Dear Friends,
Beginning today I will be sending a short devotion, geared to teenagers, each day.
Below is one of them—the first one. If you want to be added to the list of recipients please let know. Greg is trying to create an “app” for these daily devotions as well.
Please pray that what He might give me the right words to put down each day!
I am, of course, open to any suggestions/ideas you might want to share.
He knows what you need…. “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:16-17, NIV) If you’re trying to find that “something” that you think will make you whole and happy, please hear this: God knows what you need more than you do. Regardless of what your friends, teachers, heroes or even wise professionals say, God knows the deepest yearnings and greatest hopes within your soul—far more precisely than you or anyone else ever will. He wants to give you desires and your heart and allow your spirit to be at peace—right now. As much as you might think you know what’s best for you, you don’t—He does. You might have made some good choices, and enjoyed some pretty cool things so far in your life, but it pales in comparison to what He has chosen to give you and what He can provide for you. Some folks have it in their mind that God is some sort of “supreme being” that’s always making sure people are not having a good time. But that’s nonsense—it’s just what the enemy would have you believe. It’s a lie—don’t be fooled. The One who imagined, designed and formed you in your mother’s womb, knows everything about you (and He still loves you!) did not create you to make you miserable. God is the only Being in the universe that really knows what makes you “tick”, what makes you happy and what puts you to rest, etc. But He also knows what is toxic and unsustainable for the purpose and life you have been created to enjoy. What the enemy (Satan) offers you is a cheap substitute of what your soul is truly seeking, his suggestions are synthetic, short-lived and pathetically shoddy! We’re promised by God the best our minds can imagine—in fact more than we can imagine! But we have to trust Him, obey Him and allow Him to bring about those good things you want, His way. It requires surrendering your life to Him and giving up your ways. Are you up for it? Do you trust your Creator, or the contradictory counsel of the mortal, fallen creatures that He created? Think about it for a moment: If everything the media, experts, teachers, movie-stars, pro athletes and leaders of the world offer, always leave you somehow wanting more, maybe it’s because you were not created to be satisfied with those things. If, like me, you are starting to believe, more and more, that you don’t belong here, perhaps it’s because He created you for something far better. He loves you—He always has. Let Him be your all-in-all.
Warmly,
Dean Barley
1945 Vineyard Road
Westfield, NC 27053
336 351 2070
www.vineyardcamp.com
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