:::: Read Ephesians 4 ::::
Being a little brother is so hard... well, when you’re little it is. As my brother and I have gotten older, it’s not hard at all. When I was about seven or eight years old, my brother (who is ten years older than me) had some friends over. I always wanted to be a part of what he was doing, but you can imagine that with ten years difference between us, it wasn’t that easy. I wasn’t the almost there and tolerable ‘younger brother.’ I was the insufferable and always in your face ‘little brother.’ On this particular day, he and his friends were in his room playing cards and I walked past to my room. Then, he actually called me into his room. I couldn’t believe it; I was getting to go into his room.
“Hey, Brent, you want to play a game with us?” Oh, man, here was my chance. I didn’t want to mess this up so I was playing cool and tried to be calm and just nodded my head, yes. He replied, “Ok, it’s called 52 pickup.” It was then that he picked up the deck of cards, bent them between his thumb and index finger, pulled back on them, faced them to the ceiling and released a fluttering fountain of playing cards all over the room. He and his friends snickered and laughed, stood up and began to walk out of the room and he said, “Now, pick them up.”
Now I don’t hold that against my brother, but I remember it when I think about this piece of scripture. Ephesians 4 is one of the most important pieces of scripture in the Bible. It talks about the inclusion of you and me into the Body of Christ. It talks about what it means to be part of what God is doing in and around us. Ephesians 4:11 talks about the ministry, and its parts: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastor and Teachers. Which one are you? Are you some who starts new things and can lead people, are you someone who speaks truth and life into people (prophet), are you excited and engaging with people who need to hear the gospel (evangelist), do you love to take care of people and help them learn to be what God has called them to be (pastor and teacher). You see we are all part of God’s ministry. Not just professional people who work for the church. We’re just here to make sure that there’s some kind of structure to help you become who God’s called you to be. So, which one are you?
You know, what’s great about God is that he’s given us all of these roles to play, but he doesn’t spit the card into the air and walk out of the room. He’s given us his Holy Spirit to help us and train us. He hasn’t left us alone to pick up all the cards. So, may you be who God called you to be and do what God has called you to do. It’s who he made you to be and he’s the best Dad and the best big-bro we could ever have.
Have a great Thursday! God loves you and so do I.
-brent
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Spring Break Devo 3 - April 8th
:::: Read Ephesians 3 ::::
When I was in third grade, it was the absolute worst day of my week. It’s supposed to be Monday (back to school from the weekend), or Wednesday (the longest hump day ever, every week). For me, no, it wasn’t either of these, it was Friday. Fridays were supposed to be a day of awesome expectation of Saturday morning cartoons, and all-day play, followed by Bo Jangles biscuits, church and Chinese food for lunch on Sundays. It was supposed to be the day that you had a test in the morning and then your teacher led you slack for the rest of the afternoon watching movies and filmstrips (which none of you students probably know what are, look them up on Wikipedia… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmstrip). Anyway, Fridays were not the best day, they were my worst. On Fridays I had to visit the principle, Mr. Hicks.
Mr. Hicks and I had a run in earlier in the year. I was regularly late to school, although my mother dropped me off most mornings with a note, and he wasn’t very happy about it. He and my teacher, Ms. Weaver, sent a note home, which I either didn’t give to my parents or which they forgot to sign. There I was stuck in Ms. Weaver’s class with an unsigned note that she was calling me to her desk to turn in. So, in all my 3rd Grade pride and confidence in my cursive writing which I had learned two weeks prior, I forged my mom’s signature… I forged it very poorly… but with confidence… but extremely poorly. You can see where this is going. As punishment for this, I was to return with all my graded papers and my attendance record to Mr. Hicks' office every Friday until school was out. This incident happened in October, so for seven months I saw Mr. Hicks every Friday.
When I read Ephesians 3, there is one verse that sticks out among them all. It may be different for you, but for me its verse 12, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” I never went to Mr. Hicks, a principal and ruler of our school with any freedom or confidence. However, I can approach the God of the universe… yeah, I said it, UNIVERSE… crawl up and sit in his lap. I can close my eyes and picture Him with me, and know that it’s not just my imagination. I have been set free from any type of chains or bonds that keep me back from throwing my arms around Him, and I have the confidence that He will throw His arms around me. I know that I’m His child and that He’s my “Daddy God” (Romans 8:13-16).
You see, God doesn't want you to bring your graded papers and attendance records to the office every Sunday when you come to church. He wants you to approach Him everyday with freedom and confidence that you are His child, made clean through Christ and faith in Him. So, go boldly, approach God today and let Him fill you with His immeasurably wide, long, high and deep love (v 18-19).
Rest well… five more days of break.
God loves you so much, and so do I.
-brent
When I was in third grade, it was the absolute worst day of my week. It’s supposed to be Monday (back to school from the weekend), or Wednesday (the longest hump day ever, every week). For me, no, it wasn’t either of these, it was Friday. Fridays were supposed to be a day of awesome expectation of Saturday morning cartoons, and all-day play, followed by Bo Jangles biscuits, church and Chinese food for lunch on Sundays. It was supposed to be the day that you had a test in the morning and then your teacher led you slack for the rest of the afternoon watching movies and filmstrips (which none of you students probably know what are, look them up on Wikipedia… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmstrip). Anyway, Fridays were not the best day, they were my worst. On Fridays I had to visit the principle, Mr. Hicks.
Mr. Hicks and I had a run in earlier in the year. I was regularly late to school, although my mother dropped me off most mornings with a note, and he wasn’t very happy about it. He and my teacher, Ms. Weaver, sent a note home, which I either didn’t give to my parents or which they forgot to sign. There I was stuck in Ms. Weaver’s class with an unsigned note that she was calling me to her desk to turn in. So, in all my 3rd Grade pride and confidence in my cursive writing which I had learned two weeks prior, I forged my mom’s signature… I forged it very poorly… but with confidence… but extremely poorly. You can see where this is going. As punishment for this, I was to return with all my graded papers and my attendance record to Mr. Hicks' office every Friday until school was out. This incident happened in October, so for seven months I saw Mr. Hicks every Friday.
When I read Ephesians 3, there is one verse that sticks out among them all. It may be different for you, but for me its verse 12, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” I never went to Mr. Hicks, a principal and ruler of our school with any freedom or confidence. However, I can approach the God of the universe… yeah, I said it, UNIVERSE… crawl up and sit in his lap. I can close my eyes and picture Him with me, and know that it’s not just my imagination. I have been set free from any type of chains or bonds that keep me back from throwing my arms around Him, and I have the confidence that He will throw His arms around me. I know that I’m His child and that He’s my “Daddy God” (Romans 8:13-16).
You see, God doesn't want you to bring your graded papers and attendance records to the office every Sunday when you come to church. He wants you to approach Him everyday with freedom and confidence that you are His child, made clean through Christ and faith in Him. So, go boldly, approach God today and let Him fill you with His immeasurably wide, long, high and deep love (v 18-19).
Rest well… five more days of break.
God loves you so much, and so do I.
-brent
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Spring Break Devo 2 - Tuesday, April 7th
:::: Read Ephesians 2 ::::
When I was about 13 years old, my best friend Bryan and I went for a walk back in the woods behind his house. We were out there for a few hours, investigating a beaver dam which had created a great walk-way to an area of the woods we have never been to. When it got to be mid-day and our stomachs were grumbling, we decided to head back for some grub. However, the sun was high in the sky, and we couldn’t tell which way to get back to his house. Bryan was a bit of a daredevil, and in order to get our bearings, he decided to climb a pine tree to the very top where the trunk could barely hold his weight. From there he could see where the creek was and which direction we needed to go. We didn’t mean to get lost, we were just walking.
It’s easy to lose our bearings in life. Sometimes we forget where we’ve come from and we’re just walking on through. Then we’re hungry and lost and desperate. Knowing where you are now, is so connected to knowing where you’ve been. Paul talks to the Ephesians about this in Chapter 2. He’s reminding them of the things that had separated them from God, like the ways of the world and sinful cravings, desires and thought (v. 2-3). However, his true intention is to remind us of how amazing God’s grace is and how He saved us.
God’s grace has saved us. Grace is unmerited favor. It means that we didn’t do anything to deserve it, but God has given it to us anyway. God’s grace has been extended to us through Jesus Christ and now we can be saved as long as we believe in Him (v. 8). The great part is that Jesus has already done all the hard work for us. There’s nothing we can do to be saved, no hoop to jump through, we just have to believe and accept God’s gift of grace.
So, remember where you have come from. Remember the great things that God has done for you. Why?... Because God has great things that he wants to do through you (v.10). If you haven’t thought about it, try to go back and remember what it was like before you knew God, or before you began to let Him take priority in your life… now, what’s different? Welcome to God’s amazing grace!
God loves you so much, and so do I.
-brent
When I was about 13 years old, my best friend Bryan and I went for a walk back in the woods behind his house. We were out there for a few hours, investigating a beaver dam which had created a great walk-way to an area of the woods we have never been to. When it got to be mid-day and our stomachs were grumbling, we decided to head back for some grub. However, the sun was high in the sky, and we couldn’t tell which way to get back to his house. Bryan was a bit of a daredevil, and in order to get our bearings, he decided to climb a pine tree to the very top where the trunk could barely hold his weight. From there he could see where the creek was and which direction we needed to go. We didn’t mean to get lost, we were just walking.
It’s easy to lose our bearings in life. Sometimes we forget where we’ve come from and we’re just walking on through. Then we’re hungry and lost and desperate. Knowing where you are now, is so connected to knowing where you’ve been. Paul talks to the Ephesians about this in Chapter 2. He’s reminding them of the things that had separated them from God, like the ways of the world and sinful cravings, desires and thought (v. 2-3). However, his true intention is to remind us of how amazing God’s grace is and how He saved us.
God’s grace has saved us. Grace is unmerited favor. It means that we didn’t do anything to deserve it, but God has given it to us anyway. God’s grace has been extended to us through Jesus Christ and now we can be saved as long as we believe in Him (v. 8). The great part is that Jesus has already done all the hard work for us. There’s nothing we can do to be saved, no hoop to jump through, we just have to believe and accept God’s gift of grace.
So, remember where you have come from. Remember the great things that God has done for you. Why?... Because God has great things that he wants to do through you (v.10). If you haven’t thought about it, try to go back and remember what it was like before you knew God, or before you began to let Him take priority in your life… now, what’s different? Welcome to God’s amazing grace!
God loves you so much, and so do I.
-brent
Spring Break Devo 1 - Sunday, April 5th
:::: Read Ephesians Chapter 1 ::::
We’re coming up on prom season. You’ll hear about it even if you don’t decide to go or if you’re not old enough yet. The gossip is all about where to buy the best dress, where to rent the tux, who’s riding together to dinner, where you’re going to eat… so many choices. Choices are sometimes hard to make and sometimes they’re really easy. Each girl who goes looking for a dress will ultimately try on several, fret over which one, and then bite the bullet and choose. It has to be the perfect dress for the perfect occasion.
Perfection is what we look for when choosing. We have some standard in mind and we try to find the thing that most closely matches that standard. We don’t always get perfection, but we want it. Sometimes when we look at ourselves we don’t see perfection. We hear people say, especially parents, “you’re perfect just as you are.” But many times we don’t believe it. Who would choose me? Why would they choose me?
Isn’t it awesome to read a piece of scripture like Ephesians 1 and to see that God has chosen us:
God chose you! Before you even knew who you were, He chose you! Not only has he chosen you, but when Jesus comes into your life, He makes you whole and perfect in God’s sight! How cool is it to know that if God were choosing out of the entire world, he was looking for that perfect someone, and he picked you! You are special and you are loved by a perfect God, who makes you perfect in his sight. Think about that today as you lounge around. Let it soak in and realize how much God cares for you.
God loves you and so do I… have a great day!
-brent
We’re coming up on prom season. You’ll hear about it even if you don’t decide to go or if you’re not old enough yet. The gossip is all about where to buy the best dress, where to rent the tux, who’s riding together to dinner, where you’re going to eat… so many choices. Choices are sometimes hard to make and sometimes they’re really easy. Each girl who goes looking for a dress will ultimately try on several, fret over which one, and then bite the bullet and choose. It has to be the perfect dress for the perfect occasion.
Perfection is what we look for when choosing. We have some standard in mind and we try to find the thing that most closely matches that standard. We don’t always get perfection, but we want it. Sometimes when we look at ourselves we don’t see perfection. We hear people say, especially parents, “you’re perfect just as you are.” But many times we don’t believe it. Who would choose me? Why would they choose me?
Isn’t it awesome to read a piece of scripture like Ephesians 1 and to see that God has chosen us:
- v. 4 For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to e holy and blameless in his sign.
- v. 11 In him we were also chosen having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
God chose you! Before you even knew who you were, He chose you! Not only has he chosen you, but when Jesus comes into your life, He makes you whole and perfect in God’s sight! How cool is it to know that if God were choosing out of the entire world, he was looking for that perfect someone, and he picked you! You are special and you are loved by a perfect God, who makes you perfect in his sight. Think about that today as you lounge around. Let it soak in and realize how much God cares for you.
God loves you and so do I… have a great day!
-brent
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