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When I was a teenager, I loved Sunday evenings! Sunday evenings meant sitting with my friends at church, going to Hastings to find a movie, grabbing milkshakes from Bogey’s, and spending the rest of the evening hanging out at my house. We had so much fun! And, if I’m honest, having my friends to sit with at church on Sundays made being there something I looked forward to each week.
Now, I know being with your friends isn’t the most important part of church attendance, but fellowship with other believers is something we’re taught to do throughout the Bible. We’re relational creatures, and teenagers definitely need good, Christian friends to help them remain grounded in their faith during those tumultuous, formative years. Having friends at church as a teen makes church a place you want to spend time!
So, when my youngest teen asked to start sitting with his friends on Sundays at church, we said “yes” without hesitation. For the past several months, they’ve done a good job of listening respectfully each week. But today, they must have consumed too much sugar from the pancake breakfast in youth group because there was a lot of whispering and commotion coming from their section.
Now, my momma would have addressed the situation with a snap of her fingers so fierce the people on the other side of the sanctuary would have heard and trembled. It was a sound that made my brother and me immediately stop and come to attention, no matter where we were. We would have looked over to receive what is affectionately known in our family as the “Howard Stare.” With that one look, all questionable behavior would have ceased immediately.
I’m happy to say that although I didn’t snap my fingers, I did make eye contact and must have mustered just enough of the “Howard Stare” for my son to know I meant business because he sat in perfect silence for the rest of the service.
While the kids whispering during church was rude and disruptive to everyone around them, that’s not what bothered me the most. What really got under my skin, making my blood boil was that, even if it wasn’t their intention, they were disrespecting the Word of God.
The Word of God is quite simply the greatest treasure you or I or anyone else on this planet will ever, has ever, held in their hands. Now, I don’t mean the leather-bound book with the paper that crinkles so perfectly when you turn the pages. I love how a physical Bible sounds and feels in my hands, but the book itself isn’t what I’m talking about.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (ESV)
The Word of God is a treasure because it was breathed out, inspired by God Himself! With the Bible, God revealed Himself and His very thoughts to us. It is how He speaks to us, teaches us, and draws near to us. Not only that, it is what He uses to shape and mold us into the women we were created to be so that we can live out the very purpose He designed us to fulfill! The Bible is a treasure beyond our comprehension!
Stay tuned for more about this Great Treasure from Chrissie on Friday!!
Chrissie Angell is the Executive Director and a Co-founder of Humble Faith Ministries. She is a speaker, writer, and Bible teacher passionate about pointing women to Jesus and helping them live out their Kingdom assignments. She and her husband, Brian, live in Kentucky with their two boys and their yellow lab, Charger.