Rick Henderson

If and Then

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 3:1-4 (day seven)

For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you. vs 2

This passage leads us to infer that if you follow God’s commandments, then you will live a long and peaceful life. What if my life has never been peaceful? What if a perceived Godly person dies at a young age? What then do we do with this passage? Were we not following his commandments well enough? This passage of scripture is not a true “if then” statement. What it is trying to convey is the life you are given is made much more complete when you do it the Lord’s way. His commandments are there for our benefit, to get us in the right direction. The problem arises when we think we have it all figured out. Proverbs 14:12 will tell us “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” When we try to do this life our way, it always ends unpeacefully, but if we do it God’s way, then we will have a peace in the midst of the storms.

God Gives Wisdom

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 2:1-15 (day seven)

For the Lord gives wisdom. vs 6

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5 (ESV)

We have a group of 12 teenagers and 4 adults in Brooklyn, New York serving the Borough Church (Pastor Zach Van Veldhuizen). We are putting on a Disciple Now (similar to our Freedom Weekend) for this growing church plant in anticipation that this will springboard their youth ministry program. The most beautiful part of this weekend is the work that our teenagers are doing. Our 17-18 year old “kids” are the primary teachers in the Bible Study/Small Group time. The wisdom that these students are displaying is makes it abundantly clear that wisdom is not determined by age or by having a certain degree, but wisdom is a gift given by God. James tells us that all we have to do is ask, and God will generously give you His wisdom. He doesn’t ask for credentials. He generously gives! Do you feel like you lack wisdom? Me too. Let’s ask together!

Also, pray for continued wisdom for us as we serve the city of New York as well as the other groups from our church in Kenya and at home doing community missions.

Knowledge and Wisdom

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day seven)

Wisdom and knowledge are not interchangeable. It is completely common to see individuals who have plenty of knowledge but lack wisdom. It is also possible to have immense wisdom and not be highly educated. Why is this? Wisdom is the right use of knowledge in your everyday life. Wisdom is not a given because you are intellectual. Wisdom shows you have put in the effort to truly know who gave you the knowledge in the first place. When your relationship with the Lord is intimate, you will find that it becomes easier to apply the knowledge you have gained to the situations that arise (wisdom). The Holy Spirit becomes a part of you, guiding you, leading you, to move step in step with Him. Those steps are always wise, always smart. If the beginning of knowledge is fearing God, the beginning of wisdom is knowing God.

Authority

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:24-29 (day seven)

When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching;for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Vs 28-29

In July 2019 we took the Youth Choir Tour to Washington D.C. It is customary to treat the Seniors to a nice dinner for their last hoorah in the youth group. That year we took them to the Capital Grille on Pennsylvania Avenue. The moment we walked in the door, it was clear there was power in the room. As we sat down we quickly realized that in every corner of the room was a different U.S. Senator, including Texas’ own Ted Cruz. All eyes followed them as they would get up from their table and work the room. Their authority was captivating.

If these politicians could command this type of attention, can you imagine what listening to Jesus must have been like? Jesus made the politicians of His time seem powerless with the authority in which He spoke and carried himself, but that’s not even the coolest part. Check out what Jesus says in Matthew 28:

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples.

Jesus had real authority and He still does. Yet, He chooses to share that authority with you to equip you to do His work here on earth. That is the point of the Sermon on the Mount. You have been given authority and direction. Now, will you help Him bring the Kingdom of God to your world today? Will you get up from the table and work the room?

Freedom Weekend

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day seven)

Thank you for praying for Freedom Weekend. We truly felt the power of your prayers through the week and into the last several days. On Friday night the speaker, Laine Melikian (FBC Marble Falls), challenged our students to identify the things that hold them back from living for God. We find healing in confession and repentance of these things. Then on Saturday he brought it back up again by pointing out that we repetitively come to points in our life, such as a freedom weekend, where we find ourselves in the same state of confessional repentance, but the repentance should be meant to remove something from our life in order to make room for God to work. What are the good things that God wants to do in your life now? Not a point in the future, but right now! How will you let the Kingdom of Heaven overlap with your life today so that you can join in God’s good work today?

Does this challenge you? I know our students were challenged! Pray with me as students continue to process what this means for them and what next steps God is calling them to take!

The Narrow Path

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:13-14 (day seven)

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Every day we are presented with an opportunity to help guide people down the narrow path to eternity. Yet, there are pinnacle moments that help us become intentional this endeavor. One such moment for our Youth Family is Freedom Weekend. This next week over 100 students will gather together to worship King Jesus. They will be immersed in the Word of God though Bible Study and teaching. They will find Holy Fellowship spending the entire weekend together as they retreat from their normal pattern of life. This retreat is an opportunity for us to show them the narrow path that leads to life.

Will you pray for our students who will be attending? Will you pray for students who haven’t signed up that need to find the right path? Will you pray for the homes and hosts where the students will be retreating? Will you pray for the speakers and leaders who will show the path to these students?

Lord, let us see revival. Let us see hearts be made new. Let us see students turn from the wide path and commit their life to walk the narrow one that leads to you! Amen!

Just Knock

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:7-11 (day seven)

Knock, and it will be opened to you.

God has not provided a salvation which can only be understood by learned men […] it is intended for the ignorant, the short-witted, and the dying, as well as for others, and hence it must be as plain as knocking at a door. – Spurgeon

Just Knock! Anyone can do it. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to be a minister or have a degree from a seminary. You don’t even have to know what you are going to say. God just wants you to come as you are and knock at His door. Your willingness to seek His company is enough for Him to bring you in and give you a seat at His table. At the table, you will find what you need was already plated in front of you before you sat down, for He knows what you need before you ask (Matt 6:8). No matter how beat up or how unworthy you feel, He will always come to let you in. So Just Knock!

Pigs and Pearls

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:1-6, 12 (day seven)

Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. vs 6

What an odd verse to follow an iconic illustration. So much so, that this verse gets lost. Who else felt like you had never really studied this part of the passage? Same here! So, who are the dogs? Who are the pigs, and what are the pearls? Because this verse is not as cut and dry as the speck and log, there are lots of interpretations, but I would say we can make an educated guess here in light of some context.

Pearls are valuable. What is the most valuable thing we can give to others? The Gospel! Yes, we are not supposed to judge others (speck and log), but God has given us the Holy Spirit to know when it is time to move along. When our attempts to help change the lives of others are met with continual dismissal, sometimes the best thing to do is to move on to the next person. If your pearls are not appreciated, it is okay to find the place where God will put them on display for others to truly see!

Get to Work

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:25-34 (day seven)

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Matt 6:26

The birds are fed, but do they just sit there and wait for their food to come to them? Maybe just after they are born when they are dependent on their mother, but as they mature, they must work and search for their food. Similarly, you cannot just sit back and wait for God to provide for your every need. He expects you to work. He expects you to search.

Worry and anxiety are heightened by idleness.

The more you sit and wait, the more opportunity you have to doubt and second guess. If you want to be fed (physically and spiritually), you need to get up and get to work. The search will make the feeding more rewarding.

Life is the Treasure

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:19-24 (day seven)

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. vs 20

Let’s take a little different spin on this. If our earthly possessions can be stolen or destroyed, what is it that is stored that can’t be stolen? Maybe John 10:10 gives us a clue:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Life. Life is the treasure that can’t be stolen. The promise that Jesus offers in both of these passages is not that if we do everything correctly here on earth we will be blessed today, rather that through Him and Him alone can we find purpose, belonging, and identity. The promise is that even if things get stolen from us on earth, we will always belong to Him, and there is nothing (no one) that can take that away. Our life is His for eternity!