A Cellist in the Tuba Section

Hebrews 2:18  For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. These passages are discussing Jesus: God in the form of a human. God, out of His great love for us, chose to come to earth as a human to save us, and since Jesus walked in human form, He understands what it feels like to face temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), to lose a loved one (John 11:1-44), to be betrayed (John 13:21-30). Jesus relates to the experiences you are going through because He experienced similar things. So, when you feel as though there is absolutely no one who understands, remind yourself that you can always run to Jesus, and He will always understand. An...

When I was in high school, I saw one couple that, whether or not the intentions included "missionary dating", the consequences certainly showed me one reason why evangedating is not the right idea. Lisa* and Peter* (names have been changed) met somewhere, school or a club or something, and started dating. Peter, who was very involved in his church, began to bring Lisa to services with him, and I often saw them in service together with the rest of Peter's family. Lisa started getting really involved, coming to more and more events with Peter, until she wasn't anymore. I found out that Peter had broken things off, telling her that he had started noticing other girls, and he thought it would be best if they took a break. He hadn't cheated on her, and from hearing the story second-hand, I was impressed with his honesty and figured she'd respect such a thing, and they could still be friends.However, that's not how Lisa saw things. She stopped coming to church...

1 Corinthians 7:17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.  (ESV). If you read the blog post  Moving into Ministry , you'll know that each of us has been given different spiritual gifts by God. One of the most difficult things to overcome when it comes to spiritual gifts, and life in general really, is the comparison game. So often we feel like we need to compare ourselves to others. We think things like: He's more spiritual than I am because he can speak in tongues. She's prettier than me because she's got a thigh gap. I'm so much better than her because I don't drink. And on and on and on... Comparison is a trap because it takes our focus off of the unique plan that God created for our lives. That causes several problems: we fail to accomplish things that God wants us to do which makes us feel distant from God. In addition, losing our focus causes us ...

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (ESV). When someone believes in Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in that person, and gives that person their unique set of spiritual gifts. Each follower of Jesus has different sets of spiritual gifts, even though the same Holy Spirit lives in all followers of Jesus. These gifts are given so that we can each use our spiritual gifts to share the good news of Jesus with the world around us. Some examples of spiritual gifts are: healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, encouragement, teaching, evangelism, and many others. God wants us to use these gifts for His purposes of growing his kingdom, not for our own selfish gain. He also doesn't want us to be jealous for the gifts others have ...

Psalm 147:1-3 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (ESV) Have you ever had a day where nothing seemed to go your way? You got tons of homework, your friends ignored you, your crush won't talk to you, you got in a fight with your parents, or your car broke down. Maybe all of the above? When you're in the middle of that kind of day it can be really hard to know what to do. When I have an awful day, I find that I fall into the trap of impatience, and start getting mad that I'm still in a season of singleness, even if the cause of my bad day has nothing to do with relationships. The reason I want a boyfriend on those bad days: I want someone to comfort me. What I have to remember in the middle of a bad day is that I already have a comforter. God is able to comfort us at any time an...

Psalm 77 is a perfect example of how we should react to doubts about God's love, faithfulness, mercy, and all other aspects of God. Asaph is the writer of this psalm and he begins by discussing how he cries out to God and believes that God will hear him. He talks about how often he cries out to God; all day and all night he pleads before God. In verses 7-9 Asaph brings his doubts directly to God. He doesn't beat around the bush. He asks the questions that are weighing him down. And then for the rest of the psalm he sets the perfect example for us. Starting in verse 10 he immediately recounts several of the wonders that God has performed in his life, and several of the ways God has proved himself. He ends the psalm with confidence in God's love and faithfulness. So, the lesson here is that when you have doubts, the most important thing to do is lay them down at the throne of God and leave them there.  Instead of picking them back up, rejoice in God's past mercy and l...

Genesis 6:6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart . (ESV) (I know that that does not sound like an optimistic way to start a devotional, but bear with me for just a moment.) The thing that sticks out to me from this verse is the word "regret". I think so often in our culture, we feel that regrets mean we've done something wrong. But it doesn't. God is perfect, so He never messed up, and yet He is capable of feeling regret. So, regret is not a sin indicator. I think that often the devil uses regret to try to make us turn around, even if we're headed on the right path. For example, let's say you knew that your friends were cheating on a test, so you told the teacher. If they made fun of you or got mad at you later, you might regret your decision to tell the teacher what was going on. That doesn't mean you did the wrong thing--you very much did the right thing by telling your teacher what happened and try...

Job is usually not a favorite book of the Bible for most people because it contains a lot of suffering and loss. However, when God responds to Job, He expresses how much higher He is than we are, and I love reading of His power. Job 38:22-24 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?  (ESV) This passage amazes me (and feel free to check out the rest of Job 38 for more imagery about the power of God). God coordinates so much from His throne. He is in control of the snow and hail falling and light breaking forth upon the earth. It's amazing to think of all that God has to do, and yet He is never too busy to listen to us and speak with us through His Word and His people. Rejoice today that God, who controls the whole world, loves you and invites...

Imagine that you hear about a fall dance at school. A friend tells you that everyone will be dressing up for this dance, so you find a really cute cow costume assuming that she meant it was a Halloween dance. You're dressed up in your cow costume and you get out of the car, and...everyone is wearing dresses and suits. This is a formal dance, and you are standing outside in a cow costume. Imagine how out of place you would look and feel in that situation. Maybe you would wait outside for your mom to pick you back up, or you'd walk home, or maybe you would brave it out and pretend that you're a royal cow. Regardless, there would be no way to hide how out of place you are if you go in to that dance. However, as a Christ follower, the difference between our lives and the lives of people who haven't yet begun a relationship with Christ should be that different. It's important to note: I'm not saying that non-Christians have all the fun while Christians are staunc...

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (ESV) I think so often, we look at this passage and we assume that preaching to all the nations means we need to go to a third-world country somewhere with a rainforest or cannibalistic tribes who need to experience Jesus. However, everyone you interact with needs Jesus, so your mission field right now may be your school, the place where you work, your home, the local library, or even the grocery store. God will open amazing opportunities for you wherever He has placed you in this season. Don't be so caught up with discovering some future mission that you miss the mission He has for you today. And if you don't see results today or next month or in ten years, don't be discouraged. Sometimes we never get to see the fruit...

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV) Deuteronomy 6:5-9 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (ESV) Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT) When I was growing up, I helped with...

Does it ever feel hard not to worry? Is your mind often filled with concerns about grades, relationships, sports, clubs, or other hardships you may be facing? I often struggled in high school with worry, and there are some days where I still worry a lot. However, I have gathered some verses that have been helpful to me in moments of fear, and I hope they will ease your restless soul too. (All of the following verses are from the ESV). Matthew 6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Proverbs 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. Zechariah 9:9-10 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having a salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peac...

It used to rule my life: the desire to be chosen by a guy. To be liked and get flowers and chocolates. To get asked to prom. To feel singled out for affections, chosen in the most glorious way I could imagine. In high school, I would plan outfits to try to catch a guy's attention. I would analyze a guy's actions with my closest friends for days. And it did nothing to fulfill me. It only made me feel like I had wasted a lot of precious time. Looking back, I realize I really did waste a lot of time obsessing over opinions that don't matter. Sometimes it was a teacher who I wanted to impress or someone I wanted to become friends with, but for the most part, it was usually the opinion of a guy I liked that mattered most. The desire to be chosen by a guy doesn't rule my life anymore. There are days when controlling my desire to be chosen is an uphill battle, and days where I lose that uphill battle, but I am no longer consumed every day by the stress of being perfect enoug...

Have you ever been sitting with a group of people and felt like your friends don't know the real you? Sometimes it can be really hard to show people the most authentic version of yourself, and sometimes Satan uses this to gain a foothold in our heads. He whispers, "No one knows the real you. If they knew what you've done, they wouldn't like you." In those moments, it will be very difficult to feel valuable and loved. However, Satan whispers lies. Jesus loves you, and there is no one who can ever know you as deeply as Jesus does. He sees all you've ever done, all you'll ever do, and knowing all there is to know about you, He chose to die for you so that you will have hope for eternity. So do not believe the lie that you have to hide behind a mask. There is someone who sees past all your masks and loves you more deeply and fully than you could ever fathom. Romans 5:6-8  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one ...

My sophomore year I joined the school band as an upright bass player. My first instrument, and the one I have most mastered, is the cello. I had been playing bass for just two months when I started in my school band. Many other band members had been playing their respective instruments since 3rd or 4th grade. I was the newbie and the only classical string player (although there was an electric bass player whose presence I am still grateful for). Being new and strange led me to feel like the other band members didn't like that I had joined the band. This caused me to play very, very quietly. I was terrified of what the other kids would think of my playing. I was particularly worried about upsetting a senior who played tuba, which is the section I was seated in. I felt that she was irritated by my mere presence when in reality she was just very shy which is why she didn't say anything to me. One of my first lessons with the band director, he told me, "You can either have a ...