Anything Short of Sin | Crosstraining 3.31.15

Mark 2:1-5 Chances are, we’ve all been told “if it was easy, everyone would do it” a time or two in our life. You’ve experienced this first had if you’ve ever gotten a great opportunity that you couldn’t pass up even though you knew it would be alot of work. Our greatest opportunities often come with the greatest amount of responsibilities. Even though it will be tough, we know that, in the end, it will all be worth it. Whether it’s school sports, a job opportunity, or some sort of relationship, many good things in life come from sticking it out long enough to get the payoff when everything is on the line. This same idea holds true when it comes to the good news that God cares for us. When I first started attending C3, I was blown away by the outreaches our church did. With just four or five dozen people in attendance, the people of the church were doing awesome giveaways for the community. One of the first things I remember after I started coming was the first Thanksgiving dinner giveaway where they gave many families a great holiday dinner. It took alot of time and energy to serve others in that way, but I was drawn to a group of people who allowed their faith to cause them to do so much to serve the community. God calls those who follow Him to serve others and show them that God cares for them in practical ways. Those of us who claim Jesus as our Savior have an awesome opportunity to share God’s love with the world. With that opportunity comes a great responsibility. Whether that’s through serving at church, reaching out through outreach projects, or even just inviting someone to come to church with us, it’s on us to point people to the fact that God loves and cares about them. Because of that, we should do anything short of sin to reach people who are far from God. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:

1. What was the best part of your day?
2. What was the toughest part of your day?
3. Where did you mess up today?
4. Where did you see God today?

Reflect: Would you describe yourself as someone who will do anything short of sin to reach people with the news that God cares about them? If not, what causes you to hold back? If so, what is God prompting you to do for someone else to share God’s love for them? Pray: In your prayer time today, pray about who God would want you to invite to church with you this Easter. Take a few minutes and ask God to help you invite them. READ THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT: Today’s Reading: Galatians 5]]>