Wednesday, August 2, 2006

The Devotional

I’m working on a devotional for the youth group, well for me too… it’s on purity. Not just purity in a ‘no sex before marriage’ kind of way, but in a lifestyle way; in a Christian living sort of way.

These are some of the scriptures I’ve found, and quotes that seem to set a standard.

What are your thoughts on the scriptures below??



Philippians 4:8
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 and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things.

Ephesians 4:17,18 –
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

Romans 12:2 –
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.


“Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny!”
~Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. “An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire ‘BE’ series”–Jkt. (Php 4:8). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

Romans 3:13-15 -
13"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."[a]
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."[b]
14"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."[c]
15"Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Ephesians 4:29-30 -
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

6 comments:

  1. That last one really got me - right through the heart. That double edged sword is sharp. I work in a place where there is a lot of swearing and filthy language and for some reason I seem to pick it up, like I feel ok saying it because they are. But I shouldn't be! Not only that but my talk is often times NOT helpful for building others up, and is, sadly, the opposite in a lot of cases. I really needed to hear this verse again Shan, thanks for sharing! It will be a great devotional for the teens.

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  2. That's cool... yeah, the one about meditating on things that are pure got me..

    I hope that they get it... like it... and don't think I'm an idiot

    :D

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  3. yo,

    here's my thought... all those verses work great and have impact, I always find that picking one passage can be more effective than several, because it keeps the talk focused. and then if they're interested in more you can point them to the rest.

    usually you can find dozens of verses on any given topic, and it's not that using all of them is bad, it's just that sometimes when someone is new to the Bible a dozen verses can be a little overwhelming...

    just a thought! I think you'll be fantabulous.

    have a lovely day.

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  4. I agree that focusing on one or two verses is a good idea. I've often found, through studying my Bible, that you can find much in just one verse. So, consequently, several verses may turn out as overkill.

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  5. Ok So I guess you all think i'm using them all at once -- so this is a multi week thing... I like you all though,,,

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  6. ah, that's cool. I always preferred doing one topic over a period of time... more multi-dimensional that way.

    and I have no phone for now. but if you need to call just leave a message and I'll be able to check it.

    ciao!

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