Tuesday, June 27, 2006
"Salt and Light" or "Pepper and Darkness"?
I've been praying a lot recently for a revival in my own spiritual life, as well as the Christian community at large. If more Christians, myself included, would boldly stand up and obey God's Word, no matter what the cost... and to be "living sacrifices" who are willing to give up certain things if that's what it takes to get closer to God... that's when society will begin to change as a result of us being obedient "salt and light" and God will be glorified. Because the state of things right now in many of our churches and youth groups needs to change...
We often pick and choose which parts of the Bible we want to read and obey, instead of being 100% totally surrendered to God. We have TV shows and movies glorifying things God does not approve of, and Christians who not only enjoy it but imitate it and joke about it. We have music that makes immorality seem normal, and Christians who listen to it and enjoy it more than music that glorifies God. We have Christian friends who socialize all the time and talk about everything in the world, but never talk about their spiritual lives or Christian growth -- the things that really matter. We have Christian "friends" who tempt their other Christian friends to sin, to make themselves feel better about their own sin. We have Christians who want a certain image so badly that they're willing to sell God out to get it. We have Christians who, when they hear something challenging and convicting from God's Word, just call it "too extreme" and blow it off. We have college campuses where anything goes, and the Christians are right there living the same way, enjoying their "freedom" instead of being Christ-like. When are we going to start hating sin, like the Bible says, and being disgusted by sin, like God is, instead of pushing the boundaries right up to it, and even being entertained by it? The Bible teaches us to even "avoid the appearance of evil" and not to even "show approval of sin", even if we are not sinning ourselves. That is a high standard, but it is biblical, and we can do it with God's strength when we get serious about pleasing God as our top priority. Please think and pray about these spiritual issues. This is not meant to point fingers, because many of these things apply directly to myself as well. I just pray for a day when we start to see Christians making an impact on the world like God called us to, instead of being slowly lulled into being exactly like the world....
We often pick and choose which parts of the Bible we want to read and obey, instead of being 100% totally surrendered to God. We have TV shows and movies glorifying things God does not approve of, and Christians who not only enjoy it but imitate it and joke about it. We have music that makes immorality seem normal, and Christians who listen to it and enjoy it more than music that glorifies God. We have Christian friends who socialize all the time and talk about everything in the world, but never talk about their spiritual lives or Christian growth -- the things that really matter. We have Christian "friends" who tempt their other Christian friends to sin, to make themselves feel better about their own sin. We have Christians who want a certain image so badly that they're willing to sell God out to get it. We have Christians who, when they hear something challenging and convicting from God's Word, just call it "too extreme" and blow it off. We have college campuses where anything goes, and the Christians are right there living the same way, enjoying their "freedom" instead of being Christ-like. When are we going to start hating sin, like the Bible says, and being disgusted by sin, like God is, instead of pushing the boundaries right up to it, and even being entertained by it? The Bible teaches us to even "avoid the appearance of evil" and not to even "show approval of sin", even if we are not sinning ourselves. That is a high standard, but it is biblical, and we can do it with God's strength when we get serious about pleasing God as our top priority. Please think and pray about these spiritual issues. This is not meant to point fingers, because many of these things apply directly to myself as well. I just pray for a day when we start to see Christians making an impact on the world like God called us to, instead of being slowly lulled into being exactly like the world....
Monday, June 26, 2006
Choose Your Praise!
Choose your praise! Whose praise do you want -- man's or God's? Because the Bible makes it clear that you can't have both...
Friday, June 23, 2006
Take Time to Care
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." This may not be a quote from the Bible, but it is certainly in line with biblical principles, and something important to remember when reaching out to others. You could have all the Bible knowledge in the world, and have lots of great information to share, but if you don't treat them with genuine love and compassion in your interactions, they won't really care. Never forget to always treat people with the unconditional love and compassion that Jesus did -- He looked past the faults of people, and saw their needs instead.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
COLLEGE LIFE: GOD’S WAY
College is a uniquely important and decisive time in your spiritual development; a time when you find out who you truly are, apart from family and childhood friends, and what you truly stand for. It can be a time of exciting, unparalleled spiritual growth as you learn to depend on God daily to meet the new challenges of college life – or a time of backsliding and drifting away from God. Bombarded by all the attractive temptations the world has to offer, you will have to decide more clearly than ever before -- who sits on the throne of your life, and who you are living your life for – God or yourself? Thus, before you start college, I wanted to share with you some words of wisdom from the Bible. These are the five most important lessons that God taught me during my four years of experiences with Him at Stanford – four years that dramatically changed my life and strengthened my relationship with God in a lasting way. God used college as a four-year spiritual revival in my life, and He desires to do the same thing for you. I am typing these lessons up neatly for you so hopefully you will keep them somewhere that you can refer to them when you need some spiritual encouragement (say for example, around 3 A.M. during finals week of your first semester!). I hope and pray that these truths that God taught me during my ups and downs at Stanford will help you at some time or another, and that you will not have to learn them the hard way like I did. Anyway, here goes:
Lesson #1: FOCUS ON GOD’S PEACE, NOT THE WORLD’S STRESS.
Don’t be ruled by stress and get caught up in the hype. Your fellow college students will always be trying to tell you how stressed they are feeling, and how stressed you should be as well. Even though circumstances may lead you to feel that way at times, it is a deception from Satan designed to distract you and bring you down. Focus on God’s reality instead of Satan’s lies, and tap into His peace.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, shall guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:6-7,13)
In other words, pray instead of worrying. Worrying is the opposite of faith, and never helped anything anyway. You should not live in the bondage of fear, which is really what stress is all about – fear of failure, rejection, not finishing something, etc. By God’s power we can overcome fear.
For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind. (II Timothy 1:7)
Lesson #2: PUT GOD FIRST ON YOUR PRIORITY LIST.
Do not be anxious then, saying “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “With what shall we clothe ourselves?” For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:31-33)
God knows everything you need (financial, social, academic, etc.) and cares about you more than anybody you know. Your job is to seek Him, not those other things. A pastor of mine once said, “You take care of God’s business, and He’ll take care of your business,” and I’ve always found that to be true. Put Him first in your schedule – give Him the best times in your schedule, and not the leftovers – just like the story of the little boy’s fish and loaves being used by Jesus to feed the multitudes, when you generously present God with the best of your time and energy, He will ensure that you get what you need. He can even supernaturally multiply the productivity of your time to help you get your work done, when you have been using your time to serve Him. And don’t forget to give Him the praise and glory for it – when people ask you how you got that paper written or why you’re not stressed about the test like everyone else, that’s a great natural opportunity to witness to them about the difference that God makes in your life. Everything that you do should be done in a way that glorifies God, and helps draw others unto Him, which is the ultimate goal of the Christian life.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble…For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (I Corinthians 10:31-33)
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Lesson #3: FIND A CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP AND A LOCAL CHURCH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, JOIN THEM, AND BE A CONSISTENT PARTICIPANT AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)
God’s Word instructs us to meet regularly with other believers, not because church or Bible study attendance gets us into Heaven, but because it is God’s plan for strengthening us in our Christian walk.
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Satan’s plan is to divide and conquer – if he can get you on your own, apart from the support and accountability of other Christians, he can get a strong foothold into your life and your way of thinking. Instead, make the choice to be an active part of God’s ministry on your campus and in your community – after all, from God’s perspective, that is why He put you there in the first place, not for your own selfish ambitions. We are all part of God’s body, and the body does not function properly when all of its parts (each with its own unique gifts) are not present.
Lesson #4: SATURATE YOURSELF CONTINUALLY WITH GOD’S WORD.
Immerse yourself in Scripture and read the Bible regularly, and those verses will start to habitually pop up in your mind to give you the strength to overcome the various temptations and difficult situations that you will encounter in life. Don’t let yourself be tossed around by circumstances, emotions, and natural feelings – stay focused on God’s reality, and the truths of His Word. The Bible instructs us to meditate on God’s Word day and night.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
Be especially careful that the entertainment (music, movies, etc.) that you allow into your life meets this criteria. One good way to saturate yourself with God’s Word is to listen to Christian music. I’m not saying that secular music is necessarily evil, but please understand that music is a powerful force created by God to bring Him praise, and Christian music (of whatever style you prefer) can be an effective tool to help keep your mind focused on God. Instead of having song lyrics that worship other humans or glorify the quest for earthly satisfaction running through your head and occupying precious mind space, you can have meaningful scriptures bringing you peace, building you up, reminding you how to overcome daily obstacles, and praising God. With God’s help it is possible to stay in a Christ-like mindset around the clock – and suddenly the mountains you face in your life won’t seem so tall anymore, and you’ll even have the strength to reach out to others in need. It is a dangerous thing to allow carnal thoughts to get a foothold in your mind; they can desensitize you to the seriousness of sin.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:12-14)
Lesson #5: DON’T EVER GET SO BUSY THAT YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO STOP AND HELP SOMEONE.
You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-14, 16)
Remember your role as God’s salt and light. God has placed you on that campus as a representative of His, for a specific purpose; it is not by chance or accident. It’s not all simply about you, your education, and your career aspirations; from God’s perspective, your college experience is about getting closer to Him, reaching out to others, spreading His kingdom, and bringing Him glory. Since God is not here in the flesh anymore, we are God’s arms, legs, ears, eyes, and mouths on this earth. Don’t forget that when you see someone who needs a word of encouragement, help with their homework, some prayer, or spiritual advice. You’ll be amazed at how God will even give you the right words to say, and how He will be speaking to you even as you’re speaking to someone else. Even worldly psychologists agree that one of the best ways to overcome depression or feeling down is to do something nice for someone else. God’s Word teaches us to live lives that are God-centered and other-centered, instead of self-centered. That is the secret to a meaningful life that pleases God.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:35-36,40)
P.S.-- Also, don’t forget to pray consistently for your non-Christian friends and acquaintances, that God will draw them unto Himself. You may be the only Christian they know, and God’s plan might be to reach them through you!
(by Noel C. Price, written 1999, revised 2001 & 2006)
College is a uniquely important and decisive time in your spiritual development; a time when you find out who you truly are, apart from family and childhood friends, and what you truly stand for. It can be a time of exciting, unparalleled spiritual growth as you learn to depend on God daily to meet the new challenges of college life – or a time of backsliding and drifting away from God. Bombarded by all the attractive temptations the world has to offer, you will have to decide more clearly than ever before -- who sits on the throne of your life, and who you are living your life for – God or yourself? Thus, before you start college, I wanted to share with you some words of wisdom from the Bible. These are the five most important lessons that God taught me during my four years of experiences with Him at Stanford – four years that dramatically changed my life and strengthened my relationship with God in a lasting way. God used college as a four-year spiritual revival in my life, and He desires to do the same thing for you. I am typing these lessons up neatly for you so hopefully you will keep them somewhere that you can refer to them when you need some spiritual encouragement (say for example, around 3 A.M. during finals week of your first semester!). I hope and pray that these truths that God taught me during my ups and downs at Stanford will help you at some time or another, and that you will not have to learn them the hard way like I did. Anyway, here goes:
Lesson #1: FOCUS ON GOD’S PEACE, NOT THE WORLD’S STRESS.
Don’t be ruled by stress and get caught up in the hype. Your fellow college students will always be trying to tell you how stressed they are feeling, and how stressed you should be as well. Even though circumstances may lead you to feel that way at times, it is a deception from Satan designed to distract you and bring you down. Focus on God’s reality instead of Satan’s lies, and tap into His peace.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, shall guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:6-7,13)
In other words, pray instead of worrying. Worrying is the opposite of faith, and never helped anything anyway. You should not live in the bondage of fear, which is really what stress is all about – fear of failure, rejection, not finishing something, etc. By God’s power we can overcome fear.
For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind. (II Timothy 1:7)
Lesson #2: PUT GOD FIRST ON YOUR PRIORITY LIST.
Do not be anxious then, saying “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “With what shall we clothe ourselves?” For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:31-33)
God knows everything you need (financial, social, academic, etc.) and cares about you more than anybody you know. Your job is to seek Him, not those other things. A pastor of mine once said, “You take care of God’s business, and He’ll take care of your business,” and I’ve always found that to be true. Put Him first in your schedule – give Him the best times in your schedule, and not the leftovers – just like the story of the little boy’s fish and loaves being used by Jesus to feed the multitudes, when you generously present God with the best of your time and energy, He will ensure that you get what you need. He can even supernaturally multiply the productivity of your time to help you get your work done, when you have been using your time to serve Him. And don’t forget to give Him the praise and glory for it – when people ask you how you got that paper written or why you’re not stressed about the test like everyone else, that’s a great natural opportunity to witness to them about the difference that God makes in your life. Everything that you do should be done in a way that glorifies God, and helps draw others unto Him, which is the ultimate goal of the Christian life.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble…For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved. (I Corinthians 10:31-33)
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Lesson #3: FIND A CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP AND A LOCAL CHURCH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, JOIN THEM, AND BE A CONSISTENT PARTICIPANT AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)
God’s Word instructs us to meet regularly with other believers, not because church or Bible study attendance gets us into Heaven, but because it is God’s plan for strengthening us in our Christian walk.
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Satan’s plan is to divide and conquer – if he can get you on your own, apart from the support and accountability of other Christians, he can get a strong foothold into your life and your way of thinking. Instead, make the choice to be an active part of God’s ministry on your campus and in your community – after all, from God’s perspective, that is why He put you there in the first place, not for your own selfish ambitions. We are all part of God’s body, and the body does not function properly when all of its parts (each with its own unique gifts) are not present.
Lesson #4: SATURATE YOURSELF CONTINUALLY WITH GOD’S WORD.
Immerse yourself in Scripture and read the Bible regularly, and those verses will start to habitually pop up in your mind to give you the strength to overcome the various temptations and difficult situations that you will encounter in life. Don’t let yourself be tossed around by circumstances, emotions, and natural feelings – stay focused on God’s reality, and the truths of His Word. The Bible instructs us to meditate on God’s Word day and night.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
Be especially careful that the entertainment (music, movies, etc.) that you allow into your life meets this criteria. One good way to saturate yourself with God’s Word is to listen to Christian music. I’m not saying that secular music is necessarily evil, but please understand that music is a powerful force created by God to bring Him praise, and Christian music (of whatever style you prefer) can be an effective tool to help keep your mind focused on God. Instead of having song lyrics that worship other humans or glorify the quest for earthly satisfaction running through your head and occupying precious mind space, you can have meaningful scriptures bringing you peace, building you up, reminding you how to overcome daily obstacles, and praising God. With God’s help it is possible to stay in a Christ-like mindset around the clock – and suddenly the mountains you face in your life won’t seem so tall anymore, and you’ll even have the strength to reach out to others in need. It is a dangerous thing to allow carnal thoughts to get a foothold in your mind; they can desensitize you to the seriousness of sin.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:12-14)
Lesson #5: DON’T EVER GET SO BUSY THAT YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO STOP AND HELP SOMEONE.
You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-14, 16)
Remember your role as God’s salt and light. God has placed you on that campus as a representative of His, for a specific purpose; it is not by chance or accident. It’s not all simply about you, your education, and your career aspirations; from God’s perspective, your college experience is about getting closer to Him, reaching out to others, spreading His kingdom, and bringing Him glory. Since God is not here in the flesh anymore, we are God’s arms, legs, ears, eyes, and mouths on this earth. Don’t forget that when you see someone who needs a word of encouragement, help with their homework, some prayer, or spiritual advice. You’ll be amazed at how God will even give you the right words to say, and how He will be speaking to you even as you’re speaking to someone else. Even worldly psychologists agree that one of the best ways to overcome depression or feeling down is to do something nice for someone else. God’s Word teaches us to live lives that are God-centered and other-centered, instead of self-centered. That is the secret to a meaningful life that pleases God.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:35-36,40)
P.S.-- Also, don’t forget to pray consistently for your non-Christian friends and acquaintances, that God will draw them unto Himself. You may be the only Christian they know, and God’s plan might be to reach them through you!
(by Noel C. Price, written 1999, revised 2001 & 2006)
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Ø THIS IS GOD'S SUMMER, NOT OURS!!!! The summer is a time we usually look forward to, because of vacations, extra spare time, and time away from our typical daily responsibilities. Often people use this time to travel, read books, get in shape, finish projects at home, attend summer school, or just relax.
Ø So my question for you today, is how are you going to use your summer? What are your goals and priorities this summer, and more importantly, by what criteria or whose criteria do you make your decisions about how to use your time? You see, summer can be used as a time of renewed focus on God and tremendous growth, or it can end up being an aimless period of self-indulgence, wasted time and great backsliding. Temptations seem to intensify during the summer -- the extra time and a free mind can lead to more opportunities to sin, and some people misinterpret their freedom from school to mean they are off-duty from serving God (which we never are!). So, how you use your summer freedom is a great indication of who is on the throne of your life – you and your own worldly desires, or God and His Word? The world says that the summer is all about you – getting YOUR rest, making YOUR money, finding YOUR dream guy or dream girl, pursuing YOUR hobbies, etc. However, the Bible says that YOUR LIFE (not just the summer) belongs to God and is all about Him. The choice is yours, are you going to pursue after the world’s version of the “ideal summer” and the way popular culture portrays that it’s “supposed” to be, pursuing some worldly vision of self-indulgence, or will you pursue a deeper, closer, more obedient walk with God?
Ø When you think about it, the time you have been blessed with is very important. Jesus is coming back, and there is so much work left to do for Him, in our own lives as well as in the lives of others. There are so many people in need of “salt and light.” Are you using your time meaningfully? Sometimes we act like we have unlimited time on the earth. We act like our own priorities are more important than being here to get equipped with God’s Word, to encourage each other, and to spread God’s Word. Meanwhile there’s an empty, dying world out there that needs what God has to offer through you.
Ø So, as you decide what to prioritize this summer, we’re going to look at some Biblical guidelines to help you have a meaningful summer that pleases God -- not a summer of worldly pursuits that seem “fun” at the time but leave you empty, wanting more, distant from God. Only He can truly satisfy you anyway, and His principles can make your summer worthwhile and have lasting, eternal value. You and your summer belong to God, so let’s make this summer “God’s Summer” like it should be! To get some insight on how to do that, we’re going to look at Romans 12…
(Romans 12: 1-2)
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
1) REARRANGE OUR PRIORITIES WITH GOD AT THE TOP
The first key to a meaningful, satisfying summer is for us to rearrange our priorities and put God first. If we claim to love God and worship God, then we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices and put His interests and His priorities above our own. We are called to stop conforming to the pattern of the world – forget about what the world tells you the summer is supposed to be about, and be transformed by God, with His Word renewing your mind. Allow God’s Word to transform and reshape what you value. Spend extra time this summer praying and delving into God’s Word to see what His will is for your life and His vision for this ministry, and your role in it. When you are a living sacrifice, the summer is not all about you and your wants and your comforts – but it is about using the limited time you have for His glory and to do the eternally-valuable work of building His kingdom. You will never regret putting God’s priorities above your own, because there are so many wonderful promises (like Matthew 6:33) of what life is like when you put Him first (and not just talk about it).
A lot of times we have trouble doing this, because we’re conditioned from a young age to see the summer as our “reward” for our hard work during the schoolyear, which is an extremely self-centered point of view. We think to ourselves, “I’ve been working hard all year and I deserve a break over the summer, just to do whatever I want to do – I need to take time to stop and relax.” First of all, you might be taking a break from school and that’s fine, but you should never take a break from your purpose in life, or a break from God’s will. That’s a little too big and too important to take a break from. Secondly, this idea that we “deserve” some time to be self-indulgent and self-centered during the summer is totally flawed. If you want to talk about what we truly “deserve” – we “deserve” eternal punishment for our sins. It is only by God’s grace that He sent Jesus to die in our place, forgive us, and give us a new, meaningful, and eternal life. Don’t think for one minute that we deserved it. It was the gracious gift of a loving God. You obey Him “in view of God’s mercy” like verse 1 says, not because it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside (because there will be plenty of times it doesn’t – but we still are called to obey!) Therefore, “in view of God’s mercy” it is a great privilege to be able to use our time and priorities in His service. After what He’s done for us, we ought to be ready to do anything for Him, anytime.
(Read Romans 12:3-8, 9-16)
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
2) GET BEYOND OUR NATURAL, SELF-CENTERED PERSPECTIVE
Step two for a meaningful, God-pleasing summer is to humble yourself and get rid of any traces of self-centeredness or arrogance. Verse 3 makes this point very clear. In the context of this passage, Paul makes it clear that it is pure arrogance to think that we can live the Christian life apart from playing our role in the local church body. It is arrogance to think we can just be out on our own, pursuing our own interests, just being a spectator at church but not giving of ourselves to others – and think that we can still be pleasing God and growing in our walk with Him. It is arrogance to think that we can please God and fulfill His will for our lives without submitting ourselves as living sacrifices. It is arrogance for us to believe that somehow what’s going on in our lives gives us an excuse to take a time-out from being fully devoted to serving Him and serving others. We have got to get rid of this kind of arrogance – the type that just focuses on what we get OUT of church instead of what we are called to put INTO it. The type that is so self-absorbed that it overlooks how our unique gifts are supposed to be meeting other peoples’ needs in the church body (give examples).
It is arrogance to think that our gifts are just to enrich our own lives or boost our self-esteem. This passage makes it clear that the essential purpose of why God gave us gifts in the first place was to use them to actively serve Him the local body of believers. EACH MEMBER BELONGS TO ALL THE OTHERS. This leads us to the third step to make it “God’s Summer”.
3) OBEY GOD BY ACTIVELY USING OUR GIFTS TO SERVE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH BODY
What’s funny is that we act like this is an option – whether we want to be an actively-serving Christian or not – when really there is only one type of true Christian who obeys God, and that is the one who actively serves and uses their gifts. The Bible says that God has arranged each member in each church body (I Corinthians 12:18) -- so that we have everything we need and are not lacking anything. Every person is here for a purpose with some gift to supply the needs of the ministry in order to accomplish God’s will/vision/purpose. Remember, our gifts, and even our placement in this local body, is for the benefit of others, not ourselves. We have everything we need right here in this body of believers – God did not bring us haphazardly together by accident and give us too much of one gift and not enough of another. That’s why from a biblical perspective, when we don’t have enough people actively serving in the ministry, it’s not from a lack of people or a lack of gifts – IT IS A LACK OF OBEDIENCE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. When we need someone to step up and fulfill a need in the church body and no one does, it’s just good old-fashioned willful disobedience and it breaks God’s heart to see His vision going unfulfilled, His commands disobeyed. This is not an accusation – it is a biblical, spiritual reality. Remember that we come to church to give, not to get – to serve, not to be served (just like Jesus’ example). When God has led you to be a committed part of this church body and then you stay away or stay passive (either because you’re not “getting anything out of it”, or you have your own priorities you are focusing on that particular day) you are willfully disobeying God by withholding yourself and your gifts from the other members. We suffer and miss out on something important (your contribution) when you are not there (or even if you are there, but not willing to actively use your gifts). That is one of the reasons that God instructs us in the Book of Hebrews to not forsake meeting together regularly with our fellow believers. We all have a vital, ongoing role to play that we’re not supposed to just start doing or stop doing when we feel like it. We’ve got to mature beyond the self-centered perspective and live the God-centered life, not only this summer but always, if we want to see God’s will take place in our lives and in our ministry. It’s amazing to think how God has given us EVERYTHING – things that we didn’t even earn or deserve, not even on our best day – and yet we often respond to His commands by telling Him “no” like a stubborn spoiled child. He sacrificed His only Son for us, and yet we don’t want to sacrifice our priorities or our schedule or our day of self-indulgent “fun” to obediently serve Him in the capacity He designed us for. Our leisure time, our comfort, our bank account, our social life, our bad mood – we often let these things become more important than God’s will and calling in our life. When are we really going to start living the Christian life and putting His interests over ours DAILY, and not just on special occasions when we “grace” Him with our presence? He says in His Word that those who truly love Him OBEY HIM. This obedience issue is seriously a matter of spiritual life or death!
Let’s truly dedicate this summer to God and His priorities – forget self-indulgent summers as depicted in Budweiser commercials, teenage movies and pop culture – let’s make this a “Romans 12 Summer”, “God’s Summer.” If you obey what God is calling you to do in these verses, you will GROW SPIRITUALLY this summer instead of getting lost in lazy haze of self-centeredness and backsliding, and waking up at 3 PM disgusted with yourself after wasting another day. You will never regret obeying God and investing your life in things that matter in eternity. You will never regret using your gifts for God. And just think… someday there will be additional people in Heaven because of the way you obediently humbled yourself and allowed God to use your life for His purposes. There is no limit to what God can accomplish through a unified, OBEDIENT church body that truly makes God’s priorities their own!Be honest before the Lord about your life, pray, and confess, and ask for His strength to grow and improve... TODAY! Don’t wait another day or another hour – procrastination is Satan’s trap; your meaningful Christ-like summer can begin right now (if not already) with a simple prayer.
Ø So my question for you today, is how are you going to use your summer? What are your goals and priorities this summer, and more importantly, by what criteria or whose criteria do you make your decisions about how to use your time? You see, summer can be used as a time of renewed focus on God and tremendous growth, or it can end up being an aimless period of self-indulgence, wasted time and great backsliding. Temptations seem to intensify during the summer -- the extra time and a free mind can lead to more opportunities to sin, and some people misinterpret their freedom from school to mean they are off-duty from serving God (which we never are!). So, how you use your summer freedom is a great indication of who is on the throne of your life – you and your own worldly desires, or God and His Word? The world says that the summer is all about you – getting YOUR rest, making YOUR money, finding YOUR dream guy or dream girl, pursuing YOUR hobbies, etc. However, the Bible says that YOUR LIFE (not just the summer) belongs to God and is all about Him. The choice is yours, are you going to pursue after the world’s version of the “ideal summer” and the way popular culture portrays that it’s “supposed” to be, pursuing some worldly vision of self-indulgence, or will you pursue a deeper, closer, more obedient walk with God?
Ø When you think about it, the time you have been blessed with is very important. Jesus is coming back, and there is so much work left to do for Him, in our own lives as well as in the lives of others. There are so many people in need of “salt and light.” Are you using your time meaningfully? Sometimes we act like we have unlimited time on the earth. We act like our own priorities are more important than being here to get equipped with God’s Word, to encourage each other, and to spread God’s Word. Meanwhile there’s an empty, dying world out there that needs what God has to offer through you.
Ø So, as you decide what to prioritize this summer, we’re going to look at some Biblical guidelines to help you have a meaningful summer that pleases God -- not a summer of worldly pursuits that seem “fun” at the time but leave you empty, wanting more, distant from God. Only He can truly satisfy you anyway, and His principles can make your summer worthwhile and have lasting, eternal value. You and your summer belong to God, so let’s make this summer “God’s Summer” like it should be! To get some insight on how to do that, we’re going to look at Romans 12…
(Romans 12: 1-2)
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
1) REARRANGE OUR PRIORITIES WITH GOD AT THE TOP
The first key to a meaningful, satisfying summer is for us to rearrange our priorities and put God first. If we claim to love God and worship God, then we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices and put His interests and His priorities above our own. We are called to stop conforming to the pattern of the world – forget about what the world tells you the summer is supposed to be about, and be transformed by God, with His Word renewing your mind. Allow God’s Word to transform and reshape what you value. Spend extra time this summer praying and delving into God’s Word to see what His will is for your life and His vision for this ministry, and your role in it. When you are a living sacrifice, the summer is not all about you and your wants and your comforts – but it is about using the limited time you have for His glory and to do the eternally-valuable work of building His kingdom. You will never regret putting God’s priorities above your own, because there are so many wonderful promises (like Matthew 6:33) of what life is like when you put Him first (and not just talk about it).
A lot of times we have trouble doing this, because we’re conditioned from a young age to see the summer as our “reward” for our hard work during the schoolyear, which is an extremely self-centered point of view. We think to ourselves, “I’ve been working hard all year and I deserve a break over the summer, just to do whatever I want to do – I need to take time to stop and relax.” First of all, you might be taking a break from school and that’s fine, but you should never take a break from your purpose in life, or a break from God’s will. That’s a little too big and too important to take a break from. Secondly, this idea that we “deserve” some time to be self-indulgent and self-centered during the summer is totally flawed. If you want to talk about what we truly “deserve” – we “deserve” eternal punishment for our sins. It is only by God’s grace that He sent Jesus to die in our place, forgive us, and give us a new, meaningful, and eternal life. Don’t think for one minute that we deserved it. It was the gracious gift of a loving God. You obey Him “in view of God’s mercy” like verse 1 says, not because it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside (because there will be plenty of times it doesn’t – but we still are called to obey!) Therefore, “in view of God’s mercy” it is a great privilege to be able to use our time and priorities in His service. After what He’s done for us, we ought to be ready to do anything for Him, anytime.
(Read Romans 12:3-8, 9-16)
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
2) GET BEYOND OUR NATURAL, SELF-CENTERED PERSPECTIVE
Step two for a meaningful, God-pleasing summer is to humble yourself and get rid of any traces of self-centeredness or arrogance. Verse 3 makes this point very clear. In the context of this passage, Paul makes it clear that it is pure arrogance to think that we can live the Christian life apart from playing our role in the local church body. It is arrogance to think we can just be out on our own, pursuing our own interests, just being a spectator at church but not giving of ourselves to others – and think that we can still be pleasing God and growing in our walk with Him. It is arrogance to think that we can please God and fulfill His will for our lives without submitting ourselves as living sacrifices. It is arrogance for us to believe that somehow what’s going on in our lives gives us an excuse to take a time-out from being fully devoted to serving Him and serving others. We have got to get rid of this kind of arrogance – the type that just focuses on what we get OUT of church instead of what we are called to put INTO it. The type that is so self-absorbed that it overlooks how our unique gifts are supposed to be meeting other peoples’ needs in the church body (give examples).
It is arrogance to think that our gifts are just to enrich our own lives or boost our self-esteem. This passage makes it clear that the essential purpose of why God gave us gifts in the first place was to use them to actively serve Him the local body of believers. EACH MEMBER BELONGS TO ALL THE OTHERS. This leads us to the third step to make it “God’s Summer”.
3) OBEY GOD BY ACTIVELY USING OUR GIFTS TO SERVE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH BODY
What’s funny is that we act like this is an option – whether we want to be an actively-serving Christian or not – when really there is only one type of true Christian who obeys God, and that is the one who actively serves and uses their gifts. The Bible says that God has arranged each member in each church body (I Corinthians 12:18) -- so that we have everything we need and are not lacking anything. Every person is here for a purpose with some gift to supply the needs of the ministry in order to accomplish God’s will/vision/purpose. Remember, our gifts, and even our placement in this local body, is for the benefit of others, not ourselves. We have everything we need right here in this body of believers – God did not bring us haphazardly together by accident and give us too much of one gift and not enough of another. That’s why from a biblical perspective, when we don’t have enough people actively serving in the ministry, it’s not from a lack of people or a lack of gifts – IT IS A LACK OF OBEDIENCE, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. When we need someone to step up and fulfill a need in the church body and no one does, it’s just good old-fashioned willful disobedience and it breaks God’s heart to see His vision going unfulfilled, His commands disobeyed. This is not an accusation – it is a biblical, spiritual reality. Remember that we come to church to give, not to get – to serve, not to be served (just like Jesus’ example). When God has led you to be a committed part of this church body and then you stay away or stay passive (either because you’re not “getting anything out of it”, or you have your own priorities you are focusing on that particular day) you are willfully disobeying God by withholding yourself and your gifts from the other members. We suffer and miss out on something important (your contribution) when you are not there (or even if you are there, but not willing to actively use your gifts). That is one of the reasons that God instructs us in the Book of Hebrews to not forsake meeting together regularly with our fellow believers. We all have a vital, ongoing role to play that we’re not supposed to just start doing or stop doing when we feel like it. We’ve got to mature beyond the self-centered perspective and live the God-centered life, not only this summer but always, if we want to see God’s will take place in our lives and in our ministry. It’s amazing to think how God has given us EVERYTHING – things that we didn’t even earn or deserve, not even on our best day – and yet we often respond to His commands by telling Him “no” like a stubborn spoiled child. He sacrificed His only Son for us, and yet we don’t want to sacrifice our priorities or our schedule or our day of self-indulgent “fun” to obediently serve Him in the capacity He designed us for. Our leisure time, our comfort, our bank account, our social life, our bad mood – we often let these things become more important than God’s will and calling in our life. When are we really going to start living the Christian life and putting His interests over ours DAILY, and not just on special occasions when we “grace” Him with our presence? He says in His Word that those who truly love Him OBEY HIM. This obedience issue is seriously a matter of spiritual life or death!
Let’s truly dedicate this summer to God and His priorities – forget self-indulgent summers as depicted in Budweiser commercials, teenage movies and pop culture – let’s make this a “Romans 12 Summer”, “God’s Summer.” If you obey what God is calling you to do in these verses, you will GROW SPIRITUALLY this summer instead of getting lost in lazy haze of self-centeredness and backsliding, and waking up at 3 PM disgusted with yourself after wasting another day. You will never regret obeying God and investing your life in things that matter in eternity. You will never regret using your gifts for God. And just think… someday there will be additional people in Heaven because of the way you obediently humbled yourself and allowed God to use your life for His purposes. There is no limit to what God can accomplish through a unified, OBEDIENT church body that truly makes God’s priorities their own!Be honest before the Lord about your life, pray, and confess, and ask for His strength to grow and improve... TODAY! Don’t wait another day or another hour – procrastination is Satan’s trap; your meaningful Christ-like summer can begin right now (if not already) with a simple prayer.
