Back to the Basics

You and I were called to more. God calls us to live a life worthy of the calling we've received. (Ephesians 4:1). That calling is one of complete surrender, humility, and holiness. The world we live in promotes luxury, leisure, and self-satisfaction, but God calls us to more. If we don't step up and stand for our faith who will?? We can't use our parents generation as a crutch anymore. It's time to make our faith our own. But where do we start? I've been in the same spot as many of you. Wanting to make a difference but not knowing where to begin. Here are a few simple disciplines we can commit to in order to prepare us to lead our generation.

GOD'S WORD: it's still relevant
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."
We have access to the written Word of God. Why don't we take advantage of it? If we want to know God better, read His word. Make time to read the Words of your Creator and Savior. So if you're reading this right now i give you total permission to close this window, log- off facebook, get off of twitter, turn of your cell phone, and pick up the Bible. The things God will show you just might blow you away!

PRAYER: talking with God
Prayer is more than using God as a vending machine. It's more than reading off your list of problems and then walking away. Prayer is a conversation with God. It's two-sided. Have alone time with God where you can pour your heart out to Him and listen to what He has to say. Unsure of where to start? Check out the example of prayer that Jesus gave in John 17.

SERVICE: it's not about me
Philippians 2: 3- 5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."
I know this might come as a shock, but life is not all about you. God created us to love and serve Him and we can do that by loving and serving others. There are countless people in the world that are hurting, hungry, and suffering. Who is going to help them if you don't? It's time to get up off the couch and reach out to those around you, and you don't have to look any farther than across the street or in the pew next to you to find them. Put on the attitude of Jesus and be willing to serve in any and every way. Little or big, God can use any bit of obedience to make a difference!

I know most of these things may seem like the typical Sunday School answer; however, we must go back to the basics. How many of you can honestly say you read your Bible, pray, or serve others consistently? We cannot make an impact on our generation if we cannot read our Bible daily or make time to pray for our friends. Lets get back to the basics and see where God takes us!