Visiting, royalty, heads of state and celebrities stay in 5 star hotels or palaces when they are on tour. But when the son of the creator of the universe came to earth he slept in a stable in an animal food trough. Now I have visited a couple of farms and I can tell you that a food trough is not a particularly clean or hygienic place to put a baby. It just shows how much God loves humble, ordinary people. He comes into our sin-scarred lives and loves us in the middle of the mess. He doesn't expect you to tidy up your life and be a better person before you become a Christian, he asks to come in first and help you do life with him.
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I have a pretty healthy body image but I’ve never been a big fan of my legs. They’re kind of chunky compared to the rest of my body with purple veins laced over them like streets on a road map. But these legs have carried me around California where I have explored Disneyland and Universal Studios. They have skied down mountains, trekked through the ancient temples of Cambodia, wandered the streets of Penang, climbed the gorges of Karijini and strolled along the golden sands of Cable Beach. So I’m very grateful for these legs. The Bible says that God created us in a wonderful way. We should be grateful for our bodies and the amazing things they can do. We should also be more concerned how we look on the inside. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, Don’t depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look beautiful. Be beautiful in your heart.
Challenge: Do you have a body part that you love to hate? Write a list of things it helps you do and thank God for it? How do you think you can be more beautiful on the inside? 1 Peter 5:7 says, Turn all your anxiety over to God because he cares for you. Young children don't worry about where their next meal is coming from, where they will sleep, what they should wear etc. They trust that their parents will take care of everything for them. If something does make them afraid they get close to their parents and hide behind their legs. Children get sick and hurt themselves but their parents are always close by comforting, encouraging, and helping them.
God is your heavenly Dad. He loves you and cares for you. He is with you when you face challenges such as illness or injury, the death of someone you love, failing at school, falling out with friends... Give you anxiety, your worries and fears to him. Pray and talk to him about them. Then have faith that he is looking out for you. That doesn't mean everything will be unicorns and rainbows but he is with you on the dark days and everything will be ok in the end. When I feel afraid I keep repeating "Faith, not fear" and it reminds me to trust in God and not give in to the fear. CHALLENGE: What are you anxious about? Write it in your prayer journal. Talk to God about it. You know when one of the apps on your computer or phone won't work properly because it needs updating? Sometimes life is like that, some of your ideas or views are unhealthy or unhelpful or just plain wrong and need updating. Consider the following verses:
Romans 12:2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. Ephesians 4:23-24 Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God. So, how do we update our stinkin thinkin and be more like Jesus? 1. Talk to God and ask him to show you things you need to change. Ask him to help you change. 2. Spend time reading and studying the Bible and test our ideas and values against what the Bible says. Write out relevant Bible verses and stick them around your room to remind you. CHALLENGE: What stinkin thinkin do you need to change? |
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