Colossians 4:7-18
As Paul closes his letter to the Colossians, he mentions some people God has used in his life to encourage him, help meet his needs, minister side-by-side with him, and comfort him in all his circumstances.
- Tychicus left his family for a very long time and walked and sailed hundreds of miles to assist Paul in his ministry.
- Onsesimus was a slave who ran away from his master, became a believer, and comforted Paul.He was an example of a life transformed!
- Aristarchus gave up his freedom to minister to Paul's needs while he was in prison.
- Mark, though he originally abandoned Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey together, eventually became a great help to Paul.
- Justus took a stand with Paul for Jesus, no matter what the cost.
- Epaphras was a prayer warrior who served alongside Paul.
- Luke, a gentile believer, served with Paul and wrote the books of Luke and Acts.
We discussed with the kids tonight what their ideas of ministry are and how they think they fit into it. Many youth think they have to "grow up" before they can be used by God and serve in a ministry, but that is simply a myth. We talked about ways the kids can be used by God now, right where they are.
- Praying for others
- Fundraisers to meet a need
- Yard work
- House cleaning
- Volunteering at local food banks
- "Random Acts of Kindness" (We discussed the 25 RAK the Ellis family embarked on a few weeks back and watched some of their videos on FB from that experience.)
- Visiting Ms. Florene
- Making cards for elderly/sick/soldiers
- All the past Mission 659 mission opportunities
So what stops us from allowing God to use little old us in GREAT BIG ways?
Some of us feel like this poor kid! "It's impossible! I can't possibly make a difference. I can't change anything. I'm not big enough, strong enough, fast enough, tall enough, old enough, etc..."
Some of us, because of things we've done in our past feel like...
But guess what?!
And here's the proof!
- Moses stuttered.
- David's armor didn't fit.
- Mark was a coward when the going got tough.
- Gomer was a prostitute.
- Jacob was a liar. So was Abraham.
- David had an affair and was a murderer.
- Abraham was too old.
- David was too young.
- Peter was afraid of death and denied Christ.
- Lazarus was dead.
- Naomi was a widow.
- Paul was a murderer.
- Moses was a murderer.
- Jonah ran from God.
- Miriam was a gossip.
- Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
- Jeremiah was depressed.
- Elijah was burnt out.
- Martha was a worrywart.
- Noah got drunk.
- The disciples fell asleep while they were supposed to be praying.
- Zaccheus was too small.
- The Samaritan woman was divorced.
- Timothy had an ulcer.
- Leah was ugly.
- Joseph was abused.
- Rahab was a prostitute.
And yet ALL of these people were used by God for His glory!
Lastly, some people are just too afraid to be used by God. Let's face it....it takes faith to allow God to use us the way He wants to.
But in Joshua 1:9, God tells us, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
We asked the kids then to practice the kind of faith and courage it took Peter to have when he stepped out of the boat and walked on top of the sea towards Jesus.
Matthew 14:25-29 - Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
We filled a long under-the-bed storage container with 24 boxes of corn starch and 36 cups of water. We added some blue food coloring to make it look more like water. We asked the kids then to get a running start and run through the mixture having the faith that, if they did not stop or hesitate, they would not sink. As long as they did just as they were told, their feet never sank into the gooey substance!
In the end, we pray that, through the many Biblical examples God gave us in His Word...and through the faith and the courage that only come from living daily by that Word, these out-of-this-world youth know that, believe, and are open to God using them in both small and huge ways!
We ended with the inspiring video of runner Heather Dorniden.
