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 Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:10 am
BARBIE AND KEN
In today's world we find ourselves being molded into what society wants us to be. We look to the media to tell us what we should wear, what we should look like, and what is the "perfect life style". We tend to idolize people who live large. We want to be like the, because they can have whatever they want. We turn on our televisions and see them singing about how they are rich, how they are beautiful, how they are successful, and how they can get any man/woman they want. And us ordinary people want their glamorous lives. Why? It's because their lives sound exciting. Their lives sounds like all the fun and none of the consequences.
Why do we constantly look up to people who continue to fail? We idolize them so much that we give them excuses. We are the ones letting them live the lives they are living. Since we adore them so much we let them off the hook for horrific acts. We try to justify their actions. Tell me why it is that we can forgive them so easily when it comes to celebrities but we can't simply turn the other cheek for everyday people who fail us in daily life? Everyday people make huge mistakes just like the stars do. Everyday people are so stressed they take their problems out on their children, everyday people get drunk and try to force themselves sexually on us, everyday people that lie and cheat us. And yet we cannot seem to forgive them? Why are we suddenly unable to justify horrible actions?
Sometimes I think to myself, "No, you're different from the rest. You observe people's actions and reactions. You learn from other people's mistakes and you put them into practice as best as you can into your own life." The key part of that thought is, "as best as you can". See that's what I don't get. We rely on the life size Barbie and Ken dolls to show us how we should life our lives. If everyone in this world falls into his or her desires, and in the process falls short, whom do we rely on? Our family? Our friends? The Government? That's the thing, we can't rely on other people. Humans succeed in failing. One of my favorite quotes is from author Frank Peretti. He states, "Left to his own devices man will always create a monster." And he couldn't be more correct. So whom do we rely on? Naturally, the only possibility would be someone without fault. We need someone to help carry the burdens of life whenever we call. Most people don't realize that someone is Jesus.
Verses to remember (NIV):
1 Samuel 16:7-"But the Lord told 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."
Matthew 11:28-30-"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Songs to Relate:
Casting Crowns- Love Them Like Jesus (Relates to Matthew 11:28-30)
Quotes to Ponder:
Frank Peretti-"Left to his own devices man will always create a monster."
Quality Time with the Father:
Lord, our Heavenly Father, I pray that you give me the strength and power to move forward and to forgive others as you have forgiven me. I pray that I can humble myself in times when I start to think that I'm fine without you. No one is better off without You, Lord. There is no substitution when it comes to You, Father, God. Help me to put my trust in You, Lord when storms in my life hit.
In Your precious name I pray, Amen.
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 4:21 pm
THE BOOGIE MAN
Little Noah-James crawled into bed at 9:00pm. His mommy came to tuck him in and give him a quick kiss before turning around to leave, shutting the door behind her. Noah-James cuddled up in his blanket eyes wide open in the pitch black of his room. The tree outside his window swayed in the wind, it’s branches tapping on glass. Images of the horror movie that he watched at his friend’s house flood his mind. Normally, Noah-James isn’t allowed to watch movies like that at home. But at his friend Luke’s house, his mother wasn’t there to reinforce the rules. After all, watching that movie made him a big kid. It proved to him and his friends that he was brave. But now, in his the loneliness of his room, he didn’t feel so brave. Noah-James, trying to get the images out of his mind focused the lesson taught by Miss Walsh on Sunday. She told the children that in the book of Joshua, God commands us to be brave.
“Lord, you tell me to be brave but how do you make yourself brave? I mean isn’t that kind of a strange command? Not to be rude God but either you feel brave or you don’t, right?”
Noah-James stayed awake and talked to God about it. The Lord told him that He is commanding his people to be brave because of what bravery shows faith. When His people are showing bravery, they know that He has control over the situation and that He is bigger than anything they have to face.
Once Noah-James had talked to God for a while he realized how much he now knew that he hadn’t before. He looked around a noticed that he wasn’t scared anymore. He was in the Lord’s hands now and knew that He would take care of him. God’s bigger than the Boogieman, Godzilla, or any of the monsters on TV. Noah-James realized that watching the “big kid” movies didn’t make him brave, but that of his ability to trust God.
Verses to Remember:
Joshua 1:9- “Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.”
Isaiah 40:29-31- “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
2 Timothy 1:7- “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Psalm 57:11- “in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Ephesians 6:1- “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” -which is the first commandment with a promise- “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth.”
Songs to Relate:
Chris Rice- Big Enough
Pocket Full of Rocks- Bigger
Quality Time with the Father:
Lord, please remind me that You, Father, are always there in times of trouble. Father, God, I pray that you give me the strength to carry on through the rough patches. Whenever I become doubtful of your existence in my life Father, God that you make yourself known.
In Your precious name, I pray, Amen.
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:00 pm
THE CHAIR
You’re in an unknown circular room. It’s pitch black making you rely highly on your other senses. So you start to feel your way around in order to get a feel for the place. After feeling around for a while you feel something hard and smooth with four legs. To your delight, you discover that what you have found is a chair. Now that you know that there is a chair in the room you realize that you can now navigate yourself around the room. Feeling brave you take seven paces away from the chair. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…you’ve found the wall. You know that when you turn around and take seven paces forward, that you will be at the chair again.1…2…3…4…5…6…7…you’ve reached the chair again. Now you are comfortable. You have a fix point of reference. You know that you can always find your way as long as you have that chair. So, you pick up the chair and start to walk away.
Wait a minute…there is definitely something wrong with this picture. If the chair is a fixed point of reference then it has to have two characteristics. One, it has to be apart from you and secondly, it has to be fixed. In other words, it can’t move. As soon as we pick up the chair and make it apart of our way of life it is no longer apart from us. We no longer have that fixed point of reference.
As Christians, we realize that we can’t take God and put Him in our pocket and change him so He fits into our life style. We realize that He is Holy and set apart from us. We understand that whenever we go to God he’s right there. That God isn’t going anywhere. What good is a point of reference is it isn’t set apart from us? Others don’t seem to get this. But to us, it’s just common sense.
That’s the beauty of being a follower of Christ. We have a fixed point of reference. A shelter in the rain that other just don’t have. For that blessing we must be thankful.
This example of God as a fixed point of reference was unfortunately not one of my ideas. I came across this idea when I was searching mindlessly on YouTube. If you want to watch the video go to www.youtube.com and type in, “Frank Peretti- The Chair”.
Verses to Remember:
*Deuteronomy 33:27- “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’”
*Psalm 91:2- “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
Songs to Relate:
Avalon- Love Won’t Leave You
Pocket Full of Rocks- Bigger
Michael W. Smith- Place in This World
Quotes to Ponder:
N/A
Quality Time with the Father:
Lord, our Father in Heaven. Thank you for blessing me by giving a fixed point of reference. I thank you God for taking me as I am when I know that I could never earn you’re love. I give you praise Lord, Father, God. All I can say is thank you for choosing me Lord. Show me how to live my life a sacrifice my precious Father so that I may please You.
In Your precious name, I pray, Amen.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 4:43 pm
All of that is true. We do want to make our lives like the rich and famous, we do get scared when we are away from God and we do need to remember that God isn't something you can take with you while you go out and act like the world. This is a very nice thread. mrgreen Thank you! I needed this.
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:53 pm
DJ_Gray All of that is true. We do want to make our lives like the rich and famous, we do get scared when we are away from God and we do need to remember that God isn't something you can take with you while you go out and act like the world. This is a very nice thread. mrgreen Thank you! I needed this. Wow thank you. I'm glad someone got something from my little devotions.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:39 pm
Yeah, those stories are really cool. Are you a preacher?
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:43 pm
xBiblexHuggerx DJ_Gray All of that is true. We do want to make our lives like the rich and famous, we do get scared when we are away from God and we do need to remember that God isn't something you can take with you while you go out and act like the world. This is a very nice thread. mrgreen Thank you! I needed this. Wow thank you. I'm glad someone got something from my little devotions. You're welcome!
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