by Heidi Borden

Sometimes it is said: "The end justifies the means."  Is that really ever true?  There are certainly plenty of movies that glamorize doing something wrong in order to be heroic.  I suppose it could be somewhat explainable if someone was "just trying to do the right thing" and messed up a bit in the process.  But is it ever right to do wrong?  Better yet, is it necessary?

What about a case like Adolph Hitler, committing violent acts of genocide to achieve a result that he thought was right?  Movies can make certain acts of crime and disobedience look fine, but obviously Hitler's was not fine.  One might argue, "Well, sometimes there are good motives for unlawful acts, but Hitler had bad motives!  Some people want to help others, while Hitler just wanted to glorify himself and his people."  If the end really justifies the means, then let's consider, if the means is actually bad-maybe, despite looking good-the end is bad as well!

When you think about it, someone typically gets hurt in wrongdoing, despite the occasional, illusory "positive" results.  It could be someone who sees wrongdoing made light of and feels less guilty to do wrong themselves.  It could be the lowering of the standard that tempts people to condone it or act it out or do even greater wrongs to accomplish something good.  Once you've started, where does it end?

As Christians, we should be turning to the Bible for the answers to every value, philosophy, or standard.  The good thing is God is a God of order.  He does not bring confusion.  Not only that, but God's Word also makes it clear that it is so important for us as to be above and beyond reproach, giving no one a reason to question God's power in our lives.  God has called us according to Philippians 2:15 to "become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation..."  That sounds a lot like doing right all the time, no matter the desired end.

 by Randi Bouck

Meet Joe. Joe's a pretty normal American teenager. He just finished up his junior year a couple of weeks ago, and now he'll be a senior in a few months. Joe goes to church (mostly) every Sunday and Wednesday, but that's about the extent of his Christianity. He mostly forgets about it and parties with his friends the rest of the week. He's got some sort of a foggy idea that someday "later" he'll take God seriously. But heck, he's a teenager! And everybody knows that the teen years are a kid's best chance to live it up.

Not. Our teenage years are one of the most critical battlefields of our entire lives. The sad part of Joe's story is that statistics prove all too well that if he doesn't take God seriously by the time he turns eighteen, he never will. And worse: statistics say Joe won't take God seriously by the time he's eighteen.

We can't put off following God! When we put off God in favor of living for the fun of teenage-hood, we begin to slide down a dangerous slope. Where does it end? The longer we wait to take God seriously, the farther we slide and the steeper the slope gets. If we don't determine to live powerful, Spirit-filled lives now, what are the chances that we ever will?

God says through Paul in 2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

by Randi Bouck

Let's face it; we've all done some pretty stupid things at some time in our lives.  I remember one time, many years ago (thank goodness), when I was on a school field trip, and I thought I saw my cousin Daniel (much younger then) ahead of me.  In my defense, this little guy was wearing the same jacket as Daniel was that day.  Well, what could I be expected to do besides run up from behind and give him a giant, friendly, you're-my-cousin slap?  That didn't go over very well.  It wasn't Daniel.  And I felt stupid, stupid, stupid.

There are plenty of things that we could consider stupid.  But the Bible says something very specific about stupidity: "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid" (Proverbs 12:1).  I can't put it much more plainly than that.  To hate correction is stupid.

But what are we constantly, mercilessly taught through movies, TV, magazines, and books?  To hate the correction coming from our parents, our teachers, and our leaders.  Doesn't it follow, then, that our present pop culture is literally indoctrinating stupidity into us as teenagers?  That's not cool.  I don't want God to consider me, according to His standards, stupid.

Everybody knows that receiving correction doesn't feel good, but correction is for our health and life and well-being, and without it, we would ruin our lives.  Believe it or not, it is proof of God's love for us, according to Proverbs 3:11,12:  "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  If God didn't care about us, He would let us fall into sin, despair, and death.

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).  Correction isn't pleasant, but we shouldn't despise it.  In fact, we should really appreciate it, even when it is difficult to receive.  It's a vital part of life, and of our walk with God, and if we are willing, we will benefit from it.  And if we're not willing-according to Proverbs, we're stupid.

by Daniel Borden

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).  God has called His children to go and preach the good news to the lost, so that if they believe, they will become His children, too.  Thousands of people have tried to find the ultimate way to accomplish this.  In many parts of the world, a popular method is to be a friend to the unsaved, show them that Christians are not “weird,” and then tell them that God loves them.  Good.  Unfortunately, people have begun to believe that if you tell someone the straightforward Gospel message, it will be too harsh and irrelevant.  The thinking is that if you get involved doing the same things the unsaved do, you will be more relevant to them.  Thus—the theory follows—once you are relevant, the unsaved will listen to you.

I have thought about this belief and have talked about it with many of my spiritual leaders.  I have begun to realize that involvement is not necessarily “relevant”… or right.  II Corinthians 6:17 says, “Come out from among them [unbelievers] and be separate, says the Lord.”  God also said to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  In Jude verse 23, we are commanded to “save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”  Bringing the Truth—proclaiming the Gospel—in word and deed appears to be the most relevant approach of all, scripturally.  If we try to become something that true believers are not intended to be in order to save the lost, then the lost will learn a false Christianity.  However, if unsaved people see true believers hating the sin but boldly loving them enough to snatch them out of the fire, they will receive the true Gospel!  Thus, we will have obeyed God’s command and become truly relevant.

by Daniel Borden

“I am a friend of God!” we sing.  “I believe in Jesus… He’s my Bud…” some of my teenage peers will claim.  “I go to church and hang with my friends… I’m good with God!”  Are you!

I have been to youth camps and conventions and have seen this attitude displayed frequently.  Jesus said, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.  Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing…’” (Revelation 3:15-17).

Many youth believe they are on fire for God and they’re gonna change the world!  But I have seen these same youth in everyday life, and though they believe they are good with God and even a godly example for their “unsaved” friends, their actions often don’t match up.  “Every tree is known by its fruit” (Luke 6:44).  Does it make sense for a “godly young man” to be flirting with every cute girl he comes across or to regularly be watching highly provocative movies?  Not hardly! Should Christian girls reciprocate or should they live on the edge of Christianity where they are barely distinguishable from unbelievers?  I don’t think so!  Yet, we who do similar things consider ourselves “good.”  Just like those spoken of in Revelation 3:14-20, most of us youth think we are rich and wealthy and well-clothed spiritually.  However, the passage says—perhaps directly to us—that we don’t know just how wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked we really are spiritually, in which case God advises us to buy from Him “gold refined in the fire,” that we may be “rich,” and “white garments,” that we may be “clothed,” and “salve for our eyes,” that we may see!

God loves the youth of today so much, for He tells us, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).  Let us have ears to hear the Lord’s loving rebuke, and let us truly and zealously repent!  The fruit of true repentance and the associated blessings will follow.

 

by Daniel Borden

Why do pastors seem to constantly struggle to get their congregations moving?  I asked myself this after talking with my youth pastor about the service we had just finished.  He had been doing everything he could to have a Spirit-filled meeting—praying, teaching, rebuking, encouraging, etc.  The service was pretty good and in the end, we felt like there might have been a little breakthrough.  But not big breakthrough, so I knew that the struggle would continue for our youth pastor.
 
Then I wondered why this same struggle was present so frequently.  I began to think about scriptures and remembered the role of the pastor (overseer) according to Acts 20: 28.  They are the “shepherds” of the “flock.”  When a shepherd calls his flock to follow him to a certain place, he naturally expects the flock to go there with him.  It would be dangerous and even disastrous for sheep to not go where their beloved shepherd leads them.  But we the “flock” do this all the time!  The shepherd may know that the flock would starve in their current setting, or that they would thrive if they moved to a new location, or that a pack of wolves are coming for food.  It made me realize that pastors should be frustrated with their congregations for the same reason that a shepherd would be frustrated with his flock.
 
If a shepherd calls his flock to cross a field, the flock will have to walk across it to get to the other side.  If a pastor calls his church one Sunday service to a certain place spiritually (across a spiritual battlefield, for instance), unless they get to the other side during the week, they won’t be there when Sunday service comes around again.  This may sound extremely obvious, but for some reason it seems like most of us don’t get to the other side.  Matthew 12: 35 says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”  What we do during the week will determine what we will “bring forth” at church services.  If we never praise God in private, how are we supposed to suddenly do it during church services?  We cannot expect to stand in one place all week and then leap to the new place in an hour or so at church!
 
To the pastors of the church, please keep shepherding the flock… we need you!  To the flock, let’s go!

by Daniel Borden

“Dear Lord, this year you took my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze. You took my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett. You took my favorite singer, Michael Jackson.  I just wanted to let you know, my favorite president is OBAMA.” Author Unknown
 
When you read statements like that, you’ll either laugh or cringe at our present national condition.  Some folks may wish for what’s implied in the quote to happen.  You may believe that you’re not that extreme, but still… you probably wish Obama would fail in all he does and lose horribly in the next election.  That is natural—for the person of the flesh.
 
But the Holy Spirit in those who are saved calls for a different attitude.  Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 both describe the way believers should treat authority.  The Bible teaches that we should submit to and honor the governing authorities.  We should do good and not rebel… even in our hearts.  Also, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 commands “that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,  for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”  The apostle Paul wrote that while Nero was the authority—the very one who was trying to destroy Paul and all other believers!  We can see that, no matter how evil an authority may be, we must pray with all respect and honor for that authority.
 
The fact is, Obama is President.  Whether we believe what he believes or not does not change the biblical directive.  We should not mock him even if we feel a sense of disrespect toward him, but do our best to respect his office and to “be” respectful while still promoting what we believe.  After all, how can we expect God to bless our own lives if we hope the worst for President Obama!

written by Heidi Borden

Recently, I've realized just how much my senior year in high school isn't what I expected.  For the past few years, I've allowed myself to paint a dreamy, unrealistic picture in my mind.  My senior year would encompass lots of fun activities, some college prep, of course the regular academics and music, and hopefully a few other fun things.  Of course, I was sure all of this would be enjoyable for me; so I felt ready for it.  What I didn't realize was the danger of setting my expectations so rigidly, especially in a world full of variables. 

 First off, my senior year has been so overloaded with school, extra music practice and college prep that I feel like I am out of control!  And because of everything that is piled on my plate, I've also started worrying a lot.  Yes, I've been a worry-wart, and I regret to say that I've been somewhat of a sore thumb to my family, too.  It seems like I've said "we're blown out!" in so many different ways that I've really had a deteriorating effect.  On top of that, I haven't wanted to take the counsel of my parents to stop worrying and trust God with what I can't control.  Needless to say, I've made it really hard to enjoy my senior year because the expectations I had set weren't coming to pass.

Well, I've been learning lately that when the Holy Spirit lives inside you, it's impossible to remain in sin and enjoy yourself.  Finally, I decided I was tired of having a pessimistic attitude, and since then, God's been reminding me of things that have helped a lot!  The other day, He guided me to Hebrews 11.  I began reading about the heroes of the faith like Noah, who believed God's Word and built an ark even when the whole world made fun of him.  And like Enoch, who was so surrendered and close to God that he didn't even die but was raptured into heaven.  Then there's Abraham, who waited forever before he received the son that the Lord had promised him.

I couldn't help but wonder what linked these men together-what gave them such great faith?  Suddenly, I realized that they all had their expectations in heaven.  Verses 13 and 16 say, "All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth... they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one."

My mind traveled back to a sermon Dad had preached a long time ago about being heavenly-minded.  We should care more about the things in heaven than the things of this earth.  Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).  If we care about our own little kingdoms so much, we're sure to be disappointed.  But if we have our thoughts and expectations in heaven first and foremost, we'll find fulfillment in an everlasting reward!

I've found that surrendering my senior year to God and focusing on His kingdom-the heavenly one-will help me to be content and enjoy this last year of high school for what it is.  If my expectations are in heaven, I can walk by faith and be free from worry-for my short life in this imperfect world is nothing compared to the eternal life in the perfect world above!

written by Heidi Borden

"Follow your heart"-it's the theme of almost every Disney movie, the motto of the largest doll factory in America, the reason for Hannah Montana's insane popularity, and the hook for hundreds of musical hits.  Granted, it's been said in different ways: "Follow your inner star" or "Follow your dream" or "Be happy being you!"  But overall, it's the same message... and it's everywhere.  I find it interesting how almost every movie or book about following your heart succeeds.  Where are the stories about people that follow their heart and don't succeed?

Now, don't get me wrong-I'm not trying to be the antagonist, and I enjoy listening to music or watching movies about living your dream and all that stuff.  But something's wrong when you hear all the good stories without the bad.  What about the thousands of teenagers that followed their hearts right into pornography, fornication, alcohol and drug addictions, and even suicide?

Genesis 8:21 says that every inclination of our hearts is evil.  If we follow our hearts, we're in dangerous territory!  We're likely to create and experience suffering.  As a matter of fact, Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned, and Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death.  And since Jeremiah says the heart is deceitfully and desperately wicked, following your heart will naturally lead to sin, which then leads to death!

Of course, the answer for all of this is found in the most quoted Scripture of all time, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life"  (John 3:16).  Only when we believe in Jesus, the Son of God, can we can be secure.  I don't know about anybody else, but following Jesus straight into heaven sounds a lot better than following my heart into hell. 

 

by Heidi Borden

It was all building up-the school load, music practice, chores, college deadlines, responsibilities... more and more responsibilities.  My life was a giant bulletin board overcrowded with flyers of events and to-do lists that seemed impossible to complete.  The smallest thing had gone wrong-my Grammar quiz score was not as high as I wanted-but I was blown out.  There I was, pathetic as all get out, speaking every single negative thought that came to my mind, with my puzzled older brother as my audience.

If there's anything I've learned about walking with God, it's not to go by my feelings.  But this time, of all times, I really wanted to go by my feelings.  Sure, I knew that I was ignoring Proverbs 18:21, which says that powers of life and death are in the tongue.  I also knew that it wasn't very Christ-like to throw a massive pity-party, especially in front of my older brother.  But I was tired, and I'd been working hard.  Didn't I deserve a break?  Couldn't I give myself some attention for once?  I didn't feel like doing the right thing!

Somehow, I don't think Jesus felt like being tortured and killed so that He could save the world either.  In reality, Jesus asked His Father if there was any possible way that He the whole thing could have been avoided.  When there was no other way for our salvation, He went to the death.

This reminds me of what Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me (Matthew 16:24)."  James 1:12 says, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life..."  If I had chosen the harder way sooner, I could have avoided needless suffering and regrets.

My older brother and my parents lovingly helped me by reminding me of what it really means to have Jesus living inside me.  It means that in my weakest moments, when I sin or when things go wrong, and when I don't have the will-power or strength to pick myself up again, Jesus still has all power.  And because He's living inside me, He can give me the power to do what's right, even when imperfect, little ol' me doesn't feel like it.  I'm so glad for this promise He gave us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)."