Be A Hero

Posted by Karah

Corrie Ten Boom. Florence Nightingale. Frederick Douglass. Mother Teresa. Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission. Martin Luther King. Bono.

History is littered with the names of people who have made a difference against poverty and injustice. Most fittingly, some of these names belong to people who follow Christ.

 

YOUR TURN
Who are your personal heroes? List a few names and explain what makes them heroes in your eyes.

 

THINK ABOUT IT
Read Mark 6:38-44 in your Bible. If you’re familiar with this story, then it is easy to take for granted the enormity of what happened in that wilderness. So, close your eyes and imagine those five loaves and two fishes. Then, picture the big, hungry crowd gathered around Jesus and the disciples. See those fish and loaves multiply as Jesus handed them out. Take some time to sketch or write down some phrases that describe what being in that crowd must have been like.

 

THE POINT
With Jesus’ power, you have all the resources you need to minister to the needs of people, to be a hero. If you are willing, Christ can do amazing things through you. He did it with the fish and loaves. What more can He do with and through you?

 

TAKE ACTION
Glance over the devotions from this past week. How has God used His Word to change your attitude about the world and people around you?

 
Is there a specific need you think God is calling you to meet or someone specific whom you need to reach out to? Commit to follow Him wherever He leads you today.


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Not My Problem!

Posted by Karah

YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. Create a top 10 list of the 10 biggest problems in the world right now.

Are you part of the solution to any of those problems? Or do you think that because they don’t directly affect you, they’re just not your problem?

 

READ MARK 6: 34-37. Ask yourself:

 What was the seemingly impossible situation the disciples brought to Jesus’ attention?

 What was Jesus’ equally impossible solution to the problem?

 How did the disciples respond to Jesus?

 How would you have responded to Jesus if you’d been in the disciples’ shoes?

 

THE POINT
When faced with a hungry crowd of people who needed food, the disciples chose the easiest solution: to let the people take care of themselves. It wasn’t the disciples’ problem in the first place. But Jesus’ response was to instruct the disciples to do something. He’s still telling us to do the same thing.

 

TAKE ACTION
Take a good look around you. Who are the hungry people in your family, school, community, and world? Think about more than physical hunger. Who is spiritually hungry? In need of a friend? Ignored or overlooked?

 
What steps will you take this week to reach out to one “hungry” person in your life? List three below.

 
Pray with persistence for the “hungry” people in your life and world. Ask God to soften your heart toward them and show you how He wants to use you to meet their needs.


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Compassion

Posted by Karah

Milton and Fred Ochieng, brothers from a poor, remote village in Africa, dreamed of becoming doctors one day. Their father’s dream was even bigger than that. He wanted to build a clinic that would provide health care for their desperate, struggling community.

First, Milton won a scholarship to Dartmouth College. By selling chickens and cattle, his family members and neighbors in Lwala were able to scrape together enough money to buy his plane ticket to the United States. A year later, Fred received a scholarship to Dartmouth and joined his older brother there. Even though the brothers were far away from Africa in the United States, they couldn’t forget the village they’d left behind. They knew they had to do something to help their neighbors in Africa. So, the brothers began educating people about the suffering in their hometown in hopes of raising money to build that clinic of their father’s dreams. That dream became even more important when both of their parents died from AIDS.

Today, the Lwala Community Hospital serves 15,000 patients each year. In addition, they provide small-scale micro-enterprise, public health outreach, water, sanitation, and education programming to Lwala and beyond.

 

THINK ABOUT THAT STORY as you read Matthew 9:35-38.

 What do the two stories have in common?

 What are some of the things Jesus did for the people?

 According to the passage, what made Jesus respond the way He did?

 Have you ever done something for someone without gain? How did that make you feel?

THE POINT
Maybe you aren’t called to build a hospital. But God wants to use you to do His work on earth. When Jesus saw the hurting people, He was moved with compassion, and He took action to help them. What about you?

TAKE ACTION
Think of one person you can serve. Pray for an opportunity to reach out this week. Plan—then act on it.

“I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.” – Max Lucado


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Wrecked. Broken. Destroyed.

Posted by Karah

When was the last time you used one of those words to describe the way you felt about something? What was it? Why were you so heartbroken about it?

 

READ ABOUT IT
Jeremiah felt that way, too. When God revealed what was going to happen to Judah because of their sinfulness, Jeremiah was heartbroken. Read Jeremiah 8:18–9:1 in your Bible. Underline all the words and phrases that express Jeremiah’s grief over what was going to happen. Then, ask yourself:

God was broken and heartsick over the peoples’ sinfulness. When you look at the sin in the world, what’s your response?

What’s your response to sin in your life?

TAKE ACTION 
What sinfulness in your own life has God broken your heart over? Confess it and seek His forgiveness today.

What sinfulness or circumstances in the world has God broken your heart over?

What steps will you take to make a difference—big or small!—in those areas this week?


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No Hope

Posted by Karah

1 LET’S RECAP…
Over and over, Jeremiah had made God’s point clear: judgment for sin was coming. He had pointed to their disobedience and railed against their hard hearts, but the people still remained unrepentant. Now, Jeremiah told the people that they were going to get to face the consequences of their sin: invasion by the Babylonians.

2 READ JEREMIAH 8:14-17 to get the peoples’ reaction to Jeremiah’s prophesy. Focus on verse 15.

How would you describe their reaction to the coming invasion?

Why do you think they reacted that way? Explain.

What would your reaction have been? Why?

The people seem rather hopeless here. Why do you think sinfulness often leads to such a feeling of despair and hopelessness?

3 THE POINT
When we allow sin to separate us from God, we will feel hopeless and alone. When you are mired in your sin and facing the consequences of sinful choices, it is never too late to turn to God with absolute repentance. Don’t wait!

 

4 JOURNAL
Think back to a time when you really messed up, yet hesitated to ask God for help. What happened? What did you learn? When you finally did repent, how did it affect your relationship with God? Your perspective? What consequences did you face. Jot down your thoughts and your thankfulness that God has provided a way for you to be reconciled to Him through Jesus as a prayer in your journal.


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Real Change

Posted by Sharon

“Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” —T.S. Eliot

Read Jeremiah 8:8-12.  Write down the things in the passage that roused God’s anger.
“How can you claim, ‘We are wise; the law of the Lord is with us’? In fact, the lying pen of scribes has produced falsehood. The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and snared. They have rejected the word of the Lord, so what wisdom do they really have? Therefore, I will give their wives to other men, their fields to new occupants, for from the least to the greatest, everyone is making profit dishonestly. From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have treated superficially the brokenness of My dear people, claiming, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they acted so abhorrently? They weren’t at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation. Therefore, they will fall among the fallen. When I punish them, they will collapse,” says the Lord.” —Jeremiah 8:8–12

Now, read verse 11 again in your Bible. How would you write that verse in your own words? What do you think it means? Jot down your ideas.

THE POINT
Reality can be ugly, but no real change can happen until you acknowledge the way things really are. You can’t ignore sin, treat it like it’s not important, or control it. For God to make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you, you have to acknowledge your sin.

JOURNAL
Get real with God today. In your journal, write your no-holds-barred, no secrets response to today’s passage. If the Holy Spirit brings to mind unconfessed sin, confess it. Ask God to help you hate the sin in your life the same way He does.


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Turn Around!

Posted by Sharon

Have any Christian friends who are headed down the wrong path? Maybe they’re making choices that don’t lead them closer to God or caught in a pattern of sin or addiction they can’t escape. List a few names or initials that come to mind.

 Read Jeremiah 8:4-7.

The prophet’s orders were clear: confront God’s people about their sin. It was a tall order, especially since Judah’s leaders were a major part of the problem. Jeremiah would literally be risking his life if he obeyed. But he did, and not just because God wanted him to do it. Jeremiah cared for the people, too.

Think about the people whose names you listed earlier. Are any of them hardened toward repentance? Why?

How is keeping someone accountable different from condemning them?

As a Christian, do you think it’s part of your duty to hold other believers accountable or to call them back from sin? Why or why not?

If you believe it is, how does that idea make you feel? Explain.

THE POINT

You were never meant to live the Christian life alone. God wants us to live in community with other believers who love us enough to call us back from sin when we start heading down the wrong road. We’re to do so with compassion and love, not condemnation.

TAKE ACTION

Look over that list of names you created earlier. Pray for your friends. If you believe God is calling you to hold someone accountable, take time to pray for courage right now. Ask God to give you the right words to say, and then find a way to reach out to that friend.

Accountability— noun
-an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.

Condemnation— noun
-express complete disapproval of, typically in public; censure.
-find (someone) guilty of a criminal act or wrong.
-sentence (someone) to a particular punishment


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Happiness Is…

Posted by Sharon

Think about the last time you were really happy. Why were you so happy? Write a few phrases or draw pictures that describe how you felt.

READ ISAIAH 55:12-13 in your Bible. Consider these phrases about the happiness that will come to pass for God’s people:

“You will . . . go out with joy”

“[You will be] peacefully guided”

“The mountains and hills will break into singing before you.”

“The trees of the field will clap their hands.”

THINK ABOUT IT

It might be hard to imagine an ecstatic tree clapping its hands, but God is making a point about the whole atmosphere of the world bursting with elation and unencumbered excitement. This is the kind of bliss that explodes in the hearts of those who have followed God and are experiencing His blessings. Day after day He keeps His promises to us, and one day all His promises will be fulfilled.

JOURNAL

Do you remember a time when God came through for you and it filled you with joy? How have you experienced God’s work, whether in your life or in someone else’s? If you’re going through a rough time, what do you hope that God will do? Write it all down here.

TAKE ACTION

Pray through your notes. Whether you have experienced blessing or difficulty, practice an attitude of gratitude. If you’re seeking God’s help through a difficult time, ask Him to move in powerful ways.


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Perspective

Posted by Sharon

Read Isaiah 55:8-9 in your Bible. As you read, consider what these verses tell you about how God’s thinking process is different from your own. Think about how His thoughts are different from ours.

Perspective.God’s perspective on life and the universe is much greater than ours, which is one very important reason why He doesn’t act like we do.

JOURNAL

Evaluate your life and the things you’re dealing with right now in light of these verses. Then, record your thoughts in your journal. Ask yourself: How can I see things from God’s perspective? Can I see His purpose? How could what I’m facing today be a part of God’s plan for my future?

TAKE ACTION

The certain thing about God’s words is that they are productive. Take some time to meditate upon them or memorize them today. What steps will you take this week to make Scripture a vital part of each day of your life?


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Suit Up

Posted by Sharon

If you’ve ever played on a sports team, you know the importance of putting on the uniform. It helps you focus your mind on the game ahead. If you dress up for church on Sundays or have to put on business attire for work, you know that those outfits are significant, too. They reflect the propriety of the service you’re about to attend or the work you’re about to do.

 READ JEREMIAH 1:17-19.

God was telling Jeremiah to “get ready,” because he needed to stand tall and proclaim the truth in the face of adversity. Now, check out verse 17 in a couple of other translations or paraphrases:

“But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.” —Jeremiah 1:17 (ESV)

“But you—up on your feet and get dressed for work! Stand up and say your piece. Say exactly what I tell you to say. Don’t pull your punches or I’ll pull you out of the lineup.” —Jeremiah 1:17 (The Message)

THE POINT

When Jeremiah was wearing God’s authority, he was like “a fortified city,” “an iron pillar” and “bronze walls” against his enemies. When you’re doing what God has called you to, don’t be afraid. Stand in His power and strength.

TAKE ACTION

Focus on your calling. If you know what God is asking you to do, don’t be afraid to move forward.

Do what it takes to suit up. How can you prepare yourself to do God’s work?


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