The Spark

When I first started going to church when I was younger, I kept on wondering every day when I saw people fervently praying and worshipping God…”What is this all about? What is the spark that my parents get but I don’t get?”

I was about ten years old when I first stepped foot in church. I didn’t mind it but I didn’t understand it either. I attended church services and Sunday schools and learned about Jesus and God and was immersed in everything but I just didn’t get it.

No one ever told me the big picture. That Jesus is my Lord and Savior because He died on the cross for me. He saved all the bad things I have done or will ever do from sending me to hell. He made things right with God, so sinful humans could be saved. For free He did all of that.

I never got told that personally as a ten year old going to church.

I was told that, however, when I was fourteen years old and entering high school. I was getting confirmed at my new church. There in my confirmation classes I had all of it explained to me – through the Bible. I was taught about Christianity like any secular person would. I was taught about what God did. What the bible meant. What Jesus did for me. Through God’s direct Word in the Bible, Jesus saved me. I can’t think of a specific time or place, but through that class and the teachings of the Bible, Jesus explained to me – everything. And I was saved.

Looking back I realize that I lived in darkness for about five years before the Gospel was explained to me thoroughly and through the only resource that WORKS – God’s Word.

I think that’s something that churches may do wrong – at least in the churches I’ve been to. As a kid, you go to Sunday school and Vacation Bible School and you sing songs and make crafts and learn all the classic Bible stories but – does anyone ever tell you why we’re making these crafts? Why we’re singing these songs? Why we’re learning about David and Goliath and Adam and Eve and Noah’s ark?

I wasn’t told why we did those things until I was fourteen! Not personally, anyway. And sure, maybe kids just wouldn’t get it. But maybe they WOULD. If you told them God was there when they were scared at night when they thought monsters were under their bed. If you told them that God was guiding the handlebars as they learned to guide a bike. If you told them that grandma who just passed away was now in God’s kingdom because Jesus, the one they colored pictures of, saved her from her sins by dying on the cross. If you told them that when they pass on from this life, on a day hopefully far, far away, that they will be up in heaven too because of Jesus.

I don’t think our churches should wait to tell us the truth about Jesus. Let kids know the truth – that sin is ugly and bad, that death is real, that the devil is real and present. But forgiveness is good, heaven is real, and God is also so, so present.

While it was a little confusing that I wasn’t told of God’s Word personally until I was fourteen, I am so, SO glad that the right people in my life were there to even tell me so. If it weren’t for those people, I’d be living a life on the path to hell. God brought all of those people into my life. He has likely put similar people into your life as well.

Good Enough

I’m not good enough.

I will never be as good as them.

I can’t be good enough for you.

“Good enough”. What is up with that phrase? To be good enough…is impossible! We’re human beings. And if you’ve ever lived a single day on this earth, you know from all the sinning you do in one day that you can NEVER be good enough. We’re not truly “good” because we sin constantly! We’re humans and that’s what we do.

So, we can’t be good enough…then who can?

Jesus can. Jesus is perfect. Sinless. Clean. Never did a thing wrong in his life. Never has. Never will. He is God and has all the wisdom and power of God. So he is good enough.

However, some 2,000 years ago, he did something amazing. He took all of the things that YOU can’t do good enough and put them on himself. All of the times you’ve sinned. All of those things. He put them all on himself. He said, “I did these things.”

When you think about it, it feels like it’s ruining it all. It’s like, “Why, Jesus? Why are you ruining all of your goodness with all of my filthy sin?”

The answer is simple. BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU. So much. And He wanted to save you. He wanted to let you be forgiven. You see, if Jesus hadn’t have died for us, we would be walking up to God and saying, “Hey, I’m here. Ready to get to heaven.” But he would see all of our sin and give us the sentence we deserve – hell.

But instead Jesus became our connection to God. Now when we walk up to God, ALL HE WILL SEE WILL BE JESUS. He will see perfection. No sin whatsoever. Because all of that got wiped away on the cross. We are clean and fresh and new. Every day.

So think about that. The next time you think that you’re not good enough, remember that Jesus is. And that is all that we really need.

So Much To Do

There is SO much to do.

Let’s take the life of a typical teenager.

Get good grades, maintain a social life, make the varsity team, volunteer, build up my resume, get a job, make money, tour college campuses, find out what you want to do in life, get a good ACT score, save money for college, spend time with family, stay with the latest trends…

This is pretty much my life. Look at all this stuff I want to do! Get a 4.0 GPA, get into a good university (who knows how we’ll pay for it), volunteer, keep up with my job, and try to have friends in between.

How am I supposed to do all of this?

It’s enough to make a person stress and worry so much it makes you sick.

But think about it. Does God want you to worry and stress? About things that won’t get you to heaven?

Take this quote from Shannon Burthold, one of the many teenage authors from the book “Chosen! Won!” – – “I worry that I will make the wrong decision when choosing my major, and all the people I will disappoint if I don’t make it in the world as I plan. I then remember that I’m not perfect, and that God will take me in no matter how many people I disappoint in my lifetime.”

This quote really resonates with me. I worry about the same things – disappointing people (okay, my parents).

But is any of this helping me have a better relationship with God?

No! Good grades and money won’t get you to heaven. Faith in God will!

So don’t worry about the little things (yes, grades and jobs and money are little things compared to eternity). Focus on God, because He provides ALL that you need.