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Have You Burned Your Plow?

Elisha knew God was calling him to become Elijah's successor. He didn't know everything that would involve, and he certainly didn't know what the future had in store for him. But though Elisha wasn't sure what God was calling him to, he knew what God was calling him from.

God was calling Elisha from an ordinary life of daily routine to an extraordinary life of adventure. Is it okay to live an ordinary life of routine? Absolutely! In fact, it's how we discipline ourselves to God during the ordinary days of our routine living that often determine how we respond when God allows the extraordinary to cross our path. Because Elisha had been faithful and consistent in being all God called him to be while working the fields, God knew He could trust Elisha with miracles.

But God was also calling Elisha to leave the familiar behind. He knew how to work the fields. He was comfortable with the oxen and plows. But being a prophet? This was a whole new game for Elisha! And God was asking for total commitment-no more leaning on the past of what Elisha was comfortable with and knew best.

When Elisha answered God's call by burning his plows and killing his oxen, he was showing his willingness to leave his wealthy life of farming and to follow God wholeheartedly. Without his tools and animals, there was no possibility of returning to what God had called him from.

While God wants you to be faithful in the daily routine of your ordinary life, He also wants you to be willing to be stretched and removed from your comfort zones at His leading. Have you begun to lean too heavily on what's familiar instead of trusting God for the extraordinary?

Are there things in your life that God wants you to “burn?” Are there some friends you need to walk away from? Some habits you need to release? An environment of which you shouldn't return?

Know It!
Following Jesus isn't always comfortable, but it's always an adventure! Where are you in this spiritual adventure? Are you waiting to get involved, weighing the cost, in the middle of the action or looking back?

Read It!
1 Kings 19:15-21; Psalm 4:5; Psalm 9:10; Psalm 13:5.

Pray It!
Ask God to reveal anything in your life that He needs you to turn completely away from . . . never to return again.

Giggles, Grins and Falling Asleep

To say we've come a long way in the arena of medicine is an understatement. Ancient Egyptian doctors made sure their patients were unconscious before surgery by hitting them on the head with a mallet.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., the dad of the Supreme Court Justice, coined the term “anesthesia” when he discovered the adrenal gland. When anesthesia was first discovered, some very conservative Christians believed it was against the will of God and fought to banish it. The controversy didn't last long, because Christians finally came to believe that when God removed Adam's rib to create Eve, the “deep sleep” God placed him under would have been similar to using anesthesia.

In 1800, Sir Humphry Davy discovered the intoxicating results of nitrous oxide and used it for laughing gas at parties he had with his friends. Ether had also used anesthetic gas at his own parties a few years earlier, but it never occurred to either men to use the drugs for surgical purposed, and eventually the interest in these substances declined.

Flash forward half a century. A dentist named W.T.G. Morton, from Boston, finally realized how useful these two drugs could be for surgery and gave a demonstration for a group of doctors. He anesthetized a patient with a tumor then stepped aside so the surgeon could operate.

Dr. J.C. Warren was the surgeon and was shocked he could actually operate on a patient who wasn't screaming in pain. As he finished the surgery, he endorsed anesthesia. The news began to spread, but people were still skeptical. A dentist named Horace Wells tried to demonstrate using anesthesia on one of his patients, but he didn't give him enough nitrous oxide, and the patient began screaming during the operation. The group of doctors left unconvinced that it was possible to have surgery without pain.

But the man who really put the story together was Samuel Cooley. He had attended a demonstration of nitrous oxide in 1844. At the end of the lecture, the speaker released 40 galloon of NO2 into the audience. Reacting to the “laughing gas,” the audience began to giggle and move about freely. Samuel Cooley was laughing so hard, he fell and severely injured his leg but didn't even know it! It was his story that convinced physicians to try using nitrous oxide in surgery.

Years before Samuel Cooley, Dr. Warren, Mr. Morton, Sir Humphry Davy, Mr. Morton and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., there was another young man who fell asleep without laughing gas. His name was Eutychus, and he had a little trouble staying awake during the apostle Paul's sermon.

To make himself a little more comfortable, Eutychus stretched out inside an open window and soon started counting sheep. In a matter of minutes, he was dead. He had fallen out of the window from the tall building in which the Christians were meeting and died.

Know It!
It's a natural progression: We get comfortable, we fall asleep. Have you become too spiritually comfortable?

Read It!
Mark 13:33; Acts 20:7-12; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Peter 5:8.

Pray It!
Ask God to wake you up from any areas in your life in which you may have fallen asleep spiritually.

Wanted: More Faith!

You know them . . . the people who just seem to naturally have it together spiritually. They live with a deep faith, and you know their prayers get through. Maybe there's someone like that in your life-parents, pastor, youth leader. And sometimes you find yourself thinking, I want a stronger faith like that.

Some people are just naturally more trusting. For others, faith is more difficult. Remember the apostle Thomas? He wanted to see the nail scars in the Lord's hands before he believed. Faith was hard for him.

But guess what! You don't need a lot of faith. Jesus tells us all we need is a small amount. In fact, He compares how much we need to the size of a mustard seed. Have you ever seen a mustard seed? It's about the size of a pin point. Microscopic!

The fact that you're a Christian and have trusted God to forgive your sins proves you have faith. And yes, there are some things you can do to increase the little bit of faith you have.

1. Read your Bible consistently.

2. Pray daily.

If you're not used to doing these two things, start by setting a small goal for yourself. Start with something you know you can reach. For instance, say, “I'm going to read the Bible and pray for one minute every day.” Anyone can spend one minute with God!

You'll easily meet your goal, and after a few weeks you'll probably want to increase it to two minutes, then three or five. But if you start out saying, “I'm going to spend an hour a day praying and reading the Bible,” you may not follow through. So be realistic and set a goal you know you can easily reach.

3. Surround yourself with other Christians.

4. Get involved in your local church. You may be thinking, If I surround myself with a bunch of Christians, I won't have anyone with whom to share my faith. Yes, you will. God isn't going to take you out of the world. You don't have to exclude the non- Christian people in your life in order to surround yourself with Christians. But the reason it's important to be around other Christians is because they can encourage and challenge you in your spiritual walk.

And what's the big deal about going to church? A church body provides spiritual growth through preaching, teaching and accountability. Corporate worship is essential to mature faith.

If you're already doing all these things, watch that person's life whom you spiritually admire. What is she doing that you're not? Ask her. Close friends should be able to share their spiritual highs and lows. Ask her to pray with you about your concerns.

Know It!
Bottom line: If you truly desire to grow spiritually, you will. You do what it takes to deepen and stretch your faith.

Read It!
Colossians 1:10; Hebrews 19-25; James 4:8; 1 Peter 2:9.

Pray It!
Be open with God. Tell Him your desire to draw closer to Him.

Wholly Whole

Have you ever felt as though everyone around you is a couple except you? If you haven't dated much, maybe you've even begun to think, What's wrong with me?

Actually, being normal has absolutely nothing in the world to do with having a boyfriend/girlfriend. Being normal has everything to do with following Jesus Christ and living in total obedience to Him. In fact, it's silly to think that another person can make you whole. But many teens believe if they were only in a dating relationship, it would fill that aching void of loneliness in their lives.

While a relationship can certainly enhance our lives, it can't fill the voice. Is it even fair to expect anyone to accomplish a task as big and important as that?

God's ideal is for you to be whole as an individual. Then someday when you do marry, you marry already whole. Your mate will simply add to your life instead of becoming your life. When you make God the very center of your life, He brings the fulfillment and security you need. Then when you marry someday, you do so as two whole people enhancing the lives of each other.

Realistically, Jesus Christ is the only One who can fill the void in your life. Your security, happiness and fulfillment have to be founded in a relationship with Him, not with another human. Only when you're whole in Christ are you ready to join into a relationship with someone else. Never approach a relationship expecting that person to make you whole. It won't happen, and it can't happen. And starting a relationship simply because you're lonely, isn't a good enough reason to enter a relationship.

Loneliness is universal in our world. Psychologists tells us it's one of the most frequent issues they deal with in counseling. Loneliness is often the root of suicide attempts, drug abuse, alcohol addiction and many other problems-both physical and psychological.

Ironically, out of all the problems that surround us, loneliness is the most frequently mentioned problem in our society. Doctors tell us that loneliness is as significant to high blood pressure as obesity is to a lack of exercise. Medical experts also point out that loneliness-social isolation-is a greater mortality risk than smoking.

Someone once described loneliness as “sensing the spirit of one you love pulling away from you.”

You may be wondering, But I'm a Christian! Why am I lonely? Christians aren't ever supposed to get lonely . . . are they?

Know It!
Christians aren't immune to anything. Even Jesus Christ felt loneliness. And guess what-He understands when you get lonely, too! Let's take a closer look at loneliness and what we can do about it.

Read It!
Psalm 34:18-20; Psalm 68:6; Matthew 26:36-46, 56; Luke 5:16.

Pray It!
Ask God to glorify Himself through your loneliness

Handling Loneliness

We've established that loneliness is normal, everyone experiences it, Jesus experienced it, and there are a variety of categories of loneliness.

1. Loneliness caused by isolating ourselves.

2. Loneliness caused by circumstances beyond our control. This type of loneliness doesn't happen because you're a bad person or because you're difficult to be around. You don't cause this loneliness-God allows it, not out of anger or spite, but because we live in a fallen world. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. In other words, a loved one dies or a best friend moves away. This usually requires an adjustment period. And that requires change . . . which is never easy.

If you're experiencing this kind of loneliness, begin praying for healing. We're reminded in Psalm 34 that God is extremely close to those whose hearts are breaking. He's also promised to be our Comforter. He can begin the healing process right now if you'll trust Him with the hurt. And it will be a process. Sometimes wounds take a long time to heal.

3. Loneliness caused by spiritual or psychological loneliness. It's strange how you can be surrounded by crowds of people and yet still feel completely alone, isn't it? You've probably heard the saying, “It's lonely at the top.” If you're in a position of student leadership, you've probably experienced the struggle of working hard to make good things happen for others (planning the dance, organizing the class party, etc.) and yet not having someone special to enjoy it with you. It's easy to feel as though you're often standing on the outside looking in.

This type of loneliness often attacks those in positions of spiritual leadership. Remember the Old Testament prophet Elijah? (Flip back to March 12 for a quick reminder.) God did incredible things through this man. He defeated the army of Baal (and the odds were 450 to 1!), he stood up against King Ahab, and he led thousands to believe in and worship the Lord.

Yet after the big Baal bash, he withdrew into the mountains and asked God to let him die. He complained that he was the only godly man left. Loneliness always seems to intensify when we can't find others who share our beliefs. The Lord opened Elijah's spiritual eyes a little wider and revealed to him that there were actually 7,000 godly people around him. When you're experiencing this kind of loneliness, ask God to reveal those around you who share your standards and values.

Know It!
Determine not to exaggerate your loneliness by multiplying your complaints in your mind as Elijah did. Wait for God to nourish you with His strength.

Read It!
Psalm 69:1-4; Psalm 69: 33; Psalm 69:15; 2 Corinthians 4:7-9;

Pray It!
When you're feeling lonely, ask God to show you others around you who share your faith and values.

The Yoke

As Christians, we're very familiar with the Cross. We see it on church steeples and wear it on gold chains around our necks. We know that it's an instrument of death. It symbolizes sacrifice. It represents death.

But there's another ingredient that's just as essential in our relationship with Christ as the Cross, and that's the yoke. We aren't as familiar with the yoke, are we? We don't see it on church steeples or wear small yokes on gold chains around our necks. But the yoke, like the Cross, is necessary to our spiritual maturity.

The yoke is an instrument of sacrifice. It symbolizes service. It represents sweat. And if we're really serious about our relationship with Christ, we're ready at any moment to pick up the Cross or be fitted with the yoke. We're willing to die or to serve. We're ready to sacrifice or to sweat.

There's a legend that states in Jesus' day, He was known for making perfect yokes in the family carpenter's shop. The legend stands that men would bring their animals from miles around just to have Jesus make the yoke for their oxen. It's important that a yoke fit perfectly. If it's too small, it grinds the neck of the animal and can rub it raw. And one can actually put a very light load on the back of the oxen, but if the yoke is too small the load will feel very heavy.

And if a yoke is too large, the oxen can't get a good grip. It rides too loosely around their necks making it difficult to pull a load. And again, one can actually put a very light load on the backs of the oxen but it will seem very heavy if the yoke is too big.

But when a yoke fits just right, one can put a heavy load on the oxen, and it will feel extremely light, because everything is in exact balanced proportion.

Know It!
Jesus Christ has spend your lifetime custom-designing a yoke that will only fit you. It fits you perfectly. Will you allow Him to break you, remake you and reshape you in His image and be fitted with His yoke?

Read It!
Psalm 22:8; Isaiah 28:16; Mark 8:34; Matthew 11:28- 30.

Pray It!
Ask God to help you learn the importance of total surrender in your relationship with Him and what it means to pick up the cross and be fitted with the yoke.

No Regrets
The armies of the North and South were clashing fiercely during the first three days of July 1863. It was the middle of the Civil War, and the North and South were in battle at Gettysburg. During the first three days of the battle, the fighting was inconclusive, but then things began to turn against General Lee and the Confederate forces.

Under General G.G. Meade's leadership, the northern troops were winning, so Lee began to retreat southward on the night of July 4. Storm clouds drenched the East Coast with rain, and when Lee got to the Potomac River, he discovered it was swollen with rain. He and his troops couldn't cross it. The Union army was right behind him, and the river was right in front of him. The Confederate forces were trapped!

This was the perfect opportunity for General Meade to end the battle. He could have attacked immediately, destroyed General Lee's army and ended the Civil War. President Lincoln actually ordered him to attack. But Meade didn't. He waited. Delayed. Held a council meeting. Then delayed again.

Eventually the water of the river went down, and General Lee and the Confederate troops escaped over the Potomac. The war continued another two years. Meade never regained his lost opportunity, and it was to General Grant that Lee finally surrendered on April 9, 1865.

What a tremendous regret! What an amazingly incredible missed opportunity! Meade could have actually ended the war and saved innocent lives if he had simply acted when the timing was right.

God is in the business of providing amazingly incredible opportunities. Are you in the business of recognizing them? When you notice a classmate who's upset, do you see that as an opportunity to comfort her? When a friend is discouraged, do you recognize the opportunity to share the eternal hope you have? When a friend goes through a breakup, do you see that as an opportunity to talk about a Friend who loves forever and has promised to never leave us?

Maybe you're thinking, I'm not sure if I have those opportunities. Then follow this simple strategy:

• Pray for opportunities to share your faith. You serve a God who is extremely faithful! If you ask Him to give you specific opportunities to share what He's doing in your life with others, He will. Make this request a part of your daily prayer life.

• Pray for wisdom to recognize the opportunities that God does indeed bring your way. Ask Him to help you recognize them. Learn to develop the habit of seeing everyone you come in contact with as either a lost soul or a saved soul. And determine to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the lost souls He brings across your path.

Know It!
God doesn't want you to live a life of missed opportunities and spiritual regrets. Stand up, take notice and know that you're on a mission-a mission to reflect Jesus Christ to each person with whom you come in contact.

Read It!
Jeremiah 31:13; Jeremiah 35:13-15; Lamentations 3:22-26; Acts 8:27-39.

Pray It!
Ask God to forgive you for any missed opportunities you let slip past you

Dangerous Driver, Dangerous Christian?

More and more people are trying to eat while driving, and it's causing a lot of accidents. If your car is a stick shift, and you're trying to eat, drink, answer a cell phone and shift gears, you don't have enough hands to guide the steering wheel!

Insurance companies have discovered it's really more the spill than the eating. So that means anything that drips isn't a good idea to consume while behind the wheel of a car. The staff at Hagerty Classic Insurance decided to do a study of their own to see which foods are the worst offenders, and although they ruined a few shirts in the process, they found some interesting information.

The top seven food offenders in a car are:

1. Coffee. It always finds a way out of the cup. And the temperature of most coffees can cause serious burns and distract drivers who are trying to drive while in pain.

2. Hot Soup. Many people drink it like coffee and run the same risks.

3. Tacos. This is a food that can disassemble itself without much help, leaving your car looking like a salad bar.

4. Chili. Lots of potential for drips and slops down the front of clothing.

5. Hamburgers. From the grease of the burger to ketchup and mustard, it could all end up on your hands, clothes and the steering wheel.

6. Barbecued food. The sauce may be great, but if you have to lick your fingers, the sauce will end up on whatever you touch-including the controls of your car.

7. Fried Chicken. Another food that leaves you with greasy hands, which means constantly wiping them on something. It also makes your steering wheel greasy.

Someone trying to eat, shift and answer a phone while driving, might as well hang a sign in the window that says, “Dangerous Driver.” But could the same thing be happening to you as a Christian? It's easy to become so involved in a variety of good things that you find yourself simply juggling nice activities instead of really making a difference. If you're going to Bible study but getting angry at your parents . . . if you're inviting non- Christian friends on your softball team to youth group but throwing the bat on the field and cussing when you strike out . . . you might as well be wearing a shirt that says “Dangerous Christian.”

Know It!
People who don't know Christ are watching your life. Are you juggling so many unnecessary things that you're causing spiritual accidents? If so, it's time to slow down!

Read It!
Hebrews 12:10; Hebrews 12:12-13; James 1:13-16; 1 Peter 5:2.

Pray It!
Ask God to show you what activities are truly worthy of your time and energy. Let the others go.