Comfy???

In week 6 of "Life More Better, we were reintroduced to Jonah. Most of us have heard the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, but in church we were reintroduced to the story of Jonah and we were told "the rest of the story". What is it going to take for God to really get your attention? For Jonah, it took being thrown overboard, a near drowning, being swallowed by a big fish, and the scorching sun to get him to listen and obey God's command to preach the Word to the people of Ninevah.

Jonah did not want to preach to "those" bad people who had committed heinous crimes and tortured Jonah's people. At times we as Christians determine who should be in our midst. We stay away from those who are not as "good" as we are and we gravitate towards people for wrong reasons, too.

The last couple of weeks has offered us challenges to spread the Gospel to all who we meet. We should not omit talking to someone about the Lord because we don't like them, we don't like their culture, we don't like their color or gender. None of this is from God. God wants us to talk to all persons and to Love all persons. Often we let a person's nationality, native language, race, or religion place a barrier between us and them; thereby, we might just place a barrier between them and the knowledge of Christ Jesus' Love for them.

This week we must continue to move out of our comfort zones. Our mission is that the World might Know Jesus. It is not okay to do nothing. All of us can do something to insure that the mission is accomplished. Who are you going to talk to about Jesus? What are you going to say if they don't listen? How will you reply when they question you about your faith based on your behavior? How uncomfortable are you willing to get for Christ?

Bashing Bigotry!

Bigotry is defined as stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. Often times bigotry is called discrimination or prejudice.

If asked, most people would deny being a bigot. Bigotry is often disguised to make it look "right". There are those who ban together against others- safety in numbers. Then there are others who use history to validate their prejudices- traditional bigotry. Then there are the people who choose to pick on those who have little resources or methods of fighting back- underdog kickers.

What does this mean for you? Do you treat others differently because of the way they believe, look, or live? This week's dare is extremely up close and personal and it demands real, serious consideration. Discrimination can be a huge barrier between us and God. As you examine yourself this week, look at the way you act in all relationships. The family relationships, school relationships, Youth group relationships, etc. Are you causing a problem by prejudging others? Are you carelessly spreading gossip, causing dissension in the group, or just being rude to others when you should be showing Love to all?

Are you praying??

This week our dare was to pray. Bible study led us to learn about various Biblical characters who used empowered prayers to change seemingly impossible odds. Are you praying that kind of prayer? I am talking about the Kingdom building-Earth shattering-life changing-God edifying prayers of Hannah, Paul & Silas, and the Disciples. If you have not yet "Patched in to Prayer" it is not too late. God is always ready to accept your prayers. What are the barriers you have to praying? How might prayer help to shatter those barriers?