Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The 10 Do's for Teen Girls

One of the most important things in our Christian life is to be obedient to God, but that is also often the hardest. Sometimes we don’t want to follow his commands because they don’t seem ‘fun” enough but there are other times we don’t follow Him because we really don’t know what He means. So, with God’s blessing, I’ve translated the 10 Commandments into a list of “Do’s” for the Christian teen. While we could go into detail on what each of these really means and looks like (and we probably will at some point), right now I’m going to follow my own rule and keep it simple and straight forward.
1.       Do make God first in your life.
2.       Do be sure that other things don’t take God’s place in your life, such friends, boyfriends, parents, school, sports, etc. (I know, I cheated and included a negative!)
3.       Do show respect for the name of God. (No more OMG!)
4.       Do make time to slow down and spend time with God.
5.       Do be respectful and courteous toward your parents. (Yes, you have to help with the laundry!)
6.       Do be respectful of all life.
7.       Do show loyalty to family and friends and encourage others to do the same.
8.       Do respect others property.
9.       Do always tell the truth, even when it hurts.
10.   Do be content with what you have instead of always wanting something more, bigger or better.
Those may seem like a lot of things to remember but Jesus, being the awesome guy he is, made it easy to remember when he said, “So in everything, do to others what you have them do to you, for this sums up the Law of the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 In other words, always consider how you would want someone to treat you, and treat them the same and you’ll pretty much cover them all!
Lord,
Thank you so much for providing such clear expectations of us. Though it may seem like a lot, we know that we can do anything you have called us to do with the strength you will supply. Help us to remember these “do’s” and always treat others the way we would want to be treated. Thank you for demonstrating this so powerfully on the cross. In your precious son’s name we pray, Amen.
Scriptures: Exodus 20:1-17

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Do you know who you are?

            Think back to when you were a little girl. Did you ever play dress up? Maybe pretend to be a cheerleader or rock star or even a princess? Well, guess what, time to break out the tiaras again because I have some amazing news for you—if you are a follower of Christ, you are princess! That’s right, all girls (big or little or in-between) that have put their faith in Jesus are God’s children. Since God is the King of Kings, and the daughter of the King is a princess, then we are princesses! Pretty cool, huh? There is something more important going on here though and we cannot just accept Christ, but we also must accept who we are in Christ! You see, God does not just want you to be some spoiled, pampered princess living in a castle; instead, he wants you to realize you are loved, special and called to do something beyond yourself!

                First, realize that God loves you. Period. He doesn’t love you for the grades you make or the friends you have. He doesn’t care about what clothes you have or how perfect your hair is or isn’t. He loves you just as you are! He made you, just the way you are! He wants you to be who you are! He doesn’t want you to conform to others. He wants you to conform to Him. He wants you to love him back!

                Second, you are special. God has a perfect, detailed plan just for you. He has had it planned since before you were born. No one else can live the life God has for you. It’s for you and you alone. That’s where the third thing comes in- he has called you to do something beyond yourself. Something you never, ever thought you could do and he is preparing you for it right now! It’s part of his plan and all he wants is for you to open your heart to Him.  

                The question is, are you ready? Are you ready to accept that God loves you? Are you ready to accept that God believes you are special? Are you ready to accept that God has something planned just for you? If you are, then this is place for you! Girl Time is all about taking time to discover who you are in Christ and learning what he has planned for each and every one of you. I hope you’ll stick around to see what message He will have for you each week (and tell you friends, you might be surprise by how many need to be reminded of who they are!) If you don’t know Christ, we would love to introduce you! There is a tab at the top you can click on to learn more about our amazing Savior!

Lord,

Thank you for each precious soul reading this! We are so thankful that you do love us and think we are special. We are excited about the plans you have for us and hope that you will use this place as encouragement for each princess who reads it!

Scriptures:

                Galatians 4:7;  Romans 8:16-17;  John 3:16;  Matthew 10:29-31