Though they join forces, who will not go unpunished?
4. The wicked
In the book of Revelation, what was the name of the old serpent?
1. The Devil
Which book may be summarized, “It really is true: Jesus Christ is God Himself”?
4. John
Brought to you by our Bible Trivia Challenge calender.
Colton Dixon is awesome.
I looove this song! It was the first song on the CD (right after the intro). Yes, I did get to meet him when I went to the Hits Deep Tour in Corbin, KY last weekend. He signed the poster and the lyric sheet for the CD. 😀 I had soo much fun. Yes, pictures will be coming soon…
In the meantime, enjoy the song. 🙂
Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.-Psalm 69:6
As stated in Mistakes – Part One, God knows about all of our mistakes. And, as stated in Connections – Lines, we all make mistakes.
So what happens when non-Christians see those mistakes in our lives. That’s what Psalm 69:6 is talking about. When people see our sin, and see our lives, especially the messed-up parts (and, yes, we all have those, too) a lot of non-believers will be turned off.
That’s one (and there are many more) of the reasons why it’s better to admit that you’re wrong and that you’ve messed up, that you’re not perfect. ‘Cause you’re not. Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That includes everyone. Even believers.
Recognizing your mistakes is a good thing. Try it and see how God uses you to change others lives by showing them that you have problems, too.
Hannah walked slowly down the hall. Her long dark brown hair fell like a sheet over her face. She clutched her stack of books to her chest, looking down at the floor to avoid making eye contact with anybody else. She made her way down the hall slowly as she avoided the small groups of students clustered by the lockers, who looked at her disdainfully. A foot casually slipped into her path. Hannah tried to avoid it, but it just moved farther into her path. She grimaced as she slammed into the hard floor, and a jeering face gazed down at her triumphantly from a spot next to the lockers. Taunting laughter surrounded Hannah as Brian Casten leaned over her, smirking. Hannah’s cheeks burned as she started to stand up. Another boy shoved her, causing her to tumble over again.
Tears filled Hannah’s eyes from the humiliation. “Please help me, Jesus,” she prayed in a whisper.
“Leave her alone,” a voice demanded. A hand reached through the crowd and helped Hannah to her feet. She looked into the familiar brown eyes of Martin Shaw, the high school’s star quarterback, and a fellow Christian. He smiled at Hannah. “You okay?” he asked.
Hannah nodded. “All I had to do was call out to Jesus, and he sent you to help me,” she told him. “I just said ‘Jesus’.”
~~~
Just call out for Jesus and He’ll save you.
Ask God to pour his peace over you when life is crazy.
We all have days where our minds race, rehearsing problems, spinning situations, and rehashing conversations. That’s where we need God’s peace to flow over us and bring true rest – A rest that renews body, soul, and spirit. Like a warm comforting blanket, He covers and quiets us, leaving us with a fresh outlook, a new perspective. Reach out for his peace in the long restless night, the morning rush, for the afternoon slump. He’s always listening, always ready to smooth out our rough edges, and give us peace.
“May the Lord be with your spirit ”
2 Timothy 4:22
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
-Galatians 5:13
As Christians, God calls us to serve one another. We need to use the freedom that Christ has given us to serve others humbly, not using that freedom for sinful purposes. We aren’t slaves to sin anymore; we’re free! We need to use the freedom that God has blessed us with to glorify Him, not glorify ourselves.
Challenge: Serve someone, humbly and in love.
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
-Jesus in John 14:21
If you obey God’s commands, you show him that you love him. That’s a promise! And Christianity isn’t a ritual. It’s about love and a relationship.
Anna took a deep breath of clean fall air as she strolled along the sidewalk. The traffic whizzed past to her left. Suddenly, Anna was thrown to the ground as someone shoved her off the sidewalk. She caught a glimpse of a tall lean figure before a delivery truck hurtled onto the sidewalk where she’d been walking. Anna instinctively leaped to her feet and jumped backwards. The truck hit a nearby tree with a loud crunch.
Anna looked around for the person who had moved her out of the oncoming truck’s path, but she didn’t see anyone. How weird, she thought.
The delivery truck’s driver got out of the car hurriedly and rushed over to Anna. “Are you okay?” he asked frantically.
“I’m fine,” Anna assured him.
The police arrived soon after to take a report of the crash, and Anna was allowed to leave. She continued on her way until she reached her friend Lucy’s house.
“Hi, Anna,” Lucy welcomed Anna in cheerfully. Anna immediately poured out her story to her friend, including her mysterious helper.
Lucy’s jaw dropped. “Do you know what time the crash happened?”
“Just after two,” Anna told her. She looked at her friend curiously.
Lucy was amazed. “Just before two, I felt God telling me to pray for your protection, and I did!”
The ultimate battle that Christians face is the battle against the world and its temptations. This is mentioned many times in the Bible since it’s so important. It’s hard to live the Christian life with all of the worldly influences around. The Bible says that we should submit to God, and that, if we resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7). 1 John 2:15-16 tells us that we shouldn’t love the world. It also states that things of the world do not come from God. 1 Peter tells us that we should be self-controlled and alert. It compares the devil to a roaring lion, saying that he is ready to devour us (verse 8), and, in verse nine, it tells us to stand firm in the faith and to remember that there are others going through the same thing.
This is a good point. Other Christians around us are also suffering, and they struggle with many of the same things we do. That’s why it’s good to have Christian friends close to you to help keep you accountable. It’s also nice to have them there when you’re really being tempted. They can encourage you and give you advice, especially when you’re feeling vulnerable to temptation. Having Christian friends to support you is a great way to resist the world and its influences.
One of my favorite verses about resisting the world is Romans 12:2:
“Do not conform 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.”
-Romans 12:2
Challenge: Think of one way the world tries to influence your life. Talk to a friend about it, and try to recognize and resist when the world is tempting you.
Couldn’t help but starting off this post with a picture of our dog, Daisy, especially since this one’s mostly about her. 🙂
Isn’t she cute?! Yeah, that’s an empty red pepper container that she’s playing with. 😀 Anyway, I couldn’t resist a chance to talk about Daisy.
Daisy has a real problem with patience. Especially when it comes to her food. My parents are trying to teach her to hold a treat on the end of her nose and wait until they say “okay” before she eats it. Let’s just say that she’s not doing so well with the waiting part. 😉
When we first got her, we had a really hard time keeping her from diving for her food. Now she’s a lot better, thanks to my dad’s hard work, but it’s still funny to see her licking lips and straining to keep from going for her food.
Aren’t we like that sometimes? Sometimes it’s really hard to wait for things. We like to do things in our time, people time, not God time. Although I have to admit, a lot of the time, God time is a LOT slower than I’d like.
But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not grow weary, They shall walk and not faint.
-Isaiah 40:31
I love this verse. “Mount up with wings like eagles.” Sure makes me want to be patient!
Challenge: Ask God to help you be more patient with others this week. I’m sure it would be good if you started with your parents and siblings…
Proverbs 31 Teen 