Nov 15

Matthew 25:24-30
24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.
25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,
27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.
29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Put yourself in your parents' shoes for a minute. OK, they're too big, they're ugly, and they smell funny (the shoes, not your parents). But try it anyway. Suppose you're the parent. You decide to let your kid eat whatever he or she wants. A week later you realize that your child's diet has included a dozen Twinkies, twenty-three cans of Pepsi, two boxes of Fruit Roll-Ups, and a tub of ice cream the size of a foreign car-but not one bite of vegetable or protein. You decide (a) to stop buying meat and vegetables; (b) to start buying larger clothes for your kid; (c) to cancel the deal and plan a steady diet of brussels sprouts and asparagus. Or suppose your kid insists he or she is old enough to stay home alone, without a baby-sitter. You agree, and leave the child alone for a few hours while you and your spouse go shopping together. You return home to discover your kid having a food fight in the living room with Madonna and Dennis Rodman. You decide (a) to take photos to sell to The National Examiner; (b) to ask your kid to let you know the next time he or she plans a food fight, so you can cover the furniture in plastic wrap; (c) never to leave your kid home alone until he or she is collecting Social Security. Or suppose you give your kid the keys to the family Gremlin on his or her sixteenth birthday. Three days later your kid still has the keys but can't find the car. You decide (a) to post pictures of your lost car around the neighborhood; (b) to buy another Gremlin; (c) to take the keys back. Now, admit it-you'd probably choose (c) in each case. Why? It's obvious, right? Because as a parent you would want to reward faithfulness, not unfaithfulness. That's pretty much how it goes. As Jesus said, "To those who use well what they are given [freedom, responsibility, friendship, etc.], even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away" (Matthew 25:29). In other words, those who are faithful-to God, to parents, to friends-tend to bring good things into their lives, while those who are unfaithful tend to lose out.

REFLECT: Do you think it's easier to be faithful or unfaithful? Why? Do you think it's better to be faithful or unfaithful? Why?

PRAY: "Lord, make me your faithful servant."

Sorry guys, can't think of anything to say that hasn't been said from yesterday's devo.
Make most of what you have, and you can get through with God's will.

Just that today's is more of "make most of what you have."

sorry guys im pretty pooped and i have loads of homework left to do...i will do this devotion tomorrow!

29 "To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away."

Basically the same message as yesterday.
Don't take your blessings for granted, use them for God's glory and to show how faithful you are to the Lord.
Once you do that, God will definitely provide you with more!

Short sorry!

Sleep tight!

29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

This is such an important thing to remember as a praise team and as individuals.
The better you use your gift/talent, the more talent you will be given kind of thing.

Me and Barrie Grace Kim were talking at one point during a praise practice she came to, about how when we start forgetting that it's all for God, our voices get faulty and the realization that our voice wouldn't work with us was a bit of a hint to remember God.

I don't know if you guys have some sort similar idea or explanation for days when your talent/gift just doesn't work with you, but that's how I feel I can relate.
That when I don't put God first, he lets me know.

I EXPECT TO SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW!

It's important to be faithful at all times. Even when doubting and questioning God, it always boils down to faith. All the hardest questions that non-christians ask is really asking if we took that leap of faith with Jesus. When we build our faith in God, he rewards us with more of it along with more responsibilities and such. We can only expect to get back as much as we put in and though our faith shouldn't be based on the return, there definitely is one that God gives us when we strengthen it. So keep in mind the importance of not only being strong, but also responsible with your faith.

This devo is a continuation of yesterday's.....but I think both have a important message within them.
This might be a little repetitive from what I said yesterday.

Well, do what god wants you to do. If you do not choose to follow and use your life for meaningless things, it will not be useful in the future either. Trust and learn and keep gods word in your heart. Use the gifts god has granted you for his glory. In the end, god acknowledges those who are like this. God has granted you talent in something for good purposes, do not waste your gift on pointless and for selfish reasons.

I can't come to tomorow's Friday activity....I've got tutoring.
Soooooo, I guess I'll be seeing everyone on Saturday.....
~Audrey~

couldnt go to the friday night acitivity...i wasnt feeling to well but i rested up and now im feeling perfectly fine!
it seems like this devotion is a continuation from the day before. i think that this message of using what you are given to give others something as well. as the praise team we are giving/using our gifts to give praise to God and to give our Em Hi-C Ministry a praise team. God has blessed us with the individual gifts that we are so fortunate to have and he has given it to us for a reason...a purpose to serve him or to give something to others. we should keep that in mind as we praise him, that we are in the praise team for a reason and a purpose that God has provided with the gift that we have.

Even though you guys might not know.. Its a lot easier to be unfaithful rsthewre than faithful. That's because we are surrounded by so many distractions from God, it causes us to perform the unfaithful.
Obciously it is better to be faithful rather than unfaithful and even though its difficult, we should always try to be faithful over being unfaithful even if it is the more unenjoyable decision.

The process of faithfulness is just longer and more difficult to overcome. To change your thinking process, how you live, what you live for, to change yourself and everything that revolves around you. Change. Your life wouldn't be the same with Christ, or without Christ (if you're abit down on your faith). Then again, who are we to take our own life to our own hands. Our life is for God, its how we were born, and ideally made for. But He rewards us. And there's proof of that, with the sick woman who touched Jesus' cloak. Her faith healed her. And it also states that we will be rewarded as well, with eternal life. To live by faith, not by sight, tells God that we don't need a textbook explanation from Him, videos and documentaries about Him. Which we don't. "My faith is on solid rock!"