Sept 6

Isaiah 45:18-23
18 For the LORD is God,
and he created the heavens and earth
and put everything in place.
He made the world to be lived in,
not to be a place of empty chaos.
“I am the LORD,” he says,
“and there is no other.
19 I publicly proclaim bold promises.
I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner.
I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me
if I could not be found.
I, the LORD, speak only what is true
and declare only what is right.
20 “Gather together and come,
you fugitives from surrounding nations.
What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols
and pray to gods that cannot save!
21 Consult together, argue your case.
Get together and decide what to say.
Who made these things known so long ago?
What idol ever told you they would happen?
Was it not I, the LORD?
For there is no other God but me,
a righteous God and Savior.
There is none but me.
22 Let all the world look to me for salvation!
For I am God; there is no other.
23 I have sworn by my own name;
I have spoken the truth,
and I will never go back on my word:
Every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.”

How do you react when Mom blames you for something your brother or sister did? How do you react when a girl ahead of you in the lunch line lets three of her friends into the line you've been waiting in for ten minutes? How do you act when a teacher deducts points from your test for an "incomplete answer" but gives Melvin Sheldon full credit for the same answer? If you're like most people, you react to such situations by saying, "Hey! Wait a minute. That's not fair!" Everyone seems to know instinctively that justice is right and injustice is wrong. But why? What makes it right to be fair and wrong to be unfair? Well, a lot of people would answer that question, "Because the Bible says so." They're right, in a way; the Bible has all kinds of precepts, such as "Give fair judgment to the poor and the orphan" (Psalm 82:3); "Give to everyone what you owe them" (Romans 13:7); and "You slave owners must be just and fair to your slaves" (Colossians 4:1). The law of Moses contained detailed commands to treat strangers and foreigners fairly, to provide for orphans and widows, and even to return stray animals to one's enemies. Those precepts can be summed up in what has been called "the Golden Rule": "Do for others what you would like them to do for you" (Matthew 7:12). But those precepts are more than just a list of do's and don'ts; they reveal the fact that God values justice. But why does God value justice? Because he is just. You see, justice is not right only because God commands it or even because God values it; it is right because it reflects the qualities of God himself. Justice is not something God does; it is something he is. "God is just," Paul wrote (2 Thessalonians 1:6, NIV). Moses sang, "Everything he does is just and fair" (Deuteronomy 32:4). Then why should we be fair? Not just because Mom says so or because our friends say so or even because the pastor says so. We should be fair because justice is a reflection of God's character. Treating everyone fairly is right-for all people, for all times, and in all places.

REFLECT: You've probably heard people say, "Life isn't fair." Are there some unfair circumstances that we all have to accept in life? If so, what unfair circumstances do you think you have to accept?

ACT: Place a ruler on your desk or in your locker or on the dining room table to remind you to follow the Golden Rule this week.

PRAY: "God, everything you do is 'just and fair: I know that doesn't mean life will always seem fair. But it does mean I should be fair because I want to be like you."

Sarah! To answer your question, we do these devos along with the leadership team.. Dan get's it from a curriculum page and I just get it from him. I know they're cheesy but if it helps, reflect MORE on the bible passage. That's what I tend to do when the stories are just absolutely ridiculous..LOL.

it is very true that we all tend to think that life is not fair, but that isn't an excuse to act unfair in our daily lives. God has always been fair to us no matter how "unfair" the situation may be. for instance, when we sin, God forgives when we confess and ask for His forgiveness. being the children of Christ, it is important to know what is fair, just and right to be able to become more like God. if life isn't fair then why not act fair to make it seem fair? if we complain that life isn't fair then we should do something about it! think more like God and try to change our view in some things.
that's it!
oh and is practice at 10 this week? thanks!

i think today's passage reflects alot on how Jesus and Us are so different. Our whole life, we knew about how Jesus went through all these tortures to redeem us from eternal suffering. He never did say that it was ever unfair, or cheap. We know all this and we recognize we should try to give back at least the most of what we can offer.

BUT.

The thing that seperated us from Jesus the most, was the spirit to stay resilient and sticking to.morals. like how morals are supposed to be kept.


It's very hard to walk the plan.

Let's seeeeee
well, justice.. I know it's hard sometimes to accept the fact that what you're getting to you is just and God has a plan, but it's true and we have to be able to stick it out. Everyone has hardships. Don't think your problems are any worse than anyone else's. Think about it like this: whatever another person is going through, could bring them just as much pain and suffering as whatever you're going through. And it's not our right to judge whether or not something is "fair" or "just". The only one who gets to decide that is God.

A quote to keep in mind, regarding this devo is: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
Everyone is going through something. Just remember that.

this devo was one I could reflect on a bit more, though it still did have its trademark characteristics.

This verse reminded me of the whole "go to hell" thing. Forgot who spoke on it, but when whoever said it, must've hit hard, cuz sometimes it just pops up. What that person said about telling someone to "go to hell" is that we don't have any right or place to tell that to someone. As people we are judgmental and all, but really, we have no jurisdiction, especially when our sense of it is put side by side in a comparison with our absolutely just God. So it was good to have this devo as a definite reminder to myself to always keep that idea in my head. We have 0 right to judge others by how we perceive them to be; only God has that right. Despite that, we should always thrive to be fair to others because God has called us to be fair. So simplified, be just, but don't judge. That is one of the major principles we should be living our lives upon. Thats all I had for today's devo, so goodnight

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

mfw melvin sheldon

hmmmmmm
I believe that everything happens and is planned by God.
Although fair, or unfair, there is nothing we could change about it, so we should learn to accept it and enjoy whatever comes your way...
All the tough things that happen to us... we have to learn to accept. If we do not accept, it basically means that we dont like the way God is controlling our lives.
God is fair to all and we should accept anything that comes our way, because it is truly what is best for us.

We should be fair because justice is a reflection of God's character. Treating everyone fairly is right-for all people, for all times, and in all places.

This one part stuck out to me! Not only should we be fair because...you know.. common courtesy...
BUT we should be fair because God is. As Christians, part of our job description is to let people see God in us.
Or see GODLY traits in us. That we may be more Christ like.
"Justice is a reflection of God's character". WE are to reflect, that reflection. I guess you could say.. ReflectCEPTION.
Secondly! I recall Pastor Kye saying: Forgive others because God forgave us first! I do remember bringing this up in a devotion recently but I thought this could relate perfectly. God is fair to us, so we should do the same unto others.
Often times, we'll feel that God has not been fair to us.. I know I felt like that. When I cool my head and think a little more logically afterwards, I like to remind myself, or think of those "hardships" as trials to build and mold us into stronger and more faithful Christians. At the end of the day, no matter how hard things may seem, one thing that never changes is that God is fair.

Good bye to YOU ALL.

holy i got so much homework...

God himself is just and fair, and we want to be like God meaning that we should always be fair and just with others. Others might not feel the same way and we may get treated differentlly than expected too, but we are doing what we are supposed to be.

Jesus was just and fair, but not everyone treated him like that. Life isnt fair and i am sure that all of us has gone through some sort of unjust or unfair moment. But we gonna suck it up and move on because life on earth is just temporary and we should look towads the bigger picture.

GNITE im tired likea tire....

20 “Gather together and come,
you fugitives from surrounding nations.
What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols
and pray to gods that cannot save!

This verse was the one that stuck out to me the whole time!
There are so many beliefs that are arround us and sometimes we believe in it as well and we don't even know it!
When I thought about it for a bit, I found that stuff like charm bracelets, four-leaf clovers, a lucky item, wishing for something then the clock turns to 11:11 or something are all part of that. Either it's just for fun or you actually do it because you want to believe it's true, we sometimes go off and get distracted. Not that we worship stuff like these, but we do sometimes fall for many things like that. In the bible somewhere, it says to believe in Christ and only in him.

"Is it better to follow an object or follow the one who has created that very object that you follow?"
Good night everyone!
~Audrey~

I miss Dan Kim's sermon's a little, aha. "Do not conform anymore into this world." Still rings perfectly inside my head.
Basically, this devotion helps me emphasize on fairness.
We are so distant from God. Physically, mentally, and obviously, spiritually, its hard to believe that we're HIS children.
"Like father, like son", right?
This helps me reflect strongly upon being frustrated about my life sometimes. But we're in no position to judge how great someone else's life is.
First and foremost, we don't have a choice. It's been set already, beginning and to end.
We should appreciate how glad we are to be in his day. He watches for us, each and everyone of us.
Our prayers will not be unanswered.

Oh I see, thanks for telling me Kevin!
Anyway sorry I didn't post yesterday. A lot of homework -_-
We all want to be treated fairly and equally. Unfortunately, a lot of things in this world is not fair. We have to accept the fact that we aren't always going to be treated in a satisfactory manner. Even though we might not be treated the way we want to, we should try to act fairly to those around us. God wouldn't leave you because you sinned against him, therefore we shouldn't be mad about someone not treating us equally. Hopefully if you act kindly towards them, even if they are making your life a living hell, they will eventually warm up to you and treat you with more respect.
I don't think this makes much sense... sorry it's super confusing!
See ya'll tomorrow!
-Sarah