Fire and Gold

Take some time and pray, just for a few minutes. Ask God to reveal himself to you through His Word. Open your hearts to what God wants to say to you

1 Peter 5:22-25 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for

“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Let's talk about gold, gold is one of the most expensive materials on the planet. But gold is not pure in its natural state. It needs to be purified... Through fire. When gold is heated to extreme temperatures it melts and the impurities float to the top. The that impure stuff is skimmed off the top. I'm sure all of us have been burned at least once in our lives. Fire is really hot and getting burnt really hurts!

Jeff talked last week about how the Word of God is like a scalpel. I'm sure we've all had some kind of surgery or have been cut before, getting cut hurts! But surgery helps us heal and fixes our bodies. Being cut by a sharp knife is necessary to our bodies for healing sometimes.

Being pure is going to require heat and cutting. We can't live our lives wanting to be pure while wanting to hold on to the impure things in our lives. In order for us to be pure we need to let God apply heat to our lives and cut us. Becoming pure will hurt. It will require us to allow God to take control of our lives. God will decide cut off. It may be painful, but gold is purified by fire and bodies are fixed through surgery. Our spiritual bodies need surgery too.

Verse 22 "Having purified your souls by your obedience" purification requires obedience to God. To let Him control your life. To trust Him as he holds the flame to you and performs surgery on you.

Questions:

1. What are things in your life that need to be skimmed off or cut off to make you pure?

2. How can God make you pure?

3. Think about this through the rest of your day and really consider what it means and what it takes to be pure.

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Written by Max Davis

Porkchops and Applesauce

1 Peter 5:17-21 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Once upon a time there was this little boy on a farm, working hard and melting in the sun on this hot July day. All he could think about was what he saw in town the day before when they brought all the corn to the town and sold it at the market. He saw people celebrating, cooking food, playing ball, and fireworks - he especially loved the fireworks.

Well, the boy had to work for his families farm, money was tight and they couldn't afford to take the holiday off when so many people would pay top dollar for their fresh corn for their BB’Q’s. He said to his friends Duck, Pig, Cow, and Rooster “I would love to know what it’s like to have a bar-b-q like that someday and just taste all that delicious food”.

His friends told him (because animals talk in this story) they said “we will pull together all the money we have and we will make you a great party like we usually do with Roasted Corn and Sweet Potatoes and enough apples to sink a battleship” ... the boy smiled and thanked his friends and said “thanks, guys, i appreciate that you would do that for me, but it’s just not the same... that how we always celebrate”

Then Pig got an idea, he pulled the other animals around and shared his plan... “are you sure?” they asked him.. “absolutely”.

Hours later Duck, Cow, and Rooster came to the boy with the most delicious smelling bar-b-q you could imagine... there was smoked ribs, pulled pork, ham sandwiches, and enough bacon to choke a camel. The boy was so excited!!

He couldn't wait to taste it and share with his friends, and then he asked “wait, where’s Pig?”

You see the Bible says that we were bought with a price... sure it would have been impressive if those animals gave all their money for a vegetarian bbq. That would be the same as paying gold and silver for a ransom... but this bbq was different... Pig paid a greater price for the boy to be happy.

Our relationship with God is like that plus some! He didn’t just buy us with silver and gold... he paid our ransom with his Son’s blood.

Do you think that the boy would have taken that meal for granted ? Why is it that we often take for granted our relationship with Christ and the forgiveness that he offers?

Questions:

1. Are you sure that you have a relationship with Christ?

2. How do you know that you have a relationship with Jesus?

3. What does it do to you to know that God paid your ransom with the blood of His own Son?!

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Written by Jeff Harkins

Comfy Cozy

1 Peter 5:13-16 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

When I read this verse I think of it telling us two things. In your Christian lives you can either...

1)   Be tempted to do something unholy, that you’ve probably done before, but this time you decide not to do it. This can be going to a party you know will have alcohol. It could be participating in gossiping. Or, going too far with a guy or a girl.

2)   Step out of your comfort zone to do something beneficial to God’s kingdom. This could be going on a mission’s trip and participating wholeheartedly, or standing up for someone getting bullied at school. Maybe even giving up of your time, money or possessions to help someone in need.

When I was in youth group I didn’t do the mission’s trips. I didn’t like to be in vulnerable, unpredictable situations. I’m still not a fan of those situations but over the last few years I really felt led to go on an oversees mission’s trip. Shortly after becoming a youth leader there was the opportunity to go to Ecuador. I knew it was just something I had to do. Was I nervous? Yes! Was I scared? Of course. But, like this verse says, “Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.”

I “toughed” it out and had a great time! It was amazing to see God move in another country and in another language. I would have missed seeing this if I slipped back into my old ways. I wouldn’t have seen teens in a small village give their lives to Christ. Sometimes, living for God puts you in vulnerable situations. What brings me comfort is knowing that God is there in those situations.

So, stay strong. Step out of your comfort zone when God prompts you to share His love. Or, stay out of those places that will tempt you into going back into your old lifestyle. God is always with you!

1. What is one way you have seen other people go out of their comfort zone and do something that ended up serving God?

2. When is the last time you went out of your comfort zone to do the right thing or to do something that would make an impact for God?

3. Who is a Christian friend that you need to challenge to get out of their comfort zone and so something for God?

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Written by Melissa McKechnie