Almost every city in the world has a market that sells cheap imitations of designer handbags and clothes. That Gucci bag you bought in Bali for $10 probably isn't the real deal. If you look at if from a distance you might be fooled but a closer inspection will reveal the wonky stitching, ill-fitting lining and broken zip. If you do have a spare $5000 to buy an authentic Gucci bag (not that I condone spending that much on a handbag), you will be able to tell from the workmanship that it is the real deal.
Your Christian faith can be a bit like that. If you look at it from a distance it looks real. You go to church and youth group but if you take a closer look at your life it may reveal some flaws. It's impossible to be perfect but if your faith is legit you should be moving towards Christlikeness. Your faith should show in your words and actions. Matthew 23:5 was referring to the teachers of the law or pharisees and said that they did the right thing to be seen by others. Are your actions motivated by your genuine love of God or are you just trying to look good for others? I'm a fan of John Dickson's work and this book is no exception. He wrote it for teens and it is very easy to read - I read a chapter each morning in my quiet time. I think the blurb says it best: "This is a book about God, you, the Bible, prayer, church, relationships, sex, feelings, doubts, love and, above all, hanging in there as a Christian."
It is a must read for all teens. I think it would be especially helpful for new Christians and even those who aren't Christians yet but have questions. John shares stories from his own experience - it's very relatable for both guys and girls. It's sad when we lose someone we love but if they love Jesus we can know they're with him in a better place. There are some pretty cool temples in Cambodia and the food is delicious but the highlight of my trip was the people I met and the relationships I formed. In the western world we get pretty distracted with our grades at school, how many friends we have, how many likes we get, the clothes we wear and how we look. We forget about the things that God said are important. In John 13:34 it says, I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. It's hard to love each other without forming relationships. The whole reason God put us on the planet was to love him and to love each other, not to be famous or beautiful or successful.
We’re really good at sharing random stuff like what we ate for lunch, a blow by blow of what we did today, a rant about the latest episode of [insert latest popular Netflix series] but we’re not really good at sharing what’s really going on in our lives. We don't talk about how we’re going at school, how we're getting along with our parents, or things that we're scared of. The Bible says that we are to share each others burdens and help each other with our troubles. That's hard to do if we're too busy hiding our deep dark secrets behind our insta-worthy facades. Find a trustworthy friend and tell them about what's going on in your life. Ask them what's going on in their life too. Encourage and pray for each other. Sharing helps - sometimes talking about stuff helps us to sort things out.
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