This poem is a palindrome (a word or phrase that reads the same backwards as forwards), and as it is written:

I am part of a lost generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world
I realize this may be a shock but
“Happiness comes from within”
Is a lie
“Money will make me happy”
Work
Is more important than
Family
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
I must follow the God of the Bible

Now reverse the poem, and read it line by line backwards:

I must follow the God of the Bible
It is foolish to presume that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
Family
Is more important than
Work
“Money will make me happy”
Is a lie
“Happiness comes from within”
I realize this may be a shock but
I can change the world
and I refuse to believe that
I am part of a lost generation

When the God of the Bible is put first in your life, then no matter what life throws at you, you will succeed. God must be first. God told Israel: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Our Lord Jesus Christ tells His Church: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

When God is placed first in our lives, when we follow Him by faith, then we can overcome. We can make a difference.

(PASTOR DAVID BUFFALOE)

What do Bibles and cows have in common?

They provide us with food that sustains our lives. The cow provides us with milk and meat. Likewise, the Bible gives us milk and meat. The milk is the foundational principles, and the meat is the deeper things that take spiritual discernment and hard work to understand. Since we are all to be growing, we need nourishment that can be provided by the Bible and the cow.

The milk: Milk is the primary nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. The milk of a cow is relatively easier to get than the meat. You just milk the cow and you just have to drink it. It’s the foundational stuff that we have to build on.
In the Bible, there are principles that are basic and foundational. These basics are clear, and it’s easier to see how to apply them to our lives. Therefore, as a starting place, we should “desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).

The meat: Now, however, the meat is not quite that easy. First, we have to butcher the cow. Then we have to separate the meat from the fat and other internal organs that we don’t want. Then we have to cook the meat. Then we have to chew it up before we can finally digest it.
We need to dig deep into God’s Word to get to the spiritual meat. We have to put scriptures together properly to get the full meaning. We have to meditate on it to see where it applies to our lives. We have to chew it up and break it down. We have to study God’s Word. This means we have to understand it before we fully digest it and apply it to our lives. That’s the essence of wisdom. Wisdom is properly applying the understanding of the knowledge we have.

We need a balanced spiritual diet:  In our spiritual development we need both milk and meat. Otherwise we will not grow to the fullest of our potential. Milk gives us strong bones. But meat helps us develop our muscle structure. Without developing our muscles, we wouldn’t be able to move those strong bones.
We have to have the right spiritual nutrition. We have to be growing. We have to be getting better at righteousness. We must be growing in the right direction. We cannot be stagnant. Staying idle means we are getting worse, not developing godly character. Stagnation results in underdevelopment. We get weaker in our spiritual battles.
We come together to eat spiritual food on Sundays. But we have to eat every day. We have to study the Bible every day for it to be profitable to us.
The Bible is our cow. It gives us the milk and the meat. But we have to open it up.

Remember Jesus Christ’s promise: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6)

(JONATHAN ARMSTONG)

JESUS: The Lord Jesus was an exemplary child. He grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man. He was well versed in the Scriptures. Even as a child at the age of twelve, He could discuss spiritual truths with the religious scholars. Jesus is an example for our children. We should also bring up our children in the ways of the Lord and teach them the Scriptures at an early age. We should be greatly concerned about their spiritual growth and their relationship with the Lord and get them involved in activities that would enable them to grow in the Lord.

SAMUEL: Even as a child Samuel was ministering before the Lord. He grew up in the presence of the Lord and grew in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people. As a result, at a time when the word of the Lord was rare, the Lord spoke to the child Samuel. The Lord did not choose to speak to the older priests but rather chose to speak to a child who was serving him faithfully. The Lord chose Samuel to become a great prophet to the people of Israel. When we raise up our children to serve the Lord even at a young age, they can also experience hearing the voice of the Lord and be a great blessing to others.

THE MAID IN NAAMAN’S HOUSE: The young girl who served as a maid in the house Naaman was an exemplary child. Even though she was taken captive from her homeland, she had no bitterness towards her master. She did not rejoice to see him as a leper. She did not wish that all the others in that home should also become lepers. Instead she wanted her master to be healed of his leprosy. She testified about the prophet in Israel who could heal her master. She may not have been able to preach a sermon or heal a leper. But she did what she could and shared the testimony about the prophet of the Lord. And through her testimony, Naaman was able to get healed from leprosy. We must also raise our children to testify about the Lord even at a young age and the Lord would use them to bless others.

JOHN THE BAPTIST: The Lord filled John with the Holy Spirit even when he was in his mother’s womb. The hand of the Lord was with him even in his childhood. He grew up and became strong in spirit. He went on to become the forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must also seek the Lord to fill our children with the Holy Spirit even in their childhood. We must lead our children to become strong in spirit . We should not be concerned only with their physical growth and neglect their spiritual well being.

(DR STANLEY VASU)

To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the Lord. (Psalm 116:17)

Jesus says: “Bring Me the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Take nothing for granted, not even the rising of the sun. Before Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, thankfulness was as natural as breathing. Satan’s temptation involved pointing Eve to the one thing that was forbidden her. The garden was filled with luscious, desirable fruits, but Eve focused on the one fruit she couldn’t have rather than being thankful for the many good things freely available. This negative focus darkened her mind, and she succumbed to temptation. When you focus on what you don’t have or on situations that displease you, your mind also becomes darkened. You take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, flowers, and countless other gifts from Me. You look for what is wrong and refuse to enjoy life until that is ‘fixed’.

When you approach Me with thanksgiving, the Light of My Presence pours into you, transforming you through and through. Walk in the Light with Me by practicing the discipline of thanksgiving.”

In light of this teaching, I would challenge you to prayerfully consider how you would answer the following questions:

What of God’s glorious gifts am I guilty of taking for granted? When was the last time I thanked God for the rising of the sun? for the precious air that I breath? for the beauty of a flower? for a star-lit night? for the song of a bird?

In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Is there anything I want so bad but can’t have, or don’t have yet, that is keeping me from appreciating all that I DO have? If so, how has this colored my attitude, my thoughts, my ability to find contentment?

But godliness is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have bought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

How content am I with all that I already have? Do I make a habit of thanking God each day for the bounty He has provided?

A number of years ago I was reminded that even inside plumbing and running water, not to mention a multitude of other things we often consider necessities, are in fact luxuries in many parts of the world. But how often do we stop and thank God for these luxuries, or are we so spoiled we don’t think of them as blessings to be thankful for? Maybe it’s time we had a change of heart, and instead of spending so much time asking God for those things we don’t have, start thanking Him for all we do have.

(TERI METTS)

There was a time when I would have said that worship was something I did on Sunday mornings. To worship, I thought, meant to “go to church,” to sing hymns, participate in the liturgy, and listen to pastor’s sermon. It is most certainly true that this is worship. But, it is only one kind of worship

Romans 12: 1 describes a worship that takes place every minute of every day. God’s Word says to me: … In view of God’s mercy … offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

So, what does worship mean to me? It means living my life in such a way that brings glory to God. If I truly believe that God had great mercy on me – a poor, miserable sinner, and that Jesus Christ sacrificed His life because of my sins, then I have the opportunity to live like a new person! I have the opportunity to respond to God’s great love in a way that pleases Him. That should not only be on Sunday during congregational worship, it should be on every day of the week and in every situation. The choices I make, the work I do, the way I serve others, the attitude I have – all of these common, every day thoughts and actions are either worship of God … or worship of self.

It is far too easy to worship self. I do this every time I insist on my own way, or put my needs before others, or whine, or pout, or feel sorry for myself. But, to worship God, my Creator and Redeemer, means to let the Holy Spirit who lives in me alter my thinking, choices and behavior.

Because of God’s great mercy, I am a forgiven sinner. Because of what Jesus Christ did for me, each new day is an opportunity to start over again – to hear the whisper of the Spirit, and to live differently than the world around me. Because of Jesus, I have the ability to make choices that are holy and pleasing to God.

My prayer is that I will worship on Sunday with thanksgiving and praise for what God has done. Then, during my Monday through Saturday worship, my prayer is that I will live in response to that great mercy!

(LINDA BARTLETT)

Most people believe they are not qualified to be a mentor!  Not true!  If you love Jesus and have set your life to live by the Bible, then you are qualified to mentor.  Think of it in  terms  of  being  a trusted counselor or guide, and in Christ, you are more than qualified to do just that!

Mentoring requires that we be willing to share our hearts with others.  This doesn’t mean we need to broadcast our sin and struggles and trials from a loudspeaker.   However, we can share the times we’ve seen the Lord bring us into healing, victory, peace, and hope.  Mentoring is simply about doing real life together with real people, which means we are transparent and humble, while deferring glory to God as we live rooted in the Word.

Mentoring is like a baton being passed in a relay race involving generation to generation. As one person receives from the Lord, he/she in turn refreshes another who refreshes another.  Mentoring is extending out our hand, to their hand, to put it in God’s hand, and that person will in turn put it into another’s hand.

Mentoring is simple, if you think of it this way…

Meeting…spending time together, as in “meet with one another” in whatever way the Lord leads.

Encouraging…lifting another person up with words and deeds that glorify God.

Noticing…paying attention to another person’s life and asking questions to learn what is happening in his/her heart.

Teaching…sharing the Word of God and lessons of life from your life for another person’s benefit.

Offering…finding practical ways to serve another person by offering your time, talents, and resources.

Responding…always speaking the truth (Jesus & Scripture) in love, while keeping healthy boundaries in place.

Inspiring…another person by demonstrating what it looks like to live out the Gospel, surrendered and redeemed.

Navigating…helping another person find the course, especially the narrow gate along wide paths.

Growing…together in this relationship with each other and with the Lord.                                                                                                               

(SOURCE UNKNOWN)