Nov 2

Hebrews 5:12-14
12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.
13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.
14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Most things in life go in a certain order. Babies crawl before they walk and drink milk before they eat solid food. Little kids ride a bike with training wheels before they take off on a two-wheeler. Teens get a temporary driver's permit that allows them to drive with an adult before they're allowed to drive on their own. The Christian life goes in a certain order, too. When we're newborn Christians, we need to master the basics: knowing our own sinfulness; needing God's forgiveness and love through the gift of his Son, Jesus; desiring to forgive others. As we grow in Christ, the lessons we learn go deeper as we face the day-to-day decisions between right and wrong. "Do I cheat on a test to get the grade I need so I can go on the youth group work project this weekend?" "Do I lie to my parents and tell them my homework is finished so I can go to a concert tonight?" "Do I throw food at my baby sister because she stuck out her tongue at me?" OK, so maybe the last one's too easy. But the point is, all those opportunities to choose right or wrong are more than opportunities to choose right or wrong-they're opportunities to train yourself to make right choices. Not just now but when you get older. By making good decisions now (when the choice is "Do I stomp my kid brother into a bloody pulp because I'm in a bad mood or show him Christian love and mercy?"), you prepare yourself to make good decisions when the choices are tougher and more complex ("Do I control my raging hormones with my date or give in and see what happens?"). If you don't train yourself in making right choices, you will have a harder time of it later, when the stakes are higher and the consequences are greater! Every good decision you make now trains you for the harder decisions that are sure to come your way down the line. The more you train by making good choices, the more equipped you will be to make good decisions later on.

REFLECT: Think back on the choices you've made this past week. Do you think they've equipped you to make right choices in the future? Have you made the right choice when the choices were easy? Have you made the right choice when the choices were hard? Which do you think "trains" you better for the future hard choices or easy choices?

PRAY: "Lord, with your help I know I can make good decisions. With your guidance, I know I can choose right over wrong. Be my strength, Lord, when I am weak."

stomp brothers into bloody pulp.. story of my life

As human beings, our faith and walk with God will always be shaky, no doubt, yet I think as the praise team, we should uphold a higher standard of spiritual maturity. But that doesn't mean to hide weaknesses or cover up doubts because those are all just part of being human. We are the praise team and as much as we'd like to integrate ourselves into the congregation, we stand out and are leaders within it. And as leaders, we should be making choices that help and improve our ministry rather than act on impulse and make potentially bad decisions. So always think twice about every choice you make and be conscious of how those choices can affect those around you. It is time to step up our games as leaders.

For me, my decisions are made, supported by those that have taught me to become a leader.
Mimicking them, following their characteristics to become more and more like Jesus.
Logically speaking, it would have to come from generation to generation some how right?
When Jesus came onto the earth, he led and followers soon became leaders. And followers to leaders, for many generations. There is a time for us to humble down and listen to our leaders, to be calm when aggravated, for example. Only then, will be able to become like our mentors, trusting that they were once taught well.

I dont think any choices during this week would change anything in my future but throughout our lives, we all have overcome many decisions...
hard or easy.. we were able to make a choice. What we dont know forsure is if it was the best possible choice until the outcome is shown to us.\
Easy choices help and trains us on the minor choices that we overcome... but when it comes to the difficult decisions... hard ones are what keep us on our feet and ready for whats to come. If any choices are brought upon you... easy or hard, you shouldnt walk away from it or take the easy way out. Train yourself to overcome them so that when a far greater decision or choice comes to play... you will be ready for it.
Like the decision of giving everything you have for God.
I dont think any of us are ready for that yet... but as time passes and we experience new things... God will take whoever he needs and use us for his glory and we will be prepared for when that happens.

the message Im getting right now to me, Is for us to just grow up.

we have to learn to take charge and initiative for kevin Esther and Joseph. It's been something that's been sitting on my mind ever since Billy graduated.

The message is short, and it's something said in one line but it can only be finished after so few sweat and tears.

I got the message that we should always think twice.
We're still young and teenagers but that doesn't mean we aren't mature enough to know the difference between a stupid decision and a wise decision.
When you're stuck between a few decisions, always consider the consequences or the possible aftermath.
Kind of leads to the "WWJD" thing.
Jesus was clearly very mature with his relationship with God. We should try to follow his example.