CentriKid

Devotion

Remember God’s Call in your Life

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Psalm 37:4  (HCSB)
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.
This Psalm is titled “Instruction for Wisdom” and in the context surrounding verse 4, it has some warnings about distraction by evildoers.  It also has great guidance for us about seeking to follow the Lord with our heart and actions:
  • “trust in the Lord and do what is good”
  • “commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will act.”
  • “Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him”
Verse 4 indicates that our greatest delight comes in Him.   So our greatest gift, the place we are most likely to find our passion in ministry is in His calling.  I know that many times I struggle with what I’m supposed to be “doing” for God that sometimes I miss out on what I should “be.”  This chapter includes a lot of “being” words that are not specific actions … words like trust, commit, be silent, wait, and take delight.
From this posture, we are able to take action, but I think our actions must be guided by what we are called to “be” in order for our “doing” to be on the right course.  Never forget God’s call in your life is where we take the greatest delight.
  1.  We are called to live for Christ as a child of God.
  2. We are called to Kingdom work.  This means we work in such a way that honors God and makes the gospel known.
  3. And for many of us, we also serve in a specific ministry calling that uses our vocational labor to daily serve in a church or ministry role.
Today, find an opportunity to reflect on God’s call in your life, and spend a moment thanking God and praising Him for your relationship with Christ, the work of the gospel in your own heart, and the opportunity we have to share Christ with others in word and in our actions.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  Colossians 3:17 (HCSB)

The Need for Rest

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We all share a need for rest. Rest is important to physical health and wellbeing, but it is also quite essential to spiritual health. In fact, the theme of rest is prevalent throughout Scripture.

Even from the beginning pages of God’s word, the importance and need for rest is clear. The very structure of the creation narrative helps highlight this significance. On days 1–3, God creates a different realm or domain of creation, and on days 4–6, He creates the solar objects and living beings to fill and live in those realms, respectively.

Day 1: Day and night ————- Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars
Day 2: Water and sky ———— Day 5: Fish, sea creatures, and birds
Day 3: Land and vegetation —– Day 6: Land animals, creatures, and humans

Structurally, all these days pair together, leaving day 7—the day when God rested—as the emphasis of the text. In this special moment at the beginning of time, all of God’s good creation lay before His presence in a state of rest.

Sadly, because of sin, the perfect rest Adam and Eve enjoyed with God in the garden was destroyed. The good new, though, is that Jesus offers the opportunity to enjoy that rest once again.

Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28–30

As you continue on your spiritual journey, be sure to take time to rest physically, but also find opportunities to enjoy spiritual rest. Sit in His good, sweet presence, and praise Him for the opportunity to be known as a son or daughter of God.

Looking for an opportunity to retreat? We design KMC to be transformational experience with great worship, inspirational messages, practical workshops, lots of laughter, and a ton of fun! You are sure to leave refreshed and refueled. Join us at Music City Center in Nashville, TN, October 19–21.

When All we Have to Offer are Fish and Loaves

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Sometimes life can get overwhelming. Camp is here and it is easy to look at to-do lists and wonder how everything will get done. The truth is that we will not be able to do any of our tasks in our own strength. But that does not stop us from trying.

In scripture when Jesus fed the multitude the disciples did not know how five loaves and two fish could feed so many people. In John 6:9 Andrew says to Jesus, “but what are they for so many?” The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was about to do. They could only see what was in front of them. As humans, we use logic and knowledge from past experiences, and these men knew that the fish and loaves that were available would never be able to feed thousands of people. That is where the power of Christ comes in.

Verse 11 says “Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated—so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.” As much as they wanted! Jesus did not provide just enough, he provided beyond what was necessary. Twelve baskets of left over pieces from the two fish and five loaves. The disciples did not think that the small amount of food would be able to do anything for the situation at hand. But the truth is, not only did it solve the dilemma, it was more than enough than was needed!

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.”

As we allow Christ to work in our lives this summer, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish. We may only have a small amount of fish and loaves to offer, but Christ will honor and multiply our offerings. He will go above and beyond anything that we could ever imagine.

Guest Blog by Eric Geiger: Idols

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We live in an idol driven culture. Idolatry came with the entrance of sin. In fact, Martin Luther said, “Under every behavioral sin is the sin of idolatry.” If this is true, and I believe it is, this should forever change how we look at sin. Recently, at Lifeway’s Employee Chapel I had the privilege to talk about four root idols.

Christian leaders Tim Keller, David Powlison, and Dick Keyes have written much more extensively and eloquently on the idols beneath the surface, but here is a snapshot of four root idols that drive our behavior:

  • Power: a longing for influence or recognition
  • Control: a longing to have everything go according to my plan
  • Comfort: a longing for pleasure
  • Approval: a longing to be accepted or desired

Which of these idols resonates with you? Mentally walk through a day as a kids minister. Inevitably, you struggle with these four idols yourself, and you will work with kids and volunteers who struggle with these idols too. It is a universal human experience that we must learn to address and for which we need to seek repentance.

I do not repent of my idolatry by looking at myself in the mirror and telling myself I can displace it with my own energy, might, or goodness. I repent by remembering the Great God who is above all gods. We can repent of our longing for:

  • Power by submitting to His greater power within me [Ephesians 5:18]
  • Control by surrendering to His ultimate control [Ecclesiastes 3:12-14]
  • Comfort by remembering He is the greater comfort [II Corinthians 1:3-4]
  • Approval by rejoicing in His gracious approval [Galatians 3:13; Numbers 6:24-26]

I hope this challenges you personally and in your ministry. I encourage you to teach your kids what it means to struggle with these root idols. They too can learn to practice repentance from idols by focusing on the worthiness of God.

About the Guest Blogger:

Eric Geiger received his doctorate in leadership and church ministry from Southern Seminary. He is also a teaching pastor and a frequent speaker and consultant on church mission and strategy. Eric has authored or co-authored several books including the best selling church leadership book, Simple Church.

Eric is married to Kaye, and they have two daughters: Eden and Evie. During his free time, Eric enjoys dating his wife, playing with his daughters, and shooting basketball.

Helping Preteens Grow Spiritually

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We think there are very few things as important as spending time in God’s word. This is important for adults, and it is equally important for kids. In fact, we will be talking about these spiritual practices this year during FIT: Faith in Training. Every day at CentriKid, we provide campers with a “Time Alone with God” devotion. This a time for kids to break away from others and spend time alone praying and reading scripture. We also send each camper home with a CentriKid devotional which includes 4 weeks of devotions after camp to follow up what God has taught them at CentriKid.

Kids should not just have devotions while at camp or during the weeks following camp. Kids should make quiet time a focus all year long. We are blessed to be able to be apart of Lifeway Kids, who provides really great devotionals for preteens ages 10 and up to use every day of the year: Bible Express! Here’s what you can expect:

What To Expect With Bible Express

  • Designed for preteens (5th & 6th graders).
  • Builds discipline of a daily time with God.
  • Helps develop Christian values

What Preteens Will Like About Bible Express

  • Separate devotions for boys and girls
  • Interactive activities
  • Cool articles and fun facts

In fact, our CentriKid Office Team members Collin, Isaac, and myself are writers for Bible Express! I remember using Bible Express devotions when I was kid, and I am now excited to be writing devotions for other kids and helping preteens grow spiritually.

Check out Bible Express and how you can get a free sample by following this link!

Also, check out my older post about Explaining Quiet Time to Kids!