Tonight, I'm off to the Island. I've got my t-shirt, capris, flip-flops and lei packed and ready to go. I'm ready to leave cold, snowy Halifax and enter the tropical paradise of sunshine, cloudless blue skies, and coloured flowers. This Island has the most beautiful location, too! It's just steps down from Gospel Light Baptist Church's foyer in the lovely and comfortable basement. Because the island I'm going to is Outrigger Island, where the kids of Kid's Club come to learn how to live God's unshakable truth!
No, I'm not going to a real island. Just a church basement, decorated like a tropical island for our latest theme, decked out with bright posters, tiki torches, and flowers. It was only last week that we first came to the Island. You see, every month or so we switch themes in Kid's Club. We redecorate the basement with posters and themed decorations, change all the music to our new theme, make crafts that correspond with the new theme, and even learn new truths about God based on this new theme! So, tonight we sail to Outrigger Island: Where We Live God's Unshakable Truth!
As I lead music for Kid's Club, I've been singing a lot of Outrigger Island songs lately. So, I've been rolling around its main line a lot: living God's unshakable truth. I've even asked myself a few times, What does it mean to live God's unshakable truth? I think I've finally figured it out, and I want to share this important truth with you.
The first part of living God's unshakable truth is to understand what that truth is. To answer it simply, it's His Word. When Jesus was praying His high priestly prayer in John 17, He said to the Father, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17) As one Outrigger Island song testifies, "The Word is perfect truth ... unshakable, unbreakable Word of God."
The second part is to recognize God's truth as unshakable, thus recognizing God as unshakable. The author of Hebrews skillfully outlines what this means - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) God never changes. So, that means His truth never changes. Also, in Numbers 23:19, we read that "God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind. Does he speak and not act or promise and not fulfill?" The answer to that latter question is, of course, no. God is not a fickle human who writes down His Word and then changes His mind about it. He never changes. His perfect character is absolutely unchangeable.
And the last part is to live God's unshakable truth. We can read through the Bible a hundred times without actually living it. We can read "Love your neighbour as your yourself" 1,000 times while still hating our neighbour. We must read the Word and then apply it to our lives, thus living the unshakable truth of God's Word.
So, as I slip on my lei and head to Outrigger Island tonight to share these truths with a great group of kids, I hope that I'll keep in mind what it means to truly live God's unshakable truth. And, as this fantastic theme has so graciously reminded me of these truths, I hope they have reminded and encouraged you! So, aloha, friends, until I return from Outrigger Island!
No, I'm not going to a real island. Just a church basement, decorated like a tropical island for our latest theme, decked out with bright posters, tiki torches, and flowers. It was only last week that we first came to the Island. You see, every month or so we switch themes in Kid's Club. We redecorate the basement with posters and themed decorations, change all the music to our new theme, make crafts that correspond with the new theme, and even learn new truths about God based on this new theme! So, tonight we sail to Outrigger Island: Where We Live God's Unshakable Truth!
As I lead music for Kid's Club, I've been singing a lot of Outrigger Island songs lately. So, I've been rolling around its main line a lot: living God's unshakable truth. I've even asked myself a few times, What does it mean to live God's unshakable truth? I think I've finally figured it out, and I want to share this important truth with you.
The first part of living God's unshakable truth is to understand what that truth is. To answer it simply, it's His Word. When Jesus was praying His high priestly prayer in John 17, He said to the Father, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17) As one Outrigger Island song testifies, "The Word is perfect truth ... unshakable, unbreakable Word of God."
The second part is to recognize God's truth as unshakable, thus recognizing God as unshakable. The author of Hebrews skillfully outlines what this means - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) God never changes. So, that means His truth never changes. Also, in Numbers 23:19, we read that "God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind. Does he speak and not act or promise and not fulfill?" The answer to that latter question is, of course, no. God is not a fickle human who writes down His Word and then changes His mind about it. He never changes. His perfect character is absolutely unchangeable.
And the last part is to live God's unshakable truth. We can read through the Bible a hundred times without actually living it. We can read "Love your neighbour as your yourself" 1,000 times while still hating our neighbour. We must read the Word and then apply it to our lives, thus living the unshakable truth of God's Word.
So, as I slip on my lei and head to Outrigger Island tonight to share these truths with a great group of kids, I hope that I'll keep in mind what it means to truly live God's unshakable truth. And, as this fantastic theme has so graciously reminded me of these truths, I hope they have reminded and encouraged you! So, aloha, friends, until I return from Outrigger Island!