This week’s lesson tells us that guilt may cause shame, fear, sorrow, anger, distress and even physical illness. And at times, it may make people feel guilty about something for which they are not responsible for. For example, a child feeling responsible for his parents divorce.
When a sense of guilt is justified, it serves as a good conscience. Guilt produces enough discomfort to make the person do something about it. Depending on personal choices, guilt may be highly destructive, as in the case of Judas or highly positive as in the case of Peter.
Genesis 3:8-13 gives us a good example as to how Adam and Eve manifested the guilt they experienced. One question we are asked is how bad was Adam’s reaction?
We are told that guilt is known as the first adverse human emotion felt by the human race. Genesis tells us that once Adam and Eve sinned, their behavior changed, they hid from the Lord among the trees. Clearly, we can see that they felt ashamed even to come before God. They feared what his reaction would be.
In life as human beings, how many times do we feel ashamed after we have done something bad before God or others? Do we ask for forgiveness? Are we quick to reaction like Adam or do we tend to blame others? How do we face up to the wrong things we have done so that we can move on and find favor in the eyes of God?
Often, guilt comes in the form of memories of wrong past doings. A good example would be Joseph’s brothers and what they did to him. Genesis 42:21. As Christians, how many times are we faced and reminded through flashbacks of the things we did in the past? Does it become part of our life chewing us day in day out with the constant fear of the consequences?
We are told that dwelling on these memories and guilt will never change. What we need to do as children of God is to repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness. We all know that if we come to God and humble ourselves, he will cleanse us of all the sins we have committed.
How many of us come to God daily to confess of the wrong doings we have done so that we can forget about our guilt? A good example of a man of God who knew about the strength of silence and honest confession was David. Honest confession is good for the soul, and seemingly also for the body. David’s language clearly suggests that his mental state of guilt was causing him immense physical pain.
I for example, tend to listen to Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church. One thing I have learned from his teachings is when we feel guilty about something; we should surrender ourselves to God and let him take away the guilt we are experiencing. Also, we need to go to those whom we have wronged and ask of their forgiveness.
One question that this week’s lesson has for us is, “In what ways have your falls and failures made you more sensitive to the falls and failures of others? How can you learn to minister, out of your pain, to others in theirs?”
We need to know that guilt can often create the person we are and destroy us positively or negatively. As Christians, we need to ask for forgiveness and humble ourselves before God. Just like the Bible teaches us through Peter, David, Adam and Eve, we need to learn when we are wrong and ask of his grace.
As we start a new week, let as learn not to allow guilt to eat us but rather, look unto the Lord and ask him to show us what is right and wrong.
]]>It is amazing what faith can do and what happens when we take that leap of faith. How many people in the Bible do we know of that took a leap of faith and God’s wonders was manifested in them?
This weeks lesson gives us the life of the widow of Zeraphath-the troubles she had, death of her husband, lack of food and that faith that she had left in her being taken away from her slowly. She could not provide for her son and seeing that everything was not working out for her, she decides to leave the small town of Zarephath in search of firewood to cook their final meal.
What is it about this woman and the small town of Zeraphath that we can apply to our lives today? We live in a society where people lack faith. So many things are going on around us that even we christians, the faith we have seem to desert us-lack of jobs, adultery, divorces, deaths just to mention but a few. Does Zeraphath seem like the society we are living in today?
When God saw all that was going on in the small town, he sent Elijah to come help his people (1st Kings 17:1). Who do we have today that has been sent to come clean the Zeraphath that we live in today? Is it not our pastors or us as youths? What are we doing to show the widow and others in the society that Faith can move mountains?
Over the weekend, I had a chance to go watch “Tyler Perry For Colored Girls”. I could not help but wonder, it is ok for him to show our dirty laundry like that? Why did he portray the African American society in that way? After the movie, the girls and I decided to go out for dinner and we started talking about it- true enough, every woman or man no matter your color would still say at one point in their life, they could relate to it. Was portrayed in the movie is what we have going on today in our own Zeraphath-abortion, adultery, death, rape, unkindness and our inability to take that leap of faith and believe in ourselves that we are more than what we think. We just need to master that courage and stand up for ourselves and forget about all these things going on around us, take them to God in prayer, believe and have faith that all will be well.
I remember this song that I always listen to in the morning when I drive to work ‘that’s what faith can do’ sung by Kutless. Every time I listen to it, I am reminded that Faith does wonders in our lives. How many things has God done for you or me if we have the faith? I always see every achievement that I have as the work of God and the faith I have in him. Just like the woman of Zeraphath who showed a little faith in God, so should we as christians learn to trust in the faith. Her story has been told from generations to generations about the wonders of God and the miracles of faith.
Times are tough, people have no jobs and every time you talk to a friend, a brother, sister or neighbor, you will hear one of them talking about how hard it is right now. I have a couple of friends who were laid off; you can see the frustration in their lives as they try to look for jobs to no avail. Sometimes I ask them, do you think you are doing the right thing? We just need that leap of faith to get things going. It is ok to get out of your comfort zone, apply for a job in another state, you never know, God might just do wonders for you. if one place is not working out, try somewhere else.
As christians, how many times have we been tempted to test the faith we have (Mathew 11:1-3). Elijah who even while praying, still lacked the faith in God and always end up blaming God for his problem (the sickness of his son). When things don’t work out in my life as I want them to, I blame God for it. We blame God when we don’t have jobs, our finances are weak, we can’t seem to keep our relationships, we even blame god for the death of our loved ones. We need to continue in prayer and hope for a miracle. Just like Elijah finally did and the widow of Zeraphath, we need to know that God is the only one who can sustain and give life and he will give you a breakthrough at his own best time.(1st Kings 17:17)
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When I think of Love, what comes to my mind first is a song sang by one country musician Reba McEntire-Keep on Loving you! Listen to that song and you will not know what true love is all about. Besides what true love is all about, this week we are going to learn about Love and Law and how these two work together.
Have you ever been caught cheating or doing something that you were not supposed to do? How did the other person take it? Was it something that would have made you regret for the rest of your life but out of love, you were forgiven? That’s what we call unconditional love and Jesus had lots of it.
John 8:4 gives us an example of a woman who was caught in adultery, according to the Law of Moses; he had commanded them to stone her to death. When Jesus saw this, he asked them that whosoever had not sinned should be the first one to stone her and when they were left he told her to sin no more. What greater love than this one shown by Jesus?
She knew very well that such actions would cost her her life, she still did anyway. Death was not given to her, why? Because of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ who has unfailing love for humanity. She was relieved from her sin and as a result, she will remember to walk in the light and love of Jesus Christ always.
How many times are we faced with such kind of challenges? We sin against God everyday but out of his love and mercy, our sins are forgiven. It is like a mother or a father to a child who will forgive his son/daughter countless number of times for the wrongdoings that they have done just because of the love they have for them.
In a world full of sin and a tendency for us to commit evil, how do we let Christ work in us? We only love ourselves and the love we show other people is nothing but false love. Romans 12:1 states that we should hate what is evil and cling to what is good so as to keep their spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. How can we do this?
Love and Law are connected and everyday of our life, we hear about love. Does this love make us do crazy and great things at the same time? You can be sitting down and watching Television for a few minutes and the things that you will see will not only break your heart but will make you question whether what someone did was out of love or hate. If we have the love that Jesus gave us, we might not have the law that punishes those who do something to others just under the notion of love.
There is a saying that goes, if you love something or someone then set it free. What does that really mean? Can we be able to walk in love and at the same time love the law? Romans 13:10 ‘The law of God, from its very nature, is unchangeable. It is a revelation of the will and the character of its Author. God is love, and his law is love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to man. Love is the fulfilling of the Law’.
If we can take these two great principles and walk in them, then for sure we are keeping Gods Law. As Christians, we are asked to love God and man. How do we love man? By sharing our life with others, serving the community and submitting to authorities.
They once said that love can move mountains. If we can have this type of Love then I don’t think we would have all these problems that we have. Look at the youths in Mumbai stricken by poverty, or the war in Darfur where women and children are suffering. Why? Because we lack that greater love that God talks about everyday.
We should learn to love and in so doing, we would not only be keeping God’s law but also the laws of the world. So many things that happen today would come to a stop if we can just learn to love even for a day.
As we come to the conclusion of this week’s lesson, I will urge all of you to please learn to love as Jesus loved and learn to forgive. Walk in God’s law and remember to always do that which is right. Let us not love with Hypocrisy but love with all our heart and love as if you will die tomorrow. Let us put these two great principles of Love of God and Love of man into action and we would have less of these problems that we face everyday, whether it is problems with the law or problems with our family members and friends.
Have a blessed Sabbath and I love you all!
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Romans 8:1 says that ‘there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ”
How proud we will be as children of God if we have freedom in Christ. I remember when I was in high school back in Kenya, our parents believed that boarding schools were and still are the best places for teenagers. We had no freedom, when I think about it now; all I have to say is ‘wow’. Did they have to be that mean? We never used to leave the gates of the school at least for all the four years I stayed there unless I was going home for an emergency or when we closed. To this date, it makes me not like boarding schools. It was like being put in a jail.
Some few boarding schools as bondage while others; it’s a place where students get to learn without interruption. We have different kinds of bondages, sins, and infidelity bondage for example; Jesus tells us that in him, we have the freedom. If we have this freedom we can be able to talk boldly about Jesus Christ. We are able to stand steadfast and defeat Satan.
In a world and a country where freedom means everything, how free are we really? As Christians, can we say we are free?
Just as the book of Romans says, there is no condemnation for to them that are in Christ. If we sin against him, he still loves and forgives us. And when he does forgive us, he makes us free. As a Christian and a child of God, if you live in Christ, you are considered innocent and judged not guilty.
As human beings, we tend to have so many baggage’s that come with us that living that life of freedom makes it very difficult for Jesus Christ to give us the freedom that we desire. The holy spirit in our life’s brings true life, energy, power and when it lives in us, Christ is also present, Romans 8:9
This week’s lesson is all about freedom in Christ and how we can lead that life that makes us feel free. As Christians, have we been challenged to try to live a life that is free of all this earthly trouble? I am 25 years old, and every day I face the challenge of trying to live a free life versus one that asks me to do things that I don’t feel comfortable with. For we all have sinned and fallen short of Glory of God but it is only those who seek God and ask for forgiveness that get that freedom to be called children of God.
Sin seeks to enslave us through fear and separation from God. As believers, we can receive the Holy Spirit and be drawn nearer to our God.
For us to achieve any goal, we ought to stay focused. And for us to live in freedom, we ought to stay even more focused. We will face challenges most of the time, but just like how something is important in our life and we do everything to achieve it, should this also be.
Romans 8:6 states that to have our minds and lives focused on physical things is death and to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Who doesn’t want peace? Those people who are in jail now are either being punished for something they committed against someone or society, that’s how the law makes them have peace in their mind. How about Christians, how do we achieve this same peace?
In conclusion, as Christians, freedom comes in many ways but the greatest of them all is freedom from sin and living in Christ. When we live in Christ, we have that peace of mind that everyone desires. As we finish this lesson, we should all try to give someone that freedom, whether is is freedom from domestic violence, drugs, religious intolerance or illiteracy. Let us all work together and make someone have that peace. And to top it all, explain not just to your fellow Christians but your fellow human being the difference between freedom in Christ and earthly freedom.
Happy Sabbath!
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So how does the bible define integrity or what does the Bible say about integrity?
This week’s lesson guide is all about integrity. Can you be counted among those who can tell the truth? If someone asks about your personality, would integrity be one of them? In the Bible, integrity has been closely associated with health, holiness and wholeness.
Personal integrity has been known to produce positive hormones to our body for us to enjoy our happiness and health. It is all about constant actions, values, methods and measures and principles. If we consider the life we are living right now, does it act according to God’s integrity? Does your everyday action give you joy and good health?
For our actions to be aligned with his; we should align our roles, resentments, our worship, identity and our prayers so that we can become an integral part of his life. This will set us apart from other people.
Integrity is also one of the personalities that make people become role models to children and other young adults. Look at our parents, how much have they sacrificed for us, they gave us everything that we needed. This kind of virtue is what is in most of us and it makes us appreciate others and at time, sacrifice what we have to make them happy. Just like a cloth is woven, so should our character be woven on a daily basis. For us to have the highest integrity, we ought to look at God and see the example he has given us. He never lies, nor changes his mind (Numbers 23:19)
In a world where cheating is the norm, how do you get to be the person you desire to be? As youths, we should know that God looks at the heart and not the personal appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). If we put this into action, we will try to be better with our actions and have that commitment towards integrity.
In conclusion; the Bible values integrity, our actions as Christians and as youths should match our words. We have several people in the Bible who have lived with integrity, God’s men who have lived in consistent with God’s teaching, and they put God’s way before their own. As youths, we can maintain and develop biblical integrity by adhering to God’s values, spending time with him, trusting in him and letting him live in our lives.
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As youths, this word is something that rings a bell to most of us. We get impatient when we wait for too long. I remember when i was in Senior High School back in Kenya,every candidate had to and still has to sit for the National Examination from September to beginning of December then we would all wait until the end of February for our results.It was one of the most painful moments of my life, i could not eat neither could i sleep.I kept on asking myself what my scores would be like, i became impatient and often at times, i would have dreams about my grades. The same kind of feeling is what is going on today among us especially among the youths.
How many times have we become impatient just because we can’t wait enough?Have we given up on waiting for God?Just as the children of Israel could not wait for Moses to come back from the mountain, so are we christians of today not able to wait for anything patiently.(Exodus 32)
Satan has been known to attack our faith when we are waiting patiently for something to happen.He makes it feel like God does not care.There are times in our lives when we feel like whatever it is that we are waiting for is not happening and not worth the wait.Recently, with the recession, so many people have lost their jobs and they keep on waiting and hoping that God will give them another job.When the wait is too long, they give up and begin to wonder why God is not there for them.2nd Peter 3:1-4 gives us a chronology of the letters Simon Peter sent just to encourage his friends in the Lord on the virtue of waiting patiently on the Lord.He tells us that Satan will come to deceive us and ask us why we keep on waiting for something that is not coming and how we should not loose hope but to hold on to that faith.
We hear about ‘safe sex’.Is that really possible?Can a young woman or man stay pure (virgin) until they get married?How long can youths of today abstain from sex?Waiting on the Lord has been compared to sexual purity.If we can stay sexually pure then we can be able to wait on the Lord to deliver unto us whatever it is that our hearts desire.
Remember that anything worth the wait is always sweet at the end.God makes it worth the wait, this is because anything good doesn’t come easily. One English saying ‘when the deal is too good, think twice’.In every waiting that we do, we should have this in mind.God’s plan for us is that he wants to bring out the very best in us and for this to happen, he takes his time hence the waiting.Just as David made waiting a part of his life, so should we Christians learn to wait as a normal part of our everyday life.
To the youths, let us devote ourselves to doing the good we know to do and that we are able to do, while we wait. And most importantly,When God’s plan is for you to wait, He will make it all worth the wait.
]]>Greek defines patience in two words that express the meaning behind it. The first being hupomone (endurance) and makrothumia (great/long tempered).
A patient person is someone who is mild, gentle and constant in everything that they do. (James 1:4 but let patience has its perfect work, which you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing) And for one to have this kind of patient, one needs a lot of practice, God’s grace and willingness to put aside self and to surrender to the prompting of the hold spirit. Most of us not patient with so many of life’s things and that’s why we fail to achieve this virtue. We are not patient with our wives, husbands, children, job and most importantly God. Patient is God’s attribute (Exodus 34:6) and we see so many of God’s prophets who have shown what true patience means one of them being Jeremiah. Paul teaches us how we need to be patient especially in church with our fellow members. We need this virtue in order to get along as God’s children. We need a lot of patience to do God’s work as children of God. This is what is referred to as patience in the Gospel. We are impatient with people who do not know God’s word and we don’t seem to care about them. (2 Tim 4:2)
One person who has indicated to us that patience has no limits is God. At the same time, God has manifested his patience to human beings in ways that we cannot be able to compare. He was patience with children of Israel during Noah’s time for more than 120 years when the ark was being prepared. When he was tired, his patience reached its limit and those who did not enter the ark all perished. As human beings; we also have a limit to our patience. This is why we have so many divorces in the world, we have a lot of hatred for our brothers or sisters, we reach a limit where we cannot take it anymore and cannot forgive. Just like Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel in the wilderness and the Babylonian captivity, their attitude reached a limit and the patience they had reached its limit.
How does one develop the fruit of being patient? James 1:2-4 tells us that we should count it all joy when we fall and learn to be patient. In our everyday life, we will face trials and tribulations but we ought to learn to be patient so as to develop this virtue that is very important. Just as Jesus was patient with those who persecuted him, does God wants us to be patient in everything that we do as to later inherit God’s kingdom. Good things only come to those who are patient in life, nothing comes easy, friendships are hard to maintain so are marriages, our jobs are hard to keep, it requires a lot of patience to keep up with everything in this world but if we develop this spirit of patience, then we can be able to overcome everything that comes our way and achieve the very best.
As youths, we need to learn to be patience with our church members and when teaching God’s word to those who are unaware of it. Developing all these would lead is into acquiring the other fruits of the holy spirit like meekness.
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All my life I’ve had to deal with several issues – one of them being confident of myself. This is because several things make us unsure of who we are. For women, our body image plays a very important role. How you perceive yourself will determine whether you are confident of your capabilities or not. This is made worse when people we have in our lives makes it hard for us to be confident by continuously pressing those buttons that hurt us most destroying our self image and degrading our confidence.
None of us is perfect, the society we live in has dictated so many things that confidence has become something we have to cultivate on our own. I came to America for my masters early this January. I looked for a job for over 6 months to no avail. My confidence in finding something good quickly deteriorated. Even though my family never seemed to mind about it, inwardly I was stressed so much. I went for numerous interviews of which none of them ever yielded anything. I would constantly ask God why this is happening to me and every time a voice would tell me to continue trusting in God.
Stories from other people gave me hope when they told me how hard it was for them to get jobs but after a while, things looked up. This gave me the confidence to continue pursuing my desire of getting a good job. God states that if we ask him anything according to his will, then he will hear us and grant us our heart desires. I continued to ask God every day to grant me my heart desires and his will be done in my life. This is something I do on a daily basis regardless.
The success that each of us has in life is built on self-confidence, our ability to put our all in everything that we do. We have to persevere and be optimistic that at the end of the road, everything will look up as we continue to trust in our God. It is that trust in the Lord that has brought me this far and everyday I continue to put my trust in the Lord for he is the one that gives me the confidence that I need to be able to overcome any obstacles on my way.
Confidence is belief. As long as we believe in the son of God then our confidence will be there. Believing takes place in our minds but it manifests itself in our words and deeds. You go for an interview which you are qualified for, but lack of confidence may limit your chances of getting the job. Confidence is an absolute trust that does not allow a taint of doubt or skepticism irrespective of the circumstance. One of God’s people who had confidence in him is Job. See Job 1:20. He developed confidence with his creator by forming an intimate relationship and this calls for us to boldly come before his throne of Grace for remission of our sins.
In conclusion, I would urge you to measure your confidence. Whether is it confidence according to Greeks or the confidence covered in this chapter. My confidence enabled me get a job with Alcatel-Lucent, and up to now I still give God all the glory and honor. If you can exhibit true confidence, then you are a Christian. Life throws so many things at us and if we can demonstrate our trust in God, then we should be able to sail through. Confidence is enactment, whether bold or tentative, of true faith. Having self-confidence is believing in your capabilities as an individual. However, confidence in God goes far beyond such wish fulfillment. Self-confidence is attractive, but God-confidence, faith, is inspiring.
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How does He satisfy our heart’s most ardent longings?
Over the years, I have learned that I need to look to Jesus as the One who can satisfy all my needs. While looking to Jesus, I have discovered that all my restless longings – everything that I require – are met and I am fully satisfied.
Here are four ways Jesus satisfies our deepest needs:
1. God has always taken (and will always take) time to show us that we are important to Him, that we are special and that He loves each of us the way we are. Our deepest and inner satisfactions comes from knowing that the Creator of the universe loves us with an incredible love and that we matter to Him and are valuable in His sight.
2. God didn’t just create us – He also has a plan for our lives. Jeremiah declares, “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an-expected end” Jeremiah 29:11. He is always planning the very best for us. Despite of all the life’s ups and downs, disappointments and sorrows, God is working all things out for our good. (Romans 8:28)
3. Enduring inner satisfaction comes from knowing that the grace of Christ is greater than all our failures. In Jesus there is forgiveness and freedom from guilt. And in Him we find mercy and pardon. John the Apostle states that, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17
For those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. (Romans 8:1) We find comfort knowing that our Father above does not condemn us.
4. The greatest satisfaction of all is knowing that one day, Jesus will make a complete, total, and utter end of sin. When Jesus returns, sickness, suffering, and sorrow will be no more. Diseases, disasters, and death will be over. Worry, want, and war will be banished forever. “God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for former things have passed away…” Revelation 21:4
In Christ Jesus, our heart’s longings will soon be forever filled. Look unto Him each and every day and He will satiate the desires of your heart and soul. In Him we are complete – it’s time to rejoice unto the Lord.
]]>When this site was started, its main intention was to unite young adults around the world through communication so that each and every time one posts a message, we all can get it at the same time. This is what has helped us be united in Christ by learning from other young adults around the world who have similar beliefs and convictions.
When God created us,he knew that we would be far away from each other but as long as we are united in love as a church then the journey seems not far away.The teacher of this week lesson guide tells us of his family whom he lives far away from and how they are connected by love. Thats how christians should be connected so that we can share our joys, sorrows and pains with one another who will later give us encouragement to deal with every situation that comes our way.
Just as the Lord is the head of the Church so should we be connected with christ all the time. 1st Corinthians 12.And with the help of the holy spirit,we can do our best to maintain the unity of the body.
The most important thing we learn from this weeks lesson is Gods invitation to us all to remain united and commited to the course he started.We should also not forget of Jesus second coming to reunite all of us as a family whose members reside everywhere in the world.
As we continue to encourage young adults around the world to continue living in the world and being united in christ through love,so should we always remember that as christians,we are connected by love and if this connection does exist, then the journey we arein will always seem nearer than we think.
Have a blessed sabbath and a great week everyone and remember to stay connected in love with everyone who calls upon the lord.
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