Aug 31

Deuteronomy 30:11-20
11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach.
12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’
13 It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’
14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.
15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster.
16 For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods,
18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
20 You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

A thermometer A tape measure A yardstick A speedometer A pressure gauge God What do the above have in common? They're all standards of measurement. "Wait a minute," you may respond. "What's God doing on the list?" Well, like a thermometer or a yardstick or a pressure gauge, God himself is a standard of measurement. If you want to measure distance, you might use a yardstick. If you want to measure the speed your car is going, you might use a speedometer. And if you want to measure the lightness or wrongness of an attitude or action, you measure it against God's values. Is something wrong or right? Compare it to God. Is it OK to lie as long as you're not hurting anybody? Compare it to God. He says, "Do not lie" (Leviticus 19:11) because he values truth. He values truth because he is truth itself (John 14:6). Is it right to hate somebody who has hurt you? Compare it to God. He says, "Love each other" (John 13:34) because he values love. He values love because he is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Is it right to hold grudges? Is it right to keep something that doesn't belong to you? Is it right to give in to your passion or temper? Is it right to make fun of other people? Is it right to treat someone unfairly? Compare it to God. He is the standard for measuring right and wrong.

REFLECT: Unfortunately, many people try to measure right and wrong according to their feelings, their desires, what their friends say, what their parents say, or what their communities or cultures tolerate. What standard have you been using to figure out what's right or wrong? Your feelings? Your desires? What your friends say? Something else?

ACT: Place a tape measure, thermometer, or some other instrument of measurement in your pocket or on your desk or dresser today to remind you to measure your actions against God, the only true standard for measuring right and wrong.

PRAY: "God, I really appreciate having your Word to help me know what you value. You're the best standard of measurement there is."

Ok, I have to go in like 5 minutes. Excuse the shortness.

The whole WWJD thing, isn't hard because it's just that hard to actually do. It's hard because keeping Jesus in our minds 24/7, is mind tiring, and takes a toll to our head.

With all these distractions, it's hard to keep in mind what's right and what's wrong. I remember there was an author who said something in his interview concerning his new book, and he said "...Humans have a never ending appetite for distractions.", and he was worried that by giving too much information to the public, we wouldn't be able to focus on which of the information needed attention, and which information was just for leisure.

PROCRASTINATION, is the big issue here. The only cure to it, would be constant practice of dedication. That's essentially part of the reason why we should be in the praise team, to consistently practice our dedication.

Strange, isn't it? How they make it sound so easy to follow the one sole instruction to live a life with God in heaven?
"Listen. Do." That's essentially what we're being told to do. All you have to do is love God and follow in his footsteps.
Unfortunately, I think we've all realized how hard is it to follow this. Kind of sad, really. But I don't think we have to worry about being perfect.. we just have to try. Try to be the perfect Christian and follow Jesus' footsteps to the best of our ability.
Difficult but, for the creator of all things, what wouldn't you do?

Since summer is over very very soon, I think todays devo topic should be kept in mind during school days.
For me summer vacation is kind of like a safe little haven. I am finally away from school and I no longer have to worry about homework, projects, etc. To be honest I was so glad I left my middle school. As rude as it sounds, I really hated a lot of things there. Everything was just so blown out of proportion, and everyone wanted to start drama. But now that I'm starting high school, it will probably be 10 times worse. Also I'm going to an arts school, and artists/musicians/dancers/actors are kind of crazy, and strange in their own special way. They are all about "Expressing themselves", and "Being unique". Anyway, that's not the point.
It will be easy to forget about God and Christianity in the midst of all the chaos that will happen in the next 10 months or so. I will most likely make some decisions that I will regret in the future, and that God wouldn't like. I will have to try hard and remember to obey Christ in whatever I do, and hopefully I won't make to many mistakes or commit many sins along the way.
See you guys Sunday!
-Sarah

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

^sorry, that was so fitting

so like jake said, its about WWJD, and even though it seems maybe a bit cliche, its still an important set of values to live by. As children, we always strove towards being like our authoritative figures, whether it be parents or older siblings. Likewise, we are still children in a sense, and should strive towards being like our Father. No matter what happens or what people do, if we always try even a little bit at a time to be more like Jesus and compare our actions to God's values, then we could definitely follow much more closely in his footsteps as we walk with him

I loved this verse:
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

It's so simple: Live to what God wants and not your desires......
Why can't humans understand that and just follow it? if you were to choose between eternal life or death....wouldn't you choose life? we humans get so distracted on things that aren't nessecarry. we get so consumed by our own lives but we don't seen to have enough attention for God. like the sermon at the retreat:
Why to we try so hard to make everything we have during our short life on earth while we don't prepare for our eternal life in heaven?

Good night guys.....

school is starting in 3 days for me and it is a completely fresh start in some ways for me. i am moving on to high school, i will have to study for exams, i will have to get used to the whole difference from elementary to seondary, etc.
as humans, we get so distracted from our own little problems that we don't realize that we are neglecting God. we need to keep God is our minds and at times and love him and obey him. it is easier said than done though, isnt it? i remember while Dan helped us with praise, he always reminded us that whatever we do, we can use it to glorify God. we can do that as school is starting to love the Lord, our God at all times