Western Pa is such an interesting place. Sometimes just walking around one can here a variety of languages spoken. Pittsburghese is one of the more interesting one….This is compilied from: http://www.sesraw.com/Birdra/pitt.htm
Sometimes Youth Ministry is Frustrating and sometimes its amazing. I think God really does has a sense of humor. He really does know when to push my buttons and also gives me some reprieve right when I need it. The other night at our Youth Fellowship was one of those nights.
Lately, I’ve been feeling kinda down about church and working at a church. Things have been frustrating. We’ve been looking for a new pastor and I’m anxious about that. We have a growing Youth Ministry, which is a good thing, but with growth comes some growing pains. Lastly, I’m trying to start a buisness on the side and that is putting its strain on my sanity. Things have been hectic. Fun, Fun, Fun.
I really didn’t want to go to Youth Group that night and I wasn’t particularly jazzed about my lesson, but I went anyways. Things were going pretty good, I was on auto pilot and during the lesson I really went into auto pilot. We got talking about the Roman Road, specifically Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.”
I remember going on about how we are in desperate need of Love from the Savior. How we are all sinners, we’ve all failed, and no matter how hard we try we will never be able to earn our Salvation. It was at this point that one of the kids said something that will always stay with me…
Youth: “So, Jason, you’re saying that we are made to sin?”
Me: “Well, not exactly, but God did create us. He did give us all our desires and we inherited “Sin” from Adam and Eve.
Youth: “Ok, so God could’ve just created us without the capacity to sin. He could have, like, turned that off, right?”
Me: “Well, yeah, He could have…” (I’m not too sure on how to respond here)
Youth: “So, God made us Perfectly Imperfect. He knew we would sin and that we would need His Grace. He gave us a desire for Him, because He didn’t take away our desire to sin…”
At this point, I have no Idea what to say. All the other kids are shaking their heads, understanding his point. God made us Perfectly Imperfect. We are created with a desire to know Him because of our Imperfectness….That’s deep.
I know I need to keep thinking about that, but it still jars me. And at the same time it made me thankful of the time I have to spend with these kids. Now I go to church in anticipation for another such moment. I know it will come, right when I need it.
The Greatest Commandment
The most quoted verse in the Bible is….are you ready for this…….not John 3:16, not Genisis 1:1, not even one of the Roman Road verses. It’s Deuteronomy 6:5. Everyday, millions of Jewish people wake up reciting this verse. It begins each Jewish worship service and its the first verse every Jewish boy and girl memorizes. And why? I believe its because it is the most important concept to internalize. Love is above all else, Love is the Greatest Commandment.
Notice the order. Heart, soul, and then strength. That’s important. In order for us to grow in our faith, doesn’t our heart need to be in the right place first. Don’t we need to have the right attitude of our heart to truly live out our life for Christ. Think about it. When our heart is in the right place, then the rest of us follows in obedience. Man will always follow the desires of his heart. If our heart, if our love is focused on God, guess where our desire will be?
Ok, I’ll admit it. One of my favorite movies is “Hitch.” It’s a chick flick, its sappy, but I LOVE IT. I love the comedy, I love the intelligence of it. I like Will Smith as an actor. AND I love the theme of the movie: Love Takes Risks.
There’s a chapter in the movie titled “Shock and Awe.” In it one of the main characters is trying to “Shock and Awe” his love interest. Albert (played by Kevin James) is trying to impress Allegra Cole, a famously rich New Yorker. Albert is your typical guy-clueless in the ways of women and he hires Hitch (Will Smith) to help coach him. Albert is taking a big risk, he’s way out of Allegra’s league, but yet he knows its worth it. So, in his first attempt he stands up to his boss, quits his job, AND gains an opportunity to start a relationship with Miss Cole, albeit a professional relationship, but at least the door is open. He’s in love and he’s willing to take a risk.
Love is risky and choosing to love is even riskier, but like Albert, we know its worth it. Love is truly important to our lives as Christians. Love IS the law in which we live under. Love IS more important than anything in this world. I think Jesus makes it very clear in His words to the Pharisees. They were living under “The Law of Moses.” Maybe “living under it” is not the right term. They thought that law was more important than anything else. They talked about the law, fought about the law, and in my opinion were worshiping the law. They knew the law, but they did not understand it. They did not internalize it. Jesus was calling them out, laying the smack down, whatever you want to call it. He was saying, “Get your priorities straight guys…”
Love God, Love your neighbor. When we love God, we begin to love others. Its an expression of our faith, of our commitment to the Creator.
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
Jesus laid down his life for US. We need to do the same for others. Will you take that risk?