Thursday, April 2, 2020

Friday, April 3rd Youth Group greeting and devotional

Here is the link to the devotional for the Youth Group this week.  It is short but has a powerful message for all of us who profess to believe in Jesus Christ.

I long to see you all again soon.  In the meantime, continue to protect yourself and others in this time of Corona Virus.

I have included the text of this devotional below to encourage you to print this out and spend time with it before the Lord in prayer. 

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Luke 2: 52  New American Standard Bible

Our world screams that image is everything.  The right clothes, the right car, the right club or hairstyle...  Our image defines who we are.  People go to great expense to look and feel younger and successful all in the effort to BE somebody in other people's eyes.

For the man or woman who claims to be a Christian, 'image is everything' all the more so.  Like the people around us, our image defines who we are.  And the image we are to BE is Jesus Christ.  When other people look at us, they may see a body with clothes, but the person is to be Christ in action, in character, in motivation, in spirit and in love.

As a young boy becoming a man, Jesus increased in wisdom and in favor with God and men.  Jesus was not a brown noser or a people pleaser.  He was sent by God His Father who loves people, and desires to bless people.  As Jesus matured in body, His spirit was intent on His Father's will in reflecting the truth of God in word and in action to those around Him.

It is this maturing that has to happen in everyone's life who call's themselves a Christian.  A person cannot remain a baby or a child.  Bodies grow.  If a 10 year old child continues to require hand feeding, and changing of diapers, we would all say something is terribly wrong; and even more so if the person is an adult.  It is so even in our spiritual lives.  If we never learn to use what we have been fed by God and His Word, we remain spiritual babes.  God says there is something terribly wrong with this.  He tells us in His Word we are to mature as we are able, and become fruitful and multiply.

Jesus gained favor with God first, then men.  It had to be so.  The sweet fellowship He had with His Father is where He found His favor.  He loved His Father, and ultimately would lay His own life down for His Father's will.  And men could not escape seeing the image of God in the young boy becoming a man.

For a Christian who is a disciple of Jesus Christ, image is everything.  God feeds us on His Word, bathes us in His glory, clothes us in His righteousness, equips us with His Spirit and sends us out as His ambassadors.  We reflect the Word and action of Jesus.

Image is everything!  BE a reflection of Jesus to your world

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