Samm- IDENTITY

“Growing up I was always the good Christian girl. I did well in school, I was involved in church, and I was a good daughter. I thought all was well with me and Jesus; I loved Him and served Him. But, when I went to college and no longer had people holding together who I was, I found that I was carrying a lot of brokenness. 

During my college years the Lord was gracious to show me the bondage I was walking in. During those years I wrestled with issues of codependency, identity, and movements of depression. I didn’t realize how much I placed my identify and worth in other people. I was constantly striving for approval, fearing rejection, and worked so hard to belong. I did not know how to truly be myself and I was always afraid that people would leave me. I often felt isolated, lonely, depressed and worried.

 When I began surrendering my brokenness and the things that held me in bondage to Jesus, I began to find true freedom. He began to show me the riches of the identity I have in Him! I finally found a place where I belonged and did not have to strive.  

Jesus helped me to let people into my life to shoulder my burdens with me. He helped me to allow people into my heart so I no longer had to fight through life alone. In Him I found who I truly am and the worth He has given me.”

-Samm

THE FIRST STEP AWAY FROM GOD IS INGRATITUDE

The first step away from God is ingratitude.

Take a second to think back to the moment you surrendered your life fully to God. What filled that moment? What filled your mind and heart? Most people would say that when they surrendered to the Lord they were immersed in the presence of God where they fully experienced His great love, never-ending joy, immense peace, overwhelming kindness, His goodness towards them, His infallible faithfulness, His gentleness, etc. Right then, our eternities were marked with overflowing gratitude as our hearts welcomed the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and lead us forever. What an awesome time to recount when we were made new in Jesus! What a precious and wonderful day to keep at the forefront of our memory.

Recently, I have loved digging into all of the details and historical/cultural contexts behind the many celebrations we read about in the Old Testament. People often speed through reading the book of Leviticus in an attempt to get to the more ‘interesting’ things in the Bible. Lately I’ve wanted to spend time on these skimmed over topics that God sees as important enough to include in His Word. In this specific Bible study, I have been so excited to learn about the reasoning behind all of the feasts, festivities, and holidays. Did you know that the feasts listed in Leviticus 23 are all in remembrance of a specific act of God’s faithfulness to His people? This means that God commanded these celebrations to take place in the hope that His chosen people would remember who He is and remain grateful for all that He had done for them. God intended that the act of choosing to be grateful upon remembrance would lead to celebration and ultimately would keep His people close to Him.

While our feelings may fade or change, just like the people of Israel on numerous occasions, we always carry the weighted choice of the attitude we walk in. Gratefulness is close to God’s heart because it’s the attitude He has created us for. Gratitude keeps us close to Him and drawing near to Jesus. Likewise, choosing ingratitude drags us away from our Father. To stay in step with God, we must remain grateful.

The Bible doesn’t stop encouraging us to remain thankful in the Old Testament. We read through the Gospels that Jesus never chose to be ungrateful. Throughout the New Testament we are encouraged by early church leaders (like Paul) to walk closer to God as we walk in greater obedience and thankfulness. Paul encouraged the church of Colossae saying:

“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

Gratitude is a weapon against the enemy because the very attitude of gratitude keeps us close to the cross. Gratefulness keeps our memory close to the powerful love of God that overcame sin and death once and for all. Thankfulness keeps me near to Jesus because I am going forward with the perspective He intended.

I know we have all heard the phrase “count your blessings” at some point while growing up. My mom always reminded me of that when I didn’t want to finish the veggies on my plate at dinner. While this phrase might induce some eye-rolling, this instruction is actually a very powerful weapon to wield. By taking time to note all that God has done in your life and blessed you with, you’re removing any space for the enemy to direct your attention to what may be lacking. 

I challenge you to try it in any moment when you feel something missing in your life. Maybe you would like to have those sick, solid white Air Force Ones just like your friends, or maybe you are tired of long commutes and want more freedom of a car. I challenge you to ask God to help you see all that He has given to you as a blessing that He has poured into your life. I challenge you to go a step further and to praise Him for those blessings and to take time to worship Him for who He is. 

The good news is that if we are walking with Jesus, we always have something to celebrate in the truth of the Gospel, that our God came humbly to serve, teach, and ultimately to die for us in the hope that we would spend all of eternity with Him.

Attitudes are contagious! What attitude are you exposing to the people around you?

- in Him Olivia

IN HIS IMAGE

In His Image

“So God create man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:21

When I first started walking with God, I noticed the desire to want to be with people that I never would of thought to spend time with before. Our only similarity at first, was that God created us and the Jesus redeemed us. God used these early friends in my faith to show me His personality and His character, so that I could begin to look more like Him.

These friendships were most influential in that season:

1. My servant hearted friend: Always the first to clean the dishes or let me borrow her car. When our friend had cancer she never left her side. She even slept on the hospital floor next to her, so she wouldn’t be afraid. She often toiled, take me God instead of her… “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”, Mark 10:45 had come alive to me.

2. My introverted friend: I learned through her introverted qualities the necessary of being alone with God and the importance of spending significant time with Him daily. I learned of HIs desire to be with me. John 15 “Abide in me and I in you” began to make sense to me in a way it never had before.

3. My peacemaker friend: This friend did not shy from hard conversations, but when it was necessary, he embraced it. I began to understand how God uses healthy. confrontation (with the aim of reconciliation) to get to the root of an issue and make true peace. Not keep false keep. I understood “Blessed are the peacemakers…” in Matthew 5:9 from the way this friend lived his life.

When God created Adam and Eve in His image, we could see parts of His personality, but not all of who He is could be captured in two persons. God continues to create person after person, instilling more of who he is inside them. In ourselves it is not possible to access all of who God is, but we learn about Him through His word, guidance of the Holy Spirit and our relationships with each other. To miss out on relationships is to miss out on God.

Every person is a unique, irreplaceable, finite expression of God’s infinite personality.

How can you build God honoring friendships? Here’s a challenge for you: think of someone in your small group who seems very different from you. Seek out a friendship with them! Ask them their story. Then ask yourself: how is this person different from me and what part of God/s character do I see in them?

ALSO have you heard about Fall Advance? It’s October 23rd through the 25th. The whole aim of this retreat is to form new friendships, deepen existing ones and discover more of who God is. So what are you waiting for?Reach out to your small group leader or send us a DM for more details to attend.

Love you guys,

Kate Anderson

Jordan- FAMILY

I didn’t grow up knowing the Lord in the same way that I know now. My Dad would encourage us to pray when we needed things and he taught us that there was a God who existed, but that was pretty much it. My relationship with Jesus was very transactional, not intimate. Throughout High School I was an average kid trying to figure out the direction of my life, but I felt like I was doing it alone.

I lived with my dad and brother, but I often felt like I was on my own. As I grew older, I grew bitter towards family, I became easily frustrated and I vowed to myself that I would make something of my life despite my childhood.

In one of my first church services, I remember the pastor sharing the Gospel in a way that simply resonated with me for the first time and I surrendered my life to Jesus. Jesus saved me from finding my value in success and trying to prove myself and gave me an identify that I didn’t have to earn. He gave me joy to replace the bitterness I had toward my father and he gave me a new community that I consider family to this day.

My life looks radically different than I could have ever imagined but life with God truly is an adventure. I wouldn’t be here without countless people believing in me, loving me, praying for me, feeding me and taking me in as their own. The community of God forever changed my life. 

-Jordan

GOD DOESN'T CALL THE QUALIFIED, HE QUALIFIES THE CALLED.

Imagine what the first disciples of Jesus felt when the Messiah came. He was everything they had hoped for and so much more. He had the words of life, and He was wise in ways that challenged the Pharisees. Jesus commanded thunderstorms to stop and healed people from sicknesses, diseases, and handicaps in an instant. He gave hope to a hopeless people who were occupied by the powerful Roman Empire, but He also extended salvation to all outside of His chosen ones. He surprised everyone and was the most wonderful expression of God in the flesh. Then He was arrested and executed a thief’s punishment of crucifixion on a cross.

His disciples witnessed the death of the One who brought them hope and healing, so they fled; fearing for their own lives. Then Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and He appeared to them several times. He commissioned them saying: 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20

Just a few weeks later, the promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled, and those SCARED disciples were EMPOWERED by God to do the work He commissioned them to do! 

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly…With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was powerfully at work in them all.” - Acts 4:31,33

When Jesus gave what we know as The Great Commission, He didn’t say that we should GO only if we meet certain requirements or are born with specific talents, but He commands all to GO while promising to GIVE us exactly what we need to do the work He sets before us. This distinguishes Jesus from all other gods. He can use anyone despite their shortcomings; rather, His power is made perfect in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9). Be encouraged, friends! Your life has purpose in His Kingdom, and it’s not about what you can give but what Jesus already gave!

Before I entered college, I had the idea that to be used by God, I had to be like other people I had seen God use in great ways. I compared myself to others around me thinking they simply had gifts I didn’t have and truly believed I would never be able to be used by God, because I didn’t have much to offer. Beginning to grow in relationship with Jesus, He showed me that it wasn’t about me at all. As I focused on Him first and stayed faithful to Him alone, He equipped me with gifts and strengths over time and has used me to serve the people around me! Be assured that YOU are called, and He will qualify YOU for whatever he sets before you!

Practical Challenge: Each day this week, when you get up in the morning, ask Jesus what He wants to do in you and through you that day. Perhaps he will show you a scripture or challenge you to lay down an attitude that has become second nature to you. Or maybe He will bring someone to your mind to reach out to and pray for or serve in some way. 

Our God is alive! He speaks! He has a will and wants it to be known.

Blessings Friends,

-Kait Richey

INTRINSIC VALUE OBLIGATES

As human beings, by nature, we are creatures of value.  It’s why we order from dollar menus, why we love sales, and why we go shopping on Black Friday to buy things we don’t need. It’s why we keep reward cards and love getting things for free. In every decision we make, we are motivated by what is most valuable. Don’t believe me? Given the choice between a one dollar bill and a twenty dollar bill, which would you choose? You would be foolish not to choose the twenty.  Whats the difference? They are both money, made of the same material, ink, and color, but the bills have very different values. Jesus tells a story in Matthew 13 about value. A man is walking through a field, and finds a treasure buried there. The treasure is so valuable that he sells everything that he has just to buy the field. He found something so worth his attention that he was willing to part ways with everything he used to care about to receive it. Jesus says this is the way it is with the Kingdom of Heaven.  When we see who God is, what He has done for us, and how He loves us, it only makes sense to sell everything else to have Him. Whatever we used to care about fades away in comparison to the treasure we have found in Jesus. What is intrinsic value? The phrase intrinsic value means that an object is valuable in and of itself. A diamond is valuable without anyone’s help. It doesn’t need to be attached to a gold ring to be worth something. It has intrinsic value. On the same token, God is the most valuable being in the whole universe. He is the most intelligent, most powerful, most loving being that exists. He made the earth and everything in it and outside of it. He has never broken a single promise. What is it exactly that makes us want to follow Him? Should we listen to Him solely because He is powerful? Or because he is smart? Or loving? No single attribute that God has is enough to warrant following Him. However, when you look at the whole of His character, seeing God for who He is and understanding His heart, the very best decision is to throw out everything you used to live for and live for Him. Just like the man in Jesus’ story who wisely sold all he had to buy a field, give yourself, all of yourself to find the treasure that is knowing Him. You will never find anything or anyone more intrinsically valuable than God.

Practical Challenge

1. Do a value assessment— Sit down in a quiet place and write down this question: “Why do you do the things you do, and who do you do them for?” Just like screen time on your phone breaks down the different ways you spent your phone’s battery life, make a list of what you give your time, thoughts, and money to…Those are all forms of worship and show what you truly value. Take a good look at this list. What is most valuable in your life? What do you give the most time and attention to? Is it Jesus, yourself, your job, your future, your wallet, your grades, your boyfriend/girlfriend? If it is anything besides Jesus, ask God and a close friend to help you change that.

2. Pledge Allegiance to the King— Start every morning for the next two weeks by kneeling beside your bed and saying “Jesus, you are the King of my life. You are in charge, and I am not. I will live today to honor and serve you and your Kingdom.” See how doing this shapes the way you live!

Much love,

Craig Richey