Raising the Bar
Recently in our teen Bible study, we have been going through the book, "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris. This past week we discussed how teenagers must rise above the low expectations set on them and live a life of impact-really doing something for God. Well, I won't give it all away. I'll let one of the teens tell it like she sees it. This is what she has to say as a result of last week's Bible study. "Pride is a disease. Although it is eating away at every one of us, many don't do anything about it. Scoring the winning basket, getting 100% on a test, or leading a worship service in your church; they are seen as great accomplishments in today's society, but we never really stop to ask why. Why are these great accomplishments? Because people around you tell you that they are. I mean, if we're not out drinking, smoking, or partying, we must be on the right track...right? We let peoples' opinions of our so-called accomplishments boost our egos. After all, isn't our highest standard in this world NOT drinking and NOT smoking? Personally, I would rather be known for what I do, then what I don't do. I want to strive for perfection in His eyes, but His standard is extremely high. His desire is for us to try our hardest to achieve it. So just NOT doing things is enough to exceed the world's standards, but we still fall short of God's standards. See how pride winds its way into this? We get caught up in the world's values, and we see God's standards as completely unreachable and unfathomable. We give up and accept the world's standard as the norm. As long as we avoid some of the things that typical teenagers are doing today, then we are praised for it. This is where pride is slowly consuming our life. In Psalm 1:1-2 it shows us that we cannot just refrain from doing the wrong things. Rather, we must rebel against those things while striving to do the complete opposite. We will only be blessed, says the psalmist, when we delight in following God's standard. In 1 Timothy 4:12 it tells us that we can't let people look down on us because we are teenagers. However, in today's world, that's what people do because they see us as lazy, inconsiderate, disrespectful kids! In addition to refraining from evil and wicked things, we must actively pursue godly actions, speech, purity, and conduct. This is why I cannot be impressed with myself; for no matter what I do, I am still unholy, impure, and miss the mark. This is why I am living for Him. He see's me as beautiful, His creation. He knows that on this earth, I will not be completely like Him, but He fully expects me to grow closer to His image-to conform to His standard. And He has promised to help me along the way. This is why I must exceed the low expectations set on me as a teenager, because God requires it of me." -Amanda Swink Well said, Amanda. Are you satisfied with being a "good" teenager? Are you happy with just refraining from evil things? Well, let us be reminded of the potential that is packed inside of each one of us. God expects us to refrain from evil, but He also expects us to rely on Him to unleash our full potential for Him. What are you actively doing for Him? Are you being a good steward of your God-given talents and abilities? "Lord, help us all to answer these questions honestly and to listen to Your voice that prompts us day-by-day to strive for holiness in every area of our lives."
