Romans 12:3
“Because God has given me a special gift, I have something to say to everyone among you. Do not think you are better than you are. You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you.” NCV

I like the way that The Message restates the last sentence, which says “the only way to accurately understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and by what we do for him.”

Point taken: don’t get too hung up on yourself – God judges your value differently than you do.

As part of my prep for the JUMP kids camp next week, I am studying Romans 12 (that’s the name of the age group I am working with).

Romans 12:2 Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. (NCV)

This is probably one of the most challenging verses in the entire Bible. How do we live in the world, but escape being shaped by it? How do we allow God’s new way of thinking to overpower the negativity of the world?

The first thought is tough, but its the second thought that really draws me in. If we can be renewed by God’s word–the new way of thinking brought in by Jesus–we can know what is pleasing and perfect to God.

I’ve always wanted to know God’s will. It looks like a path is laid out here for me clearly…

I am volunteering at SLFC’s day camp, JUMP, next week. The event is huge, with more than 2000 kids attending and nearly as many volunteers. I have sent my nephews to JUMP for the past few years, but I have never been to it myself.

I will be a small group leaders for 10 year olds, and our group is Romans 12. So I thought it would be good to study that chapter this week.

Romans 12:1 So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. (NCV)

The question I am left with from this verse is: how do I present myself as a living sacrifice to God that is pleasing to him?

It’s interesting how you dread something, and then God makes it work out ok.

Mother’s Day came upon me suddenly last week. I found myself wanting to escape the day, to skip it. I still haven’t really dealt with my mom’s death. And to tell you the truth, I am tired of crying. So what was I to do?

Putting aside my escapist tendencies, I decided to tough it out. Why should I let the devil have Mother’s Day just because I am sad and miss my mom? So I kicked him out, just like my mom taught me to do.

Then, I thought, what would my mom do in this situation? My answer came quickly: she’d bless other people. So I decided to cook lunch and dessert for my mom-in-law and grandma-in-law. I was glad my Dad came too. We went to the nursing home and made Grandma Lee happy. Then after we stuffed ourselves, my dad left to take a nap and we women painted our nails while Brett surfed RSS feeds on his iPhone.

After that, we headed over to Brett’s dad and step-mom’s house to bring her a card and a rose. We ended up at Brett’s aunt & uncle’s house for dinner. Surprisingly, it was a fun, happy day.

This is not, however, to suggest that I escaped crying or feeling sad yesterday. But despite that, God still redeemed the day. For that, I am grateful.

God lets me feel sad and yet helps me have fun despite the heaviness. Although, I have to admit that I did appreciate the big storms yesterday morning that seemed to commiserate with my heartbreak.

These two verses have really blessed me.
This one makes me smile:
Mark 12:29-30
The most important command is this: …
Love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength.

This one gives me relief:
Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I trust you.

Recently (3/22/08), we heard some really good teaching on friendship from our pastor, Jeff Perry. It was also Peggy’s birthday!
God created us for fellowship, so we should learn what it means.
Love is regarding others as precious.
Learn how to get reinforcement from God so you can have better friendships.

1. Assume nothing
Don’t depend on others to make you happy.
Nothing substitutes for God.
The overly needy thing is weird.

2. Ask God for the right relationships
God-ordained friendships have grace.
In a big church, most people only know 50 other people.
Don’t have unrealistic expectations.
25% of Americans have no one to confide in.
Not every person is supposed to be your close friend.

Jesus’ relationship gradation:
Multitudes
5000
500
120
12 disciples
3 ascension friends
1 best friend: John

God orders our steps.

3. Look at relationships not for what they can do for but what you can do for them
Are you this type of person: Here I am or there you are.
Learn how to say no; you don’t have to fix your friends.
You find out who your friends are when you have trouble.
To the degree you love yourself, you can love others.
When you spend time with God, you are in better shape.

4. Be the friend you’d like to have
Become marry-able.
Prov. 18:24 A man of many friends comes to ruin.
Too many friendships take too much maintenance, you become man-pleasers, lose yourself.

A man of many friends shows himself friendly.
Be kind. Don’t be fake.

5. Be generous
Prov. 19:6 A man who gives gifts will have friends

6. Bridle your tongue
Prov. 22:11 You’ll have the King as your friend if you watch your mouth.

Friendship is about trust.
Friends desire what is best for you.
Look for compatibilities and interests, God will foster that in your lives.

7. Be loyal
Prov. 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend.
Do not forsake your own friend.

8. Real friendship is rooted in security
Everyone wants to feel like this person is the real deal.
In church, good friendships can be developed because we have common ground.

9. Believe in people
Believe in people’s potential.
Look through redemption’s eye.
Outdo each other in honor.

10. Use wisdom
Stay in the light.
Watch how you behave with people of the opposite sex, especially married people. Protect yourself: don’t drive in the car alone with married friends of the opposite sex.
Flee the appearance of evil.

By the way, this teaching was at Anchors, a new group for 20s and 30s at SLFC. It’s on the fourth Saturday every month at 6:30 p.m.

I came across this saying somewhere, and it made me stop and think.

God is not interested in what we do for Him. He is interested in who we are becoming in Him.

Am I on track? I am becoming something new in Him or am I just wearing myself out trying to the “right” things?

We all know this verse from countless weddings (including my own). But this version does a great of presenting the message in a new way. May we all aspire to love like this in this new year.

“This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience – it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep an account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails. Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.” Phillips Translation

1. We have this hope as an anchor for our soul
Abiding hopes
There really is a God- deal with it
God came to help the broken
We live full and die empty
Don’t murmur; God sees it all.

2. God really does love us.
1John 3:1

3. We have a God who forgives sin and heals sickness.
Jesus was acquainted with sorrow.
We anticipate eternity. This is not all we have
God blots out our transgression for his own sake.
We are worth much more than they (birds and animals)
1 John 1:9

Feels good to be clean
Flood story – rotten hams
Nothing ever indicated this in Bible school
What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Forgiveness is necessary
God frees us from sin
Ps. 103

God has the inclination and capacity to heal.

God makes all things work together for good.
In the flood of 1993, our church was under water = now we’re able to comfort with what we’ve been comforted; we do disaster relief now.

Put your hope in God.
Walk in submission to him.
He loves us & works all things together for good.

The light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.
2 Cor. 9:8: all grace abound to you so you will have an abundance for
good works.
God is no respecter of persons.
He’s beautiful for situation.

Kids, that’s why we’re serving Jesus!
I press on.
De-pressing is when you stop pressing.

Press on – press into God.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

–Luke 12:34 (NIV)

See the verse in another of my favorite versions, the New Century Version, on Bible Gateway.

See the verse in many versions on the Online Parallel Bible.