Youth Challenge

Ephesians 4:15 – But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

The beginning of this verse about “speaking the truth in love” is always a challenge to me.  It is important not just what we say, but how we say it as well.  Not only that, but the motivation behind saying what we say is important as well.  Let’s make sure that we say what we say to people because of our love for them.

That is not the part of the verse that really spoke to me today though.  Verse 14 talks about the need to not be children that are just blown around by winds of doctrine.  This verse talks about “growing up” in Him.  With that thought, I had to ask myself, am I still growing up in Him?  Am I becoming more and more grounded in the things of the Lord all of the time?  As we mature in Christ, we should know doctrine.  We should know what the Bible says and be able to apply it to our lives.  That does not mean that we can not or should not seek advice.  We need to do that; however, we should be constantly becoming more grounded in the things of God’s Word.

When it comes to doctrine and spiritual matters, are we still children, or have we matured, and continue to mature?

Ephesians 3:8 – Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

There were a couple of things that really jumped out at me about this verse.  The first thing is the humility of Paul.  Remember that Paul has been miraculously converted and is now preaching and starting churches all over the known world.  He is probably the greatest missionary / church planter that the world has ever known.  Despite all of this, he says that he is “less than the least of all saints”.  I am guilty, at times, of looking at others and comparing myself to them – putting myself in a favourable light.  Paul, in comparing himself with others, says that he is less than the least of Christians.  I believe that we can learn a lesson there.

The other thing that was a blessing to me from this verse was the great spiritual riches that are available to us through Christ.  We often focus on physical riches, but Paul talks about these “unsearchable riches”.  I believe this to be speaking about spiritual blessings, and such that are beyond description or imagination.  That is what we have access to and that is what Paul preached to others and that we can bring to others as well.  I am so glad that this was made available to the Gentiles!  What am I doing to share this with others.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Have you ever stopped to consider that we are the very workmanship of a holy God?  There are times that a good builder might build things that he is not proud of.  Maybe it just didn’t turn out how he thought it would.  Maybe he did not like the blueprint to begin with.  Either way, there are times that people are not happy with what they come up with.  Is that ever the case with us, as God thinks about the “workmanship” that we are – that He has created?

In reading this today, I am determined to be a part of the work of God that He can be proud of!  I do not want to be someone about whom God says “That is not how that was supposed to turn out”.  I want to be exactly what God wants for me to be.  In order for that to take place in my life, I must allow God to do exactly what He wants to do in my life today.  I must follow His leading today.  I must make right decisions today.  Am I willing to do that?  Are you willing to do that?

Proverbs 14:2 – He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

We are told so many times throughout Scripture to “Fear the Lord”.  There is no doubt that, if we were to be asked, we would say that we fear the Lord”.  The question is do our actions show forth that we really do fear the Lord?  This verse tells us that our actions show whether or not we fear the Lord.  In fact, it tells us that our actions either show that we fear the Lord, or that we despise Him.

Walking in uprightness (integrity, righteousness, a way pleasing to the Lord) shows that we do indeed fear the Lord.  Walking in perverseness (wickedness, way displeasing to God) shows that we despise Him.  We can say that we fear God, or we can show that we fear God.  Truthfully, we could do both, but sadly, that is not often the case.  Which is it with my life?  Am I just saying that I fear God, or am I actually showing that I fear Him by my actions?

Galatians 6:1 – Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

If there is one thing that we, as Christians, often fail at, I believe it is what is talked about in this verse: restoration.  I have heard it said that Christians are the only group of people that “shoot their wounded”.  That type of thing ought not to be the case.  That is not the Biblical way.  When somebody falls, we are to try to restore that individual.

We are warned to be careful and consider ourselves, so that we do not fall ourselves into the temptation that the other person gave in to.  That is why this admonition is given to those that are “spiritual”.  This verse got me to wondering, what am I doing to help those that have fallen?  Could I be doing more?  Let’s do what we can to try to restore Christians that have fallen, being careful not to get so close that we fall into temptation ourselves.

Ezra 7:10 – For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

What a great chapter from God’s Word this is.  There was much in it that spoke to my heart, but I will just post on this verse.  I have been preaching through Psalm 119 in our church services and have been studying through that chapter, and it talks all about God’s Word.  On of the things that is talked about in the section that I am studying right now is the “performing” of God’s Word.  In other words, it is not just enough to know God’s Word, there must be a doing of it that takes place.  That is one of the things talked about in this verse.  Ezra had prepared his heart for a few things, but one of those things was to do God’s Word.  How faithful are we at “doing” His Word?

Beyond that thought, the very first phrase at the verse is a convicting one to me.  Ezra “prepared his heart”.  Too often I have entered services, or personal Bible reading time without my heart really being prepared.  That is to my shame, and to my detriment.  I know that I can benefit so much more from the reading and preaching of God’s Word of my heart is properly prepared to receive it.  I was challenged to do a better job of that through the reading of this passage of Scripture today.

Galatians 4:18 – But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

This verse really jumped out at me today.  When we all get together at a conference, like the recent youth conference, or other meetings, it is easy to be zealous about the things of the Lord.  It is easy for that zealousness to affect other people as this verse talks about, but what about the rest of the time?  What are we like when we are on our own, or when we get to our homes?

Paul is telling the Christians to not just be zealous for good when he is around, but other times as well.  He is encouraging them to be zealous for the things of the Lord all of the time.  That is a good challenge for us as well.  It can be easy to talk about and do the things of the Lord at church, or when we are at a conference, and there is nothing wrong with that; we must allow that zeal to go beyond that point though.  Let’s be zealous for good throughout the year and see who we might be able to affect for the Lord.

Ezra 5:2 – Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.

We read in the last chapter how that the work on the temple had stopped.  The reason for this was a decree from the king.  It is interesting to me how the work got re-started: a couple of people just determined that they were going to get to work.  They did, and other people (the prophets in this case) began working with them.

We probably all have some things that we would like to be doing, or that we know need to be done.  What are we doing about those things?  These men just decided to get to work on what they saw needed to be done.  I was challenged by that. As I see things in my own life that need to be worked on, I am going to get to work.  What about you?

Ezra 4:24 – Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem.  So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The people rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem begin to see some opposition in this chapter.  their desire is to continue, but, by decree of the king, they had to stop.  As I read this, I thought about my own life.  How much opposition does it take for me to stop doing what I know I should be doing?  How much “opposition” am I willing to face in order to do what is right and stand for the right?

The truth of the matter is that we should continue to do what is right, regardless of the opposition that we may face.  Do we?  If someone even questions why we do what we do, our tendency is to back down.  If someone snickers a little bit a what we wear, we want to change, or we don’t even wear what we know we should out of fear of what others might say in the first place.  The examples could go on and on.  I was challenged today to strengthen my resolve for what is right.  I was reminded that when opposition comes, I must be ready to face it and continue doing what I should be doing for the Lord.

Ezra 3:11 – And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel.  And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

As I read this verse, I was convicted by a thought that is not really the main idea of this verse.  We are told that the people rejoiced because the foundation was laid.  Although laying the foundation is vitally important and can be very time consuming, it is not a visible portion of the job at hand.  There was still a lot of work that was going to have to be done.  Despite this, when the foundation was complete, the people took time to shout and praise God.

I got thinking about my own life.  How often do I thank and praise God for “ongoing projects” in my life.  We sometimes (although not as often as we should) thank God for what He has done, or for what we trust He is going to do; but what about the ongoing things in our lives?  Often those are the things that are causing is time, effort, and work – are we thanking God for those things?  I know that I need to be a more thankful person, and I was reminded of that in a bit of an unusual way this morning.  Let’s not forget to thank God for the “foundations” that are being built in our lives.