What's Your Devotion?

They all met together and were constantly united in prayer. -Acts 1:14A

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. -Acts 2:42

You want to know what came of the devotion of the apostles? Hundreds of people were affected by generosity. They worshipped together daily in the temple, they gave away their possesions, they shared their meals, they gave to the poor, and they shared the good will of all the people. These guys were popular, and the Word says that their numbers were added to daily. Every day people were being saved! You want to know what that looks like? Try this, in Acts 2:14-41 Peter speaks to a multitude after being filled with the holy spirit (that's right, after being with 120 people who were devoted to praying) 3,000 people were saved in one day alone. 3,000 people! And every day people were being saved.

This is a picture of the church. A little different from what we have today, isn't it! But do you see what can happen through devotion?

God is devoted to us, and he wants to use people who are devoted to him, in even so much as being devoted to your fellow man; sharing meals, selling your posessions and giving to the poor, worshipping together, and ultimately, devotion to a personal relationship with God.

So where do you start with devotion to God? From an Adventist Youth's point of view, this is a good question since Adventism seams to teach everything but having a personal relationship with God. In any relationship the best place to begin is with communication; getting to know the other--relating. Talk to God like you would anyone you were face to face with, talk to him as often as you think of it, and set aside time (in the morning before you start your day is good) to talk with him. Read the Word; get a study Bible in an easy translation (I prefer New Living Translation). Hang out with your Christian peers, ask questions and discuss; as you relate with them they will help you grow stronger.

These are just a few ideas, your personal relationship with God will be unique to you.
Remember that devotion isn't work or something you 'have to do', devotion should be a pleasure. Acts 2:46 tells us the believers didn't just do all these things, they did them with great joy and generosity, verse 47 even says they praised God the whole time, and even enjoyed the good will of all the people.

And finally remember that because God has devoted himself to us in so much as to die an excruciating death for us, he is most worthy of our devotion, our praise and our worship.

Be Like Jesus - Servitude

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!            -Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus is the son of God, but his goal was not equality with God. Jesus' goal was to be a servant, the lowest of low.

The Adventist church is big on being like Jesus, but what's your idea of being like Jesus? Does it include being a servant? Does it include dieing? Jesus humbled himself so far as to become obedient to death (we know through the Word that God controls death so Jesus was ultimately obedient to his Father)

So we can see that being like Jesus includes a little more than door-to-door handouts and weekly Bible studies. Being like Jesus means dieing to yourself, allowing God to fully occupy you, being humble and completely obedient, even unto physical death. Being like Jesus means becoming a servant.

Make me a servant, Humble and meek

Lord let me lift up, Those who are week

And may the prayer of my heart always be

Make me a servant, Make me a servant

Make me a servant today..

Believe

Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him -John 9:38

No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. -Acts 15:11

Yet today and as sad as it is, I still see many struggling with the simplicity of salvation. Paul, in Romans 10:9-10 tells us how salvation is gained:

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

So is that all? Is it really just as simple as believing we have it? No strings? No good deeds? No 'rest on the seventh day' or 'being quiet in the sanctuary'? Really? Just this morning I heard the fear of a young boy frantic to escape God's hell fire, wondering what he must do to earn God's grace. How does that sound to you?

Nearly six years ago I was the same, struggling to gain my righteousness by works. Fear of hell-fire went so far as to drive me to be baptised as a safegaurd. Many people still seek salvation through the Law, the old covenant, but the Law was made to condemn us, not save us, and so righteousness by works is futile. Besides, Christ did away with the old covenant on the cross.

But then, is humanity hopelessly lost? What can we do to be saved from 'eternal hell fires'? Absolutely nothing. It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ we are saved. When asked by a Roman jailer how salvation could be earned, Paul and Silas replied:

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." -Acts 16:31

It all comes down to believing. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. For the heart is what God is concerned with, it is what he loves.

Yes, it really is that simple. Does that mean that good works are no good? Absolutely not! Continue every day to do good deeds, that others may see the love of our Father through you. But these do not gain your salvation, nor does a sinful nature take away your salvation, if you will continue to believe:

For God so loved [me] (the world) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17]For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

-John 3:16-18

People Like Me

We've all heard it before, but I want to tell you the story of grace. You probably say, 'Oh I know all about that one,' I want to give you a new perspective on it. So if you will, get out your Bible or point your browser to your preferred online Bible [technology these days, huh ;) ] I'm going to give you a picture from Ezekial 16, begining with the fourth verse:

[4] On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth. [5] No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die. [6] “But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, ‘Live!’ [7] And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your body hair grew, but you were still naked. [8] And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

What a beautiful picture. We were abandoned, left in a field to die, left in our own blood. And Then God.

[9] “Then I bathed you and washed off your blood, and I rubbed fragrant oils into your skin. [10] I gave you expensive clothing of fine linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine goatskin leather. [11] I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, beautiful necklaces, [12] a ring for your nose, earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head. [13] And so you were adorned with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and were beautifully embroidered. You ate the finest foods—choice flour, honey, and olive oil—and became more beautiful than ever. You looked like a queen, and so you were! [14] Your fame soon spread throughout the world because of your beauty. I dressed you in my splendor and perfected your beauty, says the Sovereign Lord.

What grace. God saw us, abandoned, dieing, kicking in our own blood, and he loved us. However, the rest of the chapter tells us of Israel's unfaithfulness, how we who had recieved so much from God took it and abused it, became adulterous, prostitutes, idoliters, sacrificing even the children we birthed to God to our idols, and altogether forsook God. But wait, because the story isn't over yet. Skim through to the end, verse 53:

[53] “But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and Samaria, and I will restore you, too. [54] Then you will be truly ashamed of everything you have done, for your sins make them feel good in comparison. [55] Yes, your sisters, Sodom and Samaria, and all their people will be restored, and at that time you also will be restored. [56] In your proud days you held Sodom in contempt. [57] But now your greater wickedness has been exposed to all the world, and you are the one who is scorned—by Edom and all her neighbors and by Philistia. [58] This is your punishment for all your lewdness and detestable sins, says the Lord.



[59] “Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will give you what you deserve, for you have taken your solemn vows lightly by breaking your covenant. [60] Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. [61] Then you will remember with shame all the evil you have done. I will make your sisters, Samaria and Sodom, to be your daughters, even though they are not part of our covenant. [62] And I will reaffirm my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. [63] You will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Really? Did he just say that? Even after all our unfaithfulness, he restored Israel? God renewed an eternal covenant with us--with me?
 
Whether he sees me kicking in my own blood, abandoned and despised by all, or when I come crawling back to him in shame, God is forever forgiving. Verse 63 again says, you will remember your sins and cover your mouth in silent shame when I forgive you of all that you have done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.
 
God loves people like me. He loves people like you. No matter what you have done, where you go, or who you are, God loves people just like you.

Loaned Love

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. -1 John 4:18-20

We love because he first loved us. What does that mean? It means that because God loves us, we can now channel His love through our lives. That means that we cannot love without God. How blessed we are that He should bestow His love on us! But what does all this have to do with anything?
 
We have no love to give. We love because he first loved us. Cause and effect. Because God loves us, we can now love others. But God didn't give us love to keep, that's not what love is for. God gave us love so that we might give it away. All this to say, the love you show to others isn't your own, it's God's love channeling through you. When you open your heart to be a conduit for his love, he is free to show love to anyone and everyone around you.
 
But wait, isn't there something wrong here? Do not we as humans throw love around far too much--God's love? Here's an example: Person A and Person B are friends. A gets mad at B for whatever reason and B leaves A to their emotional damages. But now Person C who loves A tells person B that if they ever come near A again, C will give them a pounding. Protection, sure. But is that love for a friend like many think it is? First there was only one angry tie between A and B, but when C reacted angrily in the name of love now there is a larger circle of anger than there is love. Once A sees the measures C has taken they may feel less free to go back to B and make amends.
 
So what are we really doing with the love the father has lavished on us? [1 John 3:1] This love that is so powerful that God was able to call us His Children. Is there any room for de- or of- fensiveness in His love?
No. 1 John 3:1 tells it all:

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

God didn't just stopped at love, he called us his children. His love is powerful and it isn't something to be taken lightly either. But God has given us the opportunity to channel his love. So which is more loving, beating up Person B for supposedly hurting Person A, or loving Person B in spite of your judgements?
 
God is a God of peace and if it is by His love which we show love to others, the way we love must reflect the character of God. So go on, show some love, live as a conduit of his love.

Glorious Grace

You find yourself in a deep pit in the wet clay, it is too slippery and deep to climb from and the only item you have is a measly little spade. Sound familiar? This is a picture from before we were saved.
We were stuck in this pit, deep in the mire of our sin. All we had was the law--the spade--giving us a glimmer of hope to dig out; righteousness by works and keeping the law. But the law is only to comdemn, to show you just how hopelessly lost you are on your own.

Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. -Galatians 3:23-25

Then Christ came. He looked upon us in our misery, and he loved us. He walked beside us in the mire and then he did the unthinkable. Taking our sin on his own shoulders, Christ died, and we were called sons of God.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! -1 John 3:1

When Christ died, he dug a stairway down into our pit, and he took our hand. He fullfilled the law, and we continued on purely on faith. Then Christ asked us to follow him, that he would lead us from our prison.

Yes, we will slip on the stairs. We may become caught up once again with the Law, we may even take steps backward, but one thing is certain, we have been offered Grace and given Salvation, and we have been called Children of the Living God. Today he is standing with you in your pit. Will you take his hand and walk with him?

Following Jesus -Matthew 16:24

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." -Mark 1:17

Jesus has called us to follow him, just as over 2,000 years ago he called to the disciples and they left everything. Perhaps we cannot follow the same way his disciples did, but Jesus talks of another kind of following:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. -Matthew 16:24

Following Jesus then, begins at our own personal experience of the cross; not only Christ's cross, but our own as well. How does that picture look? The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, gives us a beautiful picture of a Christian's experience at the cross:

Now I saw in my dream that the highway up which Christian was which to go was fenced on either side by a wall, and that wall was called salvation. [Isaiah 26:11] Up this way therefore did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty because of the laod on his back. He ran thus till he came to a place somewhat ascending. And upon that place stood a cross, and a little below in the bottom a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was Christian glad and lithesome, and said with a merry heart, "He has given me rest by his sorrow, and life by His death."

At the cross Christ has taken our sin and our shame, he has taken our burden and laid it away in the grave, thrown it into the sepulchre. And we have replaced this burden with a new burden, Christ's yoke. But it is not heavy as our burden of sin was. Christ bids us:

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. -Matthew 11:29-30

We take up the cross, dieing daily upon it to ourselves, and follow Jesus Christ. And just as Jesus returned to heaven after he came up from the grave, we are also not like this world when we have taken up his burden from the cross.



1In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. -Isaiah 26:1 -King James Version

All You Need is Love

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

- 1 Corinthians 13:13

Someone on this rock finally started to get it when John Lennon wrote All You Need is Love. Initially, only three virtues are left; faith, hope, and love. Imagine a world filled with faith in something bigger than us, hope in a better plan, and true, pure love for one another. Isn't that amazing? All you need is love.

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." -Matthew 22:37-40

Doubting?

God has said, "Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

Hebrews 13:5-6

Do you believe in God? Do you believe He is always with you? Do you believe He hears you when you pray? Many Christian teens, and Christians in general, have a difficult time answering these questions, why is that?
A statement I have been hearing alot lately is, "I believe God exists, but I'm unsure of everything." You feel unsure and afraid. You believe in God but you do not feel he is there or hears you, and you don't know if he even wants you.

Growing up I was a pretty good kid. Not to brag or anything. I attended a Seventh Day Adventist church growing up and learned it all. Or so I thought. I toted my Bible to church, later carried it most everywhere I went, had my shirts tucked in and my hair parted. Yep, I was the perfect kid and I was not going to hell under any circumstance. What didn't I have? I had knowledge - I could list the books of the Bible off by heart in order. I had works - I didn't lie, steal, cheat, fight, make a ruckus in church, and I heard every word the preacher spoke.

But I was like the seeds which fell among the shallow ground, for they shot up quickly, but they withered because they had no root. Temptation befell me and I followed right along, ignoring the sound of my conscience.

Now, a fearful baptism and a few years of depression later, I've found that what I lacked then was a true relationship with God. I was put through years of hardship as God tested me and melded me into something new, something that would be devoted to Him.

So to all of you young teens struggling with your faith in Christ Jesus, what would I say? Take courage! God is there, and he did pay for your salvation on the cross, all you must do is believe, and reach out and take it. But that isn't all God wants, God wants a relationship with you. YOU! The God of the universe! So hold fast through the trials and the tribulations, God wants devotion and he will test your heart for it.

If you struggle with believing in God or being sure of your faith, begin at the begining. Read the Word--begin with the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John--and pray every day even if you feel as though he doesn't hear you. Seek him in the secret places, ask him to be with you. Seek out fellowship among Christian friends who have their hearts set on God and whose faith is strong, for steel sharpens steel.

If you have questions, ask your youth pastor or an adult. Don't let anything come between you and knowing your saviour.

Blessings to you in your journey

Where, O death is your sting?

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

-1 Corinthians 15:55-57

O vict'ry in Jesus, My savior forever ... Christ came that we may have life and life more abundantly. He brought us the victory over sin and death, at which we come to the cross. Jesus has not only taken our sin, but killed it with himself on the cross; he is victorious and so passes us the cup of victory.