2 Corinthians 4:6 (Amplified Bible)
6For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
Now the last thing I want to do is give anyone the impression that I am writing because I think I know it all or that I totally have this Christian life down. It couldn't be any further from the truth. I am a work in progress and only by God's grace do I walk through this daily life satisfied, loved, and changed. So all that being said, this Wednesday I am talking to our students at Studio 412 about something that the Lord has laid on my heart for awhile now. I am talking about one of the most amazing words given in our dictionary: LOVE....
Working in a church for about 3 years now I have seen quite an array of different students at different points in their walks with the Lord. One common ground is that we all are living in the so called "Bible belt." Where the gospel and "Christianity" are fairly easy to find, and well for the most part people say they live by.
I wanna take you back about 8 years ago to a very loud, outgoing, Christian young girl that received everything she thought she wanted. She moved schools second semester of her junior year by choice to a school where she would be popular, liked by the boys, and given attention to everywhere she went. She went from secure in the Lord to secure in herself almost overnight. Now you may be asking well what did all that do to the girl, well it pushed her to move away from her first love and into falling more in love with herself. Okay I know you probably guessed it but yes that was me. I was a Christian but the only reason I did what I was suppose to do at times was because that's what I always did and knew I was always suppose to do. Church Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, Bible studies during the week, and mentoring younger girls. I knew how to do it all, and pretty well. Then one day after graduating high school and going to Oklahoma Baptist University, it hit me. I had completely put my love for God aside. I knew deep down I loved him but my motivation for everything I did was for myself. God at that moment began to shape and renew my heart back to His, so that I could continue on this journey to love Him with all my heart, soul, and mind.
I think a lot of Christian kids go through this stage. Now it may look different for different people but to some extent I think most teenagers fall into the "DO" trap. They "do" Bible studies, church during the week, mentor younger students, attend all events, hangout and date the "right" people, and strive to love and serve people the best they can. (Don't get me wrong all of these are great things but if that's our sole purpose in our Christian life we've lost it.) Meanwhile each of them forgetting that their first commandment given to them by the Lord is:
Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
That is something that the Lord has truly impressed upon my own heart and now I believe to share with the hearts of these teenagers on Wednesday. I wonder how different church and our communities would look if the first thing we did was to Love the Lord with all heart, soul, and mind. I am praying and ask that you pray too that Jesus would work in their hearts in a big way on Wednesday as I share with them my heart. Praying the Holy Spirit does His thing and that Jesus' light would bring much glory to our God.
Praying for His work to be done!
