Are you really SOLD OUT?    (07/28/06)

Most of us own one of our black SOLD OUT shirts.  In fact, I am wearing mine right now!  I think most of us in the youth group truly desire to be sold out 100% for God.  We are tackling the really big things...you know...drugs, sex, stealing, murder, language, drinking....the big stuff.  But in order to really be sold out, we have to work on some little stuff.  Let me hit just a few of them in this blog, and I will cover others later.
The first one I want to hit is honoring and obeying our parents.  This is probably one of the things that I have been talking to you guys about the most lately.  Exodus 20:12 says, "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."  Ephesians 6:1-3, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."  God, through Paul, restates this command, letting us know that it is still a valid command of God.  God still wants us to obey and honor our parents.  Also notice that the Bible never tells us when we are supposed to stop honoring them.  It is a lifelong thing.  Of course, right now some of you are thinking that as soon as you move out, that is ending.  I will tell you that when you leave your parents house, and when you get married and when you have your own family, your relationship with your parents changes.  However, we still are to honor and respect them.  That means that we show them the proper respect because of who they are, and because God has placed them in our lives.  So when mom and dad tell us something, we obey.  Or when they aren't around, you don't make fun of them, or criticize them or belittle them.  We don't tell others how stupid our parents are, or let others know all of their mistakes.  But because of our love for them, and because of the position that God has given them over you, you need to honor, respect and obey them.  Look up those three words in the dictionary or on www.m-w.com, so that you can get a fuller understanding of what that means.


The next thing goes hand in hand with that topic.  And that is how we treat our brothers and sisters.  Let me tell you this: it should be no different than how we are to treat all others.  The Bible tells us time and time again that we are to love our brothers (check out 1 John), that we are to think of them more important than us (look up Philippians 2).  Jesus said the most important command was to love the Lord your God with all your  heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  The second command was this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself".  The question was brought up, "Who is my neighbor?"  The answer...all people.  Your brothers and sisters (literal family) fall into that category.  (By the way, you can check out Matthew 22, Mark 12 and Luke 10).  So how do we show love to our brothers and sisters?  The same way we do to all other people.  By how we treat them.  Show them love in the way we act, how we talk and what we do.  Don't be bossy just because you are older and can.  Don't be a brat and a pest because you are younger.  Instead, challenge each other spiritually to be growing.  Ask each other how the other's quiet time is going.  Check each other's Scripture memory verses.  Encourage each other, don't annoy each other.  Love each other, don't be annoying to each other.  Do things for each other because you are family and you want to show love to each other.


The third and last thing for this blog (as if this hasn't been enough already) is what we are putting into our bodies through tv, internet, movies and music.  Ask yourself some questions about what you listen to and look at.  First of all, is it edifying.  Does it lift me up, or encourage me in my walk with Christ?  1 Corinthians 10:23, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify."  Second thing (and this is a big one) does it pass the Philippians 4:8 test?  What does that mean?  Well, let's look at that verse.  It says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things."  Basically, you can run the movies, or songs or magazines or whatever through this test, and if it fails in any one of those categories, it isn't something you should be doing.  Think about this...think about all the songs on your iPod or your cd's or whatever...what are the lyrics in those song teaching you about sexuality, or homosexuality, or attitudes towards parents or authorities, or what are those songs teaching you about life in general?  If we're honest, a lot of our songs that we listen to are not promoting lovely, just, pure, noble, true things.  What are the movies we are watching or tv shows we watch teaching us about relationships and drugs and disobeying our parents or sexual relationships?  Most likely not teaching us what the Bible teaches us.  So look hard and long at the things you are putting into your mind, and ask yourself, is this something that fits these tests?  If not, get rid of it.  Get it out of your life.  BE SOLD OUT.


 


Now, go get a Pepsi.  Enjoy.