Happy Monday,
Today we begin our look at "The Least Of These". This week we are going to go deeper to look at what our responsibility to "the least of these" really is. In order to do that, we need to understand who of the least of these are. The reference "the least of these" comes directly from Jesus.
In Matthew 25, Jesus says:
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' ".
Get the idea? Watch this:
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, December 19, 2008
FRIDAY DECEMBER 19th: THE GIFT
You made it to Friday!!! I hope that you have been thinking all this week about the Gift that God has given us in Jesus. So what now? I realize that for many of you, it's time to relax. School is out for the year and the next week or two will be filled with friends, family, food, fun, and probably a lot of sleep. My only challenge for you today is to keep in mind over the next few weeks that the gift of Jesus is not for you alone. No doubt that you will see many people over the coming days. My challenge to you is to......talk to one person about it. Tell them of how Jesus is a gift. Tell them about the hope that He gives. Tell them what that means to you. I'm only asking you to tell one person. Please take this seriously. Don't just walk up to you parents and say "Jesus us God's gift to us". Tell they why he came. Tell them what that means to you. Tell them what that means.....to them.
Right now, spend a few moments praying to God that He would lead you to the right person to talk to. Then....do it.
See you Sunday,
Dan
Right now, spend a few moments praying to God that He would lead you to the right person to talk to. Then....do it.
See you Sunday,
Dan
THURSDAY DECEMBER 18th: GIFTS UNDER THE TREE
Happy Thursday!!
No doubt that the Christmas tree at your house is beginning to fill up with gifts. There is nothing better that a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with gifts scattered all around. Today, as we continue our theme of "The Gift" , I want us to look at the "first Christmas Tree" and how the gift it held, was the greatest of theme all.
Adapted From: The True Christmas Tree By Chuck Sprayberry
"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, ..." John 19:17,18
Each year, in December, families all across our nation gather together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of the most visible symbols of this holiday season is the Christmas tree. This evergreen tree is placed in a position of prominence in our homes and decorated with lights and ornaments as a part of the festive nature of the Christmas season.
However, this tree is a far cry from the original "Christmas Tree." For you see, the first Christmas tree was not a beautiful evergreen found in some quiet spot in the woods. Rather, it was a piece of rough-hewn wood with no natural beauty whatsoever. Its sole purpose was to bring misery and pain and eventually death, and its only beauty was in the purpose for which God was using it.
Instead of being decorated with lights and ornaments, upon the two limbs of this tree hung the Light of the World, Jesus, out greatest Christmas gift. His body beaten and bruised by the Roman soldiers responsible for his punishment. Beneath this tree there was no skirt of soft white cloth representing snow. No, the ground beneath this tree was stained crimson red by the blood being shed for the remission of the sins of the world.
Whereas we stand around the tree and sing Christmas carols, those standing around this tree were hurling insults and blasphemies. The bible says the mocked him, and said "If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross" (Matt 27:40) Even those who were being crucified with him showed him no mercy.
Today we place gifts under our Christmas tree, but tradition has it that in the past small gifts were tied to the branches of the tree for children to search for and find. This is the only similarity between our Christmas tree and the true Christmas tree. The greatest gift of all time was "tied" to the branches of the tree on Golgotha. There, Jesus died for our sins that we might be able to be reunited with him for all eternity. This gift was freely given, and unlike the gifts we give one another, this gift is still active and available today.
As you look at your Christmas tree this year, don't let your gaze stop at the lights and decorations, look "through" it to the true Christmas tree.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for our final study this week!!!
Don't forget, FA-LA-LAPALOOZA is this Sunday!!!
Dan
No doubt that the Christmas tree at your house is beginning to fill up with gifts. There is nothing better that a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with gifts scattered all around. Today, as we continue our theme of "The Gift" , I want us to look at the "first Christmas Tree" and how the gift it held, was the greatest of theme all.
Adapted From: The True Christmas Tree By Chuck Sprayberry
"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, ..." John 19:17,18
Each year, in December, families all across our nation gather together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of the most visible symbols of this holiday season is the Christmas tree. This evergreen tree is placed in a position of prominence in our homes and decorated with lights and ornaments as a part of the festive nature of the Christmas season.
However, this tree is a far cry from the original "Christmas Tree." For you see, the first Christmas tree was not a beautiful evergreen found in some quiet spot in the woods. Rather, it was a piece of rough-hewn wood with no natural beauty whatsoever. Its sole purpose was to bring misery and pain and eventually death, and its only beauty was in the purpose for which God was using it.
Instead of being decorated with lights and ornaments, upon the two limbs of this tree hung the Light of the World, Jesus, out greatest Christmas gift. His body beaten and bruised by the Roman soldiers responsible for his punishment. Beneath this tree there was no skirt of soft white cloth representing snow. No, the ground beneath this tree was stained crimson red by the blood being shed for the remission of the sins of the world.
Whereas we stand around the tree and sing Christmas carols, those standing around this tree were hurling insults and blasphemies. The bible says the mocked him, and said "If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross" (Matt 27:40) Even those who were being crucified with him showed him no mercy.
Today we place gifts under our Christmas tree, but tradition has it that in the past small gifts were tied to the branches of the tree for children to search for and find. This is the only similarity between our Christmas tree and the true Christmas tree. The greatest gift of all time was "tied" to the branches of the tree on Golgotha. There, Jesus died for our sins that we might be able to be reunited with him for all eternity. This gift was freely given, and unlike the gifts we give one another, this gift is still active and available today.
As you look at your Christmas tree this year, don't let your gaze stop at the lights and decorations, look "through" it to the true Christmas tree.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for our final study this week!!!
Don't forget, FA-LA-LAPALOOZA is this Sunday!!!
Dan
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17th: GREATEST GIFT (cont)
The Greatest Christmas Gift
"This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ." - Frank McKibben
"And what a difference between our sin and God's generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God's bountiful gift. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins. The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God's wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:15-17 (NLT)
So far this week, we have been looking at Jesus being the greatest gift of all. We have looked at the hope that He provides and the truth that we all need this hope in an often hopeless world. Today, I want you to think about some of your reaction to that. What do you do with it? What have you done? A couple of months ago, I was cleaning out my garage. I noticed a small bag with a Christmas scene on it. It was a gift bag. As I was getting ready to throw the bag away, I noticed that something shifted in the bag. I looked in and noticed a gift card to Home Depot. Crazy!!! What a waste. I could have used this card many times over the past year but what good did it do sitting in a bag in my garage?
What good is a gift if you don't even open it? Even worse, what good is a gift that you don't even use? Not much. Even if the gift is valuable and you could use it every day, it doesn't do any good if your just leave it in the bag.
So what about this "gift" that God has given you? The gift of Jesus. Have you opened it? Have you accepted it? Have you used it? If you haven't yet, I want to talk to you about it. If you are not sure how to accept it, let's talk.
"This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ." - Frank McKibben
"And what a difference between our sin and God's generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God's bountiful gift. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins. The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God's wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:15-17 (NLT)
So far this week, we have been looking at Jesus being the greatest gift of all. We have looked at the hope that He provides and the truth that we all need this hope in an often hopeless world. Today, I want you to think about some of your reaction to that. What do you do with it? What have you done? A couple of months ago, I was cleaning out my garage. I noticed a small bag with a Christmas scene on it. It was a gift bag. As I was getting ready to throw the bag away, I noticed that something shifted in the bag. I looked in and noticed a gift card to Home Depot. Crazy!!! What a waste. I could have used this card many times over the past year but what good did it do sitting in a bag in my garage?
What good is a gift if you don't even open it? Even worse, what good is a gift that you don't even use? Not much. Even if the gift is valuable and you could use it every day, it doesn't do any good if your just leave it in the bag.
So what about this "gift" that God has given you? The gift of Jesus. Have you opened it? Have you accepted it? Have you used it? If you haven't yet, I want to talk to you about it. If you are not sure how to accept it, let's talk.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16th: "What The Gift Means to You
Yesterday, we looked at the one thing that the Gift of Jesus at Christmas means to you. Today, we continue our theme by thinking about THE HOPE that Jesus gives.
Jesus Our Hope"We have lasting hope through the salvation we have in Christ ... Hope means that even when it looks like it's all over, it's not all over yet. That's why the Bible says we can rejoice even in our tribulations (problems). God is working in our hard times to produce proven character and hope in us." -Dr. Tony Evans, Totally Saved
Psalm 33-22"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you." (NIV)
Jesus Our Hope
For millions of people, the Christmas season means nothing more than parties, gifts, decorations, and time off of school. For many of us, however, this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus came, God seemed distant to the people. Kind of hidden in a temple, accessible only to the high priest. Worshippers wondered whether their sacrifices were acceptable. They often doubted if God was really there. They had seen Him do some amazing things but even then, they doubted.
Christ means hope—to the person made fun of, to someone struggling with an addiction, to someone who feels distant from their parents. Even if you're just slogging your way through the problems in our life, if you have Jesus, you have hope. And he is not a false hope, a childish fairy tale that we wish will have a happy ending. When Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, was crucified, and then rose again; that ended the argument. Period. Our hope in him is solid and it is real.
Christmas is a renewal of that hope. It reconfirms for us that God has given us that gift of hope in Jesus where ever we are in life. But what does that mean to you? Today, think about the fact that even when times are hard, when your friends desert you, when you have done something that you feel is not forgivable, there is still hope. That hope is found in a baby born in Bethlehem that went on to pay the ultimate price....to give hope to the hopeless. Take some time today thanking God for that gift of Hope.
More tomorrow,
Dan
Jesus Our Hope"We have lasting hope through the salvation we have in Christ ... Hope means that even when it looks like it's all over, it's not all over yet. That's why the Bible says we can rejoice even in our tribulations (problems). God is working in our hard times to produce proven character and hope in us." -Dr. Tony Evans, Totally Saved
Psalm 33-22"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you." (NIV)
Jesus Our Hope
For millions of people, the Christmas season means nothing more than parties, gifts, decorations, and time off of school. For many of us, however, this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus came, God seemed distant to the people. Kind of hidden in a temple, accessible only to the high priest. Worshippers wondered whether their sacrifices were acceptable. They often doubted if God was really there. They had seen Him do some amazing things but even then, they doubted.
Christ means hope—to the person made fun of, to someone struggling with an addiction, to someone who feels distant from their parents. Even if you're just slogging your way through the problems in our life, if you have Jesus, you have hope. And he is not a false hope, a childish fairy tale that we wish will have a happy ending. When Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, was crucified, and then rose again; that ended the argument. Period. Our hope in him is solid and it is real.
Christmas is a renewal of that hope. It reconfirms for us that God has given us that gift of hope in Jesus where ever we are in life. But what does that mean to you? Today, think about the fact that even when times are hard, when your friends desert you, when you have done something that you feel is not forgivable, there is still hope. That hope is found in a baby born in Bethlehem that went on to pay the ultimate price....to give hope to the hopeless. Take some time today thanking God for that gift of Hope.
More tomorrow,
Dan
Monday, December 15, 2008
MONDAY DECEMBER 15th: "The One Thing"
When I was a kid(200 years ago), Christmas morning was my favorite day of the year. Mostly because it meant...gifts. Every year it was the same thing. We would open up the small items first, then move on to the larger gifts. We would go through the clothes, underwear, notebooks, and all the other "practical" gifts that all children just love...not. Anyway, there always seemed to one gift that had somehow been "misplaced". Most of the time, it was usually the big one. The big surprise. The one's that I remember even today. What about you? I'm sure that you may have had similar experiences in your life. What is your "one thing" at Christmas that makes it special for you? As usual, I'm not just talking about gifts.
So far this month, we have been talking about the fact that God's gift of Jesus is the greatest gift that we have ever been (or ever will be) given. But what does that gift mean to you....personally. You have probably seen the bumper stickers that say "Jesus, The reason for the season". Even so it seems to get harder and harder to find the real meaning of what the gift of Jesus means to us.
So today, as we start our week of study, I want you to answer the following questions:
*What does the celebration of Jesus' birth mean to you?
*Is it the sacrifice He made for you?
*Is it the life that He gives?
*Is it the miraculous way He came into this world?
*Is it the reason that He came into the world?
What one thing about "The Gift" brings significance to you in your understanding of Christmas. Please spend some time answering these questions. Be honest with yourself. Don't just answer with a "Yes that's it" or a "No that's not it".
This week, we will try to find the significance of what the gift of Jesus means to us. See you tomorrow.
Dan
So far this month, we have been talking about the fact that God's gift of Jesus is the greatest gift that we have ever been (or ever will be) given. But what does that gift mean to you....personally. You have probably seen the bumper stickers that say "Jesus, The reason for the season". Even so it seems to get harder and harder to find the real meaning of what the gift of Jesus means to us.
So today, as we start our week of study, I want you to answer the following questions:
*What does the celebration of Jesus' birth mean to you?
*Is it the sacrifice He made for you?
*Is it the life that He gives?
*Is it the miraculous way He came into this world?
*Is it the reason that He came into the world?
What one thing about "The Gift" brings significance to you in your understanding of Christmas. Please spend some time answering these questions. Be honest with yourself. Don't just answer with a "Yes that's it" or a "No that's not it".
This week, we will try to find the significance of what the gift of Jesus means to us. See you tomorrow.
Dan
Friday, November 14, 2008
FRIDAY: "Thanks...for everything": Radical Thanks
IT'S FRIDAY!!!! So how's it going with yesterday's assignment? Hopefully you are on your way. Today we are just simply going to spend our time not listening to me go on and on about living a life of gratitude (I can year you cheering from here even though this is being written weeks before you are reading this). Anyway, what have you learned this week/month? I think that now it's time to put it all into practice. Today, try this:
1) Spend some time thanking God for all that he has done (and continues to do)
2) Ask Him to help you show your gratitude to Him by helping you be thankful to others
3) Contact 5 people (it can be a phone call, text, letter, IM, or best yet, face to face), tell them thanks for....(whatever you are thankful to them for).
4) Have a great Day and see you Sunday (Don't forget about our D.I.P. group at Kidd Coffee on Monday and Tuesday, Sr High Monday at 6:45pm and Jr High Tuesday, 6:45)
Have a great weekend!!!!
dan
1) Spend some time thanking God for all that he has done (and continues to do)
2) Ask Him to help you show your gratitude to Him by helping you be thankful to others
3) Contact 5 people (it can be a phone call, text, letter, IM, or best yet, face to face), tell them thanks for....(whatever you are thankful to them for).
4) Have a great Day and see you Sunday (Don't forget about our D.I.P. group at Kidd Coffee on Monday and Tuesday, Sr High Monday at 6:45pm and Jr High Tuesday, 6:45)
Have a great weekend!!!!
dan
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