The Ultimate Teen Choice

I find it just a bit ironic that during the Teen Choice Awards this year, Demi Lovato is going to perform Really Don’t Care…

Because I’m pretty sure there aren’t many teens on the planet that really don’t care about what will happen on August 10^th, 2014!

The categories have gotten exceedingly creative. (Best vampire?  Best twit?  Best lip lock?) Still, it’s interesting to see what millions of teens and young adults consider praiseworthy and award winning. And perhaps the leading host talents of Tyler Posey will provide a furry good show that will leave people with a howlin’ good time.

I see the appeal of being able to vote and have a voice in this deal – power to the people – right?  Plus, what person in their right mind wouldn’t want the coveted Teen Choice surfboard?

But I know about something far more desirable that everyone on the planet wants.

It’s worth more than a million surfboards, but you don’t have to pay a penny for it.  It is not an award for doing something epic in sports or music or movies or television or lip locking.

Best of all, it doesn’t come to you by way of vote or popularity.  In fact, this is something that (more often than not), goes to the “losers” of the world.

What is it?  Well, before I tell you, I will tell you that Rita Ora is performing a song at the TCA’s that gets at the core of what I’m talking about:

When you say you’ve had enough,

And you just give it up,

Oh, oh,

I will never let you down.

As you probably know, the title of this popular song is Never Let You Down, and it captures the heart of what every soul on Earth is craving.

And the second thing I find ironic is that eventually Rita Ora will let someone down.  I will too, and so will you.  It is part of our wiring and experience to be let down and let others down as well, but now we get to the best part:

“God has said: ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5).

As you probably know, the Bible was translated from a different language, and this verse comes from the Greek.  In its original form, it contains a double negative, which when used in your English papers gets you a bad grade, as in:

“I don’t have no money.”

But in the Greek, that rule doesn’t apply, because using a double negative was a way to put a powerful weight on a phrase. In Hebrews 13:5, the writer employs a double negative followed by a triple negative to bring a special emphasis on the promise God makes to His children.

Why the grammar lesson?  Because to capture the true force of what God offers, we must learn and internalize the literal translation of His words:

I will never, never leave you; never, never, never will I forsake you.

Or another way to put it would be:

Never, never, never, never, never will God forsake you!

If you have trusted in Jesus as your only hope of salvation, you are God’s adopted child, and He is the only One in the Universe who can truly promise to never let you down.  (It makes a great theme for a Rita Ora song, but humanly speaking it is impossible.)

So whether you tune into the awards or not, or you like Rita Ora’s song or not, remember that you have a Father in heaven who has committed to a personal and permanent relationship with you.  Teens (and adults) have a choice to forsake others, but He will never choose to walk away from you…ever.

And if you have friends who have been let down by a parent, friend, or mentor (which would be everyone at this point), remember that God seeks them out as well so they can enter into the most fulfilling and gratifying bond known in the universe.  The Creator chases after His creation, and when we say “yes” to the Papa who will never, never, never, never, never let us down, we are free to become who He made us to be, and feel a security that simply cannot come from any other place!

Is that a Teen Choice that you would like to make?

Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action

Rita Ora’s song provides a great opportunity for THE Cause in that it helps people think about the universal desire in all of us to be in a relationship with someone -anyone (!) – who will never let us down.  Since God is the only one who can honestly provide that, let’s get the word out!

Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause

Pray: Father, thank You and praise You that You will never leave us or forsake us.  Thank You also for bringing special emphasis to this truth so that we can cling to this promise everyday!

Read: Joshua 1:5. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Get:  Life in 6 Words Outreach Book. Help introduce your friends to this kind of never ending relationship with Jesus using the Life in 6 Words outreach book. Youth leaders, speaking of FREE, get your 100 free copies of this book for your students to use at share6campaign.com.