5 Sep, 2006

It's back to school time!

Do you have a teachable attitude?

How about five of David Letterman's Top Ten Signs Of A Kid Having A Bad First Day At School?

....Already voted "Least Likely to Succeed."

....Lunch was whatever he could scrape off the bottom of his desk.

....His school bus driver made him ride on the outside of the bus.

....Got tackled twice in gym class--three times in algebra class.

....You know the kid everyone picks on? He got picked on by that kid.

photo courtesy images.google.com & text cbs.com/latenight

John 3:1-7

You Must Be Born Again

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (ESV)

What does today's God's Story teach us about being teachable?

Nicodemus was a Pharisee. Jesus often went after this group of religious leaders because they rejected the truth of His message and led the Jewish people away from His good news of forgiveness. Nic was probably nervous about what his peers would think if they knew he was hanging out with Jesus. So he went searching for Jesus after dark, because he believed that Jesus had the answers to his questions.

Nic (at nite) was very intelligent and well educated, but he went to Jesus to be taught. He was teachable. That's the great lesson in today's God's Story.

Are you teachable? Do you go to Jesus with an open mind and heart so that His Spirit can teach you the Truth about God's Story?

After Nic learned the Truth, he became a follower of Jesus. No more sneeking around in the dark! Nic became a bold spokesperson for Christ! (See John 7:50-51.)

You might say that Nic had a really good first day at Jesus' school!

How can we connect today's God's Story to our lives?

  • Be honest. Are you teachable? God already knows the answer to this question. Do you?
  • Pray right now.....Thank God for His Truth. His Truth is absolute and never changes! Ask Jesus to give you a teachable attitude so that you might learn God's Truths and grow to become more and more like Christ.
  • Write down a list of questions you have about God's Story and abiding in Christ. Keep it handy and keep digging in the Word until you discover Jesus' answers. Go to your youth leader or pastor or another follower of Jesus for help. (Do this during the day, because they need to sleep at night!)
  • Be like Nic - speak up for Christ and share His Story and your story. God will use you to help answer to the questions that others have about His Truth.
  • Read the rest of the story about Nic in John 3:1-21.

How can you connect today's story, God's Story and your story to others?

  • Since today is probably the first day of school for most of you, ask Jesus to give you a teachable attitude toward God and toward others in your school. Remember that others will be more willing to learn about God's Story if they see that there's something positive about your story.
  • Use the start of the new school year as a conversation starter to learn more about the stories of others around you. You can start with simple questions about what they like and don't like and then you can probe deeper with questions about their feelings, their fears, their need for help in some way....
  • Use David Letterman's (five of the Top Ten) as a humorous way to find out some signs that your friends really are having a bad day at school.
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God's Story is brought to you by Youth for Christ. YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been with YFC for over 30 years and has served as Campus Life Staff, in leadership for DCLA, and as an author and speaker. Byron is available for speaking at youth or adult events and conferences. For booking, write to byron@3Story.org.

Byron and his wife Linda live in Minnesota and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, a grandaughter, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.