John 9
This story starts with Jesus encountering a blind man. The immediate question I, “Why is this man blind.”
Why does Jesus say this man is blind?
In our lives do we ever ask God why He does things/allows certain things?
Could your struggles, pains, or shortcoming be to God’s glory? How?
At the end of the day, the question we all need to ask ourselves is…Is this about me or God. All things can ultimately be to God’s glory.
When Jesus has his final conversation with the blind man we see that the man does not know who the Son of Man is. Sure he may have heard of a messiah, he knows God exists, and even understands the teachings. However, he did not know the Son of Man. He did not know who Christ was. In our life, many may know the bible, believe in God, and even be a good person. But none come to the Father except through the Son.
Who in your life does not truly understand Christ? Do you truly understand why NONE come to the Father except through the Son? If you need clarification please talk to me or your parents.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
John 5
John 5
The first thing we see in this passage is Jesus healing an invalid (sick person, often too sick to care for themselves). He heals the man and reminds him to stop sinning or something worse may happen. What we also notice is Jesus come to the man and has the first words. HE REACHES OUT TO THIS SICK NOBODY!
How has God reached out to you to show his love? What are some of the blessings in your life? Have you thanked God for them?
What is this something worse Jesus is talking about? Are there things worse than earthly suffering?
Jesus then explains a little more about his relationship to God. He makes it clear that he does what his Father does (much as we do what our Dad or Mom does).
Who are the dead? Who are the living?
Why does God choose dead vs. living in this analogy?
Jesus gets to judge, but how does he choose to judge?
When you are given power, how do you choose to judge?
Finally we see Jesus remind his listeners that eternal life does NOT come through the law. Back then many knew the law inside and out, but didn’t even recognize God’s Son when he stood right in front of them. We are often guilty of this too aren’t we? We know what is right. We know the laws. Don’t drink, cuss, or have sex before marriage. That is right to follow those laws, but Jesus makes it clear that we will be judged next to the law and even one sin makes us guilty.
What gives us eternal life?
Should we just throw away the law?
Can any of us gain eternal life through the law?
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, please facebook me at William Kranz or post on the blog site. We are excited to continue this walk with you.
The first thing we see in this passage is Jesus healing an invalid (sick person, often too sick to care for themselves). He heals the man and reminds him to stop sinning or something worse may happen. What we also notice is Jesus come to the man and has the first words. HE REACHES OUT TO THIS SICK NOBODY!
How has God reached out to you to show his love? What are some of the blessings in your life? Have you thanked God for them?
What is this something worse Jesus is talking about? Are there things worse than earthly suffering?
Jesus then explains a little more about his relationship to God. He makes it clear that he does what his Father does (much as we do what our Dad or Mom does).
Who are the dead? Who are the living?
Why does God choose dead vs. living in this analogy?
Jesus gets to judge, but how does he choose to judge?
When you are given power, how do you choose to judge?
Finally we see Jesus remind his listeners that eternal life does NOT come through the law. Back then many knew the law inside and out, but didn’t even recognize God’s Son when he stood right in front of them. We are often guilty of this too aren’t we? We know what is right. We know the laws. Don’t drink, cuss, or have sex before marriage. That is right to follow those laws, but Jesus makes it clear that we will be judged next to the law and even one sin makes us guilty.
What gives us eternal life?
Should we just throw away the law?
Can any of us gain eternal life through the law?
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, please facebook me at William Kranz or post on the blog site. We are excited to continue this walk with you.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
John 4
John 4
Here we see one of the most famous “Jesus interactions” of the bible. The woman at the well is an interaction that reminds us of the love our savior has for his people. First it is important to note that Jesus was a Jew and this woman is a Samaritan. These two “cultures” don’t get along and are typically on non-speaking terms, so the fact that Jesus addresses her right off the bat catches her off guard.
What is the living water that Jesus talks about?
Why does Jesus ask the woman to get her husband if he already knows her past
and current situation?
What does Jesus tell the woman about worship?
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus tells this woman about living water even though he is perfectly aware of her life of sin. Not to say he accepted it, Jesus clearly doesn’t want that life for her, but he invites her to learn of the living water. She then returns to her home WITHOUT THE WATER BUCKET. She came for water and discovered Jesus. Suddenly, the water was the least of her concerns.
What things tend to distract us from meeting Jesus? What things do we need to “leave at the well” in order to refocus on him?
Jesus then explains in verses 34-38 that he is sustained by doing his Father’s will.
Can we say as an individual/as a youth group that we are sustained and filled by doing God’s work here on earth?
Reread verse 42. The people believed first because they heard someone else’s testimony. Then they met Jesus and believed for themselves.
Do you believe because you have taken the time to know God or do you believe because you have heard others talk about him? How can we experience God for ourselves?
Here we see one of the most famous “Jesus interactions” of the bible. The woman at the well is an interaction that reminds us of the love our savior has for his people. First it is important to note that Jesus was a Jew and this woman is a Samaritan. These two “cultures” don’t get along and are typically on non-speaking terms, so the fact that Jesus addresses her right off the bat catches her off guard.
What is the living water that Jesus talks about?
Why does Jesus ask the woman to get her husband if he already knows her past
and current situation?
What does Jesus tell the woman about worship?
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus tells this woman about living water even though he is perfectly aware of her life of sin. Not to say he accepted it, Jesus clearly doesn’t want that life for her, but he invites her to learn of the living water. She then returns to her home WITHOUT THE WATER BUCKET. She came for water and discovered Jesus. Suddenly, the water was the least of her concerns.
What things tend to distract us from meeting Jesus? What things do we need to “leave at the well” in order to refocus on him?
Jesus then explains in verses 34-38 that he is sustained by doing his Father’s will.
Can we say as an individual/as a youth group that we are sustained and filled by doing God’s work here on earth?
Reread verse 42. The people believed first because they heard someone else’s testimony. Then they met Jesus and believed for themselves.
Do you believe because you have taken the time to know God or do you believe because you have heard others talk about him? How can we experience God for ourselves?
Saturday, March 31, 2012
John 3
John 3
We start John 3 with a conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Reread verse 6-8.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
In verse 8 Jesus explains that the wind blows every which way and we as humans cannot understand it or predict it. He then draws a comparison between the wind and the Holy Spirit.
How can we know when something is of the Holy Spirit vs. our own desires?
What are the fruits of the spirit? (Check out Galatians 5: 22-23)
When you are acting in line with the Holy Spirit, how should that look?
Jesus goes on to explain his mission to Nicodemus. Reread verse 16-21.
Why do we so often think God is out to get us? Where does this attitude come from?
In what ways do you want to stay in the darkness?
Finally, we see John humble himself in verse 30. We see a guy that truly “gets it”. It’s not about his success, his kingdome, or his followers. It is about doing what God tells him to do (prepare the way for Jesus).
In what ways do we need to become less so God can become more?
We start John 3 with a conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Reread verse 6-8.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
In verse 8 Jesus explains that the wind blows every which way and we as humans cannot understand it or predict it. He then draws a comparison between the wind and the Holy Spirit.
How can we know when something is of the Holy Spirit vs. our own desires?
What are the fruits of the spirit? (Check out Galatians 5: 22-23)
When you are acting in line with the Holy Spirit, how should that look?
Jesus goes on to explain his mission to Nicodemus. Reread verse 16-21.
Why do we so often think God is out to get us? Where does this attitude come from?
In what ways do you want to stay in the darkness?
Finally, we see John humble himself in verse 30. We see a guy that truly “gets it”. It’s not about his success, his kingdome, or his followers. It is about doing what God tells him to do (prepare the way for Jesus).
In what ways do we need to become less so God can become more?
Friday, March 30, 2012
John 2
John 2
This was much easier to read than John 1 wasn’t it. We see two very clear stories in John 2. As you read these stories, understand there are multiple levels. First, it is real. Jesus really came here, really interacted with people, really turned water into wine, and really flipped tables at the temple. Second, we can learn God’s character through Jesus. John 1 established that Jesus is God; therefore, we can better understand the creator of the universe and what he wants for us by studying who Jesus was on earth.
When Jesus turns water into wine there are two things you can immediately notice…
1. Jesus was about excellence. He didn’t make weak wine or even the same wine that was already being served. He made great wine for the guests.
2. Verse 11 says he revealed his glory and the disciples put their faith in him. It took a miracle, but the disciples put their faith in Jesus when they saw something they simply couldn’t explain.
When have you seen the glory of God? Have you ever seen something that could only be explained by God’s power?
In order to see Jesus’ miracle, the disciples had to follow. Had they not followed, they never would have seen Jesus turn water into wine. Had they not seen water turned into wine, they wouldn’t have put their faith in him. We need to put our faith in God to see his miracles and as we see these miracles we can put more faith in God.
You can start small! In what ways can you trust God and put faith in him? Tithing? Sharing your faith? Standing up for what is right? Setting aside a special time for God every day?
Make it your prayer that GOD WOULD REVEAL HIS GLORY TO YOU.
In the second story, we see Jesus drive “thieves” out of God’s temple. He wants worship to be pure with no other motives. Jesus did not take God’s house lightly and was passionate about defending it.
Are your motives always pure when it comes to worshipping God? Do you worship in hopes of “having God on your side” or to let other know we are good people? How can we make worship pure?
This was much easier to read than John 1 wasn’t it. We see two very clear stories in John 2. As you read these stories, understand there are multiple levels. First, it is real. Jesus really came here, really interacted with people, really turned water into wine, and really flipped tables at the temple. Second, we can learn God’s character through Jesus. John 1 established that Jesus is God; therefore, we can better understand the creator of the universe and what he wants for us by studying who Jesus was on earth.
When Jesus turns water into wine there are two things you can immediately notice…
1. Jesus was about excellence. He didn’t make weak wine or even the same wine that was already being served. He made great wine for the guests.
2. Verse 11 says he revealed his glory and the disciples put their faith in him. It took a miracle, but the disciples put their faith in Jesus when they saw something they simply couldn’t explain.
When have you seen the glory of God? Have you ever seen something that could only be explained by God’s power?
In order to see Jesus’ miracle, the disciples had to follow. Had they not followed, they never would have seen Jesus turn water into wine. Had they not seen water turned into wine, they wouldn’t have put their faith in him. We need to put our faith in God to see his miracles and as we see these miracles we can put more faith in God.
You can start small! In what ways can you trust God and put faith in him? Tithing? Sharing your faith? Standing up for what is right? Setting aside a special time for God every day?
Make it your prayer that GOD WOULD REVEAL HIS GLORY TO YOU.
In the second story, we see Jesus drive “thieves” out of God’s temple. He wants worship to be pure with no other motives. Jesus did not take God’s house lightly and was passionate about defending it.
Are your motives always pure when it comes to worshipping God? Do you worship in hopes of “having God on your side” or to let other know we are good people? How can we make worship pure?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Windows Wide Open
Are your windows open?
By: Michael Weber
Last night that was the question Curt left us with. By “windows open” we mean: Are you living out your faith for everyone to see?
Like we heard last night, a big part of living with your windows wide open is not being ashamed of your faith. It’s being able to live totally following God in any situation and not worrying about what people think, just like Daniel. The reason Daniel was able to do that was because he was consistent. If Daniel only prayed to God a couple times a month, whenever he felt like it or whenever Babylonian Idol wasn’t on TV, then there’s probably a good chance that he wouldn’t START praying when King Darius made it illegal. The same thing applies to us as well.
For us, a consistent relationship with God would include letting God speak to us during our quiet times, prayer, and Bible reading. In addition to maintaining our personal relationship with God, we must also focus daily on how we can follow God with our actions. To name a few, this would include: the way we talk to/about other people, the things we choose to do or not do in our free time, or our willingness to talk to other people about what God has done in our lives.
Now if we don’t commit to consistently maintain that relationship with God when we are alone in our room during our free time …. How will we magically start following God when we are at with people criticizing us for being “Christiany”? Think about it, if you hardly ever pray or read your Bible, what are the chances you will pray at the lunch table before you eat or read your Bible in study hall when everyone can see you? This is exactly why it is so important to be consistent. It won’t happen overnight, but we need to start working toward that consistent relationship with God. Eventually we won’t even have to think about it when we are around other people; following God won’t have to be a tough choice, it will just be what we ALWAYS do.
Take some time and think about each of these questions:
(Write down your answers and remind yourself this week what you want to work on)
1) What do I do to maintain my relationship with God?
2) What are some actions that I choose to do or don’t do because I am trying to follow God?
3) What are some things I need to do more consistently?
4) Am I living with my “windows open” no matter where I am?
5) What are some things that keep me from being consistent?
6) How can I overcome these barriers?
By: Michael Weber
Last night that was the question Curt left us with. By “windows open” we mean: Are you living out your faith for everyone to see?
Like we heard last night, a big part of living with your windows wide open is not being ashamed of your faith. It’s being able to live totally following God in any situation and not worrying about what people think, just like Daniel. The reason Daniel was able to do that was because he was consistent. If Daniel only prayed to God a couple times a month, whenever he felt like it or whenever Babylonian Idol wasn’t on TV, then there’s probably a good chance that he wouldn’t START praying when King Darius made it illegal. The same thing applies to us as well.
For us, a consistent relationship with God would include letting God speak to us during our quiet times, prayer, and Bible reading. In addition to maintaining our personal relationship with God, we must also focus daily on how we can follow God with our actions. To name a few, this would include: the way we talk to/about other people, the things we choose to do or not do in our free time, or our willingness to talk to other people about what God has done in our lives.
Now if we don’t commit to consistently maintain that relationship with God when we are alone in our room during our free time …. How will we magically start following God when we are at with people criticizing us for being “Christiany”? Think about it, if you hardly ever pray or read your Bible, what are the chances you will pray at the lunch table before you eat or read your Bible in study hall when everyone can see you? This is exactly why it is so important to be consistent. It won’t happen overnight, but we need to start working toward that consistent relationship with God. Eventually we won’t even have to think about it when we are around other people; following God won’t have to be a tough choice, it will just be what we ALWAYS do.
Take some time and think about each of these questions:
(Write down your answers and remind yourself this week what you want to work on)
1) What do I do to maintain my relationship with God?
2) What are some actions that I choose to do or don’t do because I am trying to follow God?
3) What are some things I need to do more consistently?
4) Am I living with my “windows open” no matter where I am?
5) What are some things that keep me from being consistent?
6) How can I overcome these barriers?
John 1 Devo
John 1
Okay, anyone else saying what in the world is going on? Please know before you get frustrated and give up you are reading through the TOUGHEST PART OF JOHN in verses 1-18. DO NOT GIVE UP HERE. In summary, verses 1-18 establish that Jesus is the Word, he is God, he is a separate entity (being) from God, he is the way to eternal life, and when you receive him you have the right to be a child of God. If you want to dig in and really study these verses you can check out the Blog post Is Jesus God on this site, but that is as far as we will go on this devotion.
In verses 19-28 we see John struggling to let others know he is not Jesus. John is clear that he cannot save anyone, he is not THE light, and he cannot give someone the Holy Spirit. He is the table setter preparing the way for Jesus. We need to acknowledge that we, like John, can save no one. We can’t make someone meet God and we are not the leaders. GOD IS. We are not the shepherd, we are the watch dogs running around in circles trying to help the sheep look at the shepherd. God is the shepherd, we are just watch dogs.
Do you ever get over focused on the watch dog and lose focus of the shepherd? Do we ever try to impress others with our faith? Parents, pastors, friends, girlfriend/boyfriend? Take this time to refocus on God over anyone else.
Reread verse 29. What does this mean? Why/How would the Son of God (Jesus) do this?
Jesus calls on Simon and names him Peter (rock). As you will see, Peter is anything but a rock. He doesn’t think, he is over anxious, he lacks wisdom, and even unfaithful. However, when Jesus dies Peter pick up the baton and helps start the first churches that follow Christ. Even though Peter was a mess, Jesus always had a plan for him.
Do you know that God has a PLAN FOR YOU?
As you follow Jesus that plan becomes more clear and attainable. ARE YOU OPEN TO GOD’S PLAN?
We also see the calling of Nathanael. I love that Nathanael doesn’t believe and then something simple like Jesus saw him under a fig tree instantly turns him around. Jesus basically says, “Why do you believe in me because I saw you under a tree? I could have just been using binoculars! You have seen nothing.” Jesus tells Nathanael he will see great things when he follows. We also see our second title for Jesus: “Son of Man”.
In what ways have you seen God do great things? If you are struggling to answer this, in what ways have you truly followed him?
As we commit to truly following Christ in our day to day walks, in what ways do you want to see God show up? This is not get a raise when you skip work, find a new girlfriend when you don’t shower, or get a great grade when you didn’t study. What ways do you want to see God show up for his kingdom?
The disciples had Jesus to follow, but how can we follow God in our lives? What is God calling you to do for Him?
THANKS FOR READING GUYS AND GALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE BLOG OR IF IT IS PERSONAL YOU CAN FACEBOOK ME AT WILLIAM KRANZ.
Okay, anyone else saying what in the world is going on? Please know before you get frustrated and give up you are reading through the TOUGHEST PART OF JOHN in verses 1-18. DO NOT GIVE UP HERE. In summary, verses 1-18 establish that Jesus is the Word, he is God, he is a separate entity (being) from God, he is the way to eternal life, and when you receive him you have the right to be a child of God. If you want to dig in and really study these verses you can check out the Blog post Is Jesus God on this site, but that is as far as we will go on this devotion.
In verses 19-28 we see John struggling to let others know he is not Jesus. John is clear that he cannot save anyone, he is not THE light, and he cannot give someone the Holy Spirit. He is the table setter preparing the way for Jesus. We need to acknowledge that we, like John, can save no one. We can’t make someone meet God and we are not the leaders. GOD IS. We are not the shepherd, we are the watch dogs running around in circles trying to help the sheep look at the shepherd. God is the shepherd, we are just watch dogs.
Do you ever get over focused on the watch dog and lose focus of the shepherd? Do we ever try to impress others with our faith? Parents, pastors, friends, girlfriend/boyfriend? Take this time to refocus on God over anyone else.
Reread verse 29. What does this mean? Why/How would the Son of God (Jesus) do this?
Jesus calls on Simon and names him Peter (rock). As you will see, Peter is anything but a rock. He doesn’t think, he is over anxious, he lacks wisdom, and even unfaithful. However, when Jesus dies Peter pick up the baton and helps start the first churches that follow Christ. Even though Peter was a mess, Jesus always had a plan for him.
Do you know that God has a PLAN FOR YOU?
As you follow Jesus that plan becomes more clear and attainable. ARE YOU OPEN TO GOD’S PLAN?
We also see the calling of Nathanael. I love that Nathanael doesn’t believe and then something simple like Jesus saw him under a fig tree instantly turns him around. Jesus basically says, “Why do you believe in me because I saw you under a tree? I could have just been using binoculars! You have seen nothing.” Jesus tells Nathanael he will see great things when he follows. We also see our second title for Jesus: “Son of Man”.
In what ways have you seen God do great things? If you are struggling to answer this, in what ways have you truly followed him?
As we commit to truly following Christ in our day to day walks, in what ways do you want to see God show up? This is not get a raise when you skip work, find a new girlfriend when you don’t shower, or get a great grade when you didn’t study. What ways do you want to see God show up for his kingdom?
The disciples had Jesus to follow, but how can we follow God in our lives? What is God calling you to do for Him?
THANKS FOR READING GUYS AND GALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE BLOG OR IF IT IS PERSONAL YOU CAN FACEBOOK ME AT WILLIAM KRANZ.
IS JESUS GOD?
Is Jesus God?
This post will quickly look at John 1: 1-18 and explore the question…Is Jesus God? So we start at verse 1, the fact the Word is capitalized tells us right off the bat something different is happening here. We are talking about the beginning (same start as Genesis 1:1 the beginning of the world). Okay, we see that the Word has always been, it was with God, in fact it was God. Word=God got it.
Now in verse 3 we see this him that we are not really sure of. Do we assume him is the Word? We will get there, but this unknown him we will refer to as “him”. We see that all things are made through him and that in him was life. This makes me think of John 14: 6 when Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life (paraphrased). Are we talking about the same life here though? We also see that this life is a light to all men (not a feminist issue, when you see the word men, know we are talking about people), a light in the darkness.
Verse 6-9, we see that John comes and he is going to prepare the way for “him”, the light. John was not the light himself but only setting the table.
Verse 10-13, we see that he (“him”) was in the world and the world was made through him. Any that receive “him” and believe have the right to become children of God. Not through any decision you can make, but through receiving “him”. Okay “him” is definitely sounding like Jesus, and it is safe to draw that conclusion. Get ready here comes verse 14.
Verse 14, “The Word became flesh…” (NIV). Wait, how did we end up back at the Word? Weren’t we just talking about “him”? We see that the Word became flesh and lived with us. We now have seen his glory, and by his we are talking about the One and Only as the bible puts it. So this “Word Flesh” is one of a kind from the Father full of truth. Remember in verse 1 we had the simple equation Word=God and it appears that Word=Jesus.
THE ICING THAT HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER. In case you are skeptical or unsure if we have made any jumps too far verse 15-18 brings the whole thing back together. Verse 15 we see that John the table setter has confirmed that this “him” is Jesus. Verse 16 addresses that we are all blessed through his grace and in Verse 17 we specifically see the name Jesus Christ. And then there is verse 18. It says no one has seen God except God the One and Only? Oh by the way this “God the one and only” is at the Father’s side and has made him known to us. Simply put nobody has seen God but God and no one has seen God but Jesus.
John 1: 1-18 states clearly that Jesus is God and yet a separate entity sitting next to God. How can this be? Now that is not for us as humans to fully grasp as God’s ways are simply higher than ours. But we see clearly that Jesus is the Word, he gives us life, he knows the Father (thus he must be God), and he is separate from the Father (you cannot sit next to yourself).
This post will quickly look at John 1: 1-18 and explore the question…Is Jesus God? So we start at verse 1, the fact the Word is capitalized tells us right off the bat something different is happening here. We are talking about the beginning (same start as Genesis 1:1 the beginning of the world). Okay, we see that the Word has always been, it was with God, in fact it was God. Word=God got it.
Now in verse 3 we see this him that we are not really sure of. Do we assume him is the Word? We will get there, but this unknown him we will refer to as “him”. We see that all things are made through him and that in him was life. This makes me think of John 14: 6 when Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life (paraphrased). Are we talking about the same life here though? We also see that this life is a light to all men (not a feminist issue, when you see the word men, know we are talking about people), a light in the darkness.
Verse 6-9, we see that John comes and he is going to prepare the way for “him”, the light. John was not the light himself but only setting the table.
Verse 10-13, we see that he (“him”) was in the world and the world was made through him. Any that receive “him” and believe have the right to become children of God. Not through any decision you can make, but through receiving “him”. Okay “him” is definitely sounding like Jesus, and it is safe to draw that conclusion. Get ready here comes verse 14.
Verse 14, “The Word became flesh…” (NIV). Wait, how did we end up back at the Word? Weren’t we just talking about “him”? We see that the Word became flesh and lived with us. We now have seen his glory, and by his we are talking about the One and Only as the bible puts it. So this “Word Flesh” is one of a kind from the Father full of truth. Remember in verse 1 we had the simple equation Word=God and it appears that Word=Jesus.
THE ICING THAT HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER. In case you are skeptical or unsure if we have made any jumps too far verse 15-18 brings the whole thing back together. Verse 15 we see that John the table setter has confirmed that this “him” is Jesus. Verse 16 addresses that we are all blessed through his grace and in Verse 17 we specifically see the name Jesus Christ. And then there is verse 18. It says no one has seen God except God the One and Only? Oh by the way this “God the one and only” is at the Father’s side and has made him known to us. Simply put nobody has seen God but God and no one has seen God but Jesus.
John 1: 1-18 states clearly that Jesus is God and yet a separate entity sitting next to God. How can this be? Now that is not for us as humans to fully grasp as God’s ways are simply higher than ours. But we see clearly that Jesus is the Word, he gives us life, he knows the Father (thus he must be God), and he is separate from the Father (you cannot sit next to yourself).
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Let's Party
By: Curt Kennedy
WHERE’S THE PARTY
Aren’t we always looking for the party, wanting to have a great time, hanging out with friends, doing fun things?
Well never let it be said that Christians are dull and never have fun. We can party; we just have to go to the right party.
Not long ago, we learned about David celebrating before the lord.
2 Samuel 6:14-15 - "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (NIV)
In the Bible, Christians celebrated many times for many reasons, the exodus from Egypt and the Wedding celebration where Jesus turned water into wine. God wants us to have fun, enjoy life and realize the beauty of his creation. He wants us to celebrate, just not make it about us but in a way that is honoring to him.
We must be careful about where and how we party, worldly parties can be very dangerous, lead to dire consequences and even damage to our bodies and souls. In 1 Peter, we are warned against the wrong type of party.
1 Peter 4:3 - "You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols." (NLT)
Are you looking for the right party? Let’s think about things and actions that are Godly and worth of praise, lets party, have fun and enjoy life with God as our focus. The last chapter of Psalms is our party planner.
Psalm 150:1-6 - Let Everything Praise the LORD
150 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens![a]
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
I want to party, come join me!
At Student Ministries, we have many opportunities to party together, mission trips, all nighters (coming up shortly) and other functions, get plugged in.
May God bless you!
WHERE’S THE PARTY
Aren’t we always looking for the party, wanting to have a great time, hanging out with friends, doing fun things?
Well never let it be said that Christians are dull and never have fun. We can party; we just have to go to the right party.
Not long ago, we learned about David celebrating before the lord.
2 Samuel 6:14-15 - "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (NIV)
In the Bible, Christians celebrated many times for many reasons, the exodus from Egypt and the Wedding celebration where Jesus turned water into wine. God wants us to have fun, enjoy life and realize the beauty of his creation. He wants us to celebrate, just not make it about us but in a way that is honoring to him.
We must be careful about where and how we party, worldly parties can be very dangerous, lead to dire consequences and even damage to our bodies and souls. In 1 Peter, we are warned against the wrong type of party.
1 Peter 4:3 - "You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols." (NLT)
Are you looking for the right party? Let’s think about things and actions that are Godly and worth of praise, lets party, have fun and enjoy life with God as our focus. The last chapter of Psalms is our party planner.
Psalm 150:1-6 - Let Everything Praise the LORD
150 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens![a]
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
I want to party, come join me!
At Student Ministries, we have many opportunities to party together, mission trips, all nighters (coming up shortly) and other functions, get plugged in.
May God bless you!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
God vs. Dog
Do you remember your first dog (or really any pet, but since dogs are superior to all other animals we will go with them)? I remember begging my parents for a puppy day after day. I didn’t need a really expensive dog or a pure bred, just a big old mut would do.
The issue was not money, the question was would I take care of it. “Oh, of course I will take care of it!!! I will feed it, give it water, walk it, give it baths, and I’ll even pick up the poop!”
Finally my parents agreed and we ended up with Chet the dog. I couldn’t get enough of Chet (not sure why that was the name we chose but okay), but after about two weeks I started shirking my responsibilities. The first thing to go was picking up the poop, after all, there was nothing funnier than my unsuspecting friends wrestling in the backyard only to find Chet’s treasures. Then the bathing, dogs clean themselves right? He didn’t need walks because Chet had a yard and I will just leave the toilet seat up so I don’t have to give him water. What started as “I will do anything to have a dog,” quickly turned into, “Do dogs really need to be fed EVERY day?” Suddenly, I was doing the bare minimum to keep the dog alive.
Do you remember when you first accepted Christ? When you first realized that God loves you? I remember that excitement! I began to turn away from sin, went to youth group, prayed, read my bible, and told others about my new hope. The first thing to go was telling others, awkward. Slowly stopped reading my bible, too much work. Praying seemed like talking to the ceiling. Sports got in the way of youth group. What started as “I love you God, thank you for your grace, I want to follow you,” quickly turned into, “What do I have to do to get to heaven.”
THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS NOT HEAVEN. It is to build a relationship with God and follow him. Heaven is an awesome bonus. What if we were a church that didn’t obey God out of obligation but out of love. What if we didn’t do things thinking of our rewards but thinking of God’s plan. Mike had a great challenge to our church, WHAT CHANGES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE IN YOUR LIFE? What changes does God want you to make?
Join us in reading the book of Daniel during your quiet time as we look at Daniel’s obedience to God. Really make a list of things that need to change in your life to honor God like he is God not a dog.
The issue was not money, the question was would I take care of it. “Oh, of course I will take care of it!!! I will feed it, give it water, walk it, give it baths, and I’ll even pick up the poop!”
Finally my parents agreed and we ended up with Chet the dog. I couldn’t get enough of Chet (not sure why that was the name we chose but okay), but after about two weeks I started shirking my responsibilities. The first thing to go was picking up the poop, after all, there was nothing funnier than my unsuspecting friends wrestling in the backyard only to find Chet’s treasures. Then the bathing, dogs clean themselves right? He didn’t need walks because Chet had a yard and I will just leave the toilet seat up so I don’t have to give him water. What started as “I will do anything to have a dog,” quickly turned into, “Do dogs really need to be fed EVERY day?” Suddenly, I was doing the bare minimum to keep the dog alive.
Do you remember when you first accepted Christ? When you first realized that God loves you? I remember that excitement! I began to turn away from sin, went to youth group, prayed, read my bible, and told others about my new hope. The first thing to go was telling others, awkward. Slowly stopped reading my bible, too much work. Praying seemed like talking to the ceiling. Sports got in the way of youth group. What started as “I love you God, thank you for your grace, I want to follow you,” quickly turned into, “What do I have to do to get to heaven.”
THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS NOT HEAVEN. It is to build a relationship with God and follow him. Heaven is an awesome bonus. What if we were a church that didn’t obey God out of obligation but out of love. What if we didn’t do things thinking of our rewards but thinking of God’s plan. Mike had a great challenge to our church, WHAT CHANGES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE IN YOUR LIFE? What changes does God want you to make?
Join us in reading the book of Daniel during your quiet time as we look at Daniel’s obedience to God. Really make a list of things that need to change in your life to honor God like he is God not a dog.
Monday, February 27, 2012
DON'T TOUCH IT
By: Michael Weber
So, this week we looked at 2 Samuel 6, where David and his men were trying to move the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. As we learned, the first attempt didn’t go well, Uzzah was struck down by God for touching the Ark. I, for one, am REALLY glad God doesn’t deal with all sin this quickly, or I would have been dead a long time ago.
When you first heard this story, did you think God was being really harsh? I know that was my initial reaction. After hearing the message, you hopefully understand a little better why God punished Uzzah, but you still may be thinking God went a little overboard by killing him on the spot. I’m sure many of us feel that way, but the fact that we feel that way is just proof that we are guilty of the same sin Uzzah was. We are not fully honoring and respecting God for who he really is. This is probably because we have gotten comfy-cozy with God, just like Uzzah got used to the Ark. When we get used to God, we fail to honor his position as the all-powerful creator and ruler of the universe.
Think of it this way….The word “holy” literally means, “set apart.” You probably know that holiness is one of God’s attributes, in that he is totally set apart from sin. But I don’t think any of us really appreciate the degree to which God is “set apart” from us and our sin. In the Hebrew language, repeating a word was a way of strengthening its meaning. So, if something were “holy, holy” then it would be REALLY REALLY holy; more holy than just about anything else. In Isaiah 6, angels in heaven say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” Now that you understand a little about how the Hebrew language worked. This should make your mind EXPLODE!!! Isaiah is saying that God is a million times holier than the holiest thing that’s ever been holy! To put it in eight year old terms, he is double holy time infinity!!!
So, when Uzzah reaches out and touches the Ark of God, Uzzah is essentially bringing sin into the presence of the holy, holy, holy God. God cannot let this happen, and strikes him dead. God talks about the same thing in Exodus 19 when the Israelites are at Mt. Sanai. God says if any person, or animal, other than Moses, touches the mountain where his presence is, they have to die. It’s that same separation that exists later in the temple between the “holy of holies” where the Ark sits, and the rest of the temple.
Here comes another mind exploding thing to think about….. When you become a Christian, the Bible says the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you and you have that exact same presence living inside of you that was in the Ark or on Mt. Sinai (1 Cor 6:19). Having that relationship with God and having the Spirit living inside of you is the AMAZING thing you could ever have. But remember how big a deal it is to God when sin comes into his holy presence. If we continue to sin after accepting Christ—by the things we put into our body, the things we do with our body, or the thoughts and words that are formed within it—we are essentially doing what Uzzah did, and bringing sin into God’s presence….Scary huh? Looking at sin this way can help us get an idea of just how seriously God takes it, and why he says we should be different once we have accepted Christ (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Here are some things to think about:
How accurately do you think you see God for who he really is? (Jeremiah 9:24; John 17:3; 1 John 3:2)
In what ways do you “touch the Ark” and bring sin into God’s presence? (1 Cor. 6:19; Romans 8:9; 12:2)
How might you do a better job of living the way God calls us to live? (Romans 8; Col. 3; Heb. 10:19-39)
So, this week we looked at 2 Samuel 6, where David and his men were trying to move the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. As we learned, the first attempt didn’t go well, Uzzah was struck down by God for touching the Ark. I, for one, am REALLY glad God doesn’t deal with all sin this quickly, or I would have been dead a long time ago.
When you first heard this story, did you think God was being really harsh? I know that was my initial reaction. After hearing the message, you hopefully understand a little better why God punished Uzzah, but you still may be thinking God went a little overboard by killing him on the spot. I’m sure many of us feel that way, but the fact that we feel that way is just proof that we are guilty of the same sin Uzzah was. We are not fully honoring and respecting God for who he really is. This is probably because we have gotten comfy-cozy with God, just like Uzzah got used to the Ark. When we get used to God, we fail to honor his position as the all-powerful creator and ruler of the universe.
Think of it this way….The word “holy” literally means, “set apart.” You probably know that holiness is one of God’s attributes, in that he is totally set apart from sin. But I don’t think any of us really appreciate the degree to which God is “set apart” from us and our sin. In the Hebrew language, repeating a word was a way of strengthening its meaning. So, if something were “holy, holy” then it would be REALLY REALLY holy; more holy than just about anything else. In Isaiah 6, angels in heaven say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” Now that you understand a little about how the Hebrew language worked. This should make your mind EXPLODE!!! Isaiah is saying that God is a million times holier than the holiest thing that’s ever been holy! To put it in eight year old terms, he is double holy time infinity!!!
So, when Uzzah reaches out and touches the Ark of God, Uzzah is essentially bringing sin into the presence of the holy, holy, holy God. God cannot let this happen, and strikes him dead. God talks about the same thing in Exodus 19 when the Israelites are at Mt. Sanai. God says if any person, or animal, other than Moses, touches the mountain where his presence is, they have to die. It’s that same separation that exists later in the temple between the “holy of holies” where the Ark sits, and the rest of the temple.
Here comes another mind exploding thing to think about….. When you become a Christian, the Bible says the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you and you have that exact same presence living inside of you that was in the Ark or on Mt. Sinai (1 Cor 6:19). Having that relationship with God and having the Spirit living inside of you is the AMAZING thing you could ever have. But remember how big a deal it is to God when sin comes into his holy presence. If we continue to sin after accepting Christ—by the things we put into our body, the things we do with our body, or the thoughts and words that are formed within it—we are essentially doing what Uzzah did, and bringing sin into God’s presence….Scary huh? Looking at sin this way can help us get an idea of just how seriously God takes it, and why he says we should be different once we have accepted Christ (1 Peter 1:15-16).
Here are some things to think about:
How accurately do you think you see God for who he really is? (Jeremiah 9:24; John 17:3; 1 John 3:2)
In what ways do you “touch the Ark” and bring sin into God’s presence? (1 Cor. 6:19; Romans 8:9; 12:2)
How might you do a better job of living the way God calls us to live? (Romans 8; Col. 3; Heb. 10:19-39)
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Just a Piece of the Bigger Picture
So this week at CSM, we were in 1 Samuel: 16 starting our series ‘Honor and Respect’. We studied how David came to be anointed as the king of Israel even though he seemed like the LAST pick to take on such a huge job. David’s brothers were all stronger, tougher, and better looking. Even Samuel, a prophet that God specifically picked to find the next king didn’t get it. When Samuel saw David’s oldest brother, Eliab, Samuel thought, “SURELY this is who God is going to pick!” But Eliab wasn’t the guy; and neither were the next six brothers.
If you back up to 1 Samuel 16:5 you will notice that when Samuel arrives he has David’s father and brothers consecrate themselves—which means “to make holy/ready”—by cleaning themselves thoroughly and washing their clothes. [See Numbers 8:21; 11:18] But as we know from later in the passage, David isn’t there when this happens. He is out in the pasture tending to the sheep. So, not only was David the youngest, weakest brother, he was also not “made ready” for the ceremony because he was dirty, sweaty, and smelled like sheep poop…. Despite ALL of this, God selected David as the next king. But WHY?!? Why would God skip past so many people that seemed so much more qualified to be the next king???
Well, 1 Samuel 16: 7 tells us exactly why! When Samuel sees Eliab God tells Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NIV 1984)
David’s older brothers all looked better, because Samuel, or anyone else, was really only seeing a small piece of the whole picture. When we look at each other, we see an appearance, achievements, and some basic facts we know about one another. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of what God sees. God can see to the very depths of our hearts and minds. This is the reason why NONE OF US, not even a prophet like Samuel, can make an accurate judgment of someone’s true potential.
We may see someone as the “last pick”, but God may be planning on using that person in big ways because He can see their heart. Like David’s brothers, there are many people that look great on the outside, but their hearts are far from God [See Matthew 23]. It is easy to focus on how others see you and forget that God sees and judges your heart as well. [1 Thes. 2:4]
Check out Isaiah 53. This chapter is talking about the “suffering servant,” which if you read the whole chapter, is a very detailed prophecy about Jesus, hundreds of years before he was born. In verse 2-3, Isaiah writes, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men.” Again, Isaiah is writing this prophecy about how Jesus’ life was going to look. So, just like David, Jesus was also seen as the “last pick” by many. The Bible tells us that, among other things, Jesus was harassed for not living in a pretty city and for coming from a poor family. How terrible is that!? God himself actually came and lived on the Earth as Jesus Christ, and we are so caught up on the outward appearance that many missed GOD IN THE FLESH. We simply do not and cannot see the whole picture.
So, how can we, just normal human beings, ever move past the “outward appearances” that usually distract us? First, we need to remember that every person is made in the image of God, and that God has a plan for every single person he brings into the world. But, we can’t see the big picture of someone’s heart and what God has in store for them. For this reason, we need to let God be the captain and leave the “picking” up to him. Just like 1 Peter 2:17 says, all we can do is treat every person we meet with Honor and Respect, no matter how we see them from our perspective.
Post By: Michael Weber
If you back up to 1 Samuel 16:5 you will notice that when Samuel arrives he has David’s father and brothers consecrate themselves—which means “to make holy/ready”—by cleaning themselves thoroughly and washing their clothes. [See Numbers 8:21; 11:18] But as we know from later in the passage, David isn’t there when this happens. He is out in the pasture tending to the sheep. So, not only was David the youngest, weakest brother, he was also not “made ready” for the ceremony because he was dirty, sweaty, and smelled like sheep poop…. Despite ALL of this, God selected David as the next king. But WHY?!? Why would God skip past so many people that seemed so much more qualified to be the next king???
Well, 1 Samuel 16: 7 tells us exactly why! When Samuel sees Eliab God tells Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NIV 1984)
David’s older brothers all looked better, because Samuel, or anyone else, was really only seeing a small piece of the whole picture. When we look at each other, we see an appearance, achievements, and some basic facts we know about one another. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of what God sees. God can see to the very depths of our hearts and minds. This is the reason why NONE OF US, not even a prophet like Samuel, can make an accurate judgment of someone’s true potential.
We may see someone as the “last pick”, but God may be planning on using that person in big ways because He can see their heart. Like David’s brothers, there are many people that look great on the outside, but their hearts are far from God [See Matthew 23]. It is easy to focus on how others see you and forget that God sees and judges your heart as well. [1 Thes. 2:4]
Check out Isaiah 53. This chapter is talking about the “suffering servant,” which if you read the whole chapter, is a very detailed prophecy about Jesus, hundreds of years before he was born. In verse 2-3, Isaiah writes, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men.” Again, Isaiah is writing this prophecy about how Jesus’ life was going to look. So, just like David, Jesus was also seen as the “last pick” by many. The Bible tells us that, among other things, Jesus was harassed for not living in a pretty city and for coming from a poor family. How terrible is that!? God himself actually came and lived on the Earth as Jesus Christ, and we are so caught up on the outward appearance that many missed GOD IN THE FLESH. We simply do not and cannot see the whole picture.
So, how can we, just normal human beings, ever move past the “outward appearances” that usually distract us? First, we need to remember that every person is made in the image of God, and that God has a plan for every single person he brings into the world. But, we can’t see the big picture of someone’s heart and what God has in store for them. For this reason, we need to let God be the captain and leave the “picking” up to him. Just like 1 Peter 2:17 says, all we can do is treat every person we meet with Honor and Respect, no matter how we see them from our perspective.
Post By: Michael Weber
Monday, January 30, 2012
Too Much Good Is Just Bad
I hope there are some sushi fanatics reading this blog, because today we are talking about WHASSSAAAAABBBBBIIIII, more commonly known as wasabi.
You know what wasabi is, that green stuff you put in your soy sauce to dip sushi in. Now I love wasabi on my sushi. It is delicious, and the only reason to buy little slices of fish for $9 a roll (if you’re lucky). My father loves wasabi, my uncle, my cousins, but the only one who doesn’t LOVE wasabi is my brother. I mean, he likes it okay, but he doesn’t need it smothering every bite of his sushi or anything. However, one time in a desperate measure to fit in my brother made the claim, “I love wasabi,” he took a spoon full of wasabi threw it on his plate and added a splash of soy. The rest of my family looked at him like he was crazy and anxiously awaited what was surely about to be a youtube moment. My brother took his first piece dunked it in the “liquid” and took a big old bite. Instantly you could tell he hated it, but he was determined to not be proven a fool. He continued, and powered through that plate of sushi as my cousins and I watched in amazement and slight disgust. Tears poured out of his eyes as his body yelled, “STOP STOP!” and he choked as he pushed out the words, “mmm, it’s so…good”. I realized that this wasabi was literally killing my brother, I gave it a try and instantly hated it. My whole family gave it a taste and none of us asked for a second. That was the day it became clear, you in fact could have too much wasabi.
This stands true for all that the world has to offer. You can have too much of anything. See it isn’t that the wasabi was evil or bad by design. It is quite good in the right amounts, but too much of it is terrible and I would imagine takes years off your life (okay maybe not but can someone do a school project on this?). Like wasabi, there are many things in our lives that aren’t evil or displeasing to God, but too much of them can drive us away from God. Video games, TV shows, shopping, eating, friends, work, boyfriends, girlfriends, JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.
For instance, my wife Erin and I love to do TV show marathons. Now it’s not that the shows we watch are evil or of the devil, but seven straight hours of LOST is not the healthiest way to spend our time. Or football, nothing wrong with it, but is it really God honoring to spend 15 hours in a weekend watching football? I know there were whole weekends where the only prayers or praises towards God were about the Chicago Bears. That is not honoring to God. We need to make time to get away, alone, quiet and be with God. And sometimes the things of this world, good or bad, can hold us back from doing that.
I have also been held back by friends. Now, my friends in college were the best. They loved the Lord, they wanted to grow with Him, and we wanted to grow together. But there were days we spent 16 hours together and spent 0 hours with God. Too much of a good thing, is just bad.
Check out 1 Kings 19: 1-9. To better understand it you may need to read 1 Kings 18: 16-46. Think about some of these questions…
When Elijah was hurting and depressed, what did he do? How does it help? Is it possible for us to do what Elijah did?
When you don’t spend that time with God, what do you do instead (let’s call it Activity X)? Why do you chose Activity X?
Can there be too much of Activity X? What happens when you “spend” too much time with Activity X?
Challenge: Look at Activity X and make a commitment that you will spend quiet, still, alone time with God before you ever start Activity X.
You know what wasabi is, that green stuff you put in your soy sauce to dip sushi in. Now I love wasabi on my sushi. It is delicious, and the only reason to buy little slices of fish for $9 a roll (if you’re lucky). My father loves wasabi, my uncle, my cousins, but the only one who doesn’t LOVE wasabi is my brother. I mean, he likes it okay, but he doesn’t need it smothering every bite of his sushi or anything. However, one time in a desperate measure to fit in my brother made the claim, “I love wasabi,” he took a spoon full of wasabi threw it on his plate and added a splash of soy. The rest of my family looked at him like he was crazy and anxiously awaited what was surely about to be a youtube moment. My brother took his first piece dunked it in the “liquid” and took a big old bite. Instantly you could tell he hated it, but he was determined to not be proven a fool. He continued, and powered through that plate of sushi as my cousins and I watched in amazement and slight disgust. Tears poured out of his eyes as his body yelled, “STOP STOP!” and he choked as he pushed out the words, “mmm, it’s so…good”. I realized that this wasabi was literally killing my brother, I gave it a try and instantly hated it. My whole family gave it a taste and none of us asked for a second. That was the day it became clear, you in fact could have too much wasabi.
This stands true for all that the world has to offer. You can have too much of anything. See it isn’t that the wasabi was evil or bad by design. It is quite good in the right amounts, but too much of it is terrible and I would imagine takes years off your life (okay maybe not but can someone do a school project on this?). Like wasabi, there are many things in our lives that aren’t evil or displeasing to God, but too much of them can drive us away from God. Video games, TV shows, shopping, eating, friends, work, boyfriends, girlfriends, JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.
For instance, my wife Erin and I love to do TV show marathons. Now it’s not that the shows we watch are evil or of the devil, but seven straight hours of LOST is not the healthiest way to spend our time. Or football, nothing wrong with it, but is it really God honoring to spend 15 hours in a weekend watching football? I know there were whole weekends where the only prayers or praises towards God were about the Chicago Bears. That is not honoring to God. We need to make time to get away, alone, quiet and be with God. And sometimes the things of this world, good or bad, can hold us back from doing that.
I have also been held back by friends. Now, my friends in college were the best. They loved the Lord, they wanted to grow with Him, and we wanted to grow together. But there were days we spent 16 hours together and spent 0 hours with God. Too much of a good thing, is just bad.
Check out 1 Kings 19: 1-9. To better understand it you may need to read 1 Kings 18: 16-46. Think about some of these questions…
When Elijah was hurting and depressed, what did he do? How does it help? Is it possible for us to do what Elijah did?
When you don’t spend that time with God, what do you do instead (let’s call it Activity X)? Why do you chose Activity X?
Can there be too much of Activity X? What happens when you “spend” too much time with Activity X?
Challenge: Look at Activity X and make a commitment that you will spend quiet, still, alone time with God before you ever start Activity X.
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