask Jesus to take over your life.

Romans 10:9 Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

2. You acknowledge the thief’s temptations. Jesus did this; He was tempted and didn’t succumb to the temptation.

Hebrews 2: 18 He himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.

3. You depend of God’s strength. You can’t do it yourself, but God can do it through you.

Psalm 118:13  You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the Lord helped me.

We can move past the ordinary by:

Identifying the thief’s role.

Taking it personally.

Battling the enemy with you life.

SOLD OUT : LIVE IT UP! Exhibit your joy, celebrate God, serve, love, share it!

STUMBLER: BEAT TEMPTATION! Don’t give in, find the way out (through Christ)

SEEKER: PURSUE GOD’S WAYS! Find the truth, see if He is who He says He is. And grab the life preserver and let God rescue you!

Be encouraged to know that God is there with you, and you cannot escape His love.

The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you stand up, the nations flee!          Isaiah 33:3

Servanthood: The Great Gamble

Indulgence is popular in our culture. Any ads or commercials encourage the biggest, best, newest…or in the case of technology, the smallest, fastest and newest. When we pursue the stuff, stuff we want rather than need, we start focusing on ourselves. And we begin centering our life on what we want, on ourselves. Eventually we have to ask ourselves this question: Will I serve Jesus and serve as He did, or will I be limited by self-centeredness?

So often we have the attitude of only doing things that provide a benefit to us. In Matthew 19:27, Peter says to Jesus “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
It is not easy to follow Christ, but it is definitely worth it – this from Jesus himself!

Jesus tells us another story to paint us a picture of something He wants us to understand. He explains things to us in John 13:12-17:

“So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

Jesus keeps things simple for us. When nobody else would wash the disciples feet, as would normally happen before a meal, Jesus saw something that needed to be done, a need to meet, and stepped up to do it. Then He asks the disciples if they know what He has done. He tells them they are knowledgeable first that they understand that He is indeed their Lord and Teacher. Then He tells them that because He first washed their feet, they then should wash each other’s feet. He uses the story as an example that we should do what Jesus did. He reminds us again that the slave is not greater than his master, nor is Jesus greater than God. Finally, he tells us that if we know these things, and do them, that we will be blessed.

In Luke 9:23 Jesus says we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him. First we must deny ourselves and go against our cultural norms where it’s all about me! Then Jesus says we have to take up our cross daily; in other words, commit ourselves daily to Christ. Finally, we have to follow Him. We’re back to the beginning question. Ask yourself: Will I serve Jesus and serve as Jesus did? Or will I be limited by self-centeredness? If we follow Christ’s example from the story and imitate Him by washing each other’s feet, if that is the need to be met, we are serving Jesus and serving like He did. The needs could be feeding the hungry, hugging the unloved, or just being obedient to an adult. However, if we focus on ourselves, satisfying our wants and ignoring the needs of others, we will be limited in our lives because we are being self-centered. So instead, let’s model Jesus with reckless abandon!

Challenge: THE GREAT GAMBLE

Be ready to serve. Test God’s promise that if we know the things Jesus commands/does, and do them, that we will be blessed. For the month of November, take every opportunity to serve God and others even if it seems small and insignificant. Keep your servants towel handy and be ready to wash feet. And monitor your heart: Am I gaining or losing?

Examples of serving others:
Clean up the lunchroom after lunch at school.
Clear your friends trash from the lunch table for them.
Help someone carrying a lot of stuff by lightening their load.
Offer a ride to someone.
Make an effort to be the one to always open the door for others.
Donate clothes that are too small to someone in need (Goodwill, family affected by fire, clothes bank of Elkhorn Association).
Volunteer to do someone else’s chores at your house.
Help out with meals, with permission.
Help out an elderly person with chores, or just visit. Same with a new mom, single parent, etc.
Volunteer at a charity (God’s Pantry, Salvation Army, All God’s Children, The Refuge Clinic)
Volunteer at church for setting up for events, cleaning, etc.

Posted by Morgan Cooper