Thursday, October 24

Today’s Prayer and Reflection:

You . . . have become slaves of God. (Romans 6:22)

Slavery is a terrible evil. It always has been, and it always will be. To be enslaved means to suffer physically and emotionally. Slaves have no freedom; they are not their own person. So why in the world would Paul call himself and other Christians “slaves of God” (Romans 6:22)? And why would he say that Jesus took “the form of a slave” when he became man (Philippians 2:7)? This is yet another example of how the Bible takes our expectations and our philosophies and turns them upside down.

The first thing to remember is that Jesus came into the world to free us from sin, the slavery that every human being experiences. And second, God gave us the gift of free will, so the last thing he wants is to take it away. Instead, he lets us choose whether or not to follow him and how we will serve him—if we serve him at all.

This is exactly why Paul tells us to present ourselves by our own choice as “slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:19). He urges us to freely choose to follow God’s commands and seek his will.

Still, why would anyone who has been freed from one kind of slavery—slavery to sin—want to enter into another oppressive, life-threatening form of slavery? They wouldn’t! The slavery that Paul has in mind is completely different. It’s a slavery of love. It’s service born out of gratitude and humility, not out of coercion and abuse. It’s a voluntary gift of our lives to God, who has given us everything.

This is the kind of slavery that we choose every day. Each time we feel tempted but turn to the Lord anyway, we are choosing it. When we make sacrifices for our families that prevent us from doing whatever we want, we are choosing it. When we hold our tongues, choose to forgive, or say no to resentment, we are choosing it. And the result? “Eternal life” (Romans 6:23)!

Serving God freely is one of the greatest gifts we can offer him. It’s also the only gift that has a priceless return. Every day we can tell him, “I want to serve you, Lord. I want to obey you. Thank you for loving me so deeply. It’s my privilege to love you in return.”

“Lord, show me how to use my freedom to serve you.”

Reprinted with permission of The Word Among Us, 7115 Guilford Dr #100, Frederick, MD 21704, wau.org.

Today’s Announcements:

Happy birthday to Mitchell Badurak!

Today is day 3 of the advisement rotation.

All soccer games this Saturday will be played at West Harrison High School.

Our ProLife movie night will be this Friday night from 7-9 pm here on campus. Students for Life will host this event. Admission to enter is one baby item to donate to Morning Star Pregnancy Center. Needed items include diapers of all sizes, wipes and gentle baby shampoo and body wash.

Sign up sheets are available outside of Mrs. Cloud’s room for Students for Life members to work this event. All Students for Life members must sign up to participate in at least one aspect of this event.

Sophomores, this is a reminder that the HOBY application is due Friday. Please see Ms. Wilkinson if you have any questions.

There will be a meeting of the National Art Honor Society Friday morning at 7:45 in room 101.

Today SAVE club asks us to remember victims of violence. Violence accounts for 1.4 million deaths per year and it mainly impacts young teenagers. It has long lasting effects on all who are abused, but it is preventable! Never be afraid to reach out to a trusted adult because hand in hand, united we stand!

Seniors just a reminder the cut-off date to order a senior ad is November 8. Forms for ads may be picked up in the library. Ad forms, payment and a flash drive with all your pictures must be in a sealed envelope with your name on it. That needs to be turned in to Mrs. Aldrich.

FCA and Key Club are sponsoring the “Tricks for treats” canned pet food drive for the Humane Society of South Mississippi. Starting on Monday, October 28th, and ending on Thursday, Halloween. Please bring all pet items to Coach Dell’s room or give them to an FCA or Key Club member!

The Junior High Cross Country Teams competed in the Middle School State Championships yesterday in Jackson.
Boys Junior High Results – the team finished in third (3) place. Luke Meyers finished with a Silver Medal and the following team members joined him on the All-State Team: Andrew Williams, Fischer Winters, and Will Karcher.
Girls Junior High Results – Isabella Patino finished with a Gold Medal as the individual champion and Anna Katherine Thriffiley joined her on the All-State Team.

All students who applied to National English Honor Society need to see Mrs. Trahan today.