Day 16
take a good look in the mirror
Todays Scripture
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you
this warning: Dont think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your
evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just
as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with
Christs body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if
God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God
has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher,
teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving,
give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility
seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Romans 12:3-8 (NLT)
Big Idea
You have strengths and weaknesses — and that’s exactly how God designed
you to be.
Todays Thought
Years ago, one of the recurring characters on “Saturday Night Live” would
regularly look into a mirror and utter these words: “I’m good enough, I’m
smart enough, and doggone it, people like me. (Seriously, it was so long ago
that your parents may have those words memorized, ask them!)
When you look in the mirror every morning, and yes, some of you look
MANY more times during the day you probably dont recite mantras to
build up your self-esteem. But what do you see? What do you think about
the person staring back at you? Are you proud? Embarrassed? Frustrated?
Pleased? Unsure?
Most of us have mixed emotions when we look in the mirror. We see a
person who has strengths and weaknesses. We wish all our weaknesses were
strengths and we wish we had other peoples strengths! Lets use another
word to describe this whole experience: Insecurity.
Thats right. We battle insecurities. All of us do. Seriously!
Some folks cover their insecurities with bold, brash behavior. People keep
their distance, and the real person remains hidden. Others cover their
insecurities with quiet, timid withdrawal. People cant break through the walls and the real person remains hidden.
But God calls us to have sober, honest evaluations of ourselves as r12 Christians. God wants us to recognize that we have weaknesses and strengths. We can grow in our areas of strength and turn to others for help in our areas of weakness.
What would happen if you decided to embrace your weaknesses? How much deeper would your friendships become if you spoke honestly about your fears and failures?
Heres a challenge: This morning when you look in the mirror for the first or fourth time, remember that you are Gods wonderful, marvelous creation! And if you feel the need to say that out loud, go for it!
Prayer
God, You know my struggles every time I look in the mirror. I want to be someone I am not, and sometimes I wonder why You made me the way I am. Give me a better, sober, honest evaluation of myself. You are Creator of the universe, and You are the master designer of my life. Help me to see You working in me every time I look in mirror. Amen.
Day 17
your search for identity
Today’s Scripture
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)
Big Idea
Find your identity in God’s incredible workmanship in your life.
Today’s Thought
In case you haven’t heard, God loves you. But we have even better news: God also likes you.
Sometimes we don’t like the people we love. We’re supposed to love our family members, so we do — but given the choice, we’ll avoid Aunt Shannon and Uncle Will every chance we get because we don’t really like them! (Maybe it’s just the tacky homemade Christmas gifts we don’t really like.)
God loves us. And likes us — even when we don’t like ourselves.
Back in Exodus 3, Moses has a supernatural encounter with God at a burning bush. God called Moses to lead his people, the nation of Israel, out of captivity in Egypt. But Moses gave excuses. All he saw were his limitations. He didn’t feel worthy of standing before Pharaoh. He didn’t know what to say to the people of Israel. He wanted some ways to prove God had sent him. He claimed that he got tongue-tied too easily and wasn’t very good with words. And finally he just said, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”
You get the sense that Moses didn’t really like who he was! But when you read the words of Psalm 139, you discover that we should like who we are — unique and beautiful creations of God.
Many of us are held captive by shame — the same kind of shame Adam and Eve felt after they first sinned in Genesis 3. We live out of fear. We’re afraid to fail, to be who we are, to be honest, to be vulnerable, to try something new, to risk making a mistake. It all goes back to the identity issue. God uniquely created you. You are eternally valuable, and you have the opportunity to continue growing as an r12 Christian.
And remember: God doesn’t just love you. God likes you, too.
Prayer
God, thanks for loving me and for liking me. Thanks for making me so uniquely and wonderfully. I agree with what the Bible says: Your workmanship is marvelous. Help me to have a greater appreciation of Your work and my identity in You. I love You, God. Amen.
Day 18
your search for security
Today’s Scripture
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.
Ephesians 2:19
Big Idea
Everyone wants and needs a place to belong in this world.
Today’s Thought
God wants you to join a gang.
OK, those aren’t quite the right words. But God knows that you’re searching for a place to belong. It’s part of the way you’re wired. You want a place to belong — and you need it. You experience security when you have connection with others. You feel safer when you have friends who accept you and love you and value you.
That’s why some teenagers turn to gangs. They don’t feel secure at home, they don’t belong to a group of friends who are headed in the right direction, and others have rejected them for one reason or another.
Back in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve suddenly felt insecure after eating the fruit God had told them to avoid. Their insecurity arose because they were vulnerable — they realized they were naked, and they felt ashamed. They were embarrassed by the “real” Adam and Eve.
Sometimes we’re ashamed of the “real” us, too. We’re convinced our friends would reject us if they knew our deepest secrets. We’re certain our parents would be angry if they knew our darkest struggles. We want to be authentic followers of Christ, but we’re ashamed of our imperfections — the evidence that we’re “works in progress.”
Today’s Scripture comes from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to Christians in the city of Ephesus, part of modern-day Turkey. When he uses the word “Gentiles,” he basically meant anyone who wasn’t Jewish — so pretty much, most of us! If you’ve decided to follow Jesus, then you’re now part of God’s family. You are unconditionally accepted.
And when you think about it, if you’re part of God’s family, why would you ever need to join a gang to find that sense of acceptance and security?
Prayer
God, thanks for loving me and caring about me, even when I wasn’t following You. Thanks for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to restore my relationship with You. Thanks for making me part of the family. Today, give me an opportunity to reach out to someone else and help that person belong and feel more secure. Amen.
Day 19
your search for significance
Today’s Scripture
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
Big Idea
You will find fulfillment and satisfaction as you serve God and others in the local church.
Today’s Thought
Last time we checked, no one likes to feel insignificant, overlooked, or ignored. In fact, it’s a huge bummer when we feel that way! Everyone likes being valued and appreciated. The search for significance is part of the human experience, but too often we search in the wrong places.
We find a measure of our self-worth through the things we do: our hobbies, our career, our activities, and our pastimes. What we do matters. That’s how God wired us.
The Bible reveals God’s plan for helping us find significance: using our talents, skills, resources, and spiritual gifts to serve others. We’re told that whatever we can do, to do it well.
Get focused on what you were made to do, because this is who you are, the church is where you belong, and this is your responsibility. What’s your primary spiritual gift? What’s your collection of gifts and skills and passions around it?
If you don’t already know, talk with your youth pastor or another leader about finding the answers. True significance as an r12 Christian is found in a selfless use of these gifts, and you will experience incredible moments of joy as you serve God and others in the local church.
You’re a child of God. You belong to the body of Christ. You have the opportunity to discover, develop, and deploy your spiritual gifts. God gifted you to fulfill his purpose. You are uniquely significant.
We dare you to dream the biggest, craziest, most amazing dreams for how you can lead a significant, meaningful life — because God can dream even bigger, crazier, and more amazing dreams for you!
Prayer
God, thanks for making me the way You did. Thanks for the talents and skills and spiritual gifts You’ve given me. Give me opportunities to discover, develop, and deploy these gifts for your glory and honor. Don’t let it be about me. Let it be about serving You and serving others as an r12 Christian. Amen.
Day 20
be a world-class you
Today’s Scripture
Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Galatians 1:10 (NLT)
Big Idea
Live a life that pleases God, and you will discover your true identity, security, and significance.
Today’s Thought
Are you a people-pleaser?
We aren’t talking about a healthy desire to have peaceful friendships with other people. We’re talking about an unhealthy obsession to make choices and live certain ways to make other people like us more. Yes, it matters what other people think about us — but we don’t have to become captive to other people’s opinions.
As Paul tells us in Galatians 1:10, God’s approval is much more powerful than other people’s approval. Some of us are so easily tempted to build our lives on the opinions of others. We wear what they wear, we shop where they shop, we talk like they talk, and we think like they think.
That isn’t the ticket to becoming a world-class you. It’s the recipe for becoming a top-notch imitation.
By the way: It’s important to note that in this verse, Paul is NOT saying we can do anything to make God love us more than He already does. Paul is simply reminding us that from an eternal perspective, our relationship with God is what matters most.
If you build your life around trying to win approval or meet impossible expectations or attempting to earn God’s love, then you won’t be a “world-class you.” It won’t happen.
A “world-class you” is built on your commitments to knowing God, developing a lifestyle that points people to God, serving others in love, receiving and sharing forgiveness, absorbing and obeying the truths of the Bible and worshiping God in every area of life.
After all, the most attractive person in the world is the real you!
Prayer
God, I want to live a life that’s pleasing to You. When I feel drawn to certain
choices or lifestyles or patterns because I’m trying to impress other people,
help me change course and refocus on You. I know that I can’t earn Your love
or forgiveness, but I want to honor You though my lifestyle, attitude, and
interactions with other people. Amen.
