Student Devotion Session 4: Vertical Worship

Key Verse:

Psalm 103:1-12

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 103

Of David.

¹ Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Devotion:

Actions. Reactions.

Webster's defines the word action as "a thing done." An action can be anything, right? Standing up, throwing a paper airplane, or texting a friend are all actions. It's simple, really. Anything you do can be considered an action.

On the other hand, a reaction is defined as" a response to some treatment, situation, or stimulus." Basically, a reaction is a response to any action. Want some examples? Think about the actions we listed above. If you were to suddenly stand up in the middle of a nice dinner with your boyfriend or girlfriend, he or she might react with confusion. (or they might look at you like you've lost it.) If you were to throw a paper airplane in the hallway and hit your principle in the eye, his or her reaction would probably spell trouble for you. And if you were texting your friend to tell her that your crush just asked you to the homecoming dance, here reaction would be excitement.

The nature of the reaction depends on the nature of the action.

Read Psalm 103:1-12. This is one of the many Psalms written by David. You know David. The guy that killed the giant. The one who had to hide out from King Saul while Saul tried to kill him. The one who was said to have a "heart like God's." David was an awesome king, undoubtedly the best ruler Israel ever had. He wasn't perfect (You might remember the whole Bathsheba incident.) But he Loved the Lord. And many of his psalms reflect this Love.

If you go back and look at this psalm one more time, you realize something pretty cool. This psalm is all about actions and reactions. David lists some of the amazing things God has done, not just for David, but for the nation of Israel. David says that God forgives sin, heals diseases, satisfies desires, works righteousness for the oppressed, gives freely of His compassion while patiently doling out His anger, and so on, and so on. These are some pretty awesome actions. But what is the reaction?

David makes it clear: His reaction to all of God's actions is to lift up praise and worship to God. The appropriate reaction to God's Love is Love in return. How cool is that?

You have to ask yourself this question: "How have I been responding to all the ways God has shown me love in my life?" If your answer is anything less than giving God the praise He is due, you might need to spend some time examining your heart.

God had done so much for you. His actions demonstrate His Love. Does your reaction demonstrate praise?

Student Devotion Session 2: Love's Great Sacrifice

Key Verses: Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." & Leviticus 19:18, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD"

The books of Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell a similar story. In each of these books, Jesus is in the company of some of the Jewish religious leaders.

In Matthew and Mark's account, Jesus was asked by one of the Jewish religious leaders what the greatest commandment of the Law was. This guy was trying to trick Jesus, but Jesus turned it around on him.

Jesus actually answered in an amazing way. If he had answered incorrectly, or had given an answer that wasn't well thought out, the Jewish leaders could have accused Him of trying to abolish parts of the Law.

A lot was riding on Jesus' answer.

Before you go on, stop for a minute and read Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Sum up those passages in one sentence.

We might not get it now, some 2,000 years later, but at the time what Jesus did by putting these two commandments together was a big, big deal.

In answering the Jewish leaders this way, Jesus combined the emphasis of the first half of the Ten Commandments (obligation to God) with the second half (obligation to others). But Jesus did more than that...

Look back at Matthew 22. Compare verse 37 with verse 39. Circle the powerful word appears in both verses. Did you catch it? You should have circled the world Love.

The most amazing thing Jesus did was make His answer all about love. It wasn't about rule following. It wasn't about stale religion. Jesus said we mu;st love God, and love people.

Love God. Love People.

It really is that simple.

Think about any changes you might need to make in your life to begin to show more love and thankfulness to God. Think about any attitudes or issues you have that get in the way of loving others. Now, pray to God that He will help you put into practice the changes you need to make in your life.

Student Devotion Session 2: Love's Great Sacrifice

Key Verse: 1 John 4:9-10, " 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

How far would you go to demonstrate your Love for someone? If your first thought was, "Depends on who were talking about," then you're probably like most people. After all, you Love people differently, don't you? Think of your distant cousin you only see once every few years. Your Love for him or her is different than your Love for, say, your mom, right? The lengths you would go to show your Love for your mom probably a lot greater than the lengths you would go to show your Love for your cousin. You'd give up a kidney for mom. For cousin whatshername? Uh... not so much.

Read 1 John 4:9-10. We're back with our good friend John the Apostle. As we mentioned in last session's devotion, John knew Jesus as intimately as anyone. He was one of Jesus' most trusted disciples. In fact, John was known as "the beloved disciple." As much as anyone, John grasped the significance of Jesus' identity and His mission. John knew that God sent Jesus to this world. John knew Jesus was God's most precious gift to His creation.

Why was Jesus such a precious gift? Because Jesus was God's answer to the question of how we as humans could once-and-for-all pay our sin-debt. You see, God is perfectly good. Any sin is a sin against Him and His standards. God is also perfectly just. And all sin must be punished. If God didn't punish all sin, He wouldn't be worth our devotion. God sent Jesus to pay the debt for our sins, clearing the way for us to have eternal fellowship with God.

How far would you go to demonstrate your Love for someone? Not as far as God did to demonstrate His Love for you. God sent His only son to die for you. And Jesus willingly obeyed. Why? Because God loves you. Jesus loves you. Even when you are unlovable. That is amazing love!

Student Devotion Session 1: The Source

Key Verses: 1 John 4:7-8, "⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Think for a moment about a glass of water. If you had to identify the most essential property of water, what would it be? You would probably say, "The essential property of water is its wetness."

Think about fire. What would you say was its essential property? While you might list a few different things, fire's essential property would have to be "heat."

Sugar is sweet. Ice is cold. Water is wet. Fire is hot. And God... Well, God is Love.

Read 1 John 4:7-8. John knew a thing or two about Love. John was one of the Jesus' closest companions. Along with Peter and James, John was in the "inner circle" of disciples, a group that Jesus went to great lengths to teach and mentor. John was there at nearly every important episode in Jesus' life. John understood Jesus and His message of love and redemption. So when John says "God is Love," we ought to pay attention.

There are a lot of things we could say about God. He has so many wonderful attributes that make Him worthy of our praise, love, and devotion. He is perfectly wise, powerful, good, just, forgiving, merciful, holy, compassionate... the list goes on. If you think of God and His attributes as an ever-flowing, eternal river that runs throughout time and history, the source of that river must surely be His LOVE.

If you know God, you know LOVE.
God is the source of all LOVE!

Student Devotion Session 6: Isaiah's Response

Key Verse: Isaiah 6:8, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Student Devotion Session 5: Jonah's Response

Key Verses: Jonah 1:1-4; 3:1-6; 4:1-3

Jonah 1:1-4

New International Version (NIV)

Jonah 1

Jonah Flees From the LORD

¹ The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

³ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

⁴ Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.

Jonah 3:1-6

New International Version (NIV)

Jonah 3

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

¹ Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

³ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. ⁴ Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” ⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

⁶ When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.

Jonah 4:1-3

New International Version (NIV)

Jonah 4

Jonah’s Anger at the LORD’s Compassion

¹ But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. ² He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. ³ Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Devotion:

When people ask you to do something, your response says a great deal about your relationship with them. Do you say, "yes" and agree to what is asked? Or do you say, "no"? It depends, right? If it's your mom or dad asking you to take out the trash, you will more than likely say, "yes." The reasons for this can range from respect to fear of punishment. But even fear of punishment says something about your relationship. You know your mom or dad is going to follow through with any threat of punishment. Again, your response depends on your relationship.

Read Jonah 1:1-4; 3:1-6; 4:1-3. This is not the whole story of Jonah. It is a record of his responses to God. You know the story of Jonah. God called Jonah to minister to Nineveh. What happened next isn't pretty. Jonah fled. Storm rolls in. Jonah goes overboard. Fish swallows. Fish throws up. Jonah heads to Nineveh. Jonah would inevitably do the work God wanted him to. But not after experiencing some harsh consequences. And not without a bad attitude.

Think about Jonah's responses. Is it true that something about his response speaks to his relationship with God? That would seem to be the case. See, Jonah put his needs first. This says that Jonah valued his own insecurities and fears more than he valued his service for God. While Jonah, eventually got it right, he still managed to get it wrong in the end through selfish thinking.

God is constantly calling you... through His word, through His creation, through His spirit, and through others. How are you responding to His call? How does a positive response communicate your love for Him? How does a negative response affect your usability for God's work?

Challenge yourself to commit to a positive, immediate response to God's call on your life. How can you be making a difference for Christ today?

Student Devotion Session 4: Not a Timid Response

Key Verses:

Acts 25:23-26:32

New International Version (NIV)

Paul Before Agrippa

²³ The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. ²⁶ But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. ²⁷For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”

Acts 26

¹ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”

So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: ²“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, ³ and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. ⁵ They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. ⁶ And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. ⁷ This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. ⁸ Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

⁹ “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

¹² “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³ About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,^[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. ¹⁷ I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

¹⁹ “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. ²⁰ First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. ²¹ That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.²² But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— ²³ that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

²⁵ “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. ²⁶ The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

²⁹ Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

³⁰ The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. ³¹ After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”

³² Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Think for a moment about the brakes on your car. It's probably the first time you've thought about them in a while... maybe ever. And that's exactly the point. Your brakes are pretty important. They are not just important to the function of your life. After all, when you go flying down the Interstate, at some point you'll need to stop. And unless you want that stop to be the result of a horrific crash, brakes come in handy.

Whether you think about it or not, you place your life's security in the brakes of your car over and over again. You probably don't think of that when you apply pressure on the left pedal. You simply trust that they'll work. Because of this, you have the confidence to drive at very high rates of speed.

Keep this example in your head as you read Acts 25:32-Acts 26:32. (Yeah, it seems like a lot to read, but it's a really cool story.) This story is one of the last chapters in the record we have of Paul's life. Paul had been arrested and was being taken before various Roman officials as part of his trial process. In this passage, Paul is speaking in front of King Agrippa and his sister Bernice.

Think back to what you just read in Acts. Think about how Paul conducted himself. Isn't it amazing how boldly he stood up to Agrippa? Paul didn't miss a beat. He preached to this powerful King as if he were just another guy. How could Paul be so courageous in that situation?

As Christ-followers, when we know the certainty of God's call on our lives, our responses to God become automatic. We don't think, we react.
This certainty allows us to move with God, acting and speaking as He leads us. In the same way you don't often think about the brakes in your car, our response to God should be just as automatic.

When we see a stop sign, we press the brakes and stop. Every time. Often without thinking. When we see an opportunity to make a difference for Christ, we should respond immediately. Every time. God expects us to join Him and time there is a need. Do you live like Paul? Are you fearless? Do you respond when the opportunity arises?