Youth and Family Minister Blog Area

My love for writing short devotionals has been renewed lately.  I'm not exactly sure what the Lord's plan is, but for now, you get to receive it :)  Lucky you, ha ha.

A couple of weeks ago I was in the Family Bookstore looking for some reading material and I found a bumper sticker for my little red car.  It says "Love God, Love People".  Well, instead of "Love" it has a pretty red heart to match my car.  It's a magnetic bumper sticker, so I bought it and stuck it right on in the parking lot.  It made me feel good to know for a second that when someone was driving past me they would know that I'm a follower of Jesus and I take his creed seriously.  I was borderline prideful about my new bumper sticker. 

This past weekend, J.C. and I went to a youth workers conference in Chicago.  After driving 4 hours in a steady drizzle (which is worse than a hard rain as far as I'm concerned) we got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the "Chicago Loop".  Can I just say, I really dislike traffic.  I get a little panicky to be honest, and very impatient.  JC was sleeping very soundly while I was dealing with the wild and crazy people of the Windy City!  As one lady darted across 3 lanes of traffic and nearly sent me into the ditch, my first response was to flip her the bird!  I was so angry!  Then it occurred to me - THE BUMPER STICKER!  "I can't flip her off", I thought.  "What if she's not a Christian, she'll think all Christians are horrible hypocrites".  "What if she is a Christian, she'll be so disappointed in a  fellow sister".  And just that quickly I had several thoughts run through my mind.  But it's the final thought that disturbed me the most!  For a split second I actually thought to myself "Boy, I really wish I didn't have that new bumper sticker on my car!"

Can you imagine!?  I mean, I would really rather have someone think I'm not a Christian, just so I can act out in my flesh, than to know I'm a Christian and act in love!  I was so disappointed in myself.  I immediately began to pray.  God reminded me of Peter.  Jesus told him in Matthew 26 that Peter would deny him 3 times.  Peter didn't believe it.  I mean, he loved Jesus and devoted his life to following him.  But we read later in John 18 that Peter does indeed deny him 3 times. 

I was Peter that day.  In my mind, I had denied Jesus.  Even if for just a split second, I denied the very man that hung on a cross for me!  I know I have read this before about Peter and thought to myself, "I can't imagine blatantly denying Jesus!"  However, it doesn't really matter if it's blatant or just for split second in your mind, it's all the same thing. 

So, this bumper sticker that was supposed to speak to all of those who are driving past me, really spoke to me.  If no one else sees it ever again, it has done it's job.
No, I did not end up flying the finger that day.... I did however, have an encounter with Jesus that brought me to my knees asking for forgiveness.  Our God is a loving a forgiving father.  Thank goodness he has a lot more patience with me than I do with other drivers!

Love to you all,
Rachel

“We all have a past, the story of which is already written. However, our future is full of blank pages waiting to record our life’s journey. We need to accept what was and look forward to new and exciting chapters being written with God as our co-author.”

Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
Proverbs 13:20, NLT

God sees with utter clarity who we are. He is undeceived as to
our warts and wickedness. But when God looks at us that is not
all He sees. He also sees who we are intended to be, who we will
one day become.

-- John Ortberg

Romans 1:1-6. 3. The substance of the gospel is Jesus Christ.

If we bring verses 1 and 3 together, by omitting the parenthesis of verse 2, we are left with the statement that Paul was set apart for the gospel of God *regarding his Son*. For the gospel of God is `the gospel of his Son’ (9). God’s good news is about Jesus.

As Luther put it in his gloss on the verse: `Here the door is thrown open wide for the understanding of Holy Scripture, that is, that everything must be understood in relation to Christ.’ Calvin writes similarly that `the whole gospel is contained in Christ’. Therefore, `to move even a step from Christ means to withdraw oneself from the gospel’.

Paul now describes him by two contrasting clauses: *who as to his human nature was a descendant of David (3), and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by the resurrection of the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord* (4).

Here are references, direct or indirect to the birth (descended from David), death (presumed by his resurrection), resurrection from the dead, and reign (0n David’s throne) of Jesus Christ. So neatly and carefully constructed is the parallelism that many scholars have guessed that Paul is making use of a fragment from an early creed.

If so, he now gives his apostolic endorsement. It expresses an antithesis between two titles (seed of David and Son of God), between two verbs (he `became’ or `was born’ David’s descendant, but *was declared* or `appointed’ God’s Son), and between two qualifying clauses (*kata sarka*, `according to flesh’, and *kata pneuma hagiosynes*, literally, `according to spirit of holiness’).

First, two titles. `Son of David’ was a universally recognised messianic title. So was `Son of God’, based particularly on Psalm 2:7. The way Jesus himself understood it, however, as seen both in his personal approach to God as “*Abba*, Father’ and referring to himself absolutely as `the Son’ (E.g. Mt. 11:27), already indicates that the designation was divine, not merely messianic. Paul evidently used it thus (not only in 1:3-4 and 9, but also e.g. in 5:10 and 8:3, 32). the two titles together speak, therefore, of his humanity and his deity. Of the two verbs, the first causes little difficulty. Although it means no more than `became’, it evidently refers to Jesus’ descent from David by birth (and maybe by adoption too, since Joseph acknowledged him as his son).

The second verb, however, raises a problem. The translation *declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead* is readily intelligible. But the trouble is that *horizo* does not really (or usually) mean `declare’. It is properly rendered `appoint’, as when God `appointed’ Jesus the judge of the world (Acts 10:42; 17:31). Yet the New Testament does not teach that Jesus was appointed, established or installed Son of God at or by the resurrection, since he has been Son of God eternally.

This leads to the suggestion that the words `in power’ should be attached to the noun `Son of God’ rather than to the verb `appoint’. In this case Paul is affirming that Jesus was `appointed Son-of God-in-power’ or even `declared to be the powerful Son of God’ (BAGD).

Nygren captures the antithesis well by writing: `*So the resurrection is the turning point in the existence of the Son of God*. Before that he was the Son of God in weakness and lowliness, Through the resurrection he becomes the Son of God in power.’ (cf. 2 Cor.13:4)

The third contrast is in the two qualifying clauses `according to the flesh’ and `according to spirit of holiness’. Although `flesh has a variety of meanings for Paul, here it evidently refers to Jesus’ human nature or physical descent, though perhaps with an undertone of its weakness or vulnerability over against the power implicit in his resurrection and deity. Some commentators then insist that, in order to preserve the parallelism, `according to spirit of holiness’ must be translated `according to his divine nature’ or at least `according to his holy human spirit’. But `Spirit of holiness’ is not at all an obvious reference to Jesus’ divine nature. Moreover, it was not only a part of him, whether his divine nature or his human spirit, which was raised from the dead or appointed Son-of-God-in-power by resurrection. On the contrary, it was the whole Jesus Christ, body and spirit, human and divine.

Other commentators point out that `Spirit of holiness’ was a natural Hebraism for the Holy Spirit, and that there were obvious links between the Holy Spirit and the resurrection, both because he is `the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead’ (Rom. 8:11) and – more important – because it was the risen and exalted Christ who demonstrated his power and authority by pouring out the Spirit (Acts 2:33), and who thus inaugurated the new era, which is the age of the Spirit.

It seems then that the two expressions `according to the flesh’ and `according to the Spirit’ refer not to the two natures of Jesus Christ (human and divine), but to the two stages of his ministry, pre-resurrection and post-resurrection, the first frail and the second powerful through the outpoured Spirit. So here is a balanced statement of both the humiliation and the exaltation, the weakness and the power of God’s Son, his human descent traced to David, his divine sonship-in-power established by the resurrection and the gift of the Spirit.

Moreover, this unique person, seed of David and Son of God, weak and powerful, incarnate and exalted, is *Jesus* (a human, historical figure), *Christ* (the Messiah of the Old Testament Scripture), *our Lord*, who owns and rules our lives. Perhaps we could add that Jesus’ two titles, `the Christ’ and `the Lord’, will have specially appealed to Jewish and Gentile Christians respectively.

Thanks brother John Stott for this devotion

I watched this video a friend shared on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=158348990848143&ref=mf

It's really good if you want to listen to it but kind of long at 16 minutes. I don't see anything explaining where she is but from her speaking I got that she is in another country and they are voting on something invloving Abortion in their country. Gianna survied an abortion and has an amazing story to tell - I read her book years ago.

Two things caught my attenion. One was her boldness in proclaiming Chirst and her reasoning for not keeping quit. She told the assembly that they did not have as much poweer as they thought they did because it is not they who make their own hearts beat but God she said "It is the mercy of God that sustains you - even when you hate HIm." How profound is that! Christians often want to tell people God hates them becasue of what they do but in reallty those people would not exist without His mercy being showered upon them. He keeps thier hearts beatting and gives them the breath of life wether or not they return his love.How bold she is to stand in front of a room filled with politicians and tell them they are not powerful, they whether they wnat to believe it or not depend upon God for their very life. Her boldness will not be overlooked in heaven for Jesus said ³²"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³"But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. (matthew 10).  I pray that I would have the same boldness in my life and not back down when the time comes for me to stand and speak or sit silent.

 At the end of her speech she address the men and the women very directly. The quote that caught my attention was a question. She told the men to ask themselves. "What sort of man do you want to be? A man obessed with your own glory or a man obsessed with the glory of God?" This is a question we should all ask our selves as a reminder that what we do is not for our glory but for God's. We were created to do his will. Ephesians 2 says ¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Let us not forget for whom we work and who desreves the glory - not us but He who sustains us and gives us life. 

Lord thank you for this life you have given me and let me live it not for my glory but as one obsessed with Your glory.

Father, I admit that Jesus' example is often hard for me to follow. When I am wronged or falsely accused, I don't want to give in. Sometimes, I don't even want to forgive. I want to vindicate myself.
Please give me spiritual discernment to know the difference between being a doormat that lets others needlessly run over me and being redemptive. Please help me know when to give in on matters so that others are spared the heartache of unnecessary conflict as I try to honor you by being a person of character. Thank you my Lord and Christ, for being willing to suffer abuse and injustice so that my sins could be forgiven. In Jesus' name I ask for this wisdom and strength and I
offer my praise for heaven's grace. Amen.

We watched Qubo last night at my mom's house 3-2-1 Penquins. Such a silly show but it teaches good lessons. Amazingly it was 2 adults watching the show Matthais wasn't intrested. This particualr show was about the green eyed monster of jealousy. Litterally a green eyed monster grew out of jealous comments and began eating and destroying everything in sight. The little girl realized she had created the monster when she complained her brother had a bigger room than she did and made it go away by saying "I'm content with what I have." 

Content: dictionary definition  = happy enough with what one has or is; not desiring something more or different; satisfied; practical definition = something incredibly hard to be esspecially if you have a tv to tell you about all the things you "need" and don't have.

Paul writes in Philipians 4  ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Verse 13 is often taken out of context and used in other ways but Paul wrote it to say He can be content no matter his circumstance because God gives him the strength to do so... he suffered many things I have not and learned the secret to being content. He shared it with Timothy in Timothy Chapter 6  ¹¹But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses....  ¹⁷Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

the secret to being content is to put your hope in God not focus on things of the world but to focus on Him and doing his will, he provides all we need, even the strength to be content.

God give me the strenth to be content today.

As I was reading about/praying for the Foltz family, I remembered a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan (the Christ figure/Lion) says this about death:

"The term is over; the holidays have begun. The dream is ended; this is the morning."

As I was looking up this quote, "Stronger" by Hillsong came on the radio. Part of this song reads:

"Faithfulness none can deny// Through the storm And through the fire                               There is truth that sets me free // Jesus Christ Who lives in me"

I remember, in particular, one of our last Sundays worshiping with the Bainbridge family...we were singing "In Christ Alone", and I looked over to see Shauna with her hands held high, belting the words to the last verse: "No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me...from life's first cry, to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny." She is an example of the courage and steadfast faith of a follower of Jesus; she is finishing strong. Amanda and I are praying for her and her family.

"And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb, and by their testimony." Revelation 12:11