The Smell of NEW! We all love the “new” smell. New books, New Pens, New Furniture, New Cars…

The reason people get excited about a new car, is when you sit in that new car the smell takes over. You don’t smell the tacos from last week, the spilled orange juice from breakfasts’ gone by, the… (Whatever that smell is, we don’t know but it’s been here forever.)

There is even a bottle of “New Car Smell” you can spray in the car. (I have one.) This is an attempt to recapture that fresh and new feel.

When I was in High School my dad had bought me a bible for Christmas. I loved the smell of the new pages and the new binding. The cover had a great freshness about it. It smelled just like a new book should smell. I kept the new bible in the box for the longest time. I remember thinking I would use it and place it back in the box so I could keep that “new smell” as long as possible. It worked too. The smell lingered for the longest time. That was about 20 years ago.

That bible is sitting on my desk now. It does not have the fresh new smell to it now. (Yes, I tested it.) Its cover is not fresh and new. The cover is now rough around the edges. The pages are stained a little. It has old paper notes sticking out of its edges. It is worn to say the least.

This is just a word of caution. In school we love the new school supplies. A new school year is exciting because everything is new. At this time of year it’s not new to you anymore. We must learn to love the process, not just the materials. Love learning, not just the new notebook.

The same is true with living for God. We must learn to love the process of Living for God. That way when the new feel has worn off, and you are worn down a little. You will recognize the value you have.
You see, I have bought new bibles. I will, in the future, have new bibles. But I will never replace this old worn down bible that sits on my desk. It’s the bible I study.
It’s the bible I use when I preach. It has great value to me.

You have Great value to God. Just because you discover you have more flaws than you realized in the beginning, God sees you as valuable. More valuable than you realize. Many days I sit at my desk and feel like that bible that sits next to me. Old, Ragged, Worn, etc. I want to be just like that bible. I may be rough around my edges; my knees may pop when I stand up in a minute. But when you look inside me, the Word of God is on the inside… That my friend, more that the “new smell”, is truly of Great Value.

Psalm 119:11
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee”

Fusion has taken on the theme, ”The Journey". January we are covering "The Journey of New."

This past Tuesday we spoke about goal setting. As a youth minister I am very concerned about students and their goal setting. The concern is that if students never set goals in their life, they have no direction. When no one helps a student find good direction for their life, the enemy will begin to place people in their life to help them find all the wrong directions. Students must look at their lives and see where they want to go. This is not an easy task for students to do. However, if we learn to look to the future, and see what we would like our lives to be like in 30 years, it would help in setting goals. This will help us to have clear direction in our lives.

Most students do not understand their true potential. When a young person does not understand their true potential, and sets no goals, they have no direction in life. With no direction in their lives students get involved in gang member activity, etc. We as adults must learn to help our students find the potential deep inside of them. Then help guide them to the place that God desires to see them go.
Remember goals that are not written are just wishes.

As students we must begin to pray and ask God to reveal the potential inside of us. If we can learn to set goals at a young age, God will do more with our life than we ever dreamed. Learn to place God in the forefront of your lives. God said about His word, "it is a lamp unto my feet, and a light and to my path."

Let God and his Word guide your way and help you in setting the goals that you have for your life.

Remember God has great plans for your life. Let him show you where he wants to take you and you go to greater places than you ever dreamed possible.

With the new year here we begin to look at our lives very closely. Everyone loves "New" stuff. When the school year begins, we love the "new" notebooks, pens, supplies... We all love the "New". Christmas just passed and we love the "New" gifts. Most of the time we really don't care what the gift turns out to be. We don't even care if the gift is useful. Just as long as it's "New".

I remember as a kid I would find a toy at the bottom of my toy box or under the bed. It was a time to celebrate. It was like getting a "New" toy all over again. The toy was "Renewed" to me.

We can't get a "New" life, but we can reexamine our lives and "Renew" it. Give God a chance to change us from what we are to what we need to be and be "Renewed" in the Holy Ghost. I believe you will find it's like finding that old toy. The excitement will return, and you will have a "Renewed" energy level.

This month we will be covering the "New." We need to examine our lives and see if any thing needs to be "New".

We need to make sure our minds are "Renewed", our hearts are "Renewed", our actions are "Renewed"...

Join us on Tuesday Nights on this discovery of "New"!!!!!

Welcome to Fusion Student Ministries of Beaumont, TX. We are dedicated to ministering to the Student's of Beaumont and through out Texas. Feel free to visit our blog any time.