YS Student Newsletter

You may have seen previous youth specialties newsletters on Kevin's blog if you read it. You can subscribe to it yourself if you want to. Here is the most recent YS student newsletter:


YS Student Newsletter #388
April 6th, 2009

Contents
1. Something for Your Heart
2. Surf Report
3. Forgettable Fact
4. Potent Quotables
5. Uh, That's Funny?

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Competitive Christians?

"Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.' " (Luke 19:24-26)

How seriously do you take the idea that there will be rewards in heaven for those who have served Christ well during this life? Does it motivate you to try harder? Does it ignite your competitive spirit? Does it make you willing to sacrifice more, to get up earlier, to dig deeper?

We're not talking about your salvation here, necessarily. However, this servant's inaction could have been the result of not really believing the king would return. In Matthew's version of a similar story, the inactive servant is thrown out of the kingdom. But many immature believers also seem to have decided that since works can't save us, God doesn't care about works.

That could not be more wrong. God created good works for us to do before we were ever saved. Paul describes his whole life as a kind of fierce competition to serve God faithfully for which he would be rewarded. And Jesus' story here strongly suggests that some will receive more than others for their effective work for Him.

Think: How are you investing your life, the one He gave you?

Pray: Thank God that He rewards those who serve Him. Ask Him to help you to be motivated by that in the best possible way.

Do: Make a quick list of the top 3 rewards you've earned so far in your life. Think about what makes those rewards valuable to you.
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A Daily Devotional from PlanetWisdom.com, copyright 2009 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission.

2. SURF REPORT

- The Audacity of Hope Book Review
It is possible to debate President Obama's politics all day, and it is clear that we at PlanetWisdom are in strong disagreement with some of President Obama's policies, most notably his pro-abortion stance. However, President Obama's political campaign was based on finding commonality instead of criticizing differences, and so we will try to do the same.
http://www.planetwisdom.com/books/reviews/audacityofhope.php

~ The Haunting in Connecticut Review
"Some things cannot be explained." Such is the tagline for "The Haunting in Connecticut," complete with a claim to be based on true events and a Discovery channel documentary on the incident.
http://www.planetwisdom.com/movies/hauntinginconnecticut.php
3. FORGETTABLE FACT

By feeding hens certain dyes they can be made to lay eggs with multi-colored yolks.

4. POTENT QUOTABLES

"The price of greatness is responsibility."
~ Winston Churchill

"Teachers: two kinds: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move and the kind that just give you a little prod from behind and you jump to the skies."
~ Robert Frost
5. UH, THAT'S FUNNY?

A magician was driving down the road, then he turned into a driveway.