I will never forget Brianne. Brianne walked in to our youth ministry as a confused, alone 6th grader. She came from a broken family. Had a dad that did drugs and a mom that was always working and wasn't extremely involved in her life. At one point in time her dad was put into jail for selling drugs and her mom moved her boyfriend (which bri didn't like) into their house. And before long they were living each week in a hotel because they didn't have a house.
Bri just wanted someone to follow, someone to show her how to live her life. When she was first given the message of Jesus she ran with it. She gave her whole life to this God who she believed really had an amazing plan for her. She had every reason to give up but she never did. she dove straight in to ministry. She began inviting her friends to church every week. Some weeks she would come in to the church and work for hours on making up invitations for them. Whatever it took to get them there. She worked her butt off. She began living her life for Jesus. She really bought into the fact that He had a plan for her and that he was going to use her to do something big in life. All through jr. high and high school she never allowed herself to get caught up in her own life. She never allowed things to take priority over her relationship with God. She constantly looked for more opportunities to serve him and to minister to her friends. Each week she would make time to come to the church and make phone calls inviting people to church. When she went out with friends it was only once her ministry was done and her work for the Lord at the Church was finished. And even when she was with her friends she was always looking for opportunity to love and serve others. It wasn't long before Bri was in high school and she was helping teach in the jr. high ministry. She began to live her life as a role model for the girls. She poured herself into them, telling them to call her if they needed anyone to talk to. offering them advice from what type of clothes they should wear to what type of friends they should have. Bri lived her life for others. She allowed God to use her and take hold of every part of her life.
Pretty soon Bri was feeling a call from the Lord into full time ministry. She began to preach on Sunday nights in our youth program, she got an internship at the Church and became a huge leader in every way. Now Bri is a beautiful, chrisitan young lady on a scholarship at Christian college majoring in ministry. God has already used her to reach many young people and her future in Him is limitless
Julie came to youth the same day as Bri. She too had issues in her family. Her dad was out of work on disability and her mom had to work a lot. Her older sister was 16 and having her first baby. Soon she would be 18 and pregnant with her second. They struggled to pay their bills each week as most families do.
Julie was presented with the same message of Jesus the same day as Bri. Julie too wanted someone to follow, someone to show her how to live. She wanted this God that was talked about. He sounded like just what she needed. he could probably do big things in her life. So she tried it , she started doing her Bible study, she started writing in her prayer journal, and she started going to youth each Wednesday and Sunday. Through all of this something still seemed like it was missing. Julie still didn't feel quite complete. It wasn't too long before Julie started looking elsewhere for acceptance and satisfaction. She started hanging out with the wrong crowd, doing things she shouldn't do, going places she shouldn't go. She began to drift farther and farther away from the Jesus that she once was so excited about. Julie began to live her life for herself. She wanted to be pretty, she wanted to be popular, she wanted whatever seemed to be the latest and greatest thing. She allowed sports to get in the way of Church always choosing practice over Disicpleship, she allowed being cool to get in the way of doing what pleased God. She began to fight with her mom and dad over the rules they had set in their house - thinking she was big enough to make her own choices. She acted out in school, got caught cheating, lying, you name it she was a part of it. she lived life so that she would have fun and didn't spend too much time thinking about others.
Today Julie is searching. She has graduated high school and knows that there has to be more to life that what she is living right now. She is unsatisfied. no matter what she buys, how many friends she has, or what job she is doing she just feels like something is always missing. Will this ever end? Will she ever feel like enough is enough? Will she ever find joy, peace, acceptance, love? Where did she go wrong? All these questions she asks over and over again in her mind.
So what's the difference? Julie and Bri both come from similar families. They both received the message of Jesus on the same day, at the same time. How could two, young, beautiful girls turn out so different.
Here's the difference -
When Bri gave her life to Christ she gave it to him completely. she handed him everything - her family, her friends, her future, her school, her popularity, her ministry. she said here I am God do with me what you want - I am here for you to use. Take my life. Julie on the other hand gave her life to the Lord saying, Here i am Lord come join me where I am. I am going to keep the same friends but I want you to bless our friendship, I am going to watch and listen to what I want to but I want you to bless me anyway. I am going to follow my own rules but I want you to honor that. I will serve you if you will adapt your life to me. Here I am Lord - join me
God has a plan for us - but we must surrender our lives completely. We must empty ourselves and allow him to fill us up in whatever way he chooses. When we give God this opportunity he promises not only to fill our lives but to overflow our lives. He promises to give us a hope and a future. He promises to give us joy even when we are going through the worst times, He promises never to leave us and always to love us.
Have you joined God today?
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