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DEVOTIONS
FOR October 6-11, 2008
Topic: The
Body of Christ-
Learning
to Grow and Share Life in a Small Group
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Spend time with the devotions this week. Read the Scriptures and then
think how you can apply them to your life.
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MONDAY
October 6
Look
up and read
I Corinthians 12:12, 18-19
Have you ever played
on any team sports? For most team sports it takes the whole team to work
together to accomplish a common goal (to score a basket, a goal, a touch
down, 3 outs). If any member on the team decides that they are the whole
team it could result in hurting everyone and causing the team to not
accomplish that common goal. Each player on a team plays a part and belongs
to the whole team. The only way a team functions properly is if every player
is committed to the team. I’ve been a part of some extremely talented and
gifted soccer teams but when we got out on the field to play it was just a
bunch of individuals trying to do their own thing. The end results were
lost games and frustrated and hurt players. Yet I have been a part of teams
where everyone was committed to the team, maybe not as talented but because
everyone worked together for that common goal we were very successful and
players felt unified. As Christians, we are a part of the body of Christ.
Every person is different and everyone works together so that God be
glorified. The awesome thing about this “team” (body) is that when one
person hurts others come along to help because everyone is committed to God
and the body. Spend some time in prayer today for the body you are a part
of. If not, ask God to help you be a part of His “team”. There’s no other
team I’d rather be on than God’s. How ‘bout you?
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TUESDAY
October 7
Look
up and read
Ephesians
4:15
Have you ever said
something to your parents, siblings or friends that was not out of love?
What was their reaction? How did the conversation go? When we say things not
out of love people usually get feelings hurt and it puts a wall between us
and the person we hurt. As Christians, God calls us to speak the truth in
love. If we are seeking to say things to others out of love we will grow
to become more like Christ. God’s Word is a guide to helping us to be able
to speak the truth in a loving way. There are statistics that prove when
loving/truthful words are spoken it brings health to the person spoken to. I
have found in small groups I have been a part of, that when I have said
something out of love the response by the other person has usually been
positive. When I haven’t, it has caused unnecessary hurt and problems, that
eventually I have to go back to ask for forgiveness. Take the opportunity in
your small groups to speak the truth in love. Pray today and ask God to help
you to learn from His Word so that you will understand better how to speak
the truth in love in your small group as well as to everyone else in your
life.
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WEDNESDAY
October 8
Look
up and read
Philippians 1:27
Do you ever find it
difficult to follow the rules in school? Maybe you have a strict dress code
or behavior conduct in your school. Sometimes we think that we don’t need to
follow the rules but they are there for a specific reason and purpose. God’s
Word is filled with commands, rules and conduct. If we follow and obey God’s
Word there are promises and blessings we receive. Not only that but by
following and obeying we are growing spiritually and becoming more like
Christ. Not obeying the rules and God’s Word didn’t get me anywhere but in
trouble and I didn’t grow in my relationship with God. God desires that we
conduct our selves in a way that gives Him glory. If we all do this
as Christians, as a body we will stand firm together. In Philippians,
Paul encourages the people in Philippi to conduct themselves in manner
worthy of the gospel of Christ. He said this to them so that whether he came
to visit or didn’t that he’d know that as a group (small group) of believers
they would stand firm in one spirit, continuing to living out God’s Word as
one. Will you today commit to conducting yourself in a way that gives glory
to God? Hopefully everyone in your small group is committed to that so you
all will stand firmly together in Christ. Meditate over this verse and
honestly examine your heart to see if you are conducting yourself in a way
that gives God glory. Pray for the rest of your group that you all will
stand firm together.
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THURSDAY
October
9
Look
up and read
I
Thessalonians 5:11
Have you ever laid
brick? No I don’t mean basketball “brick”. Laying brick for either a wall or
building is no easy task. You have to make sure you have enough mortar to
put in between each brick you lay. You also have to make sure that you lay
the bricks properly. If you use too much mortar or not enough it could cause
all the other bricks to come apart. Like laying bricks if we aren’t careful
of how we are in our relationships with family, friends and others we can
cause what we’ve built up in those close connections to crumble. In I
Thessalonians 5:11, Paul challenges the church in Thessalonica to
encourage one another and build each other up. He sees the importance of
healthy relationships and hopefully through your small group each person
will be encouraging and say things that build the others up. I have seen
what happens to a small group when one person does not encourage and say
things that build the others up. Everything just fell apart and the group
struggled to work together. If one person (one brick) does not encourage,
(not placed properly) and build others up with the right words (amount of
mortar), they will cause the others to crumble. May I challenge us all to be
encouragers in our small groups and to build everyone up. Spend some time in
prayer today and ask God to help you be a better encourager and to look for
ways to build others up in your small group.
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FRIDAY
October
10
Look
up and read
Colossians 3:15-17
Do you have gas? No I
don’t mean that kind of gasJ
Have you noticed what’s been going on in our area and how gas has been in
great need and the supply is low? The lines for gas each morning and night
are absolutely unbelievable! People have lost their patience during these
times and it doesn’t make any sense. We’re getting mad because we’re trying
to top off our tank while we don’t even realize that the next person is
desperately running on fumes. They are trying to get gas and fill up a few
cans for their neighbor who is elderly and for another friend that’s dying
from cancer. If everyone were at peace with each other imagine how this “gas
crisis” in Charlotte would be different. Everyone would be working together
to help the other out not being concerned with their own needs. In
Colossians 3: 15-17 Paul writes to the church in Colosse how the peace of
Christ must be in their hearts. He also encourages them to be thankful
and let the word of Christ be lived out in their lives and bless and
tell others of Christ’s love. Not only that but he also challenges them that
as they sing in worship, read the Bible and pray that they do it with
grateful hearts to God. No matter what it was, Paul wanted the people of
Colosse to do everything in the name of Christ giving Him thanks.
This living at peace with others and having the peace of Christ in your life
can happen in your small group. Everyone simply has to commit to living it
out. Pray today and ask God for that peace to be in your life and in your
small group and that in everything you do and they do that it be done for
His name to be glorified.
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SATURDAY
October
11
Look
up and read
Hebrews
10:25
Have you ever missed a bunch of days of youth group, school or sports
practices and then when you came back it seemed like you missed so much.
“The show must go on”. Youth group, school, sports and other things continue
even when you’re not there. We don’t want missed opportunities to grow in
our faith through youth group and church, learn more in school and fine tune
our skills in sports. The biggest thing we don’t want to miss out on is our
relationship with God. He’s got to come first in our lives in order to help
us prioritize everything else. The passage in Hebrews 10:25 challenges us to
not give up meeting with other believers (in small groups) as some do, but
to encourage each other in faith and to keep coming because we don’t know
when Christ will return. As the school year continues, so many different
things will come up, even good things, but let us not allow those to get in
the way of us coming each week to youth group. Then we can commit to
meeting in our small groups and encourage each other in Christ. Meditate
over the verse and honestly examine your heart and ask yourself if you are
putting God first. If not, ask God to help you prioritize in order to commit
to meeting each week in your small group.
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See you at Sunday
School, Worship and Youth Fellowship this Sunday!
Bible references provided by
www.biblegateway.com
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