You will never be somebody that used to be known.

Click here to listen to “Somebody that I used to know” by GOYTE

So I must admit…I am old!  Recently I was asked to write a Bible Study reflection for a Re-Tune of a current poplar download on iTunes.  Of course I said yes!  The song that was assigned to me was “Somebody that I used to know” by GOYTE.  First off it is indeed a very catchy tune.  It reminded of a early Genesis sound with Peter Gabriel or maybe even something by the Police with a young Sting.

Basically the premise of the song is the artist is singing from the view of someone that has just experienced the loss of love in a relationship.  He simply is someone that used to be known.  Only now to find that he has been forgotten, no longer loved.

My task…take the song and write a quick thought that would be Gospel centered that a student can share with others.  Below is what I submitted.  Take time to listen to the song, then read the study.

———————————————————————————————-

Well it finally happened…the one that you loved became that person that you used to know!  Life was great, love was in the air and there were smiles all around.  Then came that moment, something happened and “bam” love was lost!

If we are completely honest that has happened to all of us, if not…then be prepared it will.

• How did you feel when all of sudden what was once your only love is now gone?  Could this have really happened?
• When you are cut out of someone’s life where do you turn?
• What friend do you turn towards?

None of us really want to live that way.  We don’t want to spend time in our relationships wondering when it will end.  Matter of fact we spend the greater part of our teen years searching for that perfect relationship. We spend time looking for one that will not fail us, someone that will accept us and love us just as we are.  That relationship is possible!  It is found in our acceptance of Christ and the relationship He desires to have with us, His Creation!  Then the question becomes, once you accept Christ, will He ever forgot you?  Simply put…NO!

Psalms 139:15-16 (MSG) You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

John 15:13 (HCSB) No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

When you find yourself in the revolving door of teenage relationships and you seemed to be living as the one that used to be known, remember Christ will never forget you!  In light of past failures, current failures, and future failures, the Lord your God will not forget you.  He will not leave you.  He will always know you and love you, no matter what!

Man’s Best Friend…

All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores. Luke 16:20 (MSG)

What type of reaction to we get from others when we do and/or engage in certain things.  For example I have entered in to the “Five Finger” craze.  All be it a few years late, but I have them!  It has been amusing to see other people respond to them on my feet!  I never realized how many people look at feet.  The shoes just seem to draw attention and force a conversation.  The reaction has been funny!  But it is why I have a pair.  I saw someone else with a pair started a conversation, had a reaction and then, well today I am wearing a pair!

Then there is the facial reaction from the foods we eat! Have you ever seen or tried the “Jelly Belly” product “Bean Boozled”?  You really don’t know what you are eating…until!  For example you may find in the box two Jelly Beans side by side and both will be black.  According to the box one bean could be Licorice and the other could be Skunk Spray!  Yes that is right Skunk Spray!  It is simply amazing how when you chew that one bean you can recall that first time you smelled that very pungent smell of the skunk!  Then there are white ones that taste like baby wipes, blue ones that taste like toothpaste, green ones that taste like boogers, and so on!  The best though is watching both the reactions of the ones eating as well as the reactions of those watching!!!  Go ahead grab a box this Easter season, I dare you!

What I have mention above are simply our reactions to everyday occurrences in our lives.  For every action there is a reaction and vice versa!  It is how things function.  But what is our greater reaction to the world around us?

1. The world is mostly good and needs little adjustment or help
2. The world is mostly a mess and is in need of serious help
3. I haven’t really thought much about the world… I’m a mess
4. I haven’t really thought much about the world… I’m not a mess
5. I am not OK with injustice, poverty, disease, isolation, racism, etc.
6. I am OK with injustice, poverty, disease, isolation, racism, etc.

When we read those statements above we will be able to identify with at least one of them completely and all of them somewhat.  However when we hear the Gospel story does our reaction to the world change?  Does it impact enough to change?

Is Luke 16:20 where we get the phrase…”Man’s Best Friend”?  I really don’t think so, but this section in Luke’s writings does cause a unique reaction!  “His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.”  

This man “Lazarus” was so lonely and down in the dumps that he really did not care that dogs were licking his sores, matter of fact he referred to them as his best friends!  The parable/account goes on to explain one of the great chasms that is very evident today…the rich man vs. the poor man.  The parable/account even goes further in identifying for the reader/hearer the differences in both Heaven and Hell and the perception of the after life.

The focus should not be on the story itself and whether or not it is true or whether or not it is a correct snap shot of eternity.  Rather the focus should be on the fact that there are dead men talking about the fact and realization that the opportunity was missed to react to the Gospel in a positive way.  There was a reaction on the part of the rich man…to simply hear but not to listen.  For each time the that the love of Christ and His grace that was given to each of us is shared their is a reaction.  What is yours?

A Reason to Sing….

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 (HCSB)

What is your reason for singing?  Well we sing because we are happy and equally so because we are sad.  Music strikes a chord (no pun intended) in each of us!  We can recall a certain tune that was playing when she first said “I Love You”.  We can recall a certain tune when our favorite team won the big game, or when we just needed to be encouraged.  We even can recall the moment and tune when we realized that our Creator loves us just as we are.

The memory of that moment of identification with our Savior is a blessing in maturity.  Now I did not say that it makes us mature, but it is a step towards spiritual maturity.  At that moment our heart and our soul has a reason to sing!  We have come to realize the greater purpose of our existence…To Worship the Lord will all of our Heart, Soul, and Mind!

But what happens when we lose that reason?  Can it be lost?  Well, while we can not lose Christ as our Savior once we accept Him, the memory of the heart change can be lost.  The pieces of a broken believer can literally shatter all over the floor and when our hope fades does the Love of the Savior disappear?  The easy answer is no, but in our failures and shortcomings we feel as if He is the one that has left us.

James, in the opening of his writing, encourages the believer to put into place “endurance”.  It is important to realize that our salvation is not just a single moment, but rather it is an endurance that transforms into maturity…which is ultimately a blessing!

Conversations…

Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. Job 2:11 (HCSB) 

The most memorable part of Job’s story, is that God allows Satan to strip a holy and blameless man of everything he has:  It’s the ultimate test of faithfulness. In the end, Job is found faithful and God restores to him everything he lost, and then some.  But as the radio announcer Paul Harvey would say…”Now the rest of the story”

Starting in Chapter 3 to the conclusion of this book we see three friends, one observer and the Lord participate in a series of conversations. Our lives are no different then what we see on display in the Old Testament book of Job.  Think of it this way…when we ourselves have received “bad news” what is the first thing we do?  Well if we are honest we call our spouse, parents, best friend or a group of friends and start a conversation.  How often do we really turn to God first?

After all that has happened to Job we read about him lying in the dirt, scraping his sores, and wondering why God would do this to him.  Then along come his friends to offer their counsel (2:11). Their message is basically that Job must have messed up somewhere for God to punish him like this. Job insists, though, that he is a righteous man and without sin. Who is right? Both. Neither.

Job’s friends are godly men, and right in their theology…technically, and as we know from the story, Job is right in believing that he did nothing to earn God’s punishment. Where he’s wrong is in thinking that God has acted unjustly. Job may not deserve punishment, but neither has he done anything to deserve God’s absolute protection. Job’s friends, on the other hand, are wrong to think they can understand God’s will. Just because He has been known to punish sin, that doesn’t mean that every bad event is a punishment.

Job did not follow God because He was so good to him, but because he is God. So should we. When we encounter the inevitability of loss, suffering, difficulties and persecution in our lives, as we certainly will, we must always beware of the friends of Job.  We must seek to enter into a dialog with the Lord.  When the Lord is the center of our life, the main part of our conversation, that is when restoration will begin.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts, we felt the sentence of death.  But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”  Indeed like Job, we in today’s society are under great pressure.  We may even feel as if we ourselves have received a sentence of punishment.  But, when we feel that way, the question is “Who are you relying on, who are your conversations with”?

A Blessing is…

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:28 (MSG) 

What is a blessing? Most dictionaries will define a blessing as follows…a special favor, mercy, or benefit: the blessings of liberty. A favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness. The invoking of God’s favor upon a person: The son was denied his father’s blessing. Praise; devotion; worship, especially grace said before ameal: The children took turns reciting the blessing.

To me that is interesting.  Think of this way.  In the society in which we live we tend to throw the word blessing around quite a bit.  For example we say…”God bless the USA”, “Bless You”, “Have a blessed day!” and the list could go on.

But for you what is a blessing?  Are you seeking one?  Do you hope to receive one?  Join the students of UABC over the course of the next few weeks as we look to define “Blessing”

The Power to Face the Future…

However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth. Exodus 9:16 (HCSB)  

What, if any, situations have happened to you in the past week

_broke up with a boyfriend/girlfriend
_led someone to Christ
_lost in a race
_got caught in a lie
_failed a test
_made straight A’s on my report card
_upset my family
_worried about tomorrow

Something has happened over the past couple of days that have caused you worries and/or headaches.  Why is that?  Why is it that the things that happen cause us stress?  Whether it is in our control or not…we still stress.  It is a common thing, we all do it, but do we really need to?  Why do we worry?  It takes so much energy, so much time, so much effort…would it not be easier if we just choose not to worry?

Think of it this way; Where does worry get ya….

• 10% worry about things that will never happen
• 30%   worry about things about the past that can’t   be changed
• 12% worry about criticism by others, mostly untrue
• 10%   worry about health, which gets worse with   stress
• 8% worry about real problems that will be faced

So with those stats we should realize that it is important to focus on THE FUTURE rather than to dwell on THE PAST! Why worry if things will never change or happen?

Focus?  Focus on what?  Our focus should be on our choices, and the results that will take place. As a part of your “Focus”…plan accordantly.  But be careful, because there is a difference between being “Focused” and “Obsessed”.  It is ok to focus on our future, matter of fact that becomes energy. Our future should drive us, it should excite us!  But if we are not careful it can and will turn into our stressor.  Remember this…worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) 

The Backside of Betrayal…

They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him.  Genesis 37:18 (HCSB) 

It is a classic scenario.  A parent loves one child more than the others, the others get mad, the others want revenge, pain, and hurt place on the favorite child.  That happens today…right?  Well it may not necessarily play out just like that today, however; in our friendship betrayal exists and we often want what someone else has.  Then there are few in this world that will take it to the extreme.

Just the other day here in the Memphis area a teen was shot and killed following a local basketball game over (the rumors say) a “snapback” hat.  As the news reporters scrambled to get the best quotes, and most information we come to find out that it was the young man “friends” that point him out and started the “scuffle” for the hat.  That is right his “friends”!

See in today’s Biblical account we will witness the anger of set of brothers towards one of their own, Joseph, and their plot to kill him.  The question is why is this an important account in God’s story?  What was God’s purpose for Joseph’s life? How did Joseph’s faithfulness allow God to use him?

Then, as we seek the answers about Joseph’s life with might reveal a little light on our own problems and answers.  For example…

• In what ways it is easy to miss God’s work in our circumstances?
• How is God’s love for His people evident through His actions?
• Why is it easier to see God’s hand in our lives as we look to the past?
• Why do we desire to place blame on someone for our circumstances?
• How does it make you feel to know that you or anyone else cannot keep God’s purposes for being accomplished?

Join the students of UABC as we gather for study this coming Sunday morning!