Scriptures: Genesis 3:9, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalms 51:4, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23

Good Side/Bad Side 

The Lord God called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?” 

Genesis 3:9 (CEV) 

Maybe you don’t feel like you are all that bad. Maybe you don’t care what anyone thinks, you’re just going to do what you want. Or maybe, you’re so ashamed and drowning in guilt, you don’t think anyone can help you. There are a lot of ways people try to ignore their sins and hide from God. 

In the book of Genesis, we find the truth of what our Creator God says about our sin. When God first made Adam and Eve, he proclaimed them good. But because God wanted people to have freedom, he gave them the ability to choose between good and evil, otherwise known as free will. Chapter 3 reveals that the first humans chose to disobey God, to sin. That choice opened the door to evil, and the struggle to obey God began. 

But God didn’t just let people go their own way. He didn’t give up on us and leave us to destruction. Instead, he called to Adam, wanting him to confess his sin. And throughout the Bible, God worked his plan to bring people out of hiding from their sin and into confession. Through Jesus, God made a way to bring humanity back to a relationship with him with a plan of forgiveness and justice. 

Hiding from God doesn’t deal with our sin. The only way to truly take care of it is to confess it to God, ask for his forgiveness, and rely on God’s help to obey his words. God continues to call you. Will you turn to him? 

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

So, where are you right now? Are you hiding from God? Spend some time thinking it through with the Lord today. 

INSPIRATION 

“The voice of sin is loud, but the voice of forgiveness is louder.” 

—Dwight L. Moody, Evangelist founder of Moody Bible College in the 1800s 

Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 28:9, Joshua 24:20, Psalms 40:16, Matthew 22:36-37, John 4:23-24

First Things First 

Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done. He knows all your thoughts and your reasons for doing things, and so if you turn to him, he will hear your prayers. But if you ignore him, he will reject you forever. 

1 Chronicles 28:9 (CEV) 

The leaders assembled. The beloved, old king presided on his throne, but it was clear King David didn’t have much longer to live. He spoke to the people, then turned to his son. What instructions would he leave on how to run a country? 

“Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done.” 

King David had established a nation’s security and prosperity. He had conquered enemy after enemy. He had enjoyed success on all sides. And his advice to his son was to worship God—exactly what David had done. He loved and served the Lord faithfully. He worshiped God with his whole body and whole heart, completely unconcerned about what others thought. 

To give honor to someone else is unusual for kings. And today, when it has become the norm for people to feel like we are the kings of our own lives, it sounds crazy. We are told that the secrets to success are wrapped up in self, leading us to become self-absorbed and selfish. But David tells us to recognize God for who he is… and give him all our worship. 

If you do that, David says God will hear your prayers. And if the King of the Universe hears you, he will answer you and be with you always! 

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Worship is having complete devotion to God. How can you devote yourself to him this week? Jot down some ideas in a journal or on some paper. Then ask God to help you completely devote yourself to him this week! 

INSPIRATION 

“Christian worship is the most momentous, most urgent, most glorious action that can take place in human life.” 

—Karl Barth, Swiss theologian and a leader of the Confessing Church in Germany which opposed Nazism 

Scriptures: Amos 4:13, 1 Chronicles 16:14, Psalms 65:5-7, Acts 17:30-31, 2 Timothy 4:1

Brave Words 

I created the mountains and the wind. I let humans know what I am thinking. I bring darkness at dawn and step over hills. I am the Lord God All-Powerful! 

Amos 4:13 (CEV) 

Amos was a shepherd whom God instructed to speak on his behalf to the people. Every one of the Israelites must have been confused, perhaps even Amos, that God would choose someone who wasn’t a priest, or even a leader of any kind, for this task. 

Through Amos, God accused the nation of Israel of terrible sins. They had forgotten who God is, what he expected, and what he could do. Because they ignored him, they were looking out only for themselves. They abused the poor. Their religion was just ritual without heart. They cheated, took bribes, and were unjust. They followed their leaders into all kinds of evil. 

God would not ignore this. He would not let them continue to hurt others, and themselves, because he loved them too much. He sent Amos to warn them, and then he carried through with his punishment. 

Amos’s message still rings true for us today. When we don’t put God first in our lives—when we don’t worship him with all our heart—we quickly sink into all kinds of sinful behaviors that hurt ourselves and others. We need to keep ourselves in check, and, when God asks us to, we need to be ready to speak out against the evils of our day. We need to love others by redirecting them from a destructive path. 

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Think of a time when you acted selfishly recently. How would you have behaved differently had you taken time to reflect on God’s Word and on his love for you? On some paper, draw a symbol representing a part of today’s verse and place it where it will remind you of God’s power and love. 

INSPIRATION 

“Deliver me, O Lord, from that evil man, myself.” 

—Thomas Brooks, Puritan preacher and author in the 1600s 

Scriptures: Exodus 33:15, Psalms 89:15, Psalms 139:3-5, Matthew 28:20, 2 Thessalonians 1:9

Dream Turned Dead End 

Then Moses replied, “If you aren’t going with us, please don’t make us leave this place…” 

Exodus 33:15 (CEV) 

Where will you go? As graduation looms closer, it becomes a constant question. 

Moses and the Israelites celebrated leaving slavery in Egypt to go to the land God had promised them—a safe place with plenty of food where they could own their own homes and live free. 

But the Israelites disobeyed God on the way. They committed the ultimate betrayal of worshipping another god (a golden statue of a calf). God told Moses to go on without him. But even with amazing promises of good land, Moses didn’t want to go without God. He reminded God they were his people and that he had called Moses his friend. 

God didn’t need the reminder, but perhaps Moses did. And the people needed to decide they wanted God more than anything else. 

When it’s finally your turn to pick where you will live and what you do, maybe you’ll start planning to live out your biggest dreams. Or maybe you’ll have no idea what’s ahead. You’re going to have to decide for yourself which is better: your idea of what’s great, or God himself. Wherever the road leads you, being without God can turn even your biggest dreams into dead ends. But being with him can make the worst situations turn into the best experiences. Choose God first and let him show you! 

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Making decisions can be difficult. Knowing what God wants you to do doesn’t have to be, though. Think through God’s plan with these questions: 

• Am I willing to do whatever God asks?
• Have I prayed about it?
• What advice do my mentors give me?
• Where has God opened doors?
• Did God give me this desire?
• What Bible verses give me advice about this decision?

INSPIRATION 

“You find that the things you let go of while following Jesus were the things that were going to destroy you in the end.” 

—Francis Chan, American pastor and author in California 

Scriptures: Joshua 2:9, Joshua 2:11, Joshua 6:22-23, Psalms 20:7-8, Hebrews 11:31, James 2:24-25

Harlot to Heroine 

I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. We know that the Lord your God rules heaven and earth, and we’ve lost our courage and our will to fight. 

Joshua 2:9, 11 (CEV) 

A prostitute from an enemy country. Not the best credentials for starting a new life. But Rahab made a critical decision to jump on God’s side, and it saved her. 

It all happened when God was bringing his people into a land where they could live and worship him in peace. Together,, they would clear out their enemies as they conquered section by section. When they neared the city of Jericho, God’s appointed leader, Joshua, sent spies to explore the place that God had said was so filled with sin it had to be completely destroyed. 

But the spies were noticed, and the authorities came looking for them. They ducked into Rahab the harlot’s home, forcing her hand. She knew an all-powerful God was with the invaders, so she risked everything and chose to trust him. She hid them, lied to her authorities, and helped them escape. Because of this, they promised she and her family would be saved. 

Rahab’s actions and her faith in a God she didn’t know changed the course of her life. She and her family became God-followers, and she became part of the lineage of Jesus. 

People are never too far gone to follow God. He pursues the furthest outcast who desires a new life in him. Sometimes, to live a godly life, we have to go against everyone around us, but faith in God and actions to serve him will be rewarded. 

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Do you feel too far gone sometimes? Do you ever feel like you’re too sinful to be close to God? Tell God your desires and see how he saves you. Doodle in a journal or some paper any prayers or thoughts that come to your mind and heart as you spend quiet time with the Lord this week. 

INSPIRATION 

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because he loves us.” 

—C.S. Lewis, British author and professor 

Scriptures: Jonah 4:11, Exodus 34:6-7, Psalms 145:8-9, Luke 6:36, Ephesians 2:4-5

Concerned with Repentance 

In that city of Nineveh there are more than 120,000 people who cannot tell right from wrong, and many cattle are also there. Don’t you think I should be concerned about that big city? 

Jonah 4:11 (CEV) 

When pop culture portrays God, we often see two stereotypes: a harsh, angry God that can never be satisfied, or a soft, loving one who forgives everything. 

Who is the real God? 

In the book of Jonah, we get a clearer picture. God speaks to Jonah, a prophet in Israel living among God’s chosen people, and tells him to give the people of Nineveh a message. But Jonah disobeyed. The problem in Jonah’s eyes was that they were Israel’s enemies—wicked people whom Jonah would rather see punished for their many sins. 

Jonah tries to run away from the task, but God convinces him to do it. (Think boat in a big storm, Jonah tossed overboard, swallowed by a huge fish.) Jonah obediently preaches about God’s coming wrath. The people of Nineveh repent and God forgives. But then, rather than rejoicing over God’s grace, Jonah gets angry. 

We’re left with God’s haunting question to Jonah, “Don’t you think I should be concerned about them?” It hangs there still for us to consider. 

So, we see here a very involved God: one who sees the sins of many, and the heart of one. We see a just God who will not let evil continue forever. He wants everyone to repent. And we see a compassionate God who sends a storm, a big fish, and a preacher to save a city and to pursue the stubborn, unrepentant heart. 

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Although the book of Jonah deals with serious themes, it’s written in a humorous way, dripping with irony. Try reading it aloud this week! Jot down what stands out to you. 

INSPIRATION 

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” 

—C.S. Lewis, British professor in the mid-1900s and author of the Narnia series