Posts from November 2021 (Page 2)

  If you ever get a chance to, you should watch the movie Evan Almighty , if for no other reason than Steve Carell is in it (and he’s hilarious). The premise of the movie is that Evan Baxter (Carell) is a newly appointed Congressman who is approached by God, played by Morgan Freeman, and is asked to build an ark but isn’t given the reason as to why. Evan’s wife, Joan, shows much doubt about her husband’s “crazy” project,…

  “He’s still workin’ on me to make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars, the sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and patient He must be. ‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me.There really ought to be a sign upon my heart: ‘Don’t judge me yet. There’s an unfinished part.’  But I’ll be better just according to His plan, fashioned by the Master’s loving hand.…

              Self-control is defined as having control or restraint of oneself or one’s actions and feelings.  Being self-controlled is the very foundation for living a life for God.  But, far too often, we lose control of ourselves and act/behave in ways that are far from Christ like.  Our desires tempt us every day.  The devil knows exactly how to tempt each of us to lose control. In other words, the devil knows how to…

             Kindness is doing something and not expecting anything in return.  In Colossians 3:12 we are told that as God’s chosen people we are to clothe ourselves with kindness among other virtues.  The Bible is full of stories of kindness.  I’m reminded of the four friends that brought their paralyzed friend to see Jesus so he could be healed as one of many great examples for us to follow.   God wants us to show kindness…

        Patience is defined as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.  For so many of us, this is one fruit that is very elusive.  We live extremely busy lives and pack so many things into our day that one hiccup in our day starts a domino effect that pushes patience out of our lives extremely quickly.  Looking to God as our example, Exodus 34:6 describes the Lord as…

           In John 14:27 we read “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”.  Peace is the result of resting in a relationship with God.   Peace is more than an absence of conflict. It is the tranquil state of a soul that does not fear and is content, trusting that everything…

  :          In Philippians 4:4 Paul writes “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”  Often time joy is mistaken for happiness, but there is a definite difference.  Joy is much deeper than happiness.  Joy is rooted in God and comes from Him.  Happiness is a fleeting thought or an emotion.  Joy is knowing that our strength comes from God and that He is in control regardless of our earthly situation.  We can…

                  All this week we will concentrate on two verses written to the Galatians by the Apostle Paul.   Many could recite the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians, but do we really know “how” to bear these fruits of the Spirit in our everyday lives?  This week, we will highlight one of the fruits each day and give practical advice as to how you can show these fruits to…

  DISCUSSION:                                       We are always encouraged from youth to do the best you can at what you choose to do. That is good advice, but we must be careful what we choose to do. Life is full of choices. Making the right choice is not easy and many times the right choice will not be the choice we make. So the…

  DISCUSSION God gave the children of Israel physical signs (cloud by day and fire by night). This provided direction of where to go and comfort that God was with them. They often ignored that and displeased God, but God always provided them with hope and direction. Today the same God guides us with His word. He provides us with direction (straight path) and a comfort to know He is there for us. Do we often ignore His word for…

  DISCUSSION:                                              A disaster strikes suddenly and usually without warning. Even though we know tornados, floods, lightning storms, accidents and deaths are going to occur, we are still shocked when they do. The tragedies that claimed Job’s possessions and family came suddenly and without warning. Job and his family were living out their lives in a day to day routine when disaster struck, turning their world upside down. Jesus warns that the conditions when He returns will be similar.…

  DISCUSSION:                             As we raise our children we all notice things about them that remind us of either their mother or father. We are proud of these similarities and consider it to be a genetic trait. It is easy to assume that if you didn’t cause your parents grief growing up, your children probably want cause you much either. Eli and Samuel would be the first…