We all look forward to different things in our lifetime. I remember how I could not wait to get my driver's license. It was such a great day when I could drive my 1980 Mercury Grand Marquis around my small neighborhood. Who needs to ride a bike anymore?
Then it was my high school graduation. I had big plans for after high school and could not wait to get started. During college I had dreams of getting married and getting a job. Then having kids and starting a family.
Here I am and I begin asking myself what is next? Well, I would guess I will continue to work and raise my family. One day I will see them go through some milestones of their own.
Too often we think that we need to get through all the milestones, retire, and then die. Life is over right?
No. Death is just the beginning.
Everyone dies. I think most of us get that. We have been impacted by death one way or another. A family member, friend, or teacher - we have experienced death and the aftermath it leaves. What happens after we die?
The answer to that question hinges on how you answer another question - what will you do with Jesus? In John 3 we see that those who believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He came to save us from the punishment of Hell will spend forever with Him in Heaven. Those who don't believe this will spend forever separated from Him in punishment and torment.
Jesus came to take the punishment that you and I deserve because we have done things that offend God. Things like lie, cheat, steal, disobey our parents are all considered sins. Even if we think evil thoughts we are considered guilty before God who is perfect.
God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to save us.
Death is really the beginning.
What will you do with Jesus?
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Worth
"The value of something is determined by what you are willing to pay for it." - Zane Black
We give things value all of the time. We have determined that a double cheeseburger from McDonalds is worth about a dollar. We determine a pair of Air Jordan shoes are worth about $160. Everything has a value - homes, cars, animals, books, music - the list is endless.
The list includes you and me.
We have value. We are worth something.
A lot of the time that value is determined by our actions. When we do good things we feel more valuable than when we do bad things. When we are recognized for our actions we feel as if we are given value. Maybe it is the clothes we wear or the things we own. Maybe our value has something to do with our past and what we have done, or our future and what we could do.
We have a value that has already been determined and we are worth far more than we can imagine. Our value is not determined by what we do or who we are but by the act of Jesus who died on a cross in our place so that we could have life. Jesus gave up His life in order to save ours. With this act, He tells the world we matter and we are worth dying for.
No matter who we are, where we have been, or how we have been used, know that God loves us. Because you have sinned, we need a Savior.
Jesus came and died on the cross for us, not to condemn us, but in order to save us.
You matter.
You are valuable.
Jesus' actions prove it.
We give things value all of the time. We have determined that a double cheeseburger from McDonalds is worth about a dollar. We determine a pair of Air Jordan shoes are worth about $160. Everything has a value - homes, cars, animals, books, music - the list is endless.
The list includes you and me.
We have value. We are worth something.
A lot of the time that value is determined by our actions. When we do good things we feel more valuable than when we do bad things. When we are recognized for our actions we feel as if we are given value. Maybe it is the clothes we wear or the things we own. Maybe our value has something to do with our past and what we have done, or our future and what we could do.
We have a value that has already been determined and we are worth far more than we can imagine. Our value is not determined by what we do or who we are but by the act of Jesus who died on a cross in our place so that we could have life. Jesus gave up His life in order to save ours. With this act, He tells the world we matter and we are worth dying for.
No matter who we are, where we have been, or how we have been used, know that God loves us. Because you have sinned, we need a Savior.
Jesus came and died on the cross for us, not to condemn us, but in order to save us.
You matter.
You are valuable.
Jesus' actions prove it.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wonder
Last night we started a new series from Dare 2 Share called "SALT: Creating Thirst." It is the goal of this 5 week series to use 5 questions to get students thinking about God. Last night we started at the beginning with asking the question "Have you ever wondered about God?"
Most of us at some point have wondered about God. The question of "What is He like" pops into my mind most often. I remember asking myself that question many times as I was growing up. Too often I thought of God as either a genie that would grant my wishes if I was good enough, or as a cosmic deity up in the sky not really caring about what was going on.
I could not have been farther from the truth. Since accepting Christ at the age of 14 I have been on a journey of knowing God. There are times I go back to thinking He is a genie and I have to be good enough. There are times I live as if He really doesn't care about what goes on here - but for the most of the past 15 years I have been trying to figure out who God is.
The best place to go for this information is His written Word - the Bible. Let's remember that this question "What is God like" is not original with you or me but has been on that has been asked ever since Genesis 1 when God created our first parents - Adam and Eve.
One of Jesus' followers asked Him what God was like and Jesus answered that if a person wanted to know what God was like - look at the life of Jesus. Colossians 1:15 tells us that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God" - so that makes us ask "what was Jesus like?"
Jesus was kind and compassionate to the outcast and broken. Prostitutes, tax collectors, the sick and diseased all flocked to Him looking for healing. Not only did Jesus give them physical healing, but He provided a spiritual healing as well for all who would believe.
Jesus loved. He loved people so much He was willing to take their place and be punished for all their wrong doing. Not just the people who walked around with Him, but people who were alive hundreds of years before He was on earth and thousands of years after. There is much more about Jesus but not the space here to explain all of who He is.
Basically, if you want to know God - know Jesus. This doesn't mean filling your head with facts about Jesus, but to really know Him. As friends get to know each other, they do know facts about each other, but at some point really good friends know more than addresses, phone numbers, and birthdays. They are able to know what each other is thinking and some can even finish sentences for the other. This is a deep and intimate knowledge.
Do you KNOW Jesus?
Jesus has come to satisfy the deep cravings that are within us. The desire to be accepted and loved. The desire to be known and understood. The desire to really live and believe that we matter. In Jesus we are able to have all of these desires (plus many more) fulfilled.
What does it mean to know Jesus? It means having life. Real life - something more than the physical life you have now - but a spiritual life that will never end. A life where you know you matter because someone gave His life for you. A life where you know you are accepted and loved because you are now in a family with a perfect Father. A desire to be understood because Jesus walked in this world just like you and me.
Most of us at some point have wondered about God. The question of "What is He like" pops into my mind most often. I remember asking myself that question many times as I was growing up. Too often I thought of God as either a genie that would grant my wishes if I was good enough, or as a cosmic deity up in the sky not really caring about what was going on.
I could not have been farther from the truth. Since accepting Christ at the age of 14 I have been on a journey of knowing God. There are times I go back to thinking He is a genie and I have to be good enough. There are times I live as if He really doesn't care about what goes on here - but for the most of the past 15 years I have been trying to figure out who God is.
The best place to go for this information is His written Word - the Bible. Let's remember that this question "What is God like" is not original with you or me but has been on that has been asked ever since Genesis 1 when God created our first parents - Adam and Eve.
One of Jesus' followers asked Him what God was like and Jesus answered that if a person wanted to know what God was like - look at the life of Jesus. Colossians 1:15 tells us that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God" - so that makes us ask "what was Jesus like?"
Jesus was kind and compassionate to the outcast and broken. Prostitutes, tax collectors, the sick and diseased all flocked to Him looking for healing. Not only did Jesus give them physical healing, but He provided a spiritual healing as well for all who would believe.
Jesus loved. He loved people so much He was willing to take their place and be punished for all their wrong doing. Not just the people who walked around with Him, but people who were alive hundreds of years before He was on earth and thousands of years after. There is much more about Jesus but not the space here to explain all of who He is.
Basically, if you want to know God - know Jesus. This doesn't mean filling your head with facts about Jesus, but to really know Him. As friends get to know each other, they do know facts about each other, but at some point really good friends know more than addresses, phone numbers, and birthdays. They are able to know what each other is thinking and some can even finish sentences for the other. This is a deep and intimate knowledge.
Do you KNOW Jesus?
Jesus has come to satisfy the deep cravings that are within us. The desire to be accepted and loved. The desire to be known and understood. The desire to really live and believe that we matter. In Jesus we are able to have all of these desires (plus many more) fulfilled.
What does it mean to know Jesus? It means having life. Real life - something more than the physical life you have now - but a spiritual life that will never end. A life where you know you matter because someone gave His life for you. A life where you know you are accepted and loved because you are now in a family with a perfect Father. A desire to be understood because Jesus walked in this world just like you and me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
