Work diligently at whatever your job is – work for the Lord, not others.

Slaves, obey your human masters in everything, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but in simplicity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the Inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality.

Colossians 3:22-25 NAB

Read “Off and Running” on page 258 of your SRT New Testament.

You have a unique purpose in this life – God has a plan for you that is totally different from anyone else’s plan. Odds are that plan has something to do with work. That’s why it’s important to work as if you are working for God…because you are! Treat whatever task is in front of you as if God personally asked you to do it. Maybe your primary “job” right now is school. It might seem pointless sometimes, but without a good education, you’ll struggle to fulfill God’s plan for you later in life.

You don’t have to change the world by being the first person to travel beyond the solar system or by being a minister at a church that reaches thousands. You can serve your Creator even in your own backyard. The next time you are doing something small, do it cheerfully and for the Lord. Believe it or not, you can honor God by willingly taking out the trash or not putting off your homework.  Be a good witness through the smallest task or conversation, provided your heart is in the right place.

How can you perform a daily task in a way that honors God?

      Write out your goals for the next five years.

How does God fit in?

Sometimes I’d rather be normal

Follow the crowd, get a job, and sleep at night

And fulfill the stipulations of the world I just can’t get around

But success in this life and in life will never be one and the same

– Something Like Real

Paul (previously called Saul) explains to King Agrippa how he came to believe in Christ. 

“I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many of the believers in Jerusalem to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. Many times I had them whipped in the synagogues to try to get them to curse Christ. I was so violently opposed to them that I even hounded them in distant cities of foreign lands.

“One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. About noon, Your Majesty, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to fight against my will.’”

Acts 26:9-14 NLT

Read “First Steps” on page 171 of your SRT New Testament.

Everyone has a unique testimony. Telling someone who doesn’t know Christ about your walk with God is a great way to start a conversation about Christ. Your story is just as important as Paul’s testimony! The experiences that have shaped you are meant to be shared. God has the amazing ability to use some of the most painful situations for his good. Don’t be surprised if the opportunity arises for God to use a trial that you are going through right now to strengthen or encourage someone down the road. Take this opportunity for reflection so you’ll be ready when you have the opportunity to share.

Briefly write out the highlights of your faith journey. Describe when you first learned about and believed in Christ? How has Christ changed your life?  

Treat each other with love and keep your language clean.

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

1 Peter 3:8-12 ESV

Read “Off and Running” on pages 308-309 of your SRT New Testament.

Imagine that someone you love has been on a long trip. Maybe your dad is in the military and has been serving overseas. You get to talk to him on the phone and by e-mail, but it’s not the same…and you haven’t seen him in more than two years. Even though he’s been away for so long, you know how much he loves you and you can’t wait to see him again.

At last, you’re at the airport, waiting to see your dad come off of the plane. As he rounds the corner with a smile on his face, he drops his bags to give you the biggest hug of your life. How happy would you be? As happy as you are to be reunited with your dad, you’ll be even happier when you see God face-to-face for the first time in heaven.

God has blessed you with an incredible gift – an eternal life filled with true joy. With God, you’ve found the most lasting source of joy and love! When he scoops you into his arms and hugs you, you will know that nothing in this world can compare to the love of your Father.

When are you the happiest?

      Do you ever search for joy in places other than Christ? Why or why not?

Why is it dangerous to search for happiness through physical sources, such as sex?

Thank you for the gift of joy!

Help me to open my heart

To let you completely in.

40:  The Reason

God had a plan for us since the beginning of time.

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 

Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV

Read “Cornerstones” on page 240 of your SRT New Testament.

Why did you decide to commit to abstinence before marriage and sexual purity? Maybe it was because of the negative consequences of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, having an unplanned pregnancy, experiencing emotional pain, etc. Or maybe it was because of the benefits, including being able to give your future wife/husband your virginity and not having to compare your spouse to anyone. But the most important reason to stay sexually pure is because it is part of God’s will for you!

God has an amazing plan for your life! He knew you before you were even born, and he had a plan for you before you were conceived. His master plan includes the relationships in your life – if you are meant for marriage, he has a spouse waiting for you. If you are meant for single life, there’s a reason…you weren’t just overlooked or forgotten. Through all of your trials, temptations, and  shortcomings, God will always love you! While he will never abandon you, you will experience the most happiness and find the most peace when you are following his plan for your life.

Reflect on your faith and resolve to stay sexually abstinent since you made the decision. How has it changed? What struggles have you faced? What has helped you stay pure?

Did any of the verses, reflections, or questions remind you of something going on in your life? If so, what?

What thoughts do you have about what you have studied so far?