Thursday 8 Aug 2013

Thursday Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Key Verse: 1 Timothy 6:8
8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Devotion:
What really is your goal for being a Christian? Is it to become a great preacher so that you can teach others about God? Is it to be a Sunday School teacher so you can teach children about God? Is it to be a bouncy youth leader so that you can do “God things” with the youth? What really is your goal?

When I first started with youth work my goal was certainly not to be a great youth leader but rather to be there for the youth so that they can ask me about God; I was scared of them back then! That may sound like a defeatist attitude to some who want to shout all about God and make sure that everyone knows about it; but that is not the gift that God has given me! When I tried to be a great youth leader everything seemed to fall apart. When I tried to be a great preacher, things did not go as planned. God has His ways of steering you in the right direction!

I really do love youth work and I really do love the youth that I work with – the adults are the ones that scare me! To me, being a youth worker is laying your life down for the youth so that they can come to you. Don’t get me wrong, I do preach and I do teach, but I also give them a choice which I try to portray as honestly as I can. I don’t always get it right (much like my grammar and spelling) but I know that I am trying to do what I believe God wants me to do.

One thing I do let my youth know is that I am always available for them… We live in a world where men are not allowed to do so many things because of a select few that have wrought havoc before us and my goal is to bring back honesty and compassion into our broken societies. None of this makes money and none of it really costs money; it’s about the time and love that need to be put back into our world because people are tearing into the fabric of society by stripping away everything else for themselves, leaving behind a trail of destruction caused by dishonesty and greed. If I can get one person to trust me then I know I have moved forward; I can then tell them about how honest and loving my God has always been to me!

To me, being a Christian is about being as compassionate as I can toward others, showing them what Jesus is like and allowing them to know how great life can be when you accept what God has in store for you!

Points to Ponder:
Are you seeking payment?

Do you pay God?