January 15, 2024 - Make Room

Genesis 31:17-32:12

Matthew 10:24-11:6

Psalm 13:1-6

Proverbs 3:16-18

One Year Bible Daily Reading - One Year Bible Online

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

As a youth leader, connect group leader and marriage mediator these words are very convicting to me. Jesus is my teacher. He is the one that I want to reflect and show to others. If I am trying to teach on my own instead of looking to Him for guidance then I am trying to put myself above Jesus. If I allow myself to be distracted by the world and be influenced to compromise what I stand for and what I teach then not only will I be following the enemy but those I teach will be led down that same path.

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

I have no reason to fear those lies and temptations because God has given me His Holy Spirit to reveal his truths to me. To all of us. Sometimes we don't hear God unless we are in a dark place. At ONE we talked about how sometimes it is harder to turn to God and spend time with Him when we are having good times because we can get caught up in life and forget about Him. But in our dark times we are more likely to turn to Him and seek Him. Those things can clutter up our minds and days so that we misplace God in our lives. Whatever God has revealed to us in the dark places of our lives we need to not keep to ourselves but speak about it even when we are no long in the dark places.

On retreat we sang a song "I will make room for you". We talked about what does that mean. Sometimes we can move things around to make room for something that is important but if all we do is keep moving things and don't remove anything it becomes a cluttered mess. I think that is one of the reasons we can go on a retreat or start a commitment like reading the bible in a year and eventually forget about it. We will move things around in our lives to make room for that time with God but because there is so much stuff it all gets cluttered up and we lose track of it. To really make room we have to get rid of some things. It's like cleaning out the refrigerator. We have to throw away the things that we should not be consuming so that we can speak boldly what God has revealed to us. And we need to do it without fear.

One of our kids today when asked to share prayer requests asked that we pray for them to have confidence to believe in their faith and to be confident in living it out when they return home. I praise the Lord for being the teacher that is changing their hearts and souls. It is beautiful to see Jesus in them.

Lord reveal your truths to them and give them the confidence to live lives that reflect you to the world. Give them confidence to speak what they have learned. Give them the voice, the words and the boldness to proclaim the Gospel from the rooftops. Assure them that there is nothing that anyone can do or say to them. Their criticism, even their physical expression of disapproval and hate cannot change the state of their soul. Cannot change their eternal future. May this confidence give them the boldness that they need to make room for you. Reveal to them the things in their lives that you would have them get rid of to make room for you so that they can experience you to the fullest.

Make Room - https://youtu.be/wrQuKK6jz-4?si=wDz6DstfM7045zTy