Pass the popcorn

You know how we sometimes do those popcorn praise prayers at youth group? That's basically what Peter does after his introduction. Reading it, I can't help but get excited. Take your time as you read today's passage.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV)

"Blessed be" is also translated at "praise be." So Peter is saying praise God and is about to tell us why.
Also, I like that Peter specifies that God is the father of Jesus Christ. Remember, these letters are being written to the early church. Comments like this reinforce the authority of Jesus' life and teaching.

"According to his great mercy" This makes me excited because I know I need mercy and not only does God have some, it's great! It's powerful and abundant. And I find myself wanting to keep reading to see what his mercy will compel Him to do.

As we continue reading verse 3, we see what it is He has done. "Born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" this should blow your mind. But this is such common knowledge to us, you probably didn't give it much thought. Read it again: "Born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" wow!

In both John and Romans, we're told it's because of love that God sent Jesus to be born, live a sinless life, to be that perfect sacrifice who would die on the cross for our sins. But it would be in vain if that's where the story ended. Jesus Christ rise from the grave! Not Walking Dead style - He became fully alive, defeating death and Satan! That's awesome!

Because of this, we can be born again. And not just to some boring life. We have "living hope," which is explained more in verse 4.

In heaven, we, who are born again, will receive an inheritance that is...
1) imperishable- unlike the Promised land which was the Israelites inheritance, this will last FOREVER! It has no end.
2) undefiled- it is not obtained dishonestly or corruptly. Nor will it have any intrusions, or sin, or any impurities.
3) unfading- unlike the flowers and grass mentioned in verse 24, this will keep its beauty and never stop blooming.

Verse 5 is exciting and a little confusing.
"God's power" is unmatchable, all-sufficient, unending, uncontainable, unstoppable - if our God is for us, who can stand against us? That's a rhetorical question because obviously the answer is no one or nothing. That should get you excited for being in God's side!!

So by God's power, we, who are born again, are being guarded through faith.
This part seems a little confusing--what are we being guarded from? I don't think it means pain or safety or death. I've been hurt, been in car accidents, had friends and family die. All over the world we see all sorts of persecution and injustices happening to believers.

What I think Peter is referring to here is that once we have been born again and have this living hope and inheritance, satan can't take that from us--that's what we are being guarded from... Woohoo! God's got me covered and He does you too, if you're born again! Saran can come at us anyway he wants, like he did to Job, and although it may be difficult and painful to endure, we still get heaven!! That's awesome!!

Peter's last comment about salvation to be revealed is a little confusing. But it makes me think of when Paul talks about seeing things now dimly but it will be revealed to us eventually. There's so much more that God is doing than we realize. Eventually we will understand more and more.

Questions:
1) I mentioned more than once that this passage get me excited. What about God gets you excited?

2) Are you born again? Do you have that living hope Peter referred to?

3) According to his great ______________, he has caused us to be  ______________to a living hope through the ______________ of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4) Take some time to pray and journal about this passage.

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Written by Amber Carter

I will survive

James 2:24-26

24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 

25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 

26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Rahab was a prostitute, an outcast, defiled, destitute and alone. She left her family at a young age and sold herself to survive. The location of her home against the wall of Jericho made the perfect lookout for spies sent by Joshua to scout the land before battle. She risked her life for the cause; She knew they were led by the Lord and hid them when the King came searching for them. The Lord used Rahab to be fulfill his promise to the Israelites. She risked her life by protecting the spies and became a faithful follower of the Lord. Because of this her life was the only one spared from Jericho. The Apostle James adds to Paul’s record about Rahab being justified by faith saying that she was likewise justified by works (James 2:25). There is no contradiction between these two aspects for Rahab’s courageous deed was but faith in practice. Her faith gave her courage to shield the spies as she believed that God would triumph over His enemies. James quotes Rahab as exemplifying “justification by works.” To get a better look at this awesome story you can find it in Joshua 2.
Rahab is an example of grace, justifying through mere verbal faith. She believed with the heart (Romans 10:9-10), confessed with the mouth, and acted even at the risk of her life.


Answer this:
1. Does your faith speak louder than your words? Or do you words speak louder?
Meaning: do you say you have faith but don’t act upon it? Or can you see your faith living out by your actions? This may be a good question for you to ask a close friend or family member about yourself.
2. How can you make your faith more evident to yourself/ those around you?
3. How does Rahab’s faith and courage encourage you?
4. In what areas of your life do you need to combine both faith and works?


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Written by Sarah Davis

you can do it

James 2:18-23

18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder! 

20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 

22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 

23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"--and he was called a friend of God.

When I was a sophomore in High School I knew a missionary named Scott. He was a good man. He talked to me one year about this camp he was working at in Maine. He told me all about this camp and talked about how I should come up and work there with him next summer… they always need counselors… so that summer I packed my bags and headed up as a counselor. Throughout the training week Scott started to notice that when he was having trouble coming up with something for the group to do I would usually come up with a plan. He took note of that and started talking to me about how he felt like I could be a good leader and that he thought that I would do good working with teens. I was only a teenager myself, but I had already heard this from my Youth Pastor and a few others… my Youth Pastor actually went so far as to buy me a book about leadership and get together with me regularly and talk about leadership… But Scott did something different.. he said “here you go, you are in charge of this game time”, then he said “you are in charge of this hour every day”, then he said “Jeff you're gonna be in charge of the whole program”.
So in one area of my life I had guys saying “I have Faith in you that you can lead” and they would give me a book about leading… but then I had this guy saying “I have faith in you that you can lead” and he starts giving me chances to lead… he showed me his faith BY his actions… I knew that this guy believed in me because He trusted me with important stuff.
It’s the same way with God. Sure people believe in him, lots of people do… and they even want to have faith in him, but do they still want to live their lives the way that they want to or are they able to show God their faith by actually choosing to live for Him.
Now I grew up in a church that taught that you need to do good works to get to heaven, that is not true - You need to have Faith in God to get to heaven, and you need to use that Faith to have a personal relationship with Jesus, that is what gets you to heaven - not the good things that you do… however, we can't read your heart like God can… so when we see you doing things that show you are living for God, then we can see your “faith” by your “works”.

Answer This:
1. What are some works that show your faith ?
2. Why is it important for you to show your faith with your works?
3. “Show me your faith apart from your _________, and I will show you my faith by my ___________”
take a minute and journal about this.

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Written by Jeff

Faith in Action

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭14-17‬ ESV)

Question: How does God know if you have faith? Well, He can see into your heart, mind and soul; He just knows if you have faith.

Another Question: How do other people know if you have faith? Well, you can tell them all about what you believe. You can talk about how you are trusting the Lord to your needs. The best way for other people to know if you have faith is to SHOW them! This is what James means in our passage today. James is building on what he said in James 1:22 which says, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself."

The Christian life is about trusting God for our eternal salvation and daily living. It is having faith, trusting that God's Word is true. God sees into our hearts and knows our faith. Others see our faith as we put it into action.

My challenge to you: to make a commitment to give to the needs of a missionary. I know you are thinking, "You tell me to give, I don't have much." That is why it is called faith in action!


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Written by Jim Dugan (CBC Missionary to Australia)

jeep knees

I made a mistake. I was supposed to write on James 2:5-8, but instead wrote on James 2:14-17. Forgive me. :)

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

Eating sugar cane in the DR

In 2010, I went to the Philippines; it was an awesome trip. I loved getting to experience a different culture, try new food, meet lots of new people, and have some adventures (scuba diving, ziplining, riding jeepneys).

I’ll be honest, food in a different country is one of my favorite things. In Ecuador we ate popcorn with soup, avocado served with French fries and of course guinea pig. In the Philippines, we had lots of fresh tilapia, pancit and rambutans to name a few. Fresh fruits and veggies in foreign countries are always amazing! I still daydream about walking around a farm in the Dominican Republic trying all sorts of things—sugar cane, cashew fruit, cacao. In the Philippines, the mango was my favorite!

Philippine fruit: mango stein, lansones, pineapple,
 marang, rambutans, bananas and pomelo.

When I came home I looked in all sorts of grocery stores, but could not find it. Maybe two years later, I found some dried Philippine Mango; I was thrilled! I told people about it, bought it and made them try it. Another year or two later, I found fresh Philippine mango in Giant! I again told people and bought it and shared it! (One time when I was in Giant, a lady saw me picking it up and asked me about it. I probably gave her way more info than she wanted, but she ended up buying some to try.)

James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 

Having faith in God saves us. We’ve talked about this a lot throughout our devos on Galatians. Our salvation is about putting our faith and trust in God, not about circumcision or any other work we do. In Ephesians, Paul says “by grace you have been saved by faith, not of works.”

In Luke 23:39-43, we are told about the thief on the cross repenting and believing while hanging there. He wasn’t baptized or able to do any works, but Jesus told him that he’d be in Paradise that day.

So what’s all this James is saying about faith without works being dead??

Philippine Mango!!

It’s like the mango – I know it’s good and want others to enjoy it. So I tell them about it, give them some to try. I’m not going to keep it to myself.

If you have experienced God’s grace and have been saved, you’re not going to keep that to yourself. You’ll want to tell others about it… do things to help them experience the same thing you have experienced.

So God doesn’t require us to do works to be saved, but our salvation and love for Him should compel us to want to do works. In John 14:15, Jesus says “If you love me you will keep my commandments.”

Answer This:

1) Have you put your faith in Christ and been saved by God’s grace? If so, write the story of when/how here. If not, talk to your parents or a youth leader about how to do so!

2) So also ____________ by itself, if it does not have ____________, is ____________.

3) Do you talk about your faith? Do others see your works and therefore your faith?

4) Take some time to journal about this passage.

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Written By Amber

i almost do.

James 1:5- 8

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways..

I really believe that 99% of the world are in a situation where they are interested in someone romantically….  ok, well over a certain age - I’d like to say that age is like 12 or something but my 6 year old has had a crush on Johnny Kettelle for years. So, it is my hypothesis that most of us have a crush on someone (if you're married make sure that person you have a crush on is your spouse and things will go well for you). So, we all argue and say we don’t have a crush on someone…  but c’mon, just be honest.  

So think about that person you have the crush on… fast forward and all the sudden you find yourself at the alter with that awesome person… they are dazzling! A radiant bride in the perfect dress she took forever to pick out, or a flawless groom that even clipped his fingernails for this occasion! They look deep into your eyes and say this:

 I ___(insert crush here)____ , promise you that I will love you forever, I will always be faithful and true, in any sickness that is not contagious, life threatening, causing you to gain weight or have diarrhea, or anything that lands you in the hospital for more then 4 days, I promise that I will provide for you as long as we have a solid income coming in, and you don’t waste my money, and our investments keep gaining, and our house is worth more money then we owe on it….   I will only have eyes for you as long as your measurements don't change by more then 2 inches in any direction, and as long as there is not someone in a bikini in front of me, I mean - it’s a bikini, you can’t blame me for that. I promise to forgive anything you do that does not fall into the categories of lying, gossiping, and cheating on me- those things annoy me…  I will help you raise our children from 8:00am - 11:00pm, I will do up to and including 10 diapers a week and I will take 2 night shifts per month to watch kids. If one gets sick I will drive them to the doctor no more then 1 time per 6 weeks. I will listen to you as long as I am interested in what you are saying and I will remain faithful to you as long as we have sex 4 times a week and I don't get any better offers. But taking all of that into consideration - I am yours forever…   or as long as this is still working out for us.

Not very romantic huh? With divorce rates over 50% a large amount of people are choosing to sign “prenuptial agreements” before marriage since they assume this marriage won’t last forever.

I have been happily married for 8 years, 11 months and 18 days. My wife has been happily married for about 8 years, 4 months and a few days…  (ok, I didn’t ask her for a number - I was scared she might actually give me one)…  but being married to me can’t be easy - I know that. Still she chooses to stay.. because every day is perfect? No. Because she knows I am the best guy out there and the best offer she could get? No Way! It is because we made a commitment to each other (and God) and we decided that failure was not an option. If we had left room for failure to be an option - she may have taken that option by now, and if I haven't done anything yet to tempt her I am sure I will do something dumb in the future. The reason I know we will be together till the end - we don’t have a backup plan, we wont let failure be an option.

How many times do we “Pre-Nup” God? Like “Hey God, I trust you, but just in case I’m gonna ….” ; “God, I know this request is really huge and I don’t expect you to be able to do it, but …” We do that to God all the time. We ask him “in faith” but really we are doubting all the way. Who wants a relationship like that that is built with doubt as an option? God sure doesn’t want that. He wants you to believe in Faith, no doubts, just Faith.

Answer This:

1.  What are you praying about that you just believe is still too big for God?

2.  Who treated you like that, saying they believe in you but keeping a backup plan just in case?

3.  But let him ask in ________, with no doubting, for the one who _______ is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

4. Take a minute and journal about what you read.

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Written by Jeff Harkins 

what a potty mouth!

Galatians 6:1-5 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

  

Bearing Burdens

1. Those who are spiritual ought to restore those overtaken in a trespass (1)

Use the Holy (fruit of the) Spirit which is - Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (5:22) Pray with them, pray for them, look up scripture for them. Help them get on the right path, without getting too involved. Be careful and aware. Be honest and open by sharing your own burdens.

2. Bearing one another's burdens fulfills the law of Christ (2)

Obey the Law of Christ in ALL you do.

3. If one thinks himself to be something when he is not, he deceives himself (3)

You are not their savior, you are not their healer, you are not the one who can help them; so don’t fall into the temptation of thinking you are too important. We are not that important, God can do everything perfectly without us, but He chooses to use us. So let Him use you in His ways, not your own. Pointing them to Christ is all we can do!

4. Examine your own work, and bear your own load (4-5)

Pay careful attention to what you are doing, not just the other person; for we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Hypothetically, If my fiancé, Vincent, struggles with cursing; I should step up and help him because I know that cursing is wrong, right? Yes, that is exactly what this passage is saying! Since God has allowed me to see the wrong in cursing, I am therefore able to help my brother in Christ out. How would I go about this you might ask: I would encourage him with scripture about keeping his tongue and mouth pure and holy before the Lord/not saying the Lord’s name in vain, I would pray for and with him, I would correct him in love when he stumbles with his words, I would daily ask him how he is doing with his words..(etc.) But in doing this, (bearing his burdens) I must make sure I am allowing God to protect my ears so that I do not fall into temptation of cursing just like Vincent. I cannot stand on a chair and pull him up to my level, no matter how strong I am. Just the same with faith, I cannot bring Vincent to the level of my faith if he is not there; at that point he would be the one dragging me down. I could apply this with drinking, smoking, sexual immorality, stealing, lying, cheating..(etc.) So with that warning, just be there to help, love, challenge, and encourage them; don’t try to change them because that’s God place.

1.  Do you have any friends you can reach out to with the Love of Christ?

2.  How can you help them without being dragged down with them?

3.  Or maybe you’re the one who needs this kind of friend/help? (Don’t be afraid to ask any of the leaders in youth group to help you)-- Make sure you’re seeking godly counsel for any of your struggles; the point of this passage is directing the person to Christ. If you depend on your friend for help when they are struggling with the sin too, or if they are not strong in their faith, they won’t be much of a help for you. Seek friendships/help that will only bring you closer to Christ! Matt. 7:3-5

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Written by Sarah Davis

Father Abraham Had Many Sons

Galatians 4:28-31           

²⁸ And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. ²⁹ But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

³⁰ But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” ³¹ So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

Isaac was Sarah’s child, in verse 26 it describes Sarah as the “heavenly Jerusalem; the free woman”. Ishmael was Hagar’s child, in verse 24 it describes Hagar as “Mount Sinai.” (where people received the law that enslaved them) In other words Hagar was the slave and Sarah was free. Now look at our passage for today, in verse 28 it says we are “children of the promise, just like Isaac” who was born of the free woman, even though we are being persecuted like Ishmael who was born of the slave. Ishmael was born  in attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise but Isaac was born as God’s own fulfillment of His promise. (Explained in verses 22-23)

Paul is saying that all those who have come to God through faith in Christ are the sons of Abraham through Sarah. Men who approach God through their own righteousness, of law/works, are really sons of Hagar, (slaves under bondage.) Once again in graphic terms, Paul has pressed the point of the superiority of faith over works, of the promises made to Abraham over the temporary restraints of the law. Faith is everything, works is nothing.

1. Would you say faith is more important than works? Explain your answer:

2. Explain faith:

3. Explain works:

4. Do we ever put our works above faith? How do we find ourselves doing these things?

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Written by Sarah

guardians of my galaxy

Galatians 3:23-29

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

• •    What is this “law” that Paul speaks so much of? It’s the written law that God gave to Moses to give to the Israelites to instruct and teach them. These people were like prisoners to this law, that is one reason why our savior came down to die to set them (us) free. Since their way of faith came, they no longer had to live with the law as their guardian. (Jesus is now our Guardian) The Law of Moses is also called the “Book of the Law”, the “Mosaic Law” and “Book of the Covenant.” In chapter 2 Paul had to instruct the Galatians again that they are not saved by keeping the “Law of Moses” and in chapter 3 he says they are placing themselves back under the curse of the law (Mosaic Law) by trying to observe everything that was written in the Law.  

• •    If we had to live under strict laws and regulations that were our “guardian,” and a savior came to take that away from us so we could be set free; don’t you think you would love that? Well that is exactly what happened; we just live in the time after that happened so we do not know what it was like to live under those laws.

• •     Yes these people still had laws to follow, as we do today, but these laws did not save them or guard them anymore. It was our heavenly Father who now saves and guards us! Through baptism we are united with Christ, by doing this we ALL become one in Him, Praise God for that huge blessing.

 1)  Do you even take time to thank God for the free, eternal gift He blessed us with? (Take some time in prayer right now to do so)

2) Try to picture what it could have been like back then.. How would you feel living under these laws and then being set free?

3) Would you say you have faith in Christ Jesus?

4) Have you been baptized? Why or why not?

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Written by Sarah Davis

this is your life

Galatians 3:19-20

19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

            In Galatians 3:19, Paul is anticipating questions that the Gentiles may ask him. It says, “Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angles and entrusted to a mediator.” He knows that the Gentiles would question the necessity of the law because in Galatians 3:11 he writes, “Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because ‘the righteous will live by faith.’”

            Paul explains to the Gentiles that the laws from the Old Testament are no longer the model of how Christians should live, but they should live by faith in Jesus. Knowing that the Gentiles will question why the law was ever necessary, Paul explains that because of our sin, the people needed a way to live until the Seed, or Jesus, could come as a sacrifice.

The verse says, “The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.” This shows that God wrote every bit of the Old Testament and used angels to influence the people who actually wrote it down. The mediator the passage is referring to is Moses because God entrusted him with the law and it was he who spread it to the people.

            Verse 3:20 says, “A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.” If there is a mediator, there must be more than one party involved because there must be someone being mediated and someone doing the mediating. With God, however, there is only one party because He rules over all and is the only fair and just judge. 

1.   Who is someone that you would say is usually “righteous” ?

2.   What does it look like to “live by faith” ?

3.   What in your life needs to change for you to be “living by faith” ?

4. Take a minute and journal about this passage.

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Written by Hannah Pergolizzi

big shoes to fill

A few years back I went to Seattle to visit one of my best friends in life… and like best friends we did a lot of… well, nothing. We hung out each day, we swam in the Pugent Sound, we listened to some local Seattle rockers, we checked out a famous fish market, hit the original Starbucks, and we ate crazy amounts of seafood. One day my buddy we get invited to “go snowshoeing” … sounds cool to me.  However, I didn’t have any boots and you need to attach these snow shoes to a pair of boots, and I didn’t bring any. So we were gonna have to borrow a pair of boots.

So we hop in the car and off we go and Bradley’s friend had a pair of boots that I could use… not sure if it was the friend that took us to this place or if we borrowed someone else’s but I do know one thing, the boots that I borrowed were government issued boots for an Army soldier. Now my Dad, Stepdad, Uncles and Grandfathers enlisted and served our country and I have always been taught to hold military men in high esteem, so I was actually nervous getting to use the special boots that belong to a special man. So we arrive and I’m handed my boots and then I realize what we are doing… this was not just playing with some snow shoes in a field or valley forge park or something… we were at the foot of Mt. Rainer, one of the highest mountains in North America! And our little “snowshoeing” experience was no joke, we were aiming to hike from the foot of the mountain to the base camp that people then Summit the Mountain. We would not be summiting but we would see the top! In fact from the base camp we could see Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helen! This was hours and hours of trekking in snow shoes ahead of us and between the two of us we had a granola bar and a bottle of water. This was dumb! We also noticed that every one of the well prepared hikers around us had either snowboards or snow skates strapped to their backs as they begun the journey up. We must have looked like the most ridiculous city kids you could imagine starring at their gear saying “uh, what’s that for, well, I guess we’ll go up anyway”  But secretly, I wasn't scared, because I had government issued boots on. I was special. I was elite. At least my boots were.

[Galatians 3:7-9: Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.]

Not to take away from a fun adventure but long story short… we ran out of water, learned that chewing snow does not at all quench your thirst, snow shoeing is hard, those skates and board were for the ride down and if you didn’t bring them you’d be forced to invent some ridiculous way of putting your hood up, jumping down steep hills and rolling on your back while the snow piled up behind you and you prayed it wasn't an avalanche….  we were so dumb; but you know what I learned early on… those boots didn’t keep all the water out, in fact they weren't comfortable at all either, they were pretty heavy and clunky and didn’t mix well with the snow shoes…  it was a hard walk.

I looked at those boots and because of the name associate with them I thought that they had to be perfect and I would have no problems and would make me succeed just because I was wearing US government issued shoes. I was wrong.

This passage tells us that we are blessed along with Abraham. Seriously? Us? Along with a big name guy like Abraham? He has songs written after him! He is one of the all time greats! We can’t be in a sentence with him! …   or can we? Was old Abe perfect?   No! Remember when he lied about his wife, says she is his sister so that he wouldn't get hurt but she would be taken to this king sleep with him?!?!!   Abe wasn't perfect either… in fact if we were being judged on actions I think I’ve got him beat after that last story… but we are not being judged on our actions, that is just the point, Abe was counted “Blessed” because of his Faith and not because of the things that he did. We think that we can put ourselves in a category with Abraham because he is such a big name… well I thought those boots were perfect to because they were a big name… I found out they were just like any shoe and Abraham is just like all of us… a man who lived by Faith. Are you living by faith like Abraham did ?  

1.    Who do you find yourself comparing yourself to the most when it comes to being a good Christian?

2.  How do we know that its not about the good things that we do that it is all about the faith that we have in Christ?

3. So then, those who are of _________ are blessed along with ___________, the man of faith.

4. Spend some time journaling about this passage.

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Written by Jeff Harkins