There are teen moms in your backyard who are desperate for love to walk into their cafeterias, their doctor's appointments, their homes ... their lives. You have the opportunity to help them and to turn their lives around. The Bible says you will reap what you sow. How will you spend what you have sowed? Every encounter is a God-given, opportunity to reap. Do not miss it. God does not give us more than we can handle, but rather a way through our challenges to a victory in Christ Jesus. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Are you in a deep struggle, dealing with grief, loss, rejection? God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of sound mind. He will comfort you and give you strength and guidance. He will help you find your way through dark nights of the soul, and He will turn your grief into joy. You can be a blessing to others. Do not miss out on what God has in store for your life. Have a deepening faith in Jesus Christ and reap in abundance what you sow. You will be judged, but the good that you sow, you will reap. God will not withhold mercy from you because of the difficulty of your past or the sin in your life. He will give you his eyes to see the good in you that you do not see. He will heal you from the wounds of the past, not because of the efforts you've made, but because of Jesus Christ. "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. But there are some who don't respond to them; there are others who respond but don't really listen." (vs 17-20) To those of you who have struggled in your life, let me tell you that God has not given up on you. The Holy Spirit is inside of you and working powerfully on your behalf. He is convicting you of sin, but he is also working on your heart to produce joy in your heart. He is moving in your life to create within you the life you've always longed to have. The only thing you need to do is respond. There are those who are on the outside looking in, who are not living the way God intended for them to live, but there are those who are also on the inside. They are the ones who don't respond, who walk around acting the part, but they're just role players, not making a difference. There are others who respond but don't really listen. They live in a glass house and their house is crumbling down all around them because they're living the way they've always lived, ignoring God and his laws. God will give you his eyes to see the good in you that you do not see. So don't miss out on life. There are people who have no love for God and no love for anyone. They are consumed with themselves and can't understand why others wouldn't be. They find it hard to understand why others would choose to live the life they do. The question is, what motivates you? What brings you joy? How do you define success and fulfillment? What matters to you most? You have within you what you need to be happy, to be content. It is not complicated. God created you for more than your pain and the brokenness of this world. There is more for you to experience and all of it comes from your Father in heaven. I challenge you to find out what He has for you. Reconsider the relationships you have. Remember those whom you love. Seek God's help and listen to his Spirit. This is where your true identity lies. God loves you. He will provide for you. This is why you were made. This is why you are here. Nothing else will satisfy you. It's about him, not about me. "He who has an ear, let him hear." (vs 20-22) Let the Spirit give you eyes to see the good in you. You can hear him as he speaks life into your life. You will be transformed through this Spirit, just as you were born of the Spirit. The Spirit will transform you. It is not about you and your efforts, but about him. Receive the life of the Spirit. It's about him. There is more to life than what's right here, right now, on earth. This life can be very painful and challenging if you let it, but it is also very beautiful and good if you live it. "For as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." You've been called and have been chosen for this purpose. You have the opportunity to do something wonderful. The good that you sow, you will reap. The joy of the Spirit will be your strength and power. You will rise up and serve God. You will respond, knowing you've been chosen and you've been loved. So the word I've called my people to was spoken to them by the Lord, and it was not God who sent me. They have not obeyed me; they have not accepted or listened to me. I told them, "I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death." You, then, O priests, make a gift to your God from a contrite heart; and a contrite spirit pleads for mercy. O God, remember your mercy and your faithfulness to the house of your servant, for you have been good to me and have delivered me from death. (Psalm 51) The question of self-worth and the value of your work is a very important question in our world today. Do you value yourself? Is your worth determined by your level of education, success in your career or salary? How are you or your work measured? In this world, we are taught, "How you look and how well you do are the basis of your self-worth." The Bible teaches a different way of life. "A good tree can produce good fruit; an evil tree cannot produce good fruit. A good tree can only produce good fruit, but an evil tree can only produce evil fruit." (vs 11-12) You are a product of the type of person who raised you. As you raise your children, so shall your children become. "Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and be careful to do what is right in the sight of everyone." (vs 13) When you raise your children, be careful not to only focus on your children and their education. When they leave home for the first time, they will find a world in which they will be measured by your teaching and the values that they absorb and carry into the world. When you raise your children, do not just raise them to be intelligent and successful, but raise them to be godly. When you raise your children to do what is right, they will seek out God. They will listen to him. They will see him. God created your children. He will fulfill their purpose. God's plan for them has already been set out. Each one of us has a specific calling and mission that God has assigned to us by which we were created, set apart and marked out to accomplish. Remember your Creator and live your life in light of God's plan for your life. "Wealth and riches are in the house of the Lord, but the needy will not lack any good thing." (vs 14) Don't let money dominate your life. Let it flow through you, to others, for the benefit of others. Money, fame and fortune will not bring you lasting satisfaction. They will create a desire for more. Wealth cannot fill the void. It cannot satisfy our soul. It is temporary. The more money we make and acquire, the less satisfied we are. But the more we give, the more we receive. The joy of others brings happiness. Happiness and fulfillment come from being in God's will and serving God. "He will fill your need from his riches in glory; to God, our Savior, who gives us life and breath, and keeps us alive, he will give us a long life." (vs 16) Your soul will be filled through God's power and not your own. He will transform your life. He will not let you go, but will give you what you need to accomplish your purpose on earth. God will take your life and transform it, giving you a purpose to fulfill his good purpose. You'll see the purpose through this relationship with God. He is faithful and can't let you down. He will raise you up when you are down. He will help you when you need it. He will give you hope when all seems hopeless. He will lift you up when you feel down. He will give you strength when you feel weak. You can walk in his confidence. You have no cause to fear the Lord's will for your life. "Remember your Creator before all else and have reverence for the glory of God in your soul." (vs 20) Do not be arrogant. Don't be in a hurry. Be humble and reverent. It is by God's grace alone that we stand upright in our lives. We need God's love to help us and guide us. We need God to fill us with his love and power so that our eyes can see through our weakness and darkness into the light of God's love and glory. Then we will have the desire to live and to do and to speak his