Standing Strong

Have you ever been teased, picked on, made fun of, or something of this nature? Maybe it was just a joke or maybe somebody was really trying to be mean. I'm sure we have all been in this situation or have put somebody in this situation. I always like to joke with people and I use the word joke loosely because I joke with people that I like and are friends.

Have you ever been picked on because of a sports team you like, a job that you have, or maybe a certain brand that you buy; maybe you like Ford trucks, Nike shoes, Aeropostale clothes, or maybe something simple like Crest toothpaste. We all have brands that we like or "believe" in. Sometimes that leads to people making fun of us because of certain brands that we like. Sometimes we might change what brands we use because of the teasing and sometimes we might not change.

Once again, have you ever been made fun of because of something you believe? This is hard for some to believe, but I have never drunk alcohol. Maybe you have something like this? When you were teased did it make you want to change your belief? Under pressure it can be hard to stay strong. Everybody in the room is watching you and you really want to ______, but you know that it is not right. Take the high road and stay strong. People will respect you a lot more by not giving into the temptation.

Jesus knew that he was going to have to die. He knew his time was coming. The chief priest wanted to kill Jesus because of what he was preaching. Talking about being under some pressure, your life is being threatened because of what you believe. Can you image somebody trying to kill you because of baseball team you root for? Jesus was the outcast of society because of what he believed. He didn't care what people thought about him. He knew in his heart what was right and was willing to die for it. He knew that if he would sacrifice his body and life here on earth, that everyone else could spend eternity with him. Jesus was cursed, spit on, made fun of, and physically beaten almost to the point of death just so that we could live in heaven. He gave his life up so that you could have life.

Finally, are you willing to stand strong in what you believe in? Even if that means getting teased a little bit. Jesus loves you so much! In this Easter season let’s try and stay strong in him. If there is anything that is separating you from Him try and work on getting rid of that sin. Remember, Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice; we should try and sacrifice for him.

Questions? Just ask.

Adjustment

I'm taking kind of a different approach with this post, more of a personal testimony than a life lesson.

I'm going to start you out in high school.

As I went through high school my Christian faith began to build up and climax like a suspenseful movie. I went to church every Sunday, had Sunday night activities that helped my faith, and I went to a Wednesday night bible study which also helped to make my faith stronger. As college approached I began to get anxious. I was really looking forward to the independence. As my freshman year began, I realized that I needed to find a good church and get involved in some Christian activities. I tired out a couple churches in the area, but I found nothing that moved me or that I liked. Therefore, being Mr. Independent I just decided not to go to church. I also didn't go to any type of mid-week bible study. My faith went from being high to starting to spiral downward at a pretty quick pace. My entire freshmen year I did nothing to change this pattern.

As my sophomore year began, my girlfriend at the time talked me into going to Baptist Student Ministries on Thursday nights. As I began to go I think that it did a lot of good. In getting me back on the right track. As the year continued my faith continued to get stronger. In November, my girlfriend and I broke up. I met some new people and they took me to church with them one Sunday in December and I fell in love with it. My faith continued to be on the slow and steady pace forward. In March, I made another a big step and started having a daily devotional. It did wonders for me. I still wasn't turning everything over to God. On April 27, God got my attention with something as simple as a wiffle ball. This ordinary wiffle ball made me temporarily blind in my left eye. As I sat for two weeks and couldn't do anything I realized that I needed to give everything up to him. I would do what he wanted and not what I wanted. The sad thing is this thought slowly faded away through out the summer.

As my junior year began, I had one thing on my mind to accomplish and that was to get a girlfriend. It wasn't that I should continue to try and grow in my faith, but something as shallow as finding a girlfriend. In September, my roommate, Greg, talked me into going to a college-aged bible study with him. This was a great way to keep my focus on Jesus. I guess I should probably let you know that I one thing I struggle with is spending time daily in prayer and the word, but my daily devotional went from being awesome in the spring to non-existent. So I had the bible study and the church, but no daily walk. My faith continued to improve at a slow pace, even though I didn't have the daily walk. One of the basketball players helped me out a lot with my faith on our road trips.

As January rolled around God was having a lot of things stress me out and for good reason. I turned to him and my faith right now here in March is nearly what it was in high school. My daily devotional is incredible and my Christian walk is going exactly in the direction that it needs to be going.

As I made the transition from high school to college I had to make some adjustments. My mom and dad weren't there anymore to get me to go to church. Bible study was no longer the thing to do on Wednesday nights. I had to rediscover all of this on my own. I had to want to seek him because i wanted to and not because it was just something to do on Sundays and Wednesdays. I had to make the adjustment. In the last 18 months there have been several things that have helped me make those adjustments and several people that have had an effect.

My challenge to you today is will you make the adjustment. Will you seek to find the church that is right for you? Will you find a bible study to attend? Will you say Jesus here I am for whatever you want. Everybody knows that feeling that they have inside. Don't ignore God, but live for him.

Searching?

As you begin to read this I want you to reflect on what you did today. Did you go to school, maybe you worked, and maybe you did something of enjoyment. I know I always like to get outside and play some ball or go to the gym and shoot some hoops. I love to be active and doing something physically active. Everybody has things that they love to go and do. Usually, we find these things fun and that’s why we do them.

A lot times we are searching for that one thing that is going to fulfill that void or unhappiness. We feel that if we could just win that game, pass that class, get that job, go to that party, or meet that perfect guy or girl we would be completely happy. At some point and time we have all experienced something like this. When it happens we might be excited for a short-time, but then we think to ourselves, that’s all it was and the event becomes empty, over, and forgotten. Some people jump from job to job trying to find that perfect job and they never find it because they are searching for that one thing to fill the void.

My question to you is, are you searching? What are you trying to fill the void with? Is it a job, school, a certain event, or maybe a relationship if so have you noticed that you are still coming up empty. You still have that emptiness inside and you keep asking yourself why can't I be happy. What am I missing that the person over there has? Why is he/she always smiling and my life never seems to be going right?

To experience the joys of life you have to have God in your life. For a lot of you I just scared you away, but the truth is, he will fill the void. By finding satisfaction in him you can find satisfaction in everything in life. He will fill you with joy. By having God in your life doesn't mean that your life will be perfect. You will have hard times still, but with God in your life things will be a lot easier.

Finally, I ask you, do you want to be satisfied? Do you want to stop your searching and have everlasting joy? Seek God and you will be satisfied.

Pray this prayer with me: Dear Lord, I know I’ve messed in my life. I know that I’ve made mistakes and I want to stop searching for things to fill the void and I want to follow you and for you to fill the void. Lord, please forgive me. Help me to follow you and seek you. Help me to always live for you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen

If you have any questions just ask. Do not hesitate for any reason. No question is a dumb question just ask.