Peace and Joy in God's Kingdom

Romans 14:17 says, "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit."

The Kingdom of God is not made up of temporary things that only last for a moment...like food, or drinks, or candy. That's why Jesus says we don't need to worry about stuff like food and clothing (See Matthew 6:24-33).

We can know that God cares for us and His plan is for our good. If we choose to do what is right : that's thinking God's way, and acting God's way we will have peace and joy.

It doesn't mean that things always go well. Sometimes things are hard, but we can have God's peace and joy when we are in right relationship with Him.

Nehemiah 8:10 says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

Where do you get your joy and peace from?

Is it...the joy of my video game is my strength?
or...the joy of watching television is my strength?
or...the joy of playing sports is my strength?
or...the joy of being with my friends is my strength?
or...the joy of having money is my strength?

So many people base all their peace and joy on temporary things, rather than on a long-lasting relationship with Jesus. Hang onto Jesus and you can have peace and joy as part of his kingdom!

Righteousness

God is a righteous God, and he calls us to lives of righteousness too!

Sometimes it's hard to really understand what righteousness is. That's a BIG word!

Simply, it's doing what's right. That's doing it God's way. Having right thoughts, right actions, right attitudes and right motives: Treating people in a right way.

Righteousness also includes having right relationships with God and others.

Before we can be righteous in our thoughts and actions, we need to have a right relationship with God. That's pretty much impossible to happen without God's help. We have all sinned (see Romans 3:23 and Isaiah 64:6)...and it's impossible to have a right relationship with God when one's life is full of sin.

That's where Jesus came in. He never sinned. He was righteous. So when he paid the price for our sin, we then could have our sins removed and take on HIS righteousness in our lives. It's amazing. Read more about that in 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:22 & Philippians 1:11.

Each day, take time to pray and invite the righteousness of God to grow in you!

For more information on God's righteous work in you read:

Psalm 23:3, Matthew 5:6, Ephesians 4:24

Have a great week!

A Life of Prayer

Vic Poverud led our kids church service this Sunday and discussed practical aspects of prayer. Prayer is our hotline to heaven.

We know that God knows our every thoughts (see Psalm 139), but he still wants us to pray. He wants you to speak to Him. Prayer is more than just thinking nice thoughts. Prayer is talking with God, and listening to God speak to you in your heart, soul and mind.

Read 1 Samuel 3 and learn how God spoke to a young boy. And I encourage you to take time today to speak with God. He wants to hear from you.

Go Fish!

We know God wants all to be saved. He paid the price for all of us.

The question is, how do we get people to be saved? You and I cannot MAKE anyone pray. It's like you cannot get a fish to bite, but you can make it so it WANTS to. You need to use the right bait!

B.A.I.T

B- You need to know what the Bible says.
Here are some verses from the Bible that are good to know:
Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 10:9,10

A- stands for showing right attitudes and actions to others. You want to let your light shine to others around you. Show them that Jesus has made a difference in your life through your actions and your attitudes.

I- Show interest in the person's life and what that person is doing. Ask questions. "Do you like this? How do you do that?" Show interest, not IGNORE them. When you act like they are important to you, then they will listen to what is important to you too.

T- Tell them that God loves them. Tell them that Jesus has made a difference in your life. Tell them that God has a great plan for each life.

Is there someone you know that needs Jesus? Maybe there is someone you are going to meet this week. In a month you go back to school, maybe there's someone there.

Remember 4 things:

#1. Know your Bible --- one of the great ways to learn is in JBQ (starting this Fall)
#2. Examine yourself --- are you showing good attitudes and actions?
#3. Do you look at others and think about what would make them feel valued? Do you show interest in their lives?
#4. Are you willing to tell others that Jesus loves them?

Put the right "bait" out there and you may find that your friends too will get "hooked on Jesus!"

SuperStar!

Last Sunday, we went Backstage with the Bible to look at two groups of perople. One group was the Egyptians and they had everything. The second group were called the Israelites and they were not rich or famous. They were actually slaves to the Egyptians. Even though they didn't have possessions of their own, they were called God's chosen people.
The fact is, God will remember His people and reward us in heaven and the rewards will be much greater than money or fame!

Psalm 139:14 "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

God has a plan for you since before the day you were born. But, you have a choice to go with His plan or not. It all starts by putting Him first in your life.

What does God have planned for you? Missionary? Youth leader? Pastor? Doctor? Farmer? Computer Specialist?

You are special to God, and he has a special plan for you too!

Perseverance!

Last Sunday we talked about Noah and his patience through the entire ark event. I think if I had to stay in a boat for more than a year with all those animals--I just might go crazy!

But, 2 Thessalonians 3:5 says, "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." Perseverance is "not giving up, but continuing on!"

James 1:3 says, "...know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

Hang on! Keep a good attitude! And persevere!

You may read more about Noah's journey of perseverance in Genesis 6:5-8:22.

Let's Make A Deal

Jesus exchanged his life for the penalty of our sin. We now have hope of heaven, rather than hell. That's a great trade for us!

Read together John 6:26-28
These verses was when Jesus had fed the 5,000. Some people followed him because they wanted food that would temporarily satisfy their hunger. They were interested in the temporary that would make them feel good immediatly. But Jesus was more concerned about the long lasting feeding of their soul.

1 Timothy 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

This last Sunday was Let's Make A Deal Sunday. We had kids come up that had something to trade. They then pick a container that they wanted to trade with. The tricky thing was, they didn't know if they were going to make a good deal or not.

Question/Answer:
What's going to help you the most in the long-term?
1. Skittles or Fruit
2. Coke or Milk
3. Watching TV or reading?
4. Sitting on the couch or exercising?
5. Playing video games or reading your Bible?
6. Going to a sports game or going to church?
7. Listening to non-Christian music or listening to Christian music?

I encourage you to make the good deal! Make the good choice! Choose the thing that will be LONG lasting.