“Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love-gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded (Exodus 16:20). God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.”

What Do I Do?

Last night we asked you to consider one of the seven things that Jesus is worthy of in Revelation 5:12 and to write it down to focus on over the summer.  Here’s another idea:

Since the summer is crazy with people traveling, commit to go above the norm.  Commit to corporate worship every Sunday during the summer wherever you are.

Here are the final three videos for those of  you who have been following the video series that gives the entire overview of the Bible.

Last week, I took several people from our team up to Dallas for a conference.  I used a website to book our hotels at a cheaper rate than the list price and got a great deal.  I called the hotel at noon on Wednesday to request double beds and to let them know that we would be arriving around midnight.  The problem began when we arrived.  We were told that our three rooms had been sold, even though we had already paid for them and had a guarantee.  That is not what you want to hear at 12:15am – especially when you have to be at a conference at 7:30am.  I’ll save you the details, but an hour later the problem was resolved and we were sent to a neighboring hotel and told that our second night’s reservation would be at the hotel we originally paid for.

The following night we arrived back at the original hotel and believe it or not . . . they didn’t have our rooms.  Two hours later we were redirected to a different hotel that was twenty minutes from where we were supposed to be staying.  I was frustrated and angry.  I was on the phone for nearly two hours trying to get things resolved and both the online booking agency and the hotel seemed to thing that the other was at fault.

I had choices to make.  I could explode all over the people at the hotel and on the phone.  I had done everything I was supposed to do and now had several people waiting again in the hotel lobby not knowing where they would sleep that night.  I don’t think anyone would have expected any different.  It probably would have felt good to yell, scream, and berate someone at that time, but that’s not who I am.  That is who I was.

I’m a witness for Jesus.  I don’t always do well, but that is who I am.  The more I move out of the way and let the Spirit of God lead my life, the better off I am.  I’m not trying TO witness, it is just a part of who I am now.  In practicality, it’s messy because I often get in the way of the Spirit.

Who you are is more important than what you do.  You are a witness.

What Do I Do?

1. Sign up for a mission trip to your Judea.  There are two mission trips this summer (one for high school and one for junior high) that are in Texas.

2. Be a witness to someone today.  Share your story.  Ask them if they want to follow Jesus.  Invite them to come with you to your Collide Small Group this Sunday.

If you are following along with the videos that tell the whole story of the Bible, here is the next video:

What do I do?

1. Carve out at least ten minutes today to have some time with God where you pray and read the Bible.  If you don’t have a devotional guide or book, then get on YouVersion and find a devotional guide there.  When you are finished spending some intentional time in the Bible be able to answer the question, “What do I do with what I just learned?”

2. Talk with someone else about what you are going to do with what you’ve learned.  If you had a hard time discovering the answer to the question, let them help you with the verses and see what they might come up with.

If you are following along with the videos that tell the entire story of the Bible, here is the next one:

What Do I Do?

On Wednesday night we looked at Hebrews 10:19-22 in light of the cross.  The challenge was “don’t give up on love,” because Jesus didn’t.  Who is it in your life that is really hard for you to love?  What relationship is the one that you just want to wash your hands clean of?  Think of one way to intentionally love that person before the end of the day today.

If you are watching the videos that link the stories of the Bible together, here is the next video

“One evening, while watering the garden, the sheer sacrifice of true service overwhelmed me. There amongst the tomatoes and parsley, I realized that most of my previous attempts at service were very much like the garden hose in my hand: I was in control, dictating how, when, and to whom I would serve. With my nifty sprayer, I could even stop the water altogether when I felt like it. The “flow” of Christ’s love that I gave to others depended on my mood, the health of my career, and even how much sleep I got the night before. Mine was (and still often is) a self-righteous, self-gratifying service.

In contrast, I noticed a soaker hose in the planter across from me. It watered the ground completely indiscriminately. Dozens of holes let the water loose and had no shut-off switch. Life-giving water oozed out all over the place, like it or not! To serve like a soaker hose means to pour out Christ’s love from every pore of our beings, not concerning ourselves with the timing, the effect it might have on our productivity, or the worthiness of the recipients. If God has “turned on the water” in our lives, filling us with his life-giving springs, why would we hold them back from anyone? For fear of running out? Doesn’t he have an infinite supply of living water?”

What can I do?

1. Wash the car for your parent(s)

2. Take donuts to your first class in the morning for everyone

3. Get a friend signed up for Collide Impact Weekend

If you are following the videos that tell the entire story of the Bible, here is the next one:

A21: This organization is fighting human trafficking across the world.  If you have supported “Be Her Freedom” at Georgetown High or East View High then you’ve been helping A21.

Charity Water: This organization is bring awareness to the lack of clean water around the globe and building wells in places that need water

World Vision or Compassion International: Both of these organizations allow people to “adopt” a child in an impoverished nation to help feed, clothe, house, and educate the child.

She Dances: This ministry is fighting human trafficking in Honduras.  It is also the organization we support at Collide

XXX Church: This ministry is helping people who are addicted to pornography and working in the sex industry

All of these organizations are top-notch (and there are a lot more like them).  Pick one and pray!

Below are the videos that will keep you up-to-date in our journey through the Bible (the earlier videos are in the earlier blogs from this year)

Click here to watch the Lecrae video

What Can I Do?

1. If you haven’t written out your story yet, do it today.  Write it out in three parts.  First, what was your life like before Jesus.  Second, when did you decided to follow Jesus.  Third, what is God doing in your life today.

2. Send an “I Am Second” video to a friend!

If you have been following the videos that keep you caught up with the overarching story of the Bible, here are two videos that close out the Old Testament (you can watch the previous videos on earlier blogs)

“Once, when my wife, Gail, and I were hiking the high meadows of the Swiss Alps, we saw two farmers cutting the high-standing mountain grasses with scythes, a hand-mowing tool that has been around since ancient times.  

Drawing closer, we noticed that both paused periodically and produced from their pockets something resembling a flat stone. Then in the same graceful manner, they drew the stones back and forth across the scythes’ blades. The purpose? To restore sharpness. 

The sharpening done, each returned to the cutting.

We observed them repeat this process—cut and sharpen, cut and sharpen—several times: ten minutes (give or take) of cutting followed by five minutes of sharpening.

[But] why waste five minutes sharpening the blades? We’re talking here about 20 minutes of unproductive time each hour. Why not keep cutting, get the job finished, and head home at an earlier hour? Because with every swing of the scythe, the blade becomes duller. And with the increasing dullness, the work becomes harder and less productive. Result: you actually head home much later. Cutting and sharpening are both part of a farmer’s work.

In my [younger] years, I didn’t appreciate this cutting/sharpening principle. I’m embarrassed to admit that I usually gave attention to the sharpening (or the spiritual) dimension of my life only when I needed something beyond my natural reach or when I found myself knee-deep in trouble.

The cumulative results of a life lived like this became alarming. It led to dullness of the soul.

While talking a lot about God, I had very little practice in listening to him …. I tended to become bogged down in matters of secondary importance, neglecting truly important things.

I often complained of fatigue: not only physical fatigue, but spiritual and emotional emptiness. Sometimes I became flooded with temptations to envy, impatience, ambition, discontent, wandering thoughts.

What can I do?

Stop everything you are doing for thirty minutes.  Spend ten minute reading in your Bible (start in the book of John if you need direction).  Spend ten minutes praying (just talk to God like he’s sitting next to you).  Spend ten minutes being quiet and listening to God.

If you are following along in the videos that tell the story of the Bible, here is where we are this week:

What do I do?

1. Watch the video again, but this time while you are watching it, use it as a prayer guide.  Pray for the people by name.  Pray for their country.  Ask God to continue to move in and through his people.

2. Search the internet for a story of believers being persecuted for the faith and come to your Collide Small Group this Sunday morning prepared to tell the story.

If you are following along with the videos that tell the whole story of the Bible; you’ll want to watch the video below.

What do I do?

1. Think of one way today that you can “be present” with an always present God and do it

2. Decide on what your next step in your faith journey is.  Is it regular worship attendance, daily time in the Bible, expanding your prayer life, finding a place to serve, getting a mentor?  Take that next step with the goal of being in a place where your spiritual journey is characterized by praying continually just like you breathe