Impact Week Eight

Review

Last week we talked about Noah. God saw Noah as the last righteous man on the face of the earth. God had become fed up with mankind and decided to start over with Noah and his family. So he told Noah to build a huge ship in which he, his family, and two of every living creature could survive a world-wide flood. Prior to the flood, in those days, it didn’t rain. But Noah wasn’t put off by what God said – he simply obeyed what God commanded him to do.

We are the Noah’s of our days. God is constantly looking into the hearts of men, looking for righteous people who will do his will – people He can use. The fact is, no matter how many people call themselves Christians, not every heart is completely His. God will never use nature to destroy the earth in the nature He did that day – but mankind isn’t much better than it was in Noah’s time. We must stand above that, listen to God’s heartbeat, and unflinchingly answer the call no matter how ridiculous it appears to us or those around us.

Background

Let’s fast forward to the New Testament. It’s about 31 A.D. Jesus has been to the cross, the grave, and now He has risen. He’s since appeared to Mary Magdalen and several of the disciples. But he’s saved his visit to Thomas. Poor Thomas. He’ll forever be held in history as “Doubting Thomas”. There’s a story behind that or so I hear.

Reading: John 20:24-31

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Can you imagine being Thomas in that moment? How small would you feel after hearing that from Jesus? In a fraction of a second, all your doubts would be swept away, sure. But then there’s mud on your face for being so dumb and not accepting the testimony of the others. Not even just them, but Jesus Himself! Remember when Jesus told His disciples (including Thomas) that He would have to die and rise again?

John 16:16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

Follow that passage a little bit further and you’ll see that although they didn’t understand what He said immediately, Jesus brought it down to a level they could figure out.

It’s not like Jesus hadn’t told Thomas He would rise again; yet Thomas was a realist. He didn’t believe in rosy fairy tales. “It isn’t true unless I can see it and feel it,” he must have thought. Make no mistake: the idea that a man could die and raise himself from the dead was and is impossible. No mortal man is capable on his own of accomplishing the task. But Jesus is not only a mortal man, he also is 100% God.

Put yourself in Thomas’ shoes for a moment. You’ve seen Christ do amazing things. He’s healed countless people, controlled the weather, fed thousands upon thousands with a handful of fish and bread, and even raised a man from the dead (that would be Lazarus). But do you think this man who claimed to be the Son of God could die (there’s no question that Jesus died; a soldier thrust a spear into his side, causing blood and water to spill, something that doesn’t happen unless the heart is ruptured) and raise Himself from the dead? We know he could because we’ve read about it; but the notion to Thomas must have been ridiculous. He needed proof.

We are not so unlike Thomas. When’s the last time you found yourself in difficult circumstances? I know I have doubted God at times. I went through a period of time in my life a few years ago where I just couldn’t land a job. Guys, I did everything I knew how to do. I prayed. I was on my face at times. I tithed every cent I came in contact with.

At some point, someone paid my way to a healing conference down in Ontario. I went down with my friend, and guess what? On the way, his van broke down on the freeway! He wasn’t exactly mister money bags either at the time. I think he was in debt on top of that. We managed to get pulled over to the side of the freeway and some tow truck service put on by the metro system in L.A. picked us up and took us to an auto repair shop.

We left the van there to be worked on. But instead of giving up and trying to find a way home to Ventura, we persevered through it and went to the three day conference. It was nuts. I didn’t know how it would work, but George had some family in the area, so we stayed with them. It was at that conference that I finally figured out what faith and belief are.

You can do all the right things, you can go through motions, as I did with my prayers and tithing. There’s nothing wrong with those things, and in fact, God commands it. But when it comes down to it, you can’t work your way into God’s favor. I was looking for a way to a job. God made sure I woke up that weekend and put my heart in the right place. When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine for a job at Century Theatres that I had applied for months ago, without so much as a thought that it would ever work out. In the end, I worked there for two years.

It’s difficult to put your trust in God, even for things that seem minuscule. In the face of a resurrection, it shouldn’t be unbelievable. What do you face that makes you doubt God or His ability to address the issue? Don’t forget that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you! The mountains in your life don’t stand a chance in the face of an Almighty God. Do you need to see it before you believe it? Take this with you today: John 20:29b “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Memory Verse: Romans 8:11

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”

1 & 2 Timothy

I found some of my thoughts on some passages from 1 & 2 Timothy, which we read prior to jumping into "Wild Truth Journal" and the current lessons. There's not much here, but I thought I would post them any way.

I Timothy 6

Verses 1-2 Servanthood You can look at your job (if you have one) as a place that you serve. Always give your best wherever and whatever you do.

Verses 6-10 Contentment Being in ministry often means giving certain comforts up. There is nothing wrong with having nice possessions or money. It is the constant pursuit of these things that becomes a problem.

A missionary for example, probably doesn't have one of the finest mansions in Malibu - they are out on the field. They are likely not focused on another job on the side - their heart is for God and for the lost. That's why we have ministries like Speed The Light.

On the other hand, God may call you to the business realm and you may find that God blesses your finances. Just remember it's not just for you. Don't be a Dead Sea - pour out what is given to you.

Regardless, be content with what you have.

II Timothy 1

Verse 6 Fan into flame - practice the gifts you have been given. It's common sense and a basic principal. You can't learn or improve without hands on experience.

Verse 7 A common theme throughout - Be strong and courageous. Don't be fearful of the unknown or even the known for that matter.

Verse 9 Grace - Paul recognized that he did nothing to deserve the calling. Grace means unmerited favor - you can't earn it. It's simply given.

II Timothy 2

Verses 1-6 Just a reminder that Timothy needed to find reliable men and women of faith. Any person in ministry should be focused and prepared.

Ultimately, we as leaders look to make leaders out of all of you. It's the basic principal of discipleship. We want you to grow in faith and love. We want you to be leaders among your own peers. If we push, if we prod, if we er on the side of being strict, it is because we love you and want His best for you.

Verses 14-19 A warning about gossip and its damaging effects. Seems like we've hung on this as leaders for a while now, but for good reason. Gossip is killing the move of God in this youth group.

Impact Week Seven

Review

Last week we were in Daniel chapter four, looking into the life of King Nebuchadnezzar. Israel had fallen into captivity of one of the great superpower kingdoms of that day. This king decided that the kingdom of Babylon that he was in charge of had become mighty because he himself was great. What he failed to realize, was that God had established his rule in the first place. Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream that no one in all of Babylon was able to interpret save for Daniel, a prophet and a man of God. God warned Nebuchadnezzar through the dream and through Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar would fall from power for a period of time until he was humbled and gave the glory to God for everything he once had. Nebuchadnezzar indeed did fall from power and became a wild creature of sorts before humbling himself and making a declaration that God was the King of kings.

In our own lives we need to remember that whatever success that we have, whatever we have accomplished is due to God’s grace. We haven’t actually accomplished anything. If you’ll recall, in the movie “Bruce Almighty”, Morgan Freeman, who played God, gave Bruce his power to look after a portion of Buffalo because Bruce thought he could do a better job than God himself. When Bruce came to his senses, he looked up, and cried out that God was the one in control and that He should decide what was best for him. As Christians, Jesus is not only our Saviour, but the Lord of our lives as well, meaning our miniature kingdoms are at His hands.

Background

Go with me if you will to a time when only one man on the face of the earth was found righteous amongst the entire population of the earth. The earth hadn’t even been around that long. Details on the exact time are extremely sketchy, but we’ll make a guess that this is somewhere around 3000 – 2400 B.C. To put that in perspective, the earth is somewhere around six thousand (6000) years old, not millions like your science class may teach you, and the beginning of time is somewhere around 4000 B.C. During this time, people lived a great many years. It was not unusual for a man to live eight hundred (800) years before dying. Noah was no exception.

Somewhere towards the last hundred years of his life, God made the decision that He was disgusted with what He had created. I won’t get too imaginative because the statement is rather short and to the point: “The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” Frankly, the earth is little different today. The only difference is a few million people who call upon the name of the Jesus as their Saviour and Lord (that’s hopefully you and me as well).

Reading: Genesis 6:5-22

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We don’t end up covering the flood here at all, just God’s instruction to Noah. I’ve seen a few cartoon adaptations of this event and they all seem to flower it up a bit. The fact is, there’s no mention of Noah trying to bring the people of the earth to repentance because God never told him to. Apparently God had had enough with creation and wanted to start over with the only righteous man on the face of the earth. So God instructed Noah to build a large ship in which two of every creature on the face of the earth at that time and Noah and his family could survive the flood in.

One thing you have to realize is that prior to the flood, the earth had never been rained on. Most biblical scholars contend that plants and crops grew by water coming up out of the ground. If there’s scripture to support that, I don’t know where it is, and I didn’t have much time to search for it. But the notion that the earth was going to rained upon in the first place, let alone that it would be flooded by water falling from the sky, was utterly ridiculous. It had never happened before. So I do imagine people that lived near him thought he was crazy building a ship on dry land.

Noah had to take God at His word. There was nothing to support the idea or that it would happen other than what God had said. But Noah decided to trust God rather than what his own sense may have told him. God still speaks to his people today. The most solid source we can turn to is His Word. But the things that he asks us to believe are crazy. Last week’s memory verse of Proverbs 3:5-6 sums it up pretty well: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Following God in light of our own understanding makes little sense. God will never flood the earth again in the extreme nature in which he did in that day, that’s His promise. So don’t worry, you’ll never have to build a ship.

Never the less, we are the Noahs of this day. It isn’t popular to follow what God has laid out in His Word for us to do. Here in America, we have a good shot at following God. But our freedom to do so isn’t guaranteed. It is in this day, and hopefully that will continue for years to come. But we are not promised that the people around us, whether they are our enemies, friends, or our family, will always support our walk with God. We have to take what God has said in His Word and follow it the best way we know how, regardless of what people think or have to say about it. I feel I should also add, you need to honor your parents and do what they tell you do, as long as you are a minor. Even after you grow up and move out from under their care, you still need to honor and love them.

Impact Week Six

Review

A week ago we jumped into a boat on the Sea of Galilee where twelve disciples and their Teacher were riding out a storm on the way to other side. This particular storm was putting their lives in great danger, so they screamed at Jesus that they were drowning. Their unbelief in Christ’s capability of taking care of them through this storm was made clear. You and I need to trust God, no matter how bleak the situation looks. Remember that without faith, it is impossible to please God. And keep in mind that God is with you through it all, even if he seems distant or asleep. God doesn’t sleep and he is aware of every intricate detail of your life.

Background

Back and forth! We’ve returned to the Old Testament again this week, peering into the life of a king. During this time, Israel has fallen captive to Babylon, a historical superpower. It’s approximately five hundred (500) to six hundred (600) B.C., and this appears to be during the third or forth year of the king’s reign. One thing to keep in mind here is that Daniel was a prophet, an interpreter of dreams. He has already found favor in the king’s sight, so much that the king hired Daniel and three of his men: Shadrach Meshach and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar was not the classic righteous king. He was from Babylon and was therefore a pagan king. He had, however, shown some humility before God, proclaiming him to be the one and only true God. By now, Nebuchadnezzar has had a second dream, and he’s asked for an interpretation. Daniel has come to give it.

Reading: Daniel 4:19-37

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We’ve got another classic case of a crowing rooster. This dude thought the world of himself and his accomplishments. Frankly, he had a lot to be proud of. Babylon, at the time, was the alpha dog. Babylon’s kingdom stretched to the far reaches of the earth, according to scripture, and everyone was aware of it. Twelve months after Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, God turned the king into a wild creature.

It is unclear what Nebuchadnezzar really looked like, but the account describes the claws of a bird and hair like the wings of an eagle. I guess he was grass-eating eagle, albeit the worst looking one ever to grace the earth, and to top it off, he was insane. I guess that’s a prerequisite to chewing up grass for food. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve really enjoyed a piece of grass. This was Nebuchadnezzar’s punishment, God’s way of humbling the man.

I don’t know how long “seven times” is (see Daniel 4:25), it may have been that seven transitions in his appearance were made over a period of time. Who knows? What we do know is that after a while, Nebuchadnezzar got tired of his extreme makeover and decided to make a heart change. It is here that the king humbled himself and proclaimed that God was sovereign over all, that He had the power to raise up a kingdom or tear it down. In other words, everything he once had established and the success of Babylon was not at the hands of a man, but rather God Almighty. More importantly, he acknowledged that God’s kingdom will endure forever and ever.

Nebuchadnezzar showed he was through being the alpha by looking up into heaven (check out Daniel 4:34). If you know anything about kings, you know that they never look up to address anyone. Throughout many civilizations, you could not address the king at eye level; you fell on your knees or possibly your face and begged to be heard. In a palace, the king sat in a high chair (no not like a baby’s high chair, although that would be amusing), so that anyone who entered to speak with the king would be sufficiently lower and would need to look up at him. So for Nebuchadnezzar to look up into heaven meant that he was the man on the floor begging to be heard by the King of kings.

If you’ve ever seen “Bruce Almighty” you might remember the scene where Bruce is walking in the rain and he’s hit rock bottom. Everything around him has fallen apart, heck the world was falling apart. Bruce is a fictional character; Nebuchadnezzar is the real man in history. But both humbled themselves and acknowledged that they were not gods, and that God was sovereign.

You and I can’t play God. We don’t even have kingdoms, figuratively or otherwise. But if you think you are the king of your life, you are sadly mistaken. Being a Christian not only means accepting Christ as our Saviour, the one who pulled us out of the pit, it also means making him the Lord of our lives. Look up into the eyes of Christ and acknowledge Him as the King of your heart and your life.

Impact Week Five

Review

Last time we talked about Moses’ brother, Aaron, who was left in charge of the people while Moses went up on the mountain to talk with God. Moses was gone for forty (40) days, and the people got restless and unsure of what was happening. As a result, they made a god in the form of a golden calf. When questioned, Aaron made the situation worse by lying about it and placed the blame on the Israelites. Aaron was just as much at fault as the people, possibly more so, since he was left to watch over the people. Just like a baby sitter, he was supposed to keep them out of trouble. When you’re caught in your sin, own up to it, take responsibility. Don’t pass it on to someone else.

Background

We’re back in the New Testament this week, with Jesus and his band of followers. Mark doesn’t give a very clear picture of when this is took place, as we usually figure out the time and place according to what miracles have taken place. But as far I can gather, Jesus has just finished speaking to a rather large crowd, large enough to make Jesus sit in a boat out on the lake to teach them so they wouldn’t overwhelm him.

At any rate, this appears to be fairly early on in his ministry, about 30 A.D. Jesus and his twelve (12) are crossing the Sea of Galilee to go into a region called Gerasenes. Jesus has gotten comfy in the stern of the boat while the disciples do the sailing.

Reading: Mark 4:35-41

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The disciples faced a physical, real, life-threatening storm for which Jesus would have slept through, if the disciples hadn’t have woken Him. One version says “Master, care you not that we perish?” Your typical fisherman is a weathered, tested, and tried professional. They aren’t wimps. The wimps find another career. For a bunch of fisherman, it’s unlikely that they were blowing things out proportion. And the account informs us that the boat was about swamped, in other words, it was going down if something didn’t drastically change. This was no minor squall.

There aren’t many of us who can say we’ve been out on the sea in a boat during a storm that could have killed us. I’ve been on a boat a few times, and left the coast once for some whale watching. There may have been some clouds, but it wasn’t raining, and the waves were about as calm as you could ask for. And the boat I was on was made of some sort of composite alloy – sturdy stuff. It wasn’t about to toss and turn in the waves.

In the most literal sense, you and I don’t typically face sea storms. But if you haven’t noticed by now, you will at some point: we face issues in our lives that are comparable to a storm, sometimes even life-threatening. Fact is, God isn’t always apparent or present during these storms. It may seem like He’s asleep in the back of the boat, or even further off.

Jesus bailed the disciples out of this storm. And a lot of times, God bails us out too. But as you walk with Jesus, and your faith is strengthened, you will find yourself going through storms, not averting them altogether. You don’t learn or gain much from escaping storms. You grow through experience even if you feel you’ve lost. If you falter, you get back up, take what you’ve learned, and make adjustments. Three steps forward, two steps backward. Keep pressing on.

Picture this: you’re five (5) or six (6) years old, and you’re heading to the playground with your dad. Some of you don’t have good images of your dad, so perhaps put your mom in that slot. You want to go on the slide but you’re afraid to climb the ladder to get up there. It’s daunting for any child. So dad or mom helps you up there the first couple of times. By the third time, they take a step back. They haven’t left, they’re still there, they’re just letting you tackle the ladder. See where I’m going with this? You may falter, but they haven’t left you to fall and hit your head. There are few things that bring more enjoyment to a parent than watching their child grow through experiences. God is the same way, or so I've gathered.

Return to the boat with the disciples. I’m convinced they hadn’t yet realized who they were with. Look at verse forty one (41): “They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Haven’t they heard about God? Don’t they know what He did a couple thousand years back at the hands of Moses? God parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could make safe passage to the other side. Of course He has command over nature! When they said "Who is this?", one wonders if they knew He was God.

To keep a normal amount of perspective, Isaiah chapter 53 tells us that there was nothing remarkable about Jesus' appearance. Despite the way paintings typically depict Jesus, He wasn't particularity attractive. And Jesus didn't have a sign with an arrow pointing to Him saying "This is the Son of God". He was fully God, but he was also fully man.

It’s clear that Jesus is frustrated with their lack of belief. “Do you still have no faith?” It's difficult to discern exactly what had taken place at this point, but at least by this account, Jesus had performed a few miracles in their presence.

At this point in your life, and even in my life, we haven't experienced much. So remember what God has done throughout history. We will cover quite a few stories over the year, and there's a lot to take to heart. If you have had life experiences, draw faith from what God did in those situations when you face new ones. And remember that Jesus is around. He’s fully awake, fully aware of your storm, and fully capable to handle it.

Impact Week Four

Review

Last week we looked into the lives of Jesus, Lazarus, and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Lazarus was extremely sick and on the verge of death when word reached Jesus of his situation. But Jesus waited a few more days before going to Bethel, where Lazarus lived. It wasn’t until after his death that Jesus arrived to a town full of mourners and a couple of distraught sisters. It didn’t make sense to them why Jesus waited, because they knew he could have healed Lazarus if he had come sooner. But Jesus brought many to believe in himself by raising Lazarus from the dead. The trials we go through in life often times don’t make sense, but remember that God has a greater purpose than what you can see with your physical eyes.

Background

Let’s go back to a time when the Law is being established for the first time, the time of Moses and Aaron. Now God has long since appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and freed the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. He’s provided manna and quail for the people to eat, and water from a rock to drink in the wilderness. God has clearly shown His love and provision for His people.

God has called Moses to be up on the mountain to be with Him for forty (40) days. There’s a cloud of what appears to be fire surrounding the mountain so that Moses can be there in God’s presence. God is pretty particular about who can see him, and so far, Moses is the only one who lived after seeing him for scant seconds.

While Moses is on the mountain with God, he’s left Aaron to look after the people of Israel. At this point, Moses has been gone for quite some time, and the people have grown tired of waiting and assume he’s gone off the deep end and wasn’t coming up for air.

Reading: Exodus 32:1-25

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Verse seven (7) makes me laugh. “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.” I can remember my dad referring to me as my mother’s son when I had done something wrong. “Marie, your son has broken the window again.” My mom did the same thing. Do something wrong, and you’re automatically the other parent’s offspring, not theirs. It’s like Moses is the parent of the receiving end of that sort of conversation. Amusing to me, probably not to Moses, and certainly not to God at the time.

The seriousness of the sin committed here however, is not amusing in the least. God had and has made it clear that he is a jealous God, and will not allow anything to take His place, including a god made in His image. It’s not okay to bow down before a cross, a statue or a picture, representing Him or any other god. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong to have those things around to admire, just don’t worship them.

In our lives, anything that takes priority over God is an idol. That could be a girlfriend, a computer, a TV, video games or any number of things. You’ve essentially said, “This is more important to me right now, and I love it more than God, so I am going to spend my time with her or doing this activity.” Again, it’s not wrong to have those things around, but if they consume your heart and time, and you find yourself prioritizing your day around them, something’s wrong.

Now the people of Israel have approached Aaron and asked for an idol to worship. And in a way, I feel for the people. Moses has been gone for weeks to talk to a God they can’t really connect with on a personal basis. And all the other tribes of people are poking fun at them because Israel’s God isn’t even in physical form. They’re looking for something tangible just like the pagans. On the other hand, they’ve seen God’s provision and protection, and they’ve been miraculously delivered out of the hands of Pharaoh and the land of the suffering. And they know full well what God commanded of them through Moses. One, “You shall have no other gods before me”, and two “You shall not make for yourself an idol…”

Aaron was left in charge of the people, and he doesn’t refuse, doesn’t even suggest it would be wrong. He goes right along with people, either because of pressure or because he wanted what they wanted just as much as they did. Regardless, he’s just as much to blame for the sin as the rest of them. Yet he had no problem placing the blame on the people. “You know how prone these people are to evil,” he had said.

It’s bad enough that Israel sinned as a people. But it’s even worse that Aaron tried to make it look like he was innocent. If you and your sibling are caught doing something that’s obviously wrong, don’t blame the idea on them. Take your punishment like a man. When you’re exposed for your sin, own up to it, don’t pass the blame.

Impact Week Three

Background

Last week we covered Uzziah, a king of Judah. He was a great man of God and one of a few good kings in Israel’s past. His reign lasted fifty-two (52) years, and during that time, God gave him great military success and victory over some of Israel’s peskier enemies, including the Philistines. Bring that into today’s context, that’s like the Red Sox sticking it to the Yankees. Unfortunately, Uzziah became stuck up and prideful. He ended up coming into the temple and making a sacrifice of incense, a job given only to the Levites who were the priests. After warning Uzziah through the priests, God inflicted him with leprosy and his son had to take over the kingdom. We need to recognize the moments of correction in our lives and respond with repentance.

Fast forward a few thousand years to the New Testament. The book of John doesn’t give a very full account of Jesus life, but it summarizes some of the best parts. At this point, the disciples have been with Jesus for a little less than three years, and Jesus’ death is quickly approaching.

Jesus and his disciples have just escaped a stoning from the people of Jerusalem. Jesus had made the claim that He was God, inciting the public’s anger. So they took off to the other side of the Jordan to put some distance between them, because it wasn’t time for Jesus to give His life. It is here that word reaches Jesus that Lazarus is dying.

Lazarus was the brother of Mary, a woman who had anointed Jesus feet with perfume. This is the same Mary some idiots believe was Jesus’ wife. Utter hogwash. It’s completely unsupported by scripture and any sort of physical evidence of any kind. Some of these losers base that belief on a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, “The Last Supper” which doesn’t even depict Mary at all. They claim that John, who is seated to Jesus’ right (and our left) is really Mary and that this somehow supports the theory. It doesn't even make any sense to say it's Mary, because if it was, where's John? Why would Da Vinci leave out one of the twelve (12) disciples from the table? I haven't bothered to address the other quote evidence because it's not really what we're focusing on.

Anyway, Laz was a close friend of Jesus. So when he dies, Jesus naturally shows up, but it isn’t for his funeral. Let’s read the account.

Reading: John 11:1-45

End

I like this story. It's one of the most moving stories in the life of Jesus. And it depicts the humanity of Jesus quite well.

Imagine for a moment if you will, being Mary or Martha, having sent word days ahead of time that Lazarus, one of Jesus' closest friends, was dying. Now you know that Jesus was more than capable of healing the dude of any ailment, but because Jesus lagged behind, you have to watch your brother die. Heck, put yourself in Lazarus' shoes. You're the best friend of the God of the universe, and you end up dying! People experience this today to a lesser degree, and I say lesser only because Jesus isn't present in physical form in this day and age. But it's maddening trying to figure out God's heart and purpose for the things we go through.

You need to know that in life, we have and always will face great difficulties. It's up to you whether they pull you closer to God or push you further apart.

When I went through this ordeal with Leukemia last year, it would have been easy to become angry with God and lose faith. I'll admit that at times, especially when I was in consistent need of platelets and blood transfusions, I grew very frustrated. My doctors were puzzled that it was taking so long for the transplant to take effect, and frankly, so was I. Guys, I still don't know the full purpose of the past year and a half, but my faith has soared because I know that nothing is too difficult for God, and nothing stands in his way.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)

If you love God and live for Him, your life is being worked out, and God has the best things in mind, regardless of what you've experienced in times past, present, or future.

In Lazarus' case, Jesus allowed him to die before he returned for him. Verses fourteen (14) and forty (40) tell us what was going on in Jesus' head when he decided to wait for his death. And verse forty-five (45) shows the result. The death and particularly the resurrection of Laz caused many people to believe and put their faith in Jesus. And who knows what else was accomplished. I'd be willing to bet that none of those people ever questioned or doubted Jesus' timing again.

When you face life's problems and difficulties, put your faith and trust in the Man who faced them all and worse and never batted an eye. Take your eyes off of the wind and the waves and focus on Him while you walk out the road He's put you on. Communicate with God about your difficulties and know that He will help you face them head on and grow in your faith.

Memory Verse: Romans 8:28

Impact Week Two

Background

So this is just a few decades prior to Josiah’s reign in Judah. Josiah was a guy who became king when he was eight, and later found and restored the Covenant of the Law when he turned 18. Josiah, as we learned, was a person of great influence, even at a young age.

Uzziah wasn’t much older when he became king either – just 16. That’s a junior in high school. Imagine if J.D. Hooten became the President of the United States in November (or technically January is the inauguration month). That’s about the same thing as what was happening to Uzziah, only he had more power.

The Bible says he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and because he sought God, He gave him victory over Israel’s enemies. But it was the spread of his fame and his name even into Egypt that led to problems.

Reading: II Chronicles 26

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I don’t know of anything that stinks more than pride. I’ve had my fair share of prideful moments, and I don’t think anything is more humbling than being denounced for it. Uzziah didn’t like it either. Perhaps if he had heeded the warnings of the priests, he would have lived. We’ll never know because he didn’t.

One thing to note about Uzziah’s problem. No one was ever allowed into the holy of holies (where the alter was) save for the high priest, and only one day of the year, called the Day of Atonement. And I’d lay you odds, that priest probably didn’t want to be there that day either. If anything went wrong in the long ceremony of cleansing the high priest, God could well have struck him dead. That’s why they would tie a rope to the priest’s leg so someone could pull his body out if he died. God demanded complete righteousness and purity in his presence.

He still does today. We’re extremely blessed in that we have the freedom to come into the holiest place, the place where God dwells, at any time. See Jesus broke the barrier between God and men when he died on the cross. It’s his blood that blinds God the Father from our sin. Prior to the cross, it was necessary to make a sacrifice to cover sin, and even then, you couldn’t experience the presence of God the way we do today.

But it wasn’t just that Uzziah crossed the boundary – it was his pride. Make no mistake – Uzziah was a great man, and through him, God did great things. Uzziah just seemed to lose sight that it was through him, not by him.

Understand this: pride is not all bad. You can be proud of many things, including things you’ve done, so long as it doesn’t get out of hand. I have a certain pride in America and its origins as a godly nation. I am very proud of Michael Phelps, Shawn Johnson, and other Olympians who won dozens of medals and displayed their natural God-given abilities this year. I am proud of my sisters, and the women of God they’ve grown to become.

Don’t let pride become a problem. Don’t ever become so arrogant that you can’t be corrected – by friends, family, or sometimes even a complete stranger. I truly believe that God would have spared Uzziah’s life if he had listened and backed away. In your moment of warning, stop, listen, and change.

Memory Verse

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12 (NIV)

Impact Week One

Background

All throughout Israel’s history of judges and kings, the people are known to be consistent about one thing: inconsistency. In Judges, God repeatedly raised up prophets or other leaders that called the people to repentance, from Sampson to Gideon. And as soon as they died, Israel fell back into sin. If one king destroyed the idols in the temple and the high places, the next king would rebuild them.

At this point in II Kings, both David and his son Solomon have long since passed, and along with the years and kings that followed them, the people have again lost sight of their God. It’s gotten so bad, in fact, that the temple that Solomon built has gone to ruins, and the Book of the Law (Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy) is lost. Israel is now split into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south.

Josiah (or Kid King Joey) is one of the last good kings in Israel’s long history prior to their exile. Following Josiah’s reign, God became so angry with Israel that he caused them to fall into the hands of Babylon, a huge power at that point in time.

Reading: II Kings 22-23

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We aren’t kings or even presidents, and we more than likely never will be. But we all have influence, whether we see it or not. Luke Forehand, for instance, is a very outspoken person, a person of influence. Tyler Brown is also someone people stop and take notice of. Pastor Tony and Pastor Dave are two of the most natural leaders I know (and not just because they’re pastors).

God uses people of influence to lead his people. He used Josiah in this case to restore the temple, lead the people to repentance, and reinstate the Covenant God had made with Israel.

We need upright and honest people in power in our government. It’s the only way to bring any semblance of order and righteousness to the country. We need upright people in the business world. And we need righteous leaders in ministry as well. Pastor Tony and Pastor Dave will grow old, retire, and ultimately die, as will we all. Someone’s gotta come along to fill their shoes.

It doesn’t much matter if you are or aren’t a person of great influence. What you say and do reflects on other people. And God is just looking for a heart that is completely sold out for Him (II Chronicles 16:9). That means you do what is right, read your Bible (to find out what is right and just), and pray (for guidance, forgiveness, and mostly to have a relationship with God). If you truly want to honor God, he will give you the favor (or grace) and influence to do what he calls you do – whatever that is.