FOOLED

We can get lulled into a false sense of security. Just as many may believe they are “Christian” because they were born in a “Christian” country as the United States once was.

Hear the word of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah…

⁸“‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! ⁹Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, ¹⁰and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Jeremiah 7:8 - 10 (NLT)

Now substitute the word “church” for the word “temple” and read the paragraph again. It’s a powerful reminder that we need to “live” for Jesus, trying to be more like Him, all the time and not just on Sundays and Wednesdays!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that everything is cool between you and God if you’re just going through the motions. Get straight with Him now and walk in the path that He would set before you.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

RETURN

Have you ever been in a relationship where you messed up, not once but more than once? Sometimes people can be forgiving, but it’s hard. Your boyfriend or girlfriend says that he or she loves you, but you see (or hear about) him or her out with someone else and it hurts. It’s tough to forgive, forget and continue on with that person in the same way you did before. It’s not impossible but it’s not easy either.

Our relationship with God is much the same way. He loves us very much, but we have a responsibility in the relationship…to be honest with Him and follow the path that He has laid out for us. The “road map” to the path is found in His written word, the Bible.

When we “mess up” in our relationship with God, He simply wants us to admit it and stop doing that wrong thing that we were doing.

¹²Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says:

“O Israel, my faithless people,

come home to me again,

for I am merciful.

I will not be angry with you forever.

¹³ Only acknowledge your guilt.

Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God

and committed adultery against him

by worshiping idols under every green tree.

Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.

I, the LORD, have spoken! Jeremiah 3:12 - 13 (NLT)

Turn back to God. Fix your relationship with Him. He loves you very much.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

COURAGE

Perhaps when you were young you had nightmares that woke you in the night. Your mom or your dad came into the room and comforted you so that you weren’t afraid anymore. They were your security, your protector and defender from all that was scary.

When you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, He becomes your protector and defender. The good news is that He has already won the victory in the war against evil and all that might bring feelings of fear. He defeated Satan when He gave Himself for us at the cross of Calvary. His victory was made evident by His rising from the dead. We who are in Christ are conquerors with Him.

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. Philippians 1:28 (NLT)

As the Lord said to Joshua,

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)

There are those who do not wish for the SPRING Student Center to succeed, but we cannot and will not be intimidated by them because the Lord is on our side. He is the Source of our strength, our Shield and Protector.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

ABOVE

Every day we are faced with choices. We choose how to react to circumstances and we choose how to live our lives on a regular basis. What is most important to us guides the way we act or react.

Just the other day, somebody told me that they thought someone had taken money out of the donation can at the Student Center. I had a choice right then, to say that money was important or to say that what really mattered was that the individual who may have done this particular deed mattered even more in the overall scheme of things. I chose to believe in the value of the person rather than the value of the money.

Here’s something the Apostle Paul said that affects my thinking on the subject:

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 (NASB)

You see, what matters most is that person’s relationship with God, not a few dollars. We need to pray for and touch people’s souls. We need to let them know that they are more important to us than money or material things are. That’s real love.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD