Get the appJosh McDowell's Youth DevotionsSample
HE-MAN AND YOU.
The trademark line of the superhero He-Man is "I have the power!" and is delivered as he raises his broadsword above his head.
Of course, people never asked He-Man, "You have the power to do what?" He had big muscles, so they probably were afraid he'd beat them up. But it's a fair question, not just for He-Man, but for you as well.
How would you complete He-Man's statement for yourself? See which of the following statements you believe are true:
I have the power to
stand on my head.
eat whatever I want.
leap tall buildings in a single bound.
count to one hundred.
snap my fingers.
make the right choices all the time.
fly.
lift five hundred pounds over my head.
get good grades in school.
hold my breath for sixty seconds.
dump a bucket of mud and earthworms on my sister's bed.
Which ones do you think are not possible? (If you said you had the power to lift five hundred pounds, write to the International Olympic Committee right now!)
What was your response to the statement "I have the power to make right choices all the time?" Can you do that?
Actually, none of us can honestly check that statement. None of us has the power to make right choices all the time because each of us is sinful. We may want to do good. We may even try to do good. But the secret of doing good and making right choices isn't in trying-it's in trusting God's power.
The key, then, to living a life of obedience to God's commands is knowing God, staying as close to him as you can (through prayer, worship, and Bible reading, for example), then day by day (even moment by moment) trusting him to help you make right choices. And one of those right choices would be deciding not to dump a bucket of mud and earthworms in your sister's bed. (Just in case you were thinking about it!)
REFLECT: Do you think you can trust someone you don't know? How can you get to know God better so you can trust him more? Do you have the power to make right choices all the time? Who does have that power? How can you use that power?
ACT: Every time you turn a light or appliance on today, try to remember where your power to make right choices comes from.
PRAY: "God, I trust you for the power to help me do the right thing today and every day."
The trademark line of the superhero He-Man is "I have the power!" and is delivered as he raises his broadsword above his head.
Of course, people never asked He-Man, "You have the power to do what?" He had big muscles, so they probably were afraid he'd beat them up. But it's a fair question, not just for He-Man, but for you as well.
How would you complete He-Man's statement for yourself? See which of the following statements you believe are true:
I have the power to
stand on my head.
eat whatever I want.
leap tall buildings in a single bound.
count to one hundred.
snap my fingers.
make the right choices all the time.
fly.
lift five hundred pounds over my head.
get good grades in school.
hold my breath for sixty seconds.
dump a bucket of mud and earthworms on my sister's bed.
Which ones do you think are not possible? (If you said you had the power to lift five hundred pounds, write to the International Olympic Committee right now!)
What was your response to the statement "I have the power to make right choices all the time?" Can you do that?
Actually, none of us can honestly check that statement. None of us has the power to make right choices all the time because each of us is sinful. We may want to do good. We may even try to do good. But the secret of doing good and making right choices isn't in trying-it's in trusting God's power.
The key, then, to living a life of obedience to God's commands is knowing God, staying as close to him as you can (through prayer, worship, and Bible reading, for example), then day by day (even moment by moment) trusting him to help you make right choices. And one of those right choices would be deciding not to dump a bucket of mud and earthworms in your sister's bed. (Just in case you were thinking about it!)
REFLECT: Do you think you can trust someone you don't know? How can you get to know God better so you can trust him more? Do you have the power to make right choices all the time? Who does have that power? How can you use that power?
ACT: Every time you turn a light or appliance on today, try to remember where your power to make right choices comes from.
PRAY: "God, I trust you for the power to help me do the right thing today and every day."
Scripture
About this Plan
Written for teenagers to use in their daily quiet time readings, this plan will make them laugh or cry. Some are fiction, some are stranger than fiction, but each will help you discover how to make right choices in the everyday ups and downs of life. Josh McDowell's Youth Devotions is a daily adventure in making right choices.
More
© 2011 Josh McDowell Ministry. All rights reserved. No part of these Materials may be changed in any way or reproduced in any form without written permission from Josh McDowell Ministry, 2001 W Plano Pkwy, Ste. 2400, Plano, TX 75075. www.josh.org. +1 972 907 1000. Used by Permission.
