Death Brings Life
One of the universal truths in the world is "Death brings life." You see it in many facets. The healthiest foods we eat were once connected to a lifesource. It's like you pick that grape from the vine, it dies. But yet the fruits and vegetables that we eat carry the nutrients that our body needs to stay alive. Meats were once alive. And yet, when we eat meat, it provides the nutrients that we need to stay alive. It's like to say, "that strawberry died for you" or "that cow died for you that you may have life." It's only healthy foods. There is nothing in a Twinkie or Mountain Dew that died for you. It's true in sports. For the Red Wings season to stay alive, the season for Columbus must die. For us to experience life, something has to die.
In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that he has come to give us life and give it to the full. If that is not true, then Jesus is a liar. So the best possible way to live is the way of Jesus.
By the way, Jesus died on the cross that we may have eternal life.
One of the areas in life that has to die is anger. Several years ago, I had two teens in my youth group. They were high school upperclassmen. The girl, we will refer to as Jane. The boy will be John. I do this because somebody will catch on.
Jane and John had kind of a will they get together? or wont they? relationship. I wasnt quite sure what was happening. It seemed that both were growing in the Lord and didnt want a romance getting in the way of their growth.
John went away with his family for his dad's business trip. While he was there, he met a gal and immediately fell in love. He didnt know what or how to deal with Jane back home. So, he pulled the God card on her. He basically told her that "God does not want me to have a girlfriend right now." Jane asked if there was a chance down the road, he said maybe. He never told her about the girl that he met on his dad's business trip. The sad thing is I and my youth group thought he did. No wonder Jane took the news so well. I dont think John tried to deceive anyone else but Jane.
John carried on this long distance relationship with the girl that he met on his dad's business trip. The problem was Jane had no clue of this, and sadly we as a youth ministry did not know that she had no clue of this.
We arrived at a youth conference half way across the country. We settled in and went to the cafeteria for lunch. Then John came face to face with his girlfriend that he did not think he would see. He walked away with her and sat down in the cafeteria.
Jane saw what had happened, and asked who the girl was. Everyone responded, "that's the girl John met on his dad's business trip." She was crushed and humiliated. We had no clue.
Her week with us was shot. The worship was awesome, but she was so angry she couldn't enjoy it. The teaching was life changing. She was so distracted in her anger, she couldnt concentrate on the teachers. The hike through the wilderness was phenomenal, but Jane couldnt enjoy even that because she was so angry.
John did apologize to her, and finally broke the complete truth to her. He asked her to forgive him for stringing her along. (Word to guys, DO NOT HUMILIATE ANYONE OF THE FEMALE GENDER). She couldnt find it in her heart to forgive.
Lack of forgiveness will cause your world to shrink. In fact, her world began to shrink. Wherever he went, she went the opposite way. Jane was offered a college scholarship to play softball. When she found out that John was going to attend that same college, she passed on the scholarship and went to college somewhere else. '
Where are you at with your anger? Do you have enough hate for someone that you would pull your family out of a restaurant before the food arrives because your nemesis is in the same building? Do you lash out at others after seeing the person who wounded your? Is there someone out there that you hate so much that the thought of that person gives you an ulcer?
Anger has to die. To experience the full life in Christ, you have to put anger to death. Christ did not put us in this world to live like wounded victims, but to have life and have it to the full.
What is going on in your life that has die so that you may have a full life in Christ? Pride? Gossip? Slander? Evil thoughts? What is it? Put it to death so that you may have life and have it to the full.
In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that he has come to give us life and give it to the full. If that is not true, then Jesus is a liar. So the best possible way to live is the way of Jesus.
By the way, Jesus died on the cross that we may have eternal life.
One of the areas in life that has to die is anger. Several years ago, I had two teens in my youth group. They were high school upperclassmen. The girl, we will refer to as Jane. The boy will be John. I do this because somebody will catch on.
Jane and John had kind of a will they get together? or wont they? relationship. I wasnt quite sure what was happening. It seemed that both were growing in the Lord and didnt want a romance getting in the way of their growth.
John went away with his family for his dad's business trip. While he was there, he met a gal and immediately fell in love. He didnt know what or how to deal with Jane back home. So, he pulled the God card on her. He basically told her that "God does not want me to have a girlfriend right now." Jane asked if there was a chance down the road, he said maybe. He never told her about the girl that he met on his dad's business trip. The sad thing is I and my youth group thought he did. No wonder Jane took the news so well. I dont think John tried to deceive anyone else but Jane.
John carried on this long distance relationship with the girl that he met on his dad's business trip. The problem was Jane had no clue of this, and sadly we as a youth ministry did not know that she had no clue of this.
We arrived at a youth conference half way across the country. We settled in and went to the cafeteria for lunch. Then John came face to face with his girlfriend that he did not think he would see. He walked away with her and sat down in the cafeteria.
Jane saw what had happened, and asked who the girl was. Everyone responded, "that's the girl John met on his dad's business trip." She was crushed and humiliated. We had no clue.
Her week with us was shot. The worship was awesome, but she was so angry she couldn't enjoy it. The teaching was life changing. She was so distracted in her anger, she couldnt concentrate on the teachers. The hike through the wilderness was phenomenal, but Jane couldnt enjoy even that because she was so angry.
John did apologize to her, and finally broke the complete truth to her. He asked her to forgive him for stringing her along. (Word to guys, DO NOT HUMILIATE ANYONE OF THE FEMALE GENDER). She couldnt find it in her heart to forgive.
Lack of forgiveness will cause your world to shrink. In fact, her world began to shrink. Wherever he went, she went the opposite way. Jane was offered a college scholarship to play softball. When she found out that John was going to attend that same college, she passed on the scholarship and went to college somewhere else. '
Where are you at with your anger? Do you have enough hate for someone that you would pull your family out of a restaurant before the food arrives because your nemesis is in the same building? Do you lash out at others after seeing the person who wounded your? Is there someone out there that you hate so much that the thought of that person gives you an ulcer?
Anger has to die. To experience the full life in Christ, you have to put anger to death. Christ did not put us in this world to live like wounded victims, but to have life and have it to the full.
What is going on in your life that has die so that you may have a full life in Christ? Pride? Gossip? Slander? Evil thoughts? What is it? Put it to death so that you may have life and have it to the full.
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