Youth and Elderly Alike: "Send us!"

      Today's service was led by our youth ministry; both high school and college students. As I listened to five of them teach a different lesson about speech, life, love, faith and purity, I became marveled at the spiritual walk.

     Some of us stay in the infancy stage for quite some time. But to mature, we must read the Bible each day, worship God in awe, and be willing to be transformed by His Holy Spirit as He sees fit, not us. Creatures of habit, we are often comfortable with what makes us feel good. Most of us do not like the refining fire or being on the Potter's wheel. However, the youth today showed me (and hopefully everyone else in that 8 a.m. chapel service!) that we must not become complacent in our walk.

    If these youngsters are up to the challenge (and one that is incredibly hard facing today's society and culture), why shouldn't we be - those of us who are a little or a lot older? Why should we sit back in our chairs, comfortably "remembering" the times these youth face today? That shouldn't be our mission at all! We need to be just as fiesty as the youth, and watch our conduct in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.

     Just this past Wednesday, I met with the women from my small group. We are studying Maxie Dunn's "Intercessory Prayer" workbook. These ladies are phenomenal. Most of them have had incredible life experience, and guess what? They still need encouragement from other Believers to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, trust in God and submission to his Holy Spirit.

     Write this verse down and stick it on your mirror or in your wallet:

      "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16, ESV).

      Why is this so important? Allow me to share one more verse with you that is amazingly important, but little studied. When we keep a close watch on ourselves, we are disciplining and training ourselves to be self-aware of how and what we: say, do, think, feel, and act. How can the motives of our hearts be kept pure if we don't check in with ourselves and ask, "Why am I thinking this way? Why am I doing things this way? Why did I just say that?"
       We must also keep a close watch on the teaching because if we are to make an impact, we better be doing it wisely, and humbly, walking close to God. We certainly can't teach one thing and then act another. We'd be in the Pharisees camp if we tried, and then, who would come to know Christ? Not many.

       Consider these verses and let God speak to you this day through them:

       "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved...
(Romans 10:9-10)

       "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:14-15).

       These are stunning points.

      Truly, I encourage you to wrestle with these:

      1) How can they (other believers struggling with their faith, unbelievers, and those who have never heard about Jesus to begin with) call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they call on one of whom they have not heard?

       This is why intercessory prayer is so vitally important today and every day.
       Does God hear our prayers? Yes.
       Will we always see the fruit of our prayers? No.
       Can we believe that God will use our prayers to help someone we have never met? Yes.
       Should we believe that God is able to bring the Good News to people we have never met globally? Yes! 

       Pray today that at least ONE person be given the knowledge and message of Jesus Christ by a fellow believer today. Pray that this one person will be given ears to hear and a convicted heart.

     2) How can someone hear if they do not have someone preaching to them? And how will they preach if they are not sent?

     This is why missionary work is so important. Even if you are not called to the international mission field, pray for these people anyway. Pray for the people they are about to impact.
      Pray for ordinary people, just like you and me, to be given a desire to study the Word, keep a close watch on ourselves and the teaching, and act as missionaries in our own communities.
      We must be on alert all the time, just like our youth. In fact, if we could even team up with our youth to instill wisdom in their approach, and be renewed by their passion, what an impact we could make!
      As always, just as I share in hospitality and recipes for the animals, serve with Love.

Let's pray together today:

"Heavenly Father, we thank you for the reminder and message of being a youth serving you. We, who are older, especially thank you for the reminder on how to keep a close watch on ourselves and our conduct. Thank you for reminding us about the international mission field, and those who impact it every day. We pray for you to equip our missionaries who serve internationally, sacrificing comfort and safety every day so that one more may be given new life in Christ. We pray for each other in our own communities, that you might send us to teach others about You. We praise you for the many works you have done and are continuing to do through us. Purify us in our minds, speech and actions so that we may glorify You in all we do and say. Thank you for this new day. We love you, praise you and thank you for your faithfulness each and every day. In Jesus' name. Amen."