The Man Behind the Lion

Here you guys go! A devotion from Dare2share.org. Now, the first part of this may be a bit off, because this is an older post. Just the dates though, rest of it is good. So read, enjoy, and go move in your place. GO!

Forty years ago this week the world lost two men who changed the world around them. One man you have heard of, the other one you might have not. Interestingly enough, the more famous one left an amazing legacy, but I predict that his well known status will diminish within a few decades. The not so famous one left a small legacy that in forty years has grown to an unbelievable level, and it certainly shows no sign of slowing. Have you guessed who I'm talking about yet?

Forty years ago this week our nation lost President John F. Kennedy, and the world lost author/speaker C.S. Lewis. You probably didn't know that, because the media wouldn't see the anniversary of Lewis' death as the stuff of headlines...yet I would beg to differ.

His books sell more than 3 million copies a year and the most famous ones: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Chronicles of Narnia, have been reprinted dozens and dozens of times. Even as you are reading this; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is being made into a major motion picture.

You know the funny thing about it is that C.S. Lewis never wanted to be famous. Even though he was a well-known writer and speaker, he continued an incredibly simple lifestyle. Michael Nelson has written in the International Herald Tribune: "Two-thirds of his book royalties were earmarked for charities. He never traveled abroad, even when fame brought invitations to lecture from around the world."

C.S. Lewis was converted as an adult, at which point he decided to use his gifts and talents in the service of Christ. Because of that decision and his life of obedience, God has used this humble Irishman to touch the lives of millions upon millions of people- including the person writing to you at this moment.

Not too many days go by when I am not thinking of Lewis' description of Christ using Aslan the Lion. My view of spiritual warfare was radically changed by The Screwtape Letters, and I still believe that the "Lord, Liar, Lunatic" argument for the deity of Christ is one of the strongest aones around.

Of course at one point in his life, C.S. Lewis was in the same place you are today, asking the same question: should I use my gifts and talents to serve God, or myself? I know for a fact that Lewis could have made a boat load of cash and worldwide fame, and lived life like a king. Instead he gave away his money, didn't worry about fame, and lived life for the King.

Maybe you're thinking you don't have any gifts or talents? God has a different view:

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well... (Romans 12:6)

Notice He doesn't say that God has given 'some' of us of- rather 'each of us'...which means that you have something to offer this world in the service of God. In fact, we are commanded to do so. In Romans 12, Paul is basically explaining that it is the very purpose of life to pour out our lives to God:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Romans 12:1-8)

Does this mean that God won't love me if I don't? Absolutely not. Yet you will miss out on the best plan possible for your trips around the sun. That's what happened with C.S. Lewis...but don't take my word for it- let's hear it from the person who has been there and done that:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

- C.S. Lewis

Questions:

1. What gifts and talents has God given you?
2. Are you using your gifts and talents in the service of the King? Why or why not?
3. Are you willing to start praying this week about getting more involved in sharing your faith and serving your church? Why or why not?

Lukewarm Christianity

Alright guys, time to start your weeks. Hope you all had a better Monday than I did. Well, here's a devotion from examplesyouth.org about living a lukewarm life. It goes great with Daniel's message for you guys, and I hope it brings reality to some of you, because a few of you really need to hear this. So read it, feel it, and make the change.

Teaching Teens to Decide Wholeheartedly to Live for God

What does it mean to be “lukewarm”? Let’s read Revelations 3:14 –16

OBJECT LESSON
Have a cup or small bowl of ice, a mug of hot water, and a room temperature mug of water. Have a volunteer come up to help you demonstrate the below.

When you think of being lukewarm, you think of something that is somewhere in the middle. Put your hand in this cup (the cup of ice). What does this feel like? OK, now put your hand in this one (the hot one). What does that feel like? OK, now feel this one (the room temperature one). Would you say this one is hot or cold?

When you are a lukewarm Christian, you are not “hot” enough to be living entirely for God, but not “cold” enough to say you are not a Christian.

When you try to mix the two, you only cause confusion in your life and in the lives of those around you! How do you know if you are lukewarm?

When you are lukewarm, you tend to only do the Word when it is easy, convenient, or comfortable for you. For example:

1. When you are around other Christians
2. When you really need something from God
3. When you feel bad about something
4. When you need some money!
5. When you are in danger or in trouble

Some questions to ask yourself to find out if you are lukewarm:

o When you are around certain people, do you forget about doing the Word and being pleasing to God?

o When you don’t feel like doing the right thing according to the Bible, do you just blow it off?

o When you hear the Word, does it feel like it really means something to you right then, but later or in a day or two you go back to doing the opposite of what you heard? (James 1:22 – 27 talks about being a forgetful hearer of the Word).

So, if all of this is coming too close to describing you, what are steps to take to turn this around in your life? How do our hearts become good ground for God’s Word to flourish and grow?

o First, make a decision to do the Word. Believing “in” God is not enough. The devil believes in God! You have to make a decision that you are going to do your best to live like the Word instructs you to live. (James 2:19 – 20 says that our faith without works is dead).

o Make sure you are attending church and getting fed the Word of God. You should find a church that teaches you the Word and how to live it.

o Spend personal time in the Word – every day! Get a daily devotion book, go online to find teen Bible Study Lessons (log on to www.examplesyouth.org!), buy a Teen Study Bible that makes the Word easier to read and understand. Whatever it takes, you have to begin studying and reading the Word on your own. Going to church once or twice a week is not enough to sustain your life in God. The world is coming at us 24/7. We’ve got to combat it with putting God’s Word inside of us.

o Pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Psalm 5:1 – 3). Praying throughout the day as well as setting aside time to pray.

o Hang out with other kids that believe the Word and desire to live it.

Once you are doing those steps, here is what happens when we decide to seek God with your whole heart and not settle at being lukewarm (Revelations 3:17 – 22):

o You are now empowered to be successful in everything you do.

o You are now able to see and understand things you normally would not have been able to. Things you did not know how to fix, problems you were having with your family, at school, with a friend, etc. – your understanding will become clearer because you are now aligning your heart with hearing from God and His Word on how to live your life.

o You are no longer living subject to the world and its ways. When you are not living subject to the world, you are not subject to the results of living a worldly life as well. Broken relationships, sickness, lack and poverty, failure. God wants to direct us in our lives so that we are not subject to the curse of the world, but to the blessings of life and life more abundantly (John 10:10)

Carpe Diem!

            So, I’m sure some of you have heard the phrase Carpe Diem before. A few of you may even know what it means. But do any of you actually understand the meaning of the phrase? Most people realize that the actual words are from Latin, maybe even realize that they are from a poem. But hardly anyone could name that poet. Well, here’s the stuff you should know.

Carpe Diem means Seize the Day, a phrase that has come to mean something like “live like you were dying.” Below is the actual poem that made the phrase famous.

 Don't ask (it's forbidden to know) what end

            the gods have granted to me or you, Leuconoe. Don't play with Babylonian

            fortune-telling either. How much better it is to endure whatever will be!

Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one

            which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian sea on the rocks placed opposite

            — be wise, strain the wine, and scale back your long hopes

to a short period. While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled

            Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future.

Alright, now onto the good stuff. So, now you know all the background and stuff for the phrase, now to put it into motion. Don’t let the rambling confuse you, I do have a point to this. And here we go.

            The phrase Carpe Diem is more than just a nice thing to say to try and encourage someone or yourself. It’s a powerhouse of meaning and sentimentality. To me, it’s something that needs to be applied to our Christian walks. Everyday needs to lived like it’s the day before the end. Don’t fall into the mentality of fixing it later. There may not be a later. Sometimes you fall into the delusion of “well, I’ll have fun for now and fix my life when I’m older and wiser.” That’s the wrong idea! God doesn’t say that saying the “I accept Jesus” prayer near the end and you’re golden. He desires a relationship. One that takes a lifetime to develop and all of your will and power to maintain. So you need to seize the day and use all the time that you have to fully develop your relationship with God. There will be hard times, but hunker down, carpe diem, and fight your way through. When the devil is trying to tear you down, don’t let him, just call on God’s power to pull you out of the devil’s grasp. When you feel yourself falling into the grip of old sins, fight back. Grab hold of God’s might and let God’s Will and Majesty take you out of the temptations. He is where all of your strength must lie, and all of your focus needs to be. The best is yet to come, but so is the worst. But for now, just carpe diem in Christi nomen! (Seize the day in the name of Christ.)