Finding Balance in Life

This is part 4 of a series we have been going through each week. You can look back at previous posts to go into depth, but here's a quick recap:

Week 1 - Our culture says we ought to be independent, but we all depend on Jesus for life and salvation. Whether we like it or not, we are dependents.

Week 2 - Our culture tells us we need to be handle everything on our own and not rely on others, but God provided the church so that we could have a support system and people to help us with our burdens.

Week 3 - Our culture promotes the idea of pursuing the "easy life" - looking for success and wealth so we can sit back and relax. God never promised us an easy life, even for those who follow Him, but He did promise to never leave us alone. Not only did He provide the church as a support network, but He also promised to always be with us no matter what we go through. In the midst of darkness, He is our Light.

    We each have a list of responsibilities that we have to deal with. Some of you may have a longer list than others. Here is a simple list to think about:

- School (grades, GPA, friends, teachers)

- Home (chores, siblings, parents, questions)

- Sports (practice, games, exercising)

- Instruments (practice, recitals, being reminded to practice)

- Work (shifts, coworker/manager drama, customers)

- Finances (saving up for college/car/vacation, insurance, gas)

- Hard times

    That last one ought to cover most of what may have been missed in terms of things that give us stress, worry, or anxiety. And on top of all these responsibilities, as Christians we are called to do so much more:

- Love our neighbors (and enemies)

- Help those in need

- Support our neighbors

- And one of the most difficult things: BE LIKE JESUS CHRIST.

    Why is that so difficult? Well, He was literally perfect, He performed miracles, He was patient, wise, loving and compassionate, and He wasn't afraid to call people out when they were in the wrong. He was the Son of God. He died for the sins of the world. HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD.

    He's a hard man to emulate. There's just so much going on. And yet, that's what we are called to do - to be like Jesus.

    As we put all of these together, it can very easily lead to even more stress as we try to do everything and do it like Jesus. It can be overwhelming. So what does God tell us to do?

Philippians 4:6-7 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

    I don't know about you, but the advice "just don't worry about it" doesn't work for me. THANKFULLY, God doesn't leave it there. He says, "Don't worry. Instead, turn it over to me. Let me take on the stress and the anxiety and the worry. Let me handle it. Trust me with it."

    Whether it be a worldly thing we are worrying about, or a spiritual thing that we feel like we are not living up to, God says we can bring it to Him. When Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine, He took away the threat of punishment and death from those who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior. When we fail, when we mess up, when we don't measure up, God doesn't hold that against us.

The pressure is off.

    While we are called to be like Jesus, God knows that we could never measure up to that standard on our own. He knows we are going to fail at times. He knows we are going to fall short some days. He doesn't hold our shortcomings against us. Our goal ought to be to do our very best to be like Jesus, but not to give up hope or become overwhelmed by anxiety when we fail.

Luke 9:23-24 - "Then he said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever looses their life for me will save it.'"

    The call to be like Jesus is a daily endeavor. Every day we make the decision to leave behind our old self and become more like Jesus. That's what it means to take up our cross. We are taking up death, the death of who we used to be, to then follow in the new life we have received in Jesus.

    The point of this message is to help you find a balance between God's expectations and God's grace. He expects us to be more and more like Jesus every day, but He also extends us grace when we fall short.

Think about all the people in the Old Testament who fell short, and God used them anyway:

- Moses literally murdered someone.

- Abraham was a liar.

- Gideon was a bit of a scaredy-cat and lacked trust in God at times.

- David committed adultery and then sent the woman's husband to his death in battle.

- Jonah ran away from God.

    These are just a few examples of people who God used even though they weren't perfect. We see the same in the New Testament:

- Saul (who we know as Paul) hunted down, persecuted, and imprisoned Christians (before becoming one himself).

- Matthew, one of Jesus' disciples, was a tax collector (a profession known for dishonesty and greed).

- Peter denied Jesus three times.

    Of all the people in the Bible, even the Christians, only one was perfect: Jesus Christ. We are called to be like Him, but there is grace when we fall short.

    God's measure of a successful life is whether or not we followed in Jesus' footsteps. He wants to see us try to be like Jesus and to try to follow His example. So, to sum up some takeaways from this message:

1. Success = following God.

2. Any "failing" on your part has, is, and will be forgiven - you are loved, always.

3. You have an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God on your side.

4. You have a community of fellow believers willing and wanting to help.

    So, as you are looking for how to live your life, and what to do in your life, make sure you are finding that balance between God's expectation to be like Jesus and His grace when you fall short. Whatever worries, struggles, or anxieties you face, entrust them to God.

What Do You Do When Life Feels Hopeless

 This post is now two and a half weeks late. Oops.

As I wasn't the speaker for this message, you get the super-condensed version that I can glean from the notes. ;) You're welcome.

    This is part 3 of a series of messages which build on each other. You can look back at previous posts to go in-depth, but so far we have talked about our dependency on God, that we all must rely on Him for life and salvation, and that we also have each other to lean on in times of trouble and strife.

    Life comes with a lot of struggles. Whatever phase of life you are in, I guarantee you're facing some kind of struggle, anxiety, or stress. When things get really bad, it can feel awful to need to rely on others for support, but it is important for us to remember that as a church, we are a support network for each other.

    The thing is, a support network can only get us so far. Ultimately, we have to go back to the first lesson and remember that we all must rely on God. When things get dark, look to the Light.

James 5:13 - "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray."

Mark 11:24 - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Matthew 6:7-8 - "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

    When we are facing darkness, in the midst of darkness, or overwhelmed by darkness, we are told to look to the Lord in prayer. He is there for you, just as He was there for the people we read about in the Bible.

    As you read through the Psalms of David, you will see him over and over crying out to the Lord in desperation, in anguish, in darkness. And often he doesn't get the answer he was looking for, but he is reminded of the steadfast love of the Lord and all the good He has done in his life, and his anguish turns to praise.

    Jesus promised all those who follow Him that He would always be with them. And that doesn't mean He will deliver us from every situation or circumstance, but it does mean He will be there with us through those situations and circumstances as a support and a comfort.

    So, if you're struggling, if life is hard right now, or you are just feeling down, I have two encouragements for you. First, share your burden with some other believers. Find a community of Christians you can trust and share your struggles with them, let them be a support for you. Second, look to the Lord in prayer. Bring your struggles, bring your sorrows, bring your anxieties, bring your strife, bring your darkness to Him and let Him comfort and guide you through. Let Him be the lamp to your feet and the light to your path.

When life feels hopeless, look to the One who gives hope to all who believe.

We Need Each Other

    In the last post we took a look at our basic need for God - our dependency on Him for salvation and eternal life. The gist of it is, we cannot get salvation, forgiveness for our sins, or eternal life on our own. The standard to get it is nothing short of perfection. If you're less than perfect (and you are less than perfect, sorry to burst your bubble there), then you cannot get to God. There is nothing you can do. And this is why Jesus came to the earth. He lived the perfect life we never could. He paid the penalty for all of our sins like we never could (His death on the cross). And He rose from the dead like we never could (and I don't mean His heart stopped for a few minutes - He was dead dead, like really dead for a couple of days). And what He accomplished in all of this was making a way for us to get to God. So, it is only by grace, through faith in Jesus, that we can be forgiven for our sins, receive salvation from Hell, and live forever with God. For that, we are entirely dependent on God.

    Ok, so that was a longer summary than I intended, but it needed to be said. I hope that puts it in perspective for you. So, if we are already entirely dependent on God for our salvation, then why do we try to stop there? Like, "Okay, God, thanks for the salvation and all but I got the rest of it on my own". No! That's not how we're meant to live, and it's not how we have to live. Jesus said to those who follow Him in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

    When we face trials, struggles, hardships, anxieties, stress, and anything else life has to throw at us, we are told by God that we can take these things to Him. We can continue to rely and depend on Him for comfort, peace, and guidance through whatever comes our way. That's an incredible hope, knowing that we can rely on the all-powerful God to see us through our struggles!

    But that's not all. Read through the following Bible verses and see if you can put together the common theme running throughout them all. (And try not to just skim, these verses are more important than anything I could say in this post - you'll benefit the most from these).

Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 - Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Matthew 18:20 - For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

John 13:34-35 – A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Acts 2:42-47 - And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 12:5 - So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Romans 12:5 -  so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Romans 12:10-13 - Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

1 Corinthians 12:25-27 - that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Philippians 2:3-4 - So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Colossians 3:13 - bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working.

1 Peter 3:8 - Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

1 Peter 4:8-10 - Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.

1 John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Common theme?

Acceptable answers include: community, bearing with one another in love, loving each other, fellowship (if you want to use the church-y word), or anything along those lines.

    Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to bear with one another in love, to carry each others burdens, to support and encourage each other. He points out over and over the importance of having a solid community of faith around you. As you read through the New Testament in particular, almost every letter from the apostles includes some kind of call to love and support fellow believers. We just read through a bunch of them above.

    Life comes with highs and lows, and just as we can go to God with these - giving thanks for the good things and seeking guidance for the bad - we also ought to share our burdens with one another. We do not have to face life - or figure it out - alone. Our faith isn't just between us and God, but is shared with every other Christian in the world. That's a big community!

    God provided the "church" (the gathering or assembly of believers) so that we could gather together as a community and care for each other, not just so we could sing some songs, play some games, or hear some messages. Those are good things, but the real purpose of meeting together regularly like we do is to love one another and worship God together.

That's why Jesus boiled down the entire Old Testament Law into two commands:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

    And just as we are loving our neighbor, they are loving us, and it's an amazing support network of fellow Jesus-followers.

    When you're at youth group, or for those of you who attend a church, do you ever feel like you can't open up? Do you ever feel like you can't share what's really going on under the surface? Do you ever feel like you have to put on your "happy face" and pretend everything is okay, even when it is not?

    I'll be honest, I used to feel this way all the time, especially in youth group. Even today, there are times when I feel like I have to shove the bad stuff down and smile. When I was in youth group, I felt like the other students wouldn't really care about what was going on, or that they would look at me different if they knew. And I know it can feel like that for you, too.

    But part of the purpose of Christian communities like a youth group or local church is for them to be a place where you can open up about what's going on in your life, where you can share the struggles and trials you're facing, and where the people around you can love and support and encourage you as you go through life.

    One of our leaders couldn't be at our meeting last night because a family in his other church had lost their child. He was with the family at the funeral, just being there for them as they mourned. When someone from our community goes through something devastating like that, we are called to show up, to be there for them in their hour of need. Likewise, when we are going through something, members of our community ought to show up, to be there for us.

    But, how can they be there if they don't know what's going on? This is why God places so much emphasis on sharing with each other and bearing each others burdens. I am not saying you have to tell every Christian you meet everything that's going on, but you should connect with your Family Group leaders, or other trusted members of your faith community, and open up about whatever struggles you're facing.

You don't have to face those things alone.

    I know that I am moving soon, and I won't be around in person after this summer is over, but just because I am not with you in person doesn't mean I have stopped caring about you. Wherever I am, and wherever you are, I want you to know that you can always call/text/email/dm me when you need someone to talk to. We are eternally bonded by our common faith in Jesus.

We depend on God.

We depend on each other.

We need each other.

Amen.

We Are All Dependents

For anyone familiar with the US tax system - no, we are not talking about filing taxes. That's not the kind of "dependent" we're talking about today.

    My dad is an extremely hard worker. His work ethic is exemplary (particularly within the church). Having grown up in the church, I saw him plug in all over the place - setting up for events, shoveling snow, working the car wash - whatever needed to get done he was there to help. As I grew up, I slowly took on his work ethic for myself, too. But there was a dark side to it that I also took on - my dad hated asking for help. He was always willing to help others, but never willing to receive help himself.

    When we see someone working on something, our first instinct is to step in help them get it done. However, if someone came up to me and asked if I needed help, my immediate answer is almost always "no". Technically, its an honest answer. Do I need help most of the time? No. I am capable of completing most tasks on my own, and I like it that way. But even if I don't need help, I could certainly benefit from it. Whatever I am doing, I can probably do it faster and better with help that on my own.

    So why wouldn't I want help? Well, I think it comes down to the fact that we live in such an individualistic society. American culture pushes the idea of being self-sufficient, independent, and doing things on your own. We see it all the time in TV shows, where one of the characters will have this really hard thing to do, and they'll be like, "This is something I have to do on my own". EVEN THOUGH it would go way better and be much easier if they accepted the help of their friends or family.

    We did a little game during youth group where one of the students had to take plastic balls from one bucket and run them, one by one, across the room to another bucket. The goal was to see how many he could run across in 30 seconds. He was pretty fast, and managed to get 7.

    So then we added 5 more people, and they formed a line and passed the balls down the line into the other bucket. As you can imagine, they were able to get a lot more working together than he could by himself. I believe they reached 18.

    But then I added one more challenge to the game. Or rather, took something away. I took away the bucket that had the balls in it. Guess how many they were able to get across without that bucket? 0. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Without access to the bucket, they couldn't do anything, even when working together.

Our message focuses on one verse:

John 15:5 - "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

    This is Jesus speaking to His disciples about the life and work He has called them to. When we put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive new life from Him, and with that new life comes a whole mission to make disciples of every nation all over the world. We are called to live for Him, according to His Word and teaching, and to share the good news about salvation through Him to everyone we meet.

    In this verse He gives both an encouragement and a warning to those who have put their faith in Him. The encouragement is that when we stay connected to Him, He will empower us for ministry. He will give us the energy we need to "bear much fruit" and live the life He has called us to. He will work through us to spread salvation to our friends and family. This is wonderful news!

    But the warning is that when we are disconnected from Him, our efforts will be fruitless. We cannot live the life or do the work He has called us to without being directly and consistently connected to Him. We won't be able to live according to His Word, we won't be able to obey His teachings, and we won't be effective in bringing the good news to others when we are disconnected from Jesus.

    Jesus is the bucket from that game earlier. When we have Him in our lives, we can do some great work for God's Kingdom. When we have Him and other believers working alongside us, we can accomplish even more amazing things! But when He is not there, when we are disconnected from Him, we cannot do nothing.

    As I mentioned before, our culture pushes this idea that we have to be self-sufficient, that we have to be independent. But when we put our faith in Jesus, we are already acknowledging that we are not self-sufficient. Jesus is the only way to salvation - we cannot obtain salvation without Him. We already depend on Him for salvation, so why stop there?

    Our culture tells us that dependency is a weakness, that we are weak if we need to rely on someone else. But Jesus says that's ok. Because we absolutely have to depend on Him. And He says that unless we depend wholly on Him, we cannot live the life He has given us.

    So, if you want to live for God, if you want to serve Him, if you want to please Him, and receive the joy, peace, and love that His life offers, you have to keep going back to Him.

How do we connect to God?

By spending time reading His Word.

By spending time praying to Him.

By spending time worshiping His name and His mighty works.

By spending time with other believers.

    Ask yourself this: how often do you do those things? How often do you read the Bible per week? How often do you pray each week? How often do you worship God? And how often do you spend time with other Christians?

Once you have answer for those questions, consider this: How connected do you feel to God?

    Let me reassure you, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are saved. God is with you wherever you go and He will never leave nor forsake you. But the question is meant to assess how connected you feel. Because I am willing to bet that if you don't spend much time in the Word, in prayer, in worship or with other believers, you probably don't feel very connected with God.

    And this isn't some kind of a recipe for connectedness, as though you can do these things and always see an immediate result. But these are the practices of those who are actively seeking to be near to God. He has revealed Himself in His Word, He communes with us in prayer, He transforms our hearts when we worship, and He encourages us through fellowship with other believers.

    If you want to be connected with God and be effective in the work of His Kingdom, these are solid practices to help get you there. These teach us to depend on God, because after all, we are all dependents.