reverb By Chris Kinsley
intro In high school, I was in a rock band called Public Announcement (or P.A., for short). Pretty clever, huh? The only instrument that I played was the French horn, which doesn’t really lend itself to making you a rock star. So I ended up being the singer and lyricist. A friend of mine named Ben was the lead guitarist. It was from him that I first learned about reverb. I was aware of reverb, of course, because I had heard it used in the music that I listened to. I didn’t understand the physics of it. (And I still don’t.) But I loved it. Ben would walk into our rehearsals with a couple of guitars, an amp, and a whole bunch of pedals that were used to alter the sound of his guitar in various ways. My favorite, as you might guess, was the reverb pedal. Ben would strike a chord or a single note. The sound would then erupt from his amp, building continuously upon itself until its echo took over the room. It was glorious. So what does this have to do with God? Well, I’ll tell you. God is at work in the world. He has been from the beginning. From the moment that He spoke creation into existence, He has been accomplishing His will and purpose. He’s on a mission, and His mission will be fulfilled. His message in this mission is that we can be made right with Him through our faith in Him. Since He first revealed His message, it has taken on a reverberating quality, echoing through the lives of all who come to follow Him. And it will continue to do so until the end of time. What’s even better is that He offers us the opportunity to be a part of that mission, a chance to be used by Him. What we do with our lives matters. It affects the world and those around us. It echoes. This book is about whether people will hear us or God through us when they start listening to what’s around them. This book won’t reveal to you a detailed plan of what your personal role will be. It’s not about going on a trip to help rebuild the Gulf Coast or dedicating your life to a remote African tribe. Sorry. It’s bigger than that. What it will do is help you discover just what God’s mission is and how you might join so many others in being a part of it. I pray that it will affect your life as much as it has mine.
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Your fellow instrument, Chris Kinsley
Now that you own this incredible little book, you may be wondering, “What do I do with it?” Glad you asked . . . The great thing about this book is that you can use it just about any way you want. It’s not a system. It’s a resource that can be used in ways that are as unique and varied as you are. A few suggestions . . . The “One Month” Plan On this plan, you’ll read one devotion each day for a month. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the Bible for a month-long period. (OK, we realize that every month doesn’t have 31 days. But 30 is close enough to 31, right?) The idea is to cover a lot of information in a short amount of time. The “Scripture Memory” Plan The idea behind this plan is to memorize the verse for each day’s devotion; you don’t move on to the next devotion until you have memorized the one you’re on. If you’re like most people, this might take you more than one day per devotion. So, this plan takes a slower approach. The “I’m No Charles Dickens” Plan Don’t like to write or journal? This plan is for you . . . Listen, not everyone expresses themselves the same. If you don’t like to express yourself through writing, that’s OK. Simply read the devotion for each verse, then read the questions. Think about them. Pray through them. But don’t feel like you have to journal if you don’t want to. The “Strength In Numbers” Plan God designed humans for interaction. We are social animals. How cool would it be if you could go through 31: Reverb with your friends? Get a group of friends together. Consider agreeing to read five verses each week, then meeting to talk about it. Pretty simple, right? Choose a plan. Or make up your own. But get started already. What are you waiting on?
how to use II
s, ll nation of a f o s nd ciple ake dis f the Father a m d n a re go ame o Therefo them in the n pirit . . . S g baptizin nd of the Holy a the Son 28:19 w Matthe
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n o E S R E V T
wo men meet in the middle of the night in a dark alley. They’re both dressed in black and have disguised their features so as to not be recognized. A secret handshake is exchanged. A codeword is spoken, and in the blink of an eye a simple, nondescript envelope passes from one to the other. On it the words “Top Secret” are printed. They leave quickly in opposite directions. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it . . .” That scene, or one like it, has been played out in hundreds of spy novels, movies, and TV shows. It represents a critical moment in the plot. The hero’s superiors clearly present to him his purpose for existence, and he must decide for himself if he’s going to act on it. That one decision, taken however lightly or seriously, is going to affect everything else that happens. Take a moment to read Matthew 28:18–20. In these verses, Jesus very simply laid out for His disciples and for us the purpose that He has for our lives. He has the power to command us to do absolutely anything, and this is what He said: “Make disciples.” As we’re going through our lives and doing whatever it is that we’re doing, Jesus commissioned us to be actively working to help other people come to know Him for the first time and choose to follow Him for the rest of their lives, just like we’re doing. We don’t have to have all the answers or have everything figured out. We’re just simply called to help other people along in their journey with Christ—and to allow others to help us on our journeys. That’s your mission. Now . . . do you choose to accept it?
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re f l ect 1. In your own words, write what you believe it means to “make disciples.�
2. What are you currently doing to make disciples? What could you be doing?
3. What does it mean to you to know that Jesus has promised to always be with you?
4. Write a prayer to God in which you accept the mission that He has for your life. Ask for His help in learning how to best make disciples. Thank Him for being with you every step of the way.
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VERSE2
But if serving the Lo rd seems undesirab le to you, then choo for yourselves this da se y whom you will serv e, whether the gods your forefathers serv ed beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and m y household, we will se rve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
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top for a minute and think about the year ahead of you. You probably already have some plans for what it’s going to look like. You know how much schoolwork you’ve got to accomplish. You might know how much time that sports or band or drama club or whatever else is going to take up. You might already have a vacation plan for Christmas or even Spring Break. But now think about everything that you don’t know. There are an endless amount of choices and opportunities before you this next year: what to do for fun, new people to meet, mistakes to overcome, discoveries to make, and lessons to learn. All these decisions lie with you. What are you going to do? Read Joshua 24:14–24. Of all the decisions and opportunities that we face in our lives, none is more important than making the choice of whether we are going to live for God. But this isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. When we say that we are going to live for God, we are making a huge commitment to which we’re going to be held accountable by other Christians, by God Himself, and even by the world. This is also something that can’t be done halfway. Joshua made it clear to the people of Israel in this passage that you’re either for God or against Him. There’s no in-between, and the decision about which way you’re going to go isn’t a choice that should be put off. It’s urgent. It’s pressing. So, choose for yourself today whom you will serve.
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reflect 1. What do you think that it means to “serve the Lord?�
2. Why is the decision of whether to live for God so urgent?
3. Whom will you serve? Why?
4. Write a prayer to God below that expresses to Him your decision regarding whether you choose to serve Him or not. Relate how seriously you take this decision and the reasons for why you made your choice.
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