"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." - Colossians 3:1-2
We see in John 21 that Peter, after following Jesus for three years, had seen all the miracles and heard all the parables. He was there when Jesus, died, he was the first to discover that He rose from the dead, and he was front and center as Jesus ascended into heaven. After seeing all this, Peter pondered what he was going to do with his life. His resolve to his friends was, “I’m going fishing”. So in spite of all the miracles and life-changing encounters that Peter had experienced, he still had this lingering thought of what a “normal life” was…fishing. He was going to go back to what he knew; back to the comfort of the known.
We look at the ordinary as the way things are supposed to be. Our equilibrium as humans is constantly geared toward, “Let's go back to what we know lets go back to the way it used to be; lets go back to what’s familiar.” So, if we become familiar or used to this culture that constantly criticizes Christian values, that constantly portrays purity and virtue as something to be scoffed at, then we might just start to think it’s normal.
Instead of accepting life how it is and allowing it to hypnotize us into mediocrity, we must set our hearts and minds on things above as it says in Colossians 3:1-2. Ask yourself, what do I really want to be influenced by? What a tragedy it would have been if Peter never changed his perception of normal and never became a “fisher of men."
~ Written by Bryn, an Honor Academy Intern
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Action: No One Else But You
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:13-14
Have you ever thought that you were worthless and that God could never use you? If you are willing, I want you to think deeply about anyone who is exactly like you in every single way. If we could search the entire world of people who are alive right now and even all the people who are dead, we would not find anyone like you.
Jeremiah 1:5 says that "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." He knew you and consecrated you for His good purposes. If we really begin to think about God’s love for us, we would find that He trusted you to complete His plans and His purposes. Only you have the talents and abilities that God can use to impact this world to advance His Kingdom. There is no one else who can do what you can do. There is no one else who can minister to the heart of God like you can, because you were made uniquely in His eyes. No one else can complete the plans He has for you; not Ron Luce, not Billy Graham, not your pastor, not your parents, not your friends or your siblings. God has unique and awesome plans for you, and only you can complete them.
Take hold of that plan and seek after God.
~ Written by Angel, an Honor Academy Alumni
How would act differently if you were continually confident in the fact that what you were made for a specific purpose that only you can fulfill? Walk out today in that confidence!
Have you ever thought that you were worthless and that God could never use you? If you are willing, I want you to think deeply about anyone who is exactly like you in every single way. If we could search the entire world of people who are alive right now and even all the people who are dead, we would not find anyone like you.
Jeremiah 1:5 says that "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." He knew you and consecrated you for His good purposes. If we really begin to think about God’s love for us, we would find that He trusted you to complete His plans and His purposes. Only you have the talents and abilities that God can use to impact this world to advance His Kingdom. There is no one else who can do what you can do. There is no one else who can minister to the heart of God like you can, because you were made uniquely in His eyes. No one else can complete the plans He has for you; not Ron Luce, not Billy Graham, not your pastor, not your parents, not your friends or your siblings. God has unique and awesome plans for you, and only you can complete them.
Take hold of that plan and seek after God.
~ Written by Angel, an Honor Academy Alumni
How would act differently if you were continually confident in the fact that what you were made for a specific purpose that only you can fulfill? Walk out today in that confidence!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Action: Qualified
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19
What’s your response when people ask great things of you? I’m not smart enough for that, I’m not athletic enough to do this; you should find someone more qualified. No matter how unqualified you are, God often uses the most unlikely people to do His greatest works.
That’s exactly what he did with Gideon in Judges 6. It was a desperate time for the Israelites, who had been captured by the Midianites. God came to Gideon and said “Go and save Israel from the Midianites, I am with you!” (Judges 6:14, TLB). But Gideon had a whole list of reasons why God couldn’t use him. “My family is the poorest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least thought of in the entire family!” (verse 15). Gideon was saying, “You couldn’t possibly use someone like me!” But the Angel of the Lord looked at Gideon and said, “But I…will be with you! And you shall quickly destroy the Midianite hordes!” (verse 16).
God was saying, “You’ve got courage, and I have the power. Now stand up and let me use you to make a difference in your world.”
God still needs people to do His work. So forget all those reasons why He can’t use you. If you have the courage, He has the power! Stand strong today and let Him use you to change the world.
~ Written by Bryn, an Honor Academy Intern
Do you ever hold yourself back because you believe that you are not qualified? God does not call the equipped, He equips the called! Simply obey His calling and He will provide everything that you need for success.
What’s your response when people ask great things of you? I’m not smart enough for that, I’m not athletic enough to do this; you should find someone more qualified. No matter how unqualified you are, God often uses the most unlikely people to do His greatest works.
That’s exactly what he did with Gideon in Judges 6. It was a desperate time for the Israelites, who had been captured by the Midianites. God came to Gideon and said “Go and save Israel from the Midianites, I am with you!” (Judges 6:14, TLB). But Gideon had a whole list of reasons why God couldn’t use him. “My family is the poorest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least thought of in the entire family!” (verse 15). Gideon was saying, “You couldn’t possibly use someone like me!” But the Angel of the Lord looked at Gideon and said, “But I…will be with you! And you shall quickly destroy the Midianite hordes!” (verse 16).
God was saying, “You’ve got courage, and I have the power. Now stand up and let me use you to make a difference in your world.”
God still needs people to do His work. So forget all those reasons why He can’t use you. If you have the courage, He has the power! Stand strong today and let Him use you to change the world.
~ Written by Bryn, an Honor Academy Intern
Do you ever hold yourself back because you believe that you are not qualified? God does not call the equipped, He equips the called! Simply obey His calling and He will provide everything that you need for success.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Action: A Heart Alive
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" - John 14:6
A.W. Tozer once said, "There is a God-sized hole in everyone's heart that only God can fill." Often times we look to all kinds of 'other' things to meet our needs. We go that boy, girl, party, sport, TV show, drug, style, music or whatever the world may offer so that we can have an instant "aliveness" and instant purpose. Whenever you start to feel like you need something to feel alive, stop and realize that our desires are God-given. God created us to feel alive and meaningful so that we would go to Him to fill our needs. You are free, so go to Him and know that He will fill you to the brim and overflowing (Psalm 23:5).
So, next time you're in a rush to go hang out with that guy or go to that party, ask yourself where those desires are coming from, so that you can channel them into going after Him. Only He will satisfy your soul. Only with Him can you dream big. Only with Him will you be able to channel your passions in freedom for the purpose of His glory. GOD gives you the ultimate alive heart and He is the true fulfillment of our desires!
~ Written by Briana, an Honor Academy Alumni
Pause and think about the desires in your heart. Psalm 37:4 says to "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." So, go delight yourself in the Lord today and allow Him to meet every desire of your heart.
A.W. Tozer once said, "There is a God-sized hole in everyone's heart that only God can fill." Often times we look to all kinds of 'other' things to meet our needs. We go that boy, girl, party, sport, TV show, drug, style, music or whatever the world may offer so that we can have an instant "aliveness" and instant purpose. Whenever you start to feel like you need something to feel alive, stop and realize that our desires are God-given. God created us to feel alive and meaningful so that we would go to Him to fill our needs. You are free, so go to Him and know that He will fill you to the brim and overflowing (Psalm 23:5).
So, next time you're in a rush to go hang out with that guy or go to that party, ask yourself where those desires are coming from, so that you can channel them into going after Him. Only He will satisfy your soul. Only with Him can you dream big. Only with Him will you be able to channel your passions in freedom for the purpose of His glory. GOD gives you the ultimate alive heart and He is the true fulfillment of our desires!
~ Written by Briana, an Honor Academy Alumni
Pause and think about the desires in your heart. Psalm 37:4 says to "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." So, go delight yourself in the Lord today and allow Him to meet every desire of your heart.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Unfinished essay...
Time
alone stands still for some.
I
watch the clock; to its torture I succumb.
I
hear its click; it never fades!
It’s
an everlasting echo; it plays and plays.
I
sit in fear, watching, waiting.
When
will this nightmare start deteriorating?
I
am trapped in time. I wish for tomorrow.
I
am mocked by the hands that point and my sorrow.
Two
hours and counting. I still haven’t
finished compiling all of the possible outcomes, ideas, combinations. Two hours
and counting. I am still calculating to find the best approach for starting
this essay. Several lists later- all of
which have mini lists within them- and I still haven’t come up with the best
option. And now I am sitting here, watching
the clock strike three. Nothing. None of it is good enough.
I
don’t suffer from writer’s block. I
don’t. Rather, I tend to have too much
to say, but I cannot seem to formulate the best way to spiel information into
coherent sentences. Instead, I sit for
hours at a time, much like now, trying to design the most logical and effective
list I can in order to accomplish that task in the most time-efficient
manner. But, as a result of this
compulsory need to find the best approach, I end up wasting more time. My effort to eliminate wasted time,
therefore, ends up wasting more time. I
can’t win.
As
I was preparing for college, I wrote dozens of different potential schedules to
ensure myself that I could find the most logical way to complete all of my
courses. Needless to say, I found the
best one and am following suit according to that list. I’m in my second semester currently, and I
have devised such a perfect schedule that if the school doesn’t offer that
particular course for that certain semester, I have an alternative route that will accomplish all of the courses needed
just as required.
A
simple grocery list will turn into multiple paths in which I can navigate my
way through a store in the least amount of time. These mentally devised routes are planned to
strategically obtain each grocery item in the fastest time, all while cutting
out unnecessary aisles. The store is the
maze, and I am the lab rat. Check-out
lines are subconsciously calculated in my mind.
I observe each line, number of persons, amount of contents each person
has, as well as the speed of the cashier.
Through process of elimination, I find the quickest line.
It’s
almost an obsession. Or perhaps it
already is an obsession.
Action: Obedience vs. Comfort
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice." - 1 Samuel 15:22
Sometimes your courage in standing up for the Lord will cause you to do things that might seem illogical to other people. In those moments we must remember that no matter what the cost, no matter how hard it might seem, it is more important to be obedient to God than to be “comfortable”.
An inspiring example of someone who gave up all comfort in their obedience to God is Paul in the book of Acts. After traveling all over the known world, preaching and enduring much persecution, Paul was headed back to Jerusalem. On the way back he stopped to fellowship with some of the people he had won to the Lord. In many places the people warned him, “Don’t go back to Jerusalem because you will be put in prison” (Acts 20 and 21)
But Paul answered them, “I am going to Jerusalem…not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love” (Acts 20:22-24, TLB). It’s as though Paul said, “you know it just doesn’t matter what happens to me. I have got to obey God and do what I know is right. I believe that my faith, my life and my future are in God’s hands.”
~ Written by Bryn, an Honor Academy Intern
Are you willing to live in this kind of radical obedience to the Lord? Or does comfort keep you from giving your entirety? Sometimes people prefer to sacrifice something in their life rather than do the hard work of being obedient to God. Is that you? Seek to be obedient to God above all else!
Sometimes your courage in standing up for the Lord will cause you to do things that might seem illogical to other people. In those moments we must remember that no matter what the cost, no matter how hard it might seem, it is more important to be obedient to God than to be “comfortable”.
An inspiring example of someone who gave up all comfort in their obedience to God is Paul in the book of Acts. After traveling all over the known world, preaching and enduring much persecution, Paul was headed back to Jerusalem. On the way back he stopped to fellowship with some of the people he had won to the Lord. In many places the people warned him, “Don’t go back to Jerusalem because you will be put in prison” (Acts 20 and 21)
But Paul answered them, “I am going to Jerusalem…not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love” (Acts 20:22-24, TLB). It’s as though Paul said, “you know it just doesn’t matter what happens to me. I have got to obey God and do what I know is right. I believe that my faith, my life and my future are in God’s hands.”
~ Written by Bryn, an Honor Academy Intern
Are you willing to live in this kind of radical obedience to the Lord? Or does comfort keep you from giving your entirety? Sometimes people prefer to sacrifice something in their life rather than do the hard work of being obedient to God. Is that you? Seek to be obedient to God above all else!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Action: Relentlessly Pursue His Love
"'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." - Mark 12:31
If you’ve stepped outside lately, which I hope you have, you are aware of the hurt, pain, and rejection our world is drowning in. Because we are hurt and hurting, we tend to hurt those around us because we don’t know what else to do. Do you know that God loves you? When we felt rejected, hurt, and alone, consider this: He pursues us with a relentless love. No matter what we did against Him, He continues to love us, regardless of our past or present sin. He will continue to love us regardless of what we do. He loves us because He created you and me and we are crazy valuable to Him! Don’t forget that.
Think about the people you interact with everyday. Do they know how special they are to their Creator? Do they know how highly He values them? Have they been shown the love of Christ? If not, what can you do about it? Before you start to question how you can help or become intimidated by the thought of sharing God with your friends (gasp!), think back to a time when you were really feeling alone and unloved. Maybe you’re feeling that way now. Sometimes we need to be reminded of our value and importance to others through unconditional love from those around us. During those hard times, it would’ve helped to have someone who you know loves you to be with you. We all long to be loved. Mark 12:31 tells us to love others as we love ourselves. Show love to the hurting. Just as Christ relentlessly pursued you with love, relentlessly pursue those around you.
Go out of your way to show God’s love to them in little ways. Trust me, they’ll notice. I’m sure you’ve been challenged to do something like sit with the lonely girl at lunch, but I’m also almost as sure that you haven’t done it. This small task is small enough for you to ignore without your conscious getting upset, but big enough to make all the difference in the world when that girl holds a razor to her wrist and wonders if anyone sees her. No, this isn’t overly dramatic, this is real. Don’t underestimate how much those around you are hurt and how much of a difference you could make. Don’t just love those who are hurting, but also those who appear to be doing just fine. So fine, in fact, that they have enough vigor to pick on those around them. We are told to love those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us in Matthew 5:44. Why? Because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Believe it or not, the anger and bitterness these people are showing outwardly stems from a deep rooted hurt that has never been dealt with. When they are alone at night, I promise they don’t feel rough and tough then, but small. They need to be shown the Love of Christ just as much as anyone else.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
1. Sit with the girl who is sitting alone. (Really. It’s a good one.)
2. Write an encouraging note to someone who struggles with self esteem.
3. Be approachable for others; listen and respond with kindness and love.
4. Invest in and keep up a relationship with the friendless.
5. Ask, “How are you” and care what the answer is.
6. Invite your quiet and seemingly upset classmate to get coffee or go bowling.
Invest in one another, share an encouraging word, take action with a kind gesture, write notes, spend time listening and watch for opportunities to share God's Love to another!
~ Written by Hannah, an Honor Academy Alumni
I challenge you not to just read over these words and think, “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” but to make a point to show someone that they are valued and loved. Please don’t underestimate the influence you can have on a life
If you’ve stepped outside lately, which I hope you have, you are aware of the hurt, pain, and rejection our world is drowning in. Because we are hurt and hurting, we tend to hurt those around us because we don’t know what else to do. Do you know that God loves you? When we felt rejected, hurt, and alone, consider this: He pursues us with a relentless love. No matter what we did against Him, He continues to love us, regardless of our past or present sin. He will continue to love us regardless of what we do. He loves us because He created you and me and we are crazy valuable to Him! Don’t forget that.
Think about the people you interact with everyday. Do they know how special they are to their Creator? Do they know how highly He values them? Have they been shown the love of Christ? If not, what can you do about it? Before you start to question how you can help or become intimidated by the thought of sharing God with your friends (gasp!), think back to a time when you were really feeling alone and unloved. Maybe you’re feeling that way now. Sometimes we need to be reminded of our value and importance to others through unconditional love from those around us. During those hard times, it would’ve helped to have someone who you know loves you to be with you. We all long to be loved. Mark 12:31 tells us to love others as we love ourselves. Show love to the hurting. Just as Christ relentlessly pursued you with love, relentlessly pursue those around you.
Go out of your way to show God’s love to them in little ways. Trust me, they’ll notice. I’m sure you’ve been challenged to do something like sit with the lonely girl at lunch, but I’m also almost as sure that you haven’t done it. This small task is small enough for you to ignore without your conscious getting upset, but big enough to make all the difference in the world when that girl holds a razor to her wrist and wonders if anyone sees her. No, this isn’t overly dramatic, this is real. Don’t underestimate how much those around you are hurt and how much of a difference you could make. Don’t just love those who are hurting, but also those who appear to be doing just fine. So fine, in fact, that they have enough vigor to pick on those around them. We are told to love those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us in Matthew 5:44. Why? Because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Believe it or not, the anger and bitterness these people are showing outwardly stems from a deep rooted hurt that has never been dealt with. When they are alone at night, I promise they don’t feel rough and tough then, but small. They need to be shown the Love of Christ just as much as anyone else.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
1. Sit with the girl who is sitting alone. (Really. It’s a good one.)
2. Write an encouraging note to someone who struggles with self esteem.
3. Be approachable for others; listen and respond with kindness and love.
4. Invest in and keep up a relationship with the friendless.
5. Ask, “How are you” and care what the answer is.
6. Invite your quiet and seemingly upset classmate to get coffee or go bowling.
Invest in one another, share an encouraging word, take action with a kind gesture, write notes, spend time listening and watch for opportunities to share God's Love to another!
~ Written by Hannah, an Honor Academy Alumni
I challenge you not to just read over these words and think, “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” but to make a point to show someone that they are valued and loved. Please don’t underestimate the influence you can have on a life
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