Greg titled this session "In Search of You." He began by asking the teens "If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?" He then went on to say that many teens (and people) would probably think of some physical change that they would like to change. He continued by saying "When we are focused on our physical we allow small groups of individuals to have a great deal of control over us." He gave the example marketing. What is "in" one week will probably be "out" next week. We allow advertisers to dictate to us what is fashionable and what isn't. If we follow what these people say we give them control of our lives. A truth that we all need to learn is that fulfillment doesn't come from the outside.
Romans 12:2 says that we are to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind." In other words, fulfillment (change/transformation) begins from the inside. It begins when we find and accept truth. There are four truths about a person that once they are accepted will transform their lives.
1) What you look like on the outside is not what is most important. (1 Sam 16:7). God does not look at what man looks at. The world looks at the outside appearance, but God looks at the heart. When it comes right down to it, what God sees is the only thing that matters because in reality the world doesn't really have a standard of what is beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This is a side note. Something he said that I thought was great was that because beauty is in the eye of the beholder what one person thinks is beautiful is not what another person thinks is. In other words, there is a person out there who will see you as one of the most beautiful creations of God even though the "world" says otherwise. I think that if our teens could get that through their heads things might shape up.
Greg reminded us that Jesus himself was not a looker (Isaiah 53:2). The man who was God in the flesh could have came down as the most hansom person in the world and yet He chose to come in a form that "would not draw man unto him." Greg thinks that the reason He did this was to give us the message that God is more concerned about the outside then the inside.
2) God wants you to be beautiful on the inside. (I Samuel 16:7). Again, the Lord does not look at the same things as the world does. He looks inside of us. There are two ways to become beautiful on the inside. First, draw near to God. Let God change you on the inside. Second, talk about the pain and problems. Greg didn't say this part but I am assuming that this is what he meant. When a person holds the pain and problems inside it is pretty much a guarantee that they will become a very bitter individual. Bitterness is an ugliness we can all do without.
3) God was actively involved in your creation. (Psalm 119:73) God doesn't make junk. He doesn't make mistakes. To be upset with the way we look is to insult the Creator. God has created each one of us uniquely and special.
4) Jesus died for you! (Roman 5:8). The very fact that Jesus died for us tells us that we have worth. If we really want to live legendary lives we need to see ourselves through the eyes of God. We have infinite worth and infinite value.
Romans 12:2 says that we are to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind." In other words, fulfillment (change/transformation) begins from the inside. It begins when we find and accept truth. There are four truths about a person that once they are accepted will transform their lives.
1) What you look like on the outside is not what is most important. (1 Sam 16:7). God does not look at what man looks at. The world looks at the outside appearance, but God looks at the heart. When it comes right down to it, what God sees is the only thing that matters because in reality the world doesn't really have a standard of what is beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This is a side note. Something he said that I thought was great was that because beauty is in the eye of the beholder what one person thinks is beautiful is not what another person thinks is. In other words, there is a person out there who will see you as one of the most beautiful creations of God even though the "world" says otherwise. I think that if our teens could get that through their heads things might shape up.
Greg reminded us that Jesus himself was not a looker (Isaiah 53:2). The man who was God in the flesh could have came down as the most hansom person in the world and yet He chose to come in a form that "would not draw man unto him." Greg thinks that the reason He did this was to give us the message that God is more concerned about the outside then the inside.
2) God wants you to be beautiful on the inside. (I Samuel 16:7). Again, the Lord does not look at the same things as the world does. He looks inside of us. There are two ways to become beautiful on the inside. First, draw near to God. Let God change you on the inside. Second, talk about the pain and problems. Greg didn't say this part but I am assuming that this is what he meant. When a person holds the pain and problems inside it is pretty much a guarantee that they will become a very bitter individual. Bitterness is an ugliness we can all do without.
3) God was actively involved in your creation. (Psalm 119:73) God doesn't make junk. He doesn't make mistakes. To be upset with the way we look is to insult the Creator. God has created each one of us uniquely and special.
4) Jesus died for you! (Roman 5:8). The very fact that Jesus died for us tells us that we have worth. If we really want to live legendary lives we need to see ourselves through the eyes of God. We have infinite worth and infinite value.
No comments:
Post a Comment