Putting God First

We've all probably heard others say that God is number one in their life. Some of us have even said that ourselves, and for some it may be true, but if you're anything like me you probably whisper a small "yeah right" in the back of your mind because everything in that person's life---or your own for that matter---is evidence that God is nowhere near being first. So when we talk about "putting God first" in our lives, what does that really look like? How do you go beyond it being just a cliche phrase and making it an actual reality in your life?

For one, it means nurturing your relationship with God by spending time in the Word and in prayer...for longer than five minutes a day. If I were to tell you I love my fiancee and yet I hadn't spent more than five minutes a day with Him in the last several months, you'd probably doubt my love for him. It just naturally follows that if you love someone, you spend time with them. That's why Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing" in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, meaning that we talk to him throughout our day, not just for a five minute block. If a dear friend comes to mind, you pray for them. If temptation is knocking at your door, you pray. If you're just having a bad day, you pray. That's how you communicate with God, and in turn God communicates with you mainly through His Word. That's why having daily devotions is so important to your spiritual health---in order to "hear" God, you have to read and listen to what He has to say first. So if you're ever feeling far from God, just look at the place of these two basic things in your life and ask yourself, has God really left me or am I just ignoring Him?

What else does putting God first look like in every day life? Whether or not God is really first in your life can easily be determined by your priorities. Are you taking the time to study God's word and talk to Him, or are you conveniently shrugging them aside and watching tv or texting instead? Are you actively involved in a church? Do you serve others and allow others to pour into you? And how often are you ditching ministry opportunities for sports or school or friends or boyfriends? Do you fit God into your schedule or do you fit your schedule into your time with God? Your relationship with Jesus Christ means that you have to prioritize Him in your life, which in the busy American life is actually a very difficult thing to do. I'm not saying it's wrong to spend time playing sports or doing homework or hanging out with friends, but you have to be aware of whether or not those things are becoming idols in your life. You can easily fit God and friends into your schedule together, and when you're already prioritizing your relationship with God, you'll find that your relationship with your friends will also change, because you'll be loving them more like Jesus loves them. The same goes with every aspect of your life.

Putting God first also requires spontaneity. Having the Holy Spirit living within you means that sometimes He's going to move you to do something that you don't necessarily want to do. Maybe it requires a change in plans, talking to someone you don't know or like, going somewhere you don't want to go, or just taking a rather frightening leap of faith. Whatever it is, you must allow yourself to first listen to the Spirit and then obey the Spirit. Yes, this means you'll have to do some scary things---like sharing the Gospel, going miles out of your way for someone else, and making sacrifices in your own life like giving up a sport or movie with friends or money that you've been saving up---you may even literally end up dying for it, but Jesus is totally worth it. After all, He died for you...the least we could do is die to ourselves for Him.

And last, putting God first means that He is Lord of your life. He's not just your Creator, not just your Savior, not just your Father, but also your Lord, King, and Master. If God is first in your life, then you're more concerned with what He thinks of you rather than everyone else. You'd rather please your King than please your friends. After all, he's your KING. It's hard for us to understand what it's like to even have a king in America when we trash-talk our own presidents more than we pay them any sort of respect, but when it comes to a real life king, he is to be honored and highly esteemed. When he calls you to his palace, you go. When he commands you to do something or pay something, you do what he says. He leads and you follow. You kneel before Him in His presence and acknowledge Him as greater than you. You serve him without questioning. And when you look at all the kings of the past, it's easy to see that many of them weren't even remotely worthy of being served or honored or respected, but the people did it anyway because they were their kings. Some of these kings killed their own citizens, commited adultery, were greedy, and the list goes on and on, yet they were still honored. But Christ, He is more than worthy. He, the King of Kings, became a suffering servant to save us, His rebellious subjects. He is the only King who has truly LOVED his people, and now we must simply put Him first by loving Him in return through our worship and obedience.

And so if you've ever wondered what it really looks like to put God first in your life, this is a pretty good picture of it. So ask yourselves...is He really first? And if not, don't you think it's time He became your King of Kings?

Hosea

This week over at the Wonderfully Made blog they're posting a video a day following the Hosea love story, a beautiful story of God's relentless love for His rebellious and adulterous people (Yup, that would be us...the adulterous ones). Here are the videos for you to watch at your own pace. As you watch, it would be a good idea to read the book of Hosea in the Bible to get a better grasp of the story, and reflect on these two questions: How have you walked away from God in your life and broke His heart? When have you experienced God standing by you when you were trying to run away from Him? I hope these videos speak to your hearts. Much love.

Jesus From Genesis to Revelation

In Genesis, He is the Creator God. 

In Exodus, He is the Redeemer. 

In Leviticus, He is your sanctification.

In Numbers, He is your guide. 

In Deuteronomy, He is your teacher. 

In Joshua, He is the mighty conqueror. 

In Judges, He gives victory over enemies. 

In Ruth, He is your kinsman, your lover, your redeemer. 

In I Samuel, He is the root of Jesse. 

In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David. 

In 1 Kings and 2 Kings, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, He is your intercessor and High Priest. In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship. 

In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies. 

In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies. 

In Job, He is the arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them. 

In Psalms, He is your song–and your reason to sing.
In Proverbs, He is your wisdom, helping you make sense of life and live it successfully.

In Ecclesiastes, He is your purpose, delivering you from vanity.

In the Song of Solomon, He is your lover, your Rose of Sharon. 

In Isaiah, He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, the everlasting father, and more. He’s everything you need. 

In Jeremiah, He is your balm of Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul.

In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend. 

In Ezekiel, He is your wheel in the middle of a wheel–the one who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again. 

In Daniel, He is the ancient of days, the ever- lasting God who never runs out of time. 

In Hosea, He is your faithful lover, always beckoning you to come back–even when you have abandoned Him. 

In Joel, He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble. 

In Amos, He is the husbandman, the one you can depend on to stay by your side.

In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom.
In Jonah, He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will.

In Micah, He is judge of the nation. 

In Nahum, He is the jealous God.
In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One.

In Zephaniah, He is the witness.

In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies. 

In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts.

In Malachi, He is the messenger of the covenant. 

In Matthew, He is king of the Jews. 

In Mark, He is the servant.

In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel. 

In John, He is the Son of God. 

In Acts, He is Savior of the world. 

In Romans, He is the righteousness of God. 

In I Corinthians, He is the rock that followed Israel. 

In II Corinthians, He the triumphant one, giving victory.

In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.

In Ephesians, He is head of the Church.
In Philippians, He is your joy.
In Colossians, He is your completeness.

In I Thessalonians, He is your hope.

In II Thessalonians, He is your glory.

In I Timothy, He is your faith. 

In II Timothy, He is your stability.

In Titus He is your reason for serving. 

In Philemon, He is your benefactor.
In Hebrews, He is your perfection.
In James, He is the power behind your faith.

In I Peter, He is your example. 

In II Peter, He is your purity.

In I John, He is your life.

In II John, He is your pattern. 

In III John, He is your motivation.

In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith. 

In Revelation, He is your coming King.

The Woman at the Well

John 4: 1-26

1The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4Now he had to go through Samaria. 5So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.a) 10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” 13Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17“I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”

Hello Holly

I got the chance to sit down for ice cream and a lovely chat with Holly just last week, and let me tell you, this girl is amazing. A lot of you already know her and therefore already know that, but if you don't know her, I encourage you to take the time to get to know her a little more this year and to pray for her throughout the year as well. You probably have more in common than you think!

Name: Holly McCoy
Birthday: October 29th
Grade: 7th
What are some of your favorite bands? Steven Curtis Chapman
What are some of your favorite movies? 2012 and War of the Worlds (hmm...someone's got a fascination with the end of the world) ;-)
What's your favorite movie quote? "Tina, you fat lard, come get some dinner!"
What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom. (Hey, me too!)
What are some of your favorite websites to visit? Facebook!
How do you typically spend your free time? In my room listening to music, playing soccer against the garage door, cheer fusion.
What's your favorite subject in school? Language Arts, mostly because I really like my teacher.
Who's your favorite superhero? Spiderman.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you use it for? I would fly, and I'd pretty much just use it to get to places. Oh, and I'd become friends with birds and migrate with them, too!
Where was your favorite vacation? In the gulf coast of Alabama with my family. We went surfing, fishing, hung out in the ocean on a raft, and just spent a ton of time on the beach.
What's the weirdest dream you've ever had? One time I dreamed that a kangaroo ate me, and then I turned into a spider, and then I ate a mango. Haha.
Name two things you consider yourself to be really bad at. Basketball and pretending to know something when I really don't.
What is Satan's last name? Figglehorn.
If you could have dinner with one person who is no longer alive, who would it be and what would you talk about? I'd have dinner with Doug Holt, and I'd ask him all about heaven.
If you found out you had one week to live, how would you spend it? I'd go skydiving, bungee jumping, and ride the biggest roller coaster ever. I'd give all my money away, too, and try to make an impact on people.
If you had a time machine, what year would you go to and why? I'd go to 2000, because I'd want to see the things that happened when I was a baby.
What's one thing most people don't know about you? I can be really shy at times, and I don't like telling people what's wrong with me when I'm upset.
Can you tell me about some of the most difficult times in your life? I took Doug's death really hard because he was the first person I've ever known that's died. It was also really hard when we moved to Kansas, because I had to leave practically everything behind, including all my friends, and start over.
What are some of the ways you've seen God work in your life? My Dad recently got laid off and we thought we were gonna have to move again. Lots of people were praying for something to open up here in Wichita and as it turns out, something did! We were so excited that God answered our prayers and that we get to stay. I've also been sick a lot lately and God's been a real comfort to me.
What are some challenges you face as a Christian in junior high? A lot of my friends cuss and drink,  and are always doing bad things to try to be cool. Dating boys or just feeling like you need to get them to like you is hard too. It's hard not to be pressured into anything and to stand up for what's right knowing that you might be an outcast because of it.
What are some of the biggest questions you have about God and your relationship with him? If you go to heaven and you're supposed to be happy there, how will you still be happy when you know people are going to hell?
What's your favorite verse? Matthew 7:13 - "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."
What are some words of wisdom you can pass on to some of the other girls in our youth group? Don't try to be someone you're not to impress a guy---that includes the way you dress. Be yourself and he should like you for who you are.
What are some things we could all be praying for you about? That I'll make time for God every day and not get caught up in the world.

Gossip Girls

I’ve been a girl for a long time, and one of the things that girls are really bad about, especially in middle school and high school, is gossiping. And having been a high school girl once myself, I doubt any of you reading this could honestly say that you’ve never hurt anyone with gossip or in turn that you’ve never been hurt yourself through gossip. I’ll never forget the time when I was hurt most by gossip, back in the 9^th grade. Very few times have I ever felt the pains of a knife through the heart, but this was most definitely one of those times. I was going through a really hard time with my family. My parents had been divorced for two years and my mom was beginning to date again, and along with that she wasn’t making what I would deem wise decisions (Don’t assume the worst when you read that…). It hurt me badly to see, and even more so, it embarrassed me so much that I kept everything to myself. I knew how the students would respond, and even worse were the parents at my high school. And yet one day I couldn’t hide it anymore when a friend spent the night. We talked about it at school the next week with one other girl, I told them not to tell anyone else, and yet literally by the next day I had a boy at school casually joking about my mom being a “whore.” After that, parents heard rumors---who knows what they heard---and all of my girlfriends but one were suddenly no longer allowed to spend the night at my mom’s house with me. Now believe me when I say, I’ve never encountered humiliation quite like this since, and I’ve had a LOT of embarrassing moments. But to throw up on a ride at Worlds of Fun doesn’t quite carry the same kind of shame with it that an entire school of people judging your family does. Yet again, I had to pay the price for my parents’ mistakes, and the very vessel that brought about such heartache (aside from my mom’s own mistakes) was none other than gossip.

I suppose I could look back on that time in my life and wish I didn’t have to go through it, but I’m honestly really glad I did, because I needed to be on the receiving end of gossip to learn how much words could really hurt. After all, I wasn’t innocent when it came to gossip. It wasn’t until after this that I began to learn how important it is to be a trustworthy friend, keep certain things to yourself, and use your words to encourage, not tear others down. And so, I write this hoping you learn the same lesson as well.

We’ve all heard the saying “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me,” and if you haven’t figured it out by now, let me help you out when I say this…it’s just not true. Words do hurt. A lot. Sometimes far more than a broken bone ever could. A broken bone doesn’t pierce the heart, or breed rejection, or devalue a person’s worth. Sticks and stones don’t often do that, but words do. And because words hold so much power is exactly why God has commanded us to use our words to encourage others rather than the opposite. Ephesians 4:29 says, ”Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

So remember this verse as you go through school on a day to day basis. Remember that you are an ambassador of Christ, a vessel of God’s love to the people around you. Do your words communicate that? Does what proceeds from your mouth build others up, affirm their worth, and speak the truth in love? Or are you just tearing others down, continuing the spread of gossip, betraying secrets, and treating others like they’re just not good enough to deserve kind words from you?

I certainly hope it’s not the latter, but perhaps it is, and if so, how do you go about changing your behavior? Well first, you ask for forgiveness from God and seek repentance. Ask God to change your heart and He most certainly will. Ask him to show you how to encourage, and He will. Ask Him for the strength to avoid gossip and to put a stop to it in your presence, and He will no doubt give it to you. And second, when you’re about to speak and are debating about whether or not what you are about to say can be considered gossip, ask yourselves these questions: Is this worth repeating? Would I want someone else to repeat this about me? Does this build this person up or destroy them? Am I repeating this out of spite or out of love? Do I know if this is even true? Do I know this person or even genuinely care about this person? Would what I am about to say hurt this person?

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, it’s also good to consider approaching this person with the information that you’ve heard. After all, do you know if it’s true? Do they know what’s being said about them? And even more so, does someone who cares need to step into their life and say something out of concern? Now, there are some things that are spread around that are of great concern and that shouldn’t be kept to yourself, but this by no means that every other student in school should know about it. Talk of drinking, drugs, sex, depression, suicide, eating disorders, abuse, and all sorts of things that bring about nothing but harm need to be dealt with, not kept in secret. In this case, the best thing to do is to a)talk to the person themselves about it and b)tell a responsible adult who is able to find them help. Most people wouldn’t bother to take such measures, but as Christians, we are set apart to love both our friends and our enemies, and this is a wonderful way to show that love to someone who needs it.

Ladies, I hope you’re taking this to heart, because gossip is not from God and it certainly doesn’t honor Him. I’ve already seen gossip take its course here in our youth group, and the damage was evident. We can only thank God for bringing forgiveness and healing to the situation, because He most certainly worked in it. Though the world sees gossip as no big deal, the Bible doesn’t take it lightly. In fact, there are hundreds of verses about it. Don’t believe me? See what the Word has to say about the dangers of the tongue:

James 3: 3-12 “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Proverbs 15:4 “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 11:13 “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.”

Proverbs 16:28 “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”

1 Peter 3:8-12 “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, 'Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’

Proverbs 21:23 “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”

And one last thing before I end this post. If you find yourself a victim of gossip, remember your worth. Remember that God created you to have worth and affirmed your worth on the cross. No one can take away the love that He has for you, nor can anyone take away the salvation that you have through faith in Christ. Words especially can’t take that away from you, so when you face trials such as this, ground yourself in the truth. Read God’s word and find out what it says about who God is and who you are in Him. But also take what is being said in humility and be honest with yourself about what is being said, because sometimes things are said because we’ve given people a reason to say them. That doesn’t make gossip okay, but it gives us a great opportunity to examine our own hearts and see the effect that our sin has on us as well as others. And don’t forget to speak such words of truth into the lives of friends or even enemies you know that have become the topic of conversation at school…they need to hear it just as much as you do. May God continue to lavish His grace upon you girls, and may he fill your mouths with wisdom and truth. Let us be women whose words bring life rather than death, whose words heal rather than destroy. This is my prayer for us. I love you all, and I’ll see you tomorrow!