Review from May 8

Hey guys,

Sorry this is a little late getting out, there were some technical difficulties with Blogger that kept me from posting last night.  They are fixed this morning, so here we go!

We began our new unit last Sunday.  We will talk about "what really matters".  One thing that matters is reading your bible and spending time with God every day.  We really challenged you to make the choice and find the time to do that this week - even in the face of homework and busy schedules.  Where your time with God falls is an inicator of how important He is in your life.  I know that this challenges me all the times that I want to say that I am too busy to spend time with God.  I need to choose to give Him the time and make Him a priority. 

The boys are winning the points competition by quite a large margin.  The girls have pulled out 2 in a row in the final weeks, but this is the largest gap to overcome so it will really test the girls mettle this time. 

Anyway, on to the review.

Our first thought about what really matters were all about "Is being liked what really matters?"
We all like to have friends and are willing to go through a great deal to be liked by others.  But at the end of the day, we really can't completely control what others think of us.  When we follow Jesus, we will have character traits that draw some people and repel others. So we will not always be liked by everyone.  How much should that concern us. 
Here are the passages that we read to help us figure out how much being liked really matters.

John 5.16-18, and 36-44 - Here, we read one of many instances where it is mentioned that people don't like Jesus.  They thought he was doing and saying things that were offensive, and they wanted to silence him, and later on, we hear him say that because they don't know God, their approval or disapproval means nothing.
What lesson is there in this for us about friends that we have that may make fun of us for believing in God. Whose approval matters the most to you?
Galatians 1.10 - This verse (our memory verse for the week - 5 points to all who memorize it!) is all about making God the most important judge in your life.  Don't live to please man - it will be impossible to please everyone anyway - if we strive to please man, we are not servants of God.
Matthew 20.29-32 - Jesus is sending out his followers to go and tell others about Him.  He is telling them that there will be some dangers and hard times ahead, but not to worry,  God watches and takes care of sparrows, he knows everything about us - even the number of hairs on our head, and He considers us more valuable to Him than sparrows. That is how much HE loves us - what should it matter what others think of us.
Psalm 139.17-18 -  Here, we read that God, who controls all the universe - it seems like He would have a lot on his mind - thinks about you and me all the time.  What do we think about in our spare time?  God thinks about us!
2 Corinthians 10.12-18 - This passage reminds us how silly it is to compare ourselves with others.  We have nothing to be proud of in our own lives that we have done on our own power.  Instead, spend your boasting energy boasting about your God. He has done amazing things, see them, recognize them and boast about them, so that others will come to know Him by what He is doing in your life.

So there are a lot of great lessons to take from last Sunday's discussion.  Stop comparing yourself to others.  If you find yourself doing that, use the opportunity to compliment them, build them up and let God speak through you to them. God loves us each more than we can imagine.  Spread His love around!

Tune in tonight for bonus points, the new pulse and who knows what else!

~~Chris