Girl Scout Cookies

Here in the United States, we have an organization called The Girl Scouts of America.  They are a group of young girls who learn how to become model citizens.  They learn different skills and earn merit badges for their efforts.  One of their main fund raisers each year is that they sell cookies.  Each box is $2 dollars (us) and they are delicious.  My favorite:  peanut butter and chocolate.

Yesterday my family went to the grocery store to buy food.  We bought everything for the week and I decided that everybody should get something that they wanted, including snacks, deli meat, fresh bread, drinks, etc.  It was so much fun walking the isles and giving my family whatever they wanted!

On the way out of the store my children wanted to buy some Girl Scout cookies.  (They had a table set up on the sidewalk)  I agreed and bought each of them a box of cookies.  One of my children bought the peanut butter and chocolate kind, and my wife said “You need to share those with Dad!’  Their first reaction was “No, these are my cookies!” 

There in the parking lot, my wife took the opportunity to teach our children a lesson on sharing.  She said “See this cart full of groceries?  Daddy bought all of them.  It’s everything you need, including a bunch of what you want!  How can you let Dad buy all of this for you and you won’t share a few cookies that he also bought for you?”  My kids asked me to forgive them and shared their cookies.

Then it hit me; many of us (as Christ followers) are exactly like my children were with the Girl Scout cookies.  We often have a “mine” mentality.  How do we break that?

Here are a few thoughts:

·        Like the grocery cart, if we understand that everything we have comes from God, we begin to realize how crazy it is for us to worry about anything.  In the same manner that I provided for my family, God provides everything we need as His children.  He loves to do it!  (Read Matthew 6:25-34)

·        Just like sharing the cookies, is it not crazy to want to share our cookies with God?  Our Father has given us everything (Food, clothes, a place to sleep, etc.)  He only asks for the first 10% of what we have to go back to His local church.  When we refuse to give back to God, it makes no sense.  Anyone should be able to see that my children not sharing the cookies when there is a grocery cart full of food for them is wrong.  Why can’t we see that refusing to tithe our first 10% is the exact same thing?  (Matthew 6:33)

·        Giving back to God is a heart issue.  If you truly believe that God is your provider, giving it back to Him is easy.  If you believe that you earn your own way, then giving it back to God is difficult.  Sometimes it is impossible for us to do.  How you approach God will dictate how you handle “your” money.  (Matthew 6:24)

Don’t fall into the money trap!  Give your cookies back to God.  In return, He will shower upon you a whole grocery cart full of blessings. 

Jesus: something about that name!

I find it mysterious how God will teach me something.  Have you ever noticed that a certain topic will pop up in almost every conversation, everything you read, every passage of scripture?  It seems coincidental, but it’s not.  I believe it is the Holy Spirit trying to get your attention.  Lately that has been happening to me.  It has everything to do with the actual “name” of Jesus.  Here are a few things that I have come across in the past few weeks:

#1.  John 14:13-14

“¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”


As a Christian do I live my life that way?  Do I really believe that?  Do I pray with boldness that God will provide in Jesus name?  Do I believe that God can heal my friends and family if I pray in Jesus name?  Was Jesus kidding or was He being for real?  And if so, why don’t I live that way?  Why doesn’t God’s church live this way?


#2.  Exodus 20:7
 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “


There is something sacred about God’s name (specifically the name of Jesus).  How many times a day do we look past this?  I know I do!  God has really called this to my attention.  Don’t just call on me in Jesus name, but make sure you don’t mistreat it either!  God’s name is holy.  It is a part of Him, same as His word.


#3  Acts 19:13-16
“¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. “


The name of Jesus isn’t a magic trick or a genie-in-a-bottle.  The power associated with the name of Jesus is reserved for His children.  The reason why Paul had power in Jesus name was because he was a son of the most high God, and He was walking with Jesus daily in Spirit.  The humbling thing that occurred to me is that the same power in Jesus name that was available to Paul is available to me as well.


Let's not beat around the bush about it:  What has changed?  God?  Absolutely not! (Hebrews 13: 8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”)  So I ask again:  what has changed?  Have we as Christ followers forgotten that Jesus Christ can do anything on our behalf if it is in His Father’s will?  How many times do we believe it?  How many times do we act upon that?  If we truly grasped this would our lives dramatically change?


#4 Philippians 2:10
“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”


Whether you are an Christ follower, an atheist, an agnostic or a follower of any other religion, there is a simple fact that will happen:  you will bow at the name of Jesus.  It is going to happen no matter what.  The choice is yours whether you bow to Him before you die (as a follower of Jesus Christ) or after you die (eternally separated from God).  This is a very sobering thought and one that should not be ignored.


Today, call on the name of Jesus.  Use His name in conversations.  Speak it out loud.  His name is a game changer.  As a follower of Jesus Christ, my excitement level is going out of the roof as I learn more about this great Savior we serve!

I met Bono!

There is one interesting fact in my life that many people don't know about me:  I have met Bono.  Yep, that is right!  I once met the lead singer of U2 (arguably one of the most famous people on the planet).  I met him while I was on vacation in the Bahamas.  He and his family were hanging out beside us at the same pool.  How we met is a long story, but I will give you a few details:

• We carried on a lengthy conversation.
• He asked me where I lived.
• I asked him how things were going with his band and we discussed upcoming projects that he was working on at the time.
• I met his family.
• I bought all of us bottled water. 
• We even stayed at the same hotel.

On the surface, that makes a great story!  Here are the real facts:  as much as I would like to believe it, Bono and I are not friends.  We aren’t even acquaintances.  I am positive that he would not remember meeting me.  If I went to a concert someday and tried to get backstage, I would probably be arrested.  Although we once met, he doesn’t know me.

There is a big difference between meeting someone and being in a relationship with them.  In order for me to “know Bono” he would have to know me as well.  It would require meeting him again, speaking with him on a regular basis.  We would invest time in getting to know one another.  Over time, we would develop a friendship.  He would seek to spend time with me, and I would make it a point to correspond with him.  It would take a deliberate effort on the part of both people to develop that kind of relationship.

My story sounds amusing, but the fact is that many people out there approach God the same way I met Bono.  You may have met God at some point of your life.  You may have even spent a little time with Him in church or growing up as a child.  You may have gone so far as to give Him a little money (in the same way I bought Bono and his family bottled water at the pool).  There is a big difference between having an encounter with God and being in a relationship with Him.

God sent His Son Jesus to develop that kind of relationship with mankind.  Jesus left heaven to live as a man (this is historical fact).  He died on a cross so that He could reconcile us with His Father.  This whole process was done so that we could be made right with God and not be required to pay the penalty for our sins.  God doesn’t want to just meet you; God wants a relationship with you for the rest of eternity.  Just being acquainted with God isn’t going to be enough.

How do we enter into a relationship with God?  It’s not just saying a prayer, but a confession on our part to Him.  It is simple, and permanent.  Here is how you do it:

Speak to God.  Confess to God that you are tired of running from Him and that you want a relationship with Him.  It can be a silent prayer that you say in your heart, speaking out loud in the car on the way to work, or in a quiet place inside your home.  Regardless, it begins with you talking to God. 

Admit to God that you are a sinner, and that you need Jesus to take your sins away from you.  Confess that you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that He was raised from the dead so that you don’t have to suffer the penalty for those sins.  Ask Jesus to take your place.  Ask Jesus to take away the judgment for those sins.

Ask Jesus to be your king.  Give your entire life to Him.  Ask him to show you what your next step is and confess to Him that you will obey Him, no matter what that next step may be.

God wants a relationship with you.  He wants you to have an abundant life.  He wants to be your God, and not an acquaintance.  God wants you to have it all!  Don’t waste your life, give it to Him.

Note:  if you read this and entered into a relationship with God after reading it, go public with this by telling someone.  Email me at benjimerritt@bellsouth.net so that I can rejoice with you!  Making Jesus your king is an amazing way to go through life.  It gives you a hope that cannot be described!