“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

How can you rejoice in the Lord always? Sometimes life might seem too difficult for you to be happy. However, you can always rejoice in God’s Word. David, the man after God’s own heart, found great delight in God’s Word. David calls God his “exceeding joy” (Psalm 43:4). He says, “I will delight myself in [God’s] commandments, which I have loved” (Psalm 119:47), and “let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight” (Psalm 119:77). David found so much delight in God’s Word!

But what about you? How can you rejoice in God’s Word? The first step is obvious: Read it! Read it, looking for how great and amazing God is on every page. Read it prayerfully. Read it as God Word to you, and then talk back to Him in response – speaking right back to Him! Few people truly delight in God’s Word, and most of them do not even try to delight in it. Do you ever read because you have to? or because you think you ought to? You should read God’s Word as much as you can because you love it! You should not be able to get enough of it! You should want more and more time with God, just as a deer longs for the water brooks! (See Psalm 42:1.) Pray about it; ask God to help you love His Word more.

You can live joyfully because you have God’s eternal, unchanging Word, and because you have a great God. No matter what happens, you can, and should, always rejoice in the Lord. Rejoicing in God’s Word isn’t all! There are all kinds of things to rejoice in. Look in the Bible to see what else God has given you to rejoice in. Learn to delight in God’s Word as David did, and say with him “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). Rejoice in God’s Word!

Rejoice in God’s Word.

My Response:

» Have I spent time reading God’s Word today?

» What did I learn about God today in His Word?

» How can I rejoice in the Lord today?

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“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Have you ever missed the school bus or a ride to an activity that was important to you? Being left is a terrible feeling! It is embarrassing and frustrating, and it can also be really sad – especially if you miss out on something you were really hoping to see or do. Sometimes it can even be dangerous to be left behind. What if you accidentally got left in a football stadium? What if you were on a hiking trail and got separated from your friends? It could be scary, and lonely, and maybe even harmful to be left like that.

Sometimes we rely on people too much. It is okay to count on your friends and family to keep an eye out for you and to remember your needs and hopes. But friends and family are human, and sometimes they forget or make mistakes. Some people might take off on you because they want to do something selfish for themselves, or some might turn their back on you when you have done something wrong. People are human. They might let you down. They might give up on you. They might leave you.

The writer of Hebrews 13:5 was reminding readers of what Jesus said to His disciples – that He would never leave them. He would never forsake them. Jesus is God; He is greater than our human friends and family. He is better than anything we might try to be or to get on our own. In this verse, the Bible shows us the kind of God Who promises to be faithful. That means He is not the kind of God Who lets His people down. He is not the kind of God Who leaves His people alone. He keeps His promises.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Not the Kind of God Who Leaves →

“My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21)

As part of their aquarium tour, Maria and her dad had watched a video presentation about deep sea life. Maria loved seeing all the pictures of the colorful fish that swim around coral reefs. She loved seeing the dolphins leap above the waves in pairs and hearing the strange songs that the whales sing deep in the sea.

But she began to notice that the narrator of the presentation never said anything about God. He talked about how amazing the sea creatures were. He talked about how mysterious their habits and lifestyles were. But he never once talked about the God who created them. Instead, he said they had formed all by themselves over billions of years and that “Mother Nature” had given them certain abilities.

When the video was over, Dad looked at Maria. “What did you think of that?” he asked.

“I liked seeing all the animals, but I don’t think that man on the video knew God,” she said.

“You’re right. He didn’t give God any praise for all of the wonderful undersea life He created,” said Dad. “The sad thing is, there are thousands of people in the world today who would agree with him – people who don’t believe that there could be a real God.”

They walked out to the large “touch tank” where people could pick up sea urchins and crabs and hold them in their hands. The lady at the tank asked Maria if she wanted to hold a sea urchin. Maria held out her hand, and the lady placed a round, spiny creature in her palm. The sea urchin moved his spines gently back and forth, and they tickled her fingers. “What do you think of him?” the lady asked.

“He’s wonderful,” said Maria. “God did a great job of creating him!”

God deserves praise from us for all of His works, and for Who He is. Psalm 145 tells us it is right for us to speak to others about our wonderful God and the things He does. When we are careful to praise Him and give Him credit for what He does, we honor His name.

God deserves to be praised by all creatures, especially those who know Him.

My Response:

» Am I careful to give God praise and credit for His works?

» Am I ever ashamed to speak about Him when I’m around unbelievers?

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“The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:15-16)

As they walked through the aquarium, Maria’s dad helped her read the signs beside each fish tank. Most of the signs told where the fish in that tank would normally be found, what their habits were, and what they ate. Most of the fish ate seaweed, insects, or other types of underwater creatures.

Maria felt a little sad when she learned that some of the big fish liked to eat the smaller fish she had seen in other tanks. “Dad, why does God let the big fish eat the little fish?” she asked. “Doesn’t He care about the little fish?”

“Of course He does. God cares about all of His creatures.” Dad tapped the edge of the tank to point out a large shark circling slowly through the water. “But if He let the little fish have the run of the ocean, pretty soon there would be too many of them. That would cause problems for all the other creatures that share their living space. One reason that the big fish feed on the little fish is to control the number of little fish.”

Maria thought about that, and it made a lot of sense. “We eat some of the fish too,” she said.

“That’s right. In fact, after the Flood, God told Noah that all the creatures of the earth could be food for humans. So…God feeds the little fish, and they become food for the big fish, and sometimes the big fish become food for us. Pretty wise plan, eh?”

Maria nodded.

“After we’re done at the aquarium today, how’d you like to go out for lunch at a seafood place?”

Maria wrinkled her nose. “Only if I can get peanut butter and jelly there.”

Dad laughed. “It’s a deal. PB and J for you, flounder for me.”

God cares so much for His creation that He makes sure every living creature has food to eat. He not only satisfies our desires for food but also our desires for things like friendship, forgiveness, and joy. In God Himself is everything we need to satisfy our hearts.

God satisfies the desires of every living creature.

My Response:

» What are some ways that God has satisfied your desires?

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“Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.” (Psalm 119:4-7)

God knows exactly what circumstances to give you to teach and bring you closer to Him.

One day, Mrs. Blackburn decided to make a pitcher of tea. She had never made a whole pitcher of tea before, but she figured you just boil some water and pour it into a pitcher with tea bags. What could go wrong? As she boiled the water, she pulled the pitcher off the shelf and threw 5 or 6 tea bags in it. When the water started boiling, Mrs. Blackburn picked up the pot to pour out the water, but then she set it down. It was a big pot, and she figured it would be better to move the pitcher from the counter to the sink – in case she spilled some. After she poured the water in, Mrs. Blackburn happily said to herself “I didn’t spill a drop!” Then, to her surprise, as Mrs. Blackburn picked up the pitcher, the whole bottom fell out and boiling hot tea splashed all over the sink! At first, Mrs. Blackburn was just annoyed at her folly – this was a glass pitcher, and she hadn’t even thought it might break! But in the end, Mrs. Blackburn was thankful she had put the pitcher in the sink before pouring. Boiling water all over her stomach and legs would have been far more serious than a broken pitcher.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is the Greatest Teacher →

“The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2)

Hooves pounding, chariots racing, spears glistening in the sun – the children of Israel looked back and saw Pharaoh and his army coming after them.

The Israelites left Egypt and were on their way to the Promised Land, when they found themselves standing at the Red Sea. Around that time, Pharaoh decided that he wanted his slaves back and began pursuing the Israelites. Suddenly, the children of Israel were in a “box” situation, surrounded on all sides with no way out. But God is always watching over His children. He brought deliverance to the children of Israel by parting the Red Sea and allowing them to cross on dry ground before the Red Sea came crashing down on the Egyptians.

After this huge deliverance, Moses wrote a song of praise to the Lord. He praised the Lord for showing His strength to His children and proving His control of every situation. When you are weak and surrounded with no way out, the Lord promises to be your strength. He will show His might and His power to you. There is no circumstance too big for God to handle. As a child of God, you need to remember that through every trial, God is in control. Not only will He show you that He is your God, but He will also take care of you and be your strength.

There are no situations that are too big for God to handle.

My Response:

» Do I allow God’s strength to help me handle life’s situations?

» Do I praise God for being my strength?

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One night as my family was walking into a store, we heard a woman yelling that her purse had been stolen. Just then, we saw a man in a green jacket run right past us carrying the stolen purse! Immediately my dad and another man took off chasing after the thief. Realizing he was going to be caught, the thief threw the purse underneath a parked car and continued fleeing the scene. My dad and the other man finally caught the thief and turned him over to the police.

While my dad was busy trying to catch the thief, a few kids found the purse and returned it to the woman. She was so happy to get her purse back that she started giving out money to reward the kids. But by the time my dad came back with the police the woman was all out of money, and my dad didn’t get anything as a reward!

Later I asked Dad if it bothered him that the kids got reward money for returning the purse when he didn’t get anything for catching the thief. I’ll never forget his answer. He said that it had bothered him for a minute, but then he remembered that we are here to serve God and that God gives rewards for service to Him.

Throughout the Bible, God’s rewards are often referred to as crowns. Let’s look at what the Bible says about God and His rewards.

God rewards those who are waiting for Him to come back (2 Timothy 4:8). Jesus is coming back someday. You need to be looking forward to that day and be ready for that day to come.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Gives Rewards →

“I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20b)

Have you ever had such wonderful news that you were just bursting to tell someone else? Maybe you got a good grade on a test, or perhaps you won an important ballgame. Good news is something you always enjoy sharing, isn’t it?

But what about the Gospel – the Good News about Christ’s death and resurrection? Do you enjoy sharing that Good News?

For some reason, it’s easy to talk to other Christians about what Jesus Christ has done and is doing in your life. But when it comes to talking to people who don’t know Him, it just seems a lot harder. What if they think you’re weird? Or what if they make fun of you? Or what if they just don’t understand? Because you don’t know how they may respond, there are times when you might feel afraid, or even pretend that you don’t know Jesus.

But Jesus wants you to share Him with others! In fact Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20a, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” These are words that Jesus spoke to His disciples, in His last earthly message, before He ascended to heaven. Jesus told them that they should teach others about Him and show them how to be followers of Him. If you are serious about being a follower of Christ, then this command is for you, too.

Wow, what a big task! Maybe even a scary one as well! But the best part is that Jesus offers you a promise with His command: I am with you always, even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20b). Always – that includes when you speak to others about Jesus! Even though you may feel afraid and even outnumbered at times, Jesus is always with you. You can be confident because Jesus has assured you that you are not alone!

Jesus is with me when I talk to others about Him.

My Response:

» Am I obeying God by sharing Jesus with others? Am I trusting Him to help me tell others about Him?

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“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

If we are obedient Christians, we will follow the command that God has given us in Mark 16:15 to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ. But this command is not always easy to follow. Sometimes, we are afraid that others may laugh at us. Other times, we don’t know what to say. What are some things we can do that will help us obey this command?

Pray. Before we tell others, we should pray for them. Even though God uses us (no matter how young or old we are) to be witnesses for Him, it is ultimately the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts of those we tell. We can pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of our friends and neighbors before we give them the Good News. Also, we can pray for ourselves. Jesus promises that He is always with us, so we can pray that we will remember His promise and not be afraid. Jesus also promises that the Holy Spirit will empower us to witness for him (Acts 1:8)!

Prepare. Read your Bible and pick out verses that will help you when you talk, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that we only need to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead in order to be saved. You may like to use the Romans Road, or verses that go with the Wordless book. You can write out these verses on a card or underline them in your Bible so that you can find them quickly. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is “powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword”!

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Commands You To Tell Others About Jesus Christ (Part 2) →

“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Imagine that you are playing outside in your yard when you start to smell smoke. You turn, and see a fire in your neighbor’s back kitchen. What do you do? Do you carry on playing like nothing is wrong? No; you run over to your neighbor’s house and start yelling, “Fire! Fire!”

Why would you do such a thing? Why would you warn your neighbor about the fire in his house? You do so because you know something he does not: that his house is on fire, and thus, you have the responsibility of warning him.

The Bible says that there is a fire that is never-ending. It is unlike any fire you have ever seen. Your neighbors and friends may not know about this fire because they do not see it; but it is real, and they are in danger of being caught in this fire forever. Yes, forever! This fire is the fire of hell, and it is where any person who does not believe in Jesus Christ will spend eternity. But there is Good News! Any person who trusts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior will not only be able to escape that fire of hell, but will also spend eternity with God in heaven!

In Mark 16:15, Christ commands His disciples to tell the world this Good News. But, this command is not only for the disciples in Jesus’ time. If you are a one of Jesus’ followers – if you have acknowledged that Jesus is Lord and believed that God has raised Him from the dead – then this command to tell the Good News is for you. You must go and tell others about the Good News of Jesus Christ! Just as you have the responsibility of warning your neighbor that his house is on fire, so you have the responsibility of telling him that Jesus Christ can save him.

God commands His people to tell others about Jesus Christ.

My Response:

» Whom do I know that does not know Jesus Christ?

» Have I obeyed God’s command to tell my friends and neighbors the Good News of Jesus Christ?

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“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Julie was sad. Sarah, her sister, had always been her best friend, but now Sarah was too busy to play. Every fall Julie and Sarah made big piles of leaves and jumped in them with their dog, Taffy. But this year every time Julie asked Sarah to play in the leaves she had to study or to go to basketball practice or call one of her friends.

Now all the leaves were gone, and Julie wondered whether Sarah would be too busy to play in the snow this year, too. When Julie asked her mother why Sarah didn’t play with her anymore, Mother said that Sarah was growing up and changing. Mother said that everyone changes and that Julie would change one day, too. “The only person who never changes is Jesus,” Mother said. Julie was glad that Jesus never changed.

Have you ever been sad because someone changed? Maybe you have a brother or a sister who is growing up, or a grandpa or grandma who is getting older. Nobody can keep people from changing, but the Bible tells us that Jesus will never change. Jesus will always be reliable. He promises never to leave you, and He listens to everything you want to say to Him all the time. Isn’t it good to know that He will always be the same!

Although other people change, Jesus will never change.

My Response:

» Do I trust Jesus all the time, knowing that He never changes?

» Do I thank Jesus for never changing?

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“Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that w are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” (Lamentations 3:19-25)

Have you ever been humbled by your own sin? How about by a trial, something hard that you or your family have to go through? Sin and trials humble us. Sometimes the sins we do have consequences, some bad results that come because of the sin. Sometimes we feel very hurt and sad and worried about trials. When sin and trials come, our hearts can be miserable. But even when we are going through times like that, we should not forget that God can help us and bring us through the hardest things.

Hard times do not happen only to grownups. Kids face temptations and heartbreaks, too. If it were not for the mercy of God, you might get overwhelmed by everything, and you might want to “throw in the towel” (just give up). But God does not fail. He is faithful to care for His children. He is good to those who hope and wait on Him.

Do you know what it means to hope and wait on God? Sometimes we want to try really hard to figure everything out and change everything that is going on so that it will not hurt so much. To hope and to wait on God means to trust Him that He will work everything out for His glory and our best good. It means believing that God will handle the whole thing perfectly, in His perfect timing (because He is perfect), and He will change things if He wants to change things. To hope and wait on God means to look only to Him for your help. Just keep setting your focus on Jesus. He will help you through hard times, and He will not let sin and trials destroy you as long as you are trusting Him for your help.

God is faithful! Hope in Him.

We should hope in God to help us through hard times.

My Response:

» When something makes me sad or worried, do I try to fix it by myself, or do I look to God?

» How can I encourage others who might be fighting against sin or going through a really hard time in their hearts?

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“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15)

Can you imagine washing someone’s dirty, slimy feet? This is what Jesus did. Jesus and His disciples were sitting and eating their last dinner together. Jesus stood up from the table, wrapped His robe around His waist, and kneeled down. He took a bowl of water and started to wash His disciples feet. Doesn’t that seem kind of gross? Why would He do that?

In Jesus’ day, people did not own shoes like we do today. They would wear either sandals or maybe no shoes at all. They did not have nice paved sidewalks and roads, either. What do you think your feet would look like if you walked around in the dirt all day with only a pair of sandals on? You would probably need to wash your feet, too! You probably would not be very excited about cleaning someone else’s feet. But Jesus did just that. He got down on the floor and washed all of the disciples’ feet. Once their feet were clean, He told them that He was giving them an example to follow. He was not teaching the disciples to go around cleaning everyone’s feet. He was teaching them to serve the needs of others over their own needs or desires.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – The Master Was a Servant →

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25-26)

A soft knock sounded on Michele’s door, and she rolled her eyes. She knew it was her sister, Joy. “Come in,” she mumbled.

“Michele?” Joy’s nose was all red from crying. “I’m sorry I played with your necklace and broke it. I’ll buy you a new one just as soon as I save up enough money. Would you please forgive me?”

Michele sighed. Why did Joy always have to be so quick to apologize? She did not want to accept Joy’s apology yet. She was still angry about the necklace. “I’m not ready to forgive you yet,” she said. “Come back later, when I’ve had more time to think about it.” Michele turned her back on Joy, and she heard a little sob as Joy quietly shut her door.

Several times in the Gospels, Jesus talked to His followers about the importance of forgiveness. He even told them that if they would not forgive each other, their prayers would be hindered (stopped or slowed down), and God would not forgive them. Why is it so important to God that we forgive each other?

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Wants Us to Forgive →

“That in the ages to come he [God] might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7)

Not very long ago, a six-year-old boy named Andrew was saving money for a trip to Mexico with his family. His grandmother paid him a few dollars for doing some chores for her, and then right before he left on the trip, she decided to give him some extra spending money. When he saw how much it was, he couldn’t believe it. “Wow, twenty dollars!” he hollered, dancing around in a circle. He ran home to show his mom the $20 bill. “Look, Mom! Now I know what it feels like to be rich!”

Maybe getting a crisp $20 bill when it was not even your birthday would make you feel rich, too. Or maybe it would take a $100 bill. Maybe it might take a million before you would feel “rich.” No matter how much money you got, though, your riches could never compare to God’s. Not only does God own everything in the world, He has another kind of riches: riches of grace.

Grace is giving something good to someone who does not deserve it. Every person who is now saved once lived in total disobedience to God. Their lives were all about pleasing themselves and ignoring God. It does not seem fair that those people would get any special attention from Him, much less the chance to be in heaven with Him.

If God were fair, He would not give those people anything good. They do not deserve anything except to be punished! But God is not fair; He does not give people what they deserve. Instead, He is gracious. He does not give up on people who couldn’t care less about Him. Because He loves them – even though they are “dead in sins” – He gives them life.

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God Is Rich in Grace →

“Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” (1 Kings 18:38)

Elijah asked, and God responded immediately. The prophets of Baal spent all day trying to call down fire from heaven, and nothing happened, because Baal was a false god. But as soon as Elijah prayed, God sent fire from heaven that burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench around the altar. God was not asleep or on vacation; He was not surprised or startled. He heard Elijah’s prayer and answered him.

Sometimes when you pray, you might think that God does not hear, or that He is too busy to listen, or that you are not important enough to Him. All of these are lies of the Devil. The Bible says God hears the prayers of His children and always gives them what is best. God always knows and does what is best, even though sometimes you might think He does not know what He is doing. Just as He did for Elijah, He will always prove Himself mighty and worthy of your worship.

Even though God is always awake and never sleeps, sometimes Christians sleep spiritually. How do they do that? They choose not to go to church, or fail to read God’s Word and talk to Him in prayer. They forget God and live as though He cannot see them. But God never rests, He wants you to come to Him and spent time with Him. He wants you to talk to Him – to tell Him the good and bad things that have happened today. He wants you to tell Him your needs, so He can show you His mighty hand. He is always there and always hears you when you pray.

God never sleeps and always watches over His children.

My Response:

» Do you live as if God is sleeping and cannot see you?

» Do you believe that God knows everything about you and never sleeps?

» What would you do differently if you could see God standing right beside you?

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“I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12b)

Have you ever been excited about a special meal you were going to eat? Maybe it was your school’s macaroni and cheese, your Mom’s yummy lasagna, or Grandma’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes. And even peanut butter and jelly can look pretty good when you are hungry! Because each one of us is special, we all like different foods. Jack’s idea of a tasty treat might be Jane’s idea of terrible torture. Whether you like Mexican, Italian, Chinese, French, or Grandma’s cooking best, we can all agree upon one thing: We all like to eat! We expect to eat several times every day, sometimes more.

Almost everyone has a very healthy physical appetite. But how is your spiritual “appetite”? Did you know that God’s Word ought to be more important to us than meeting our everyday needs like food and drink? Have you ever given God’s Word the same amount of attention you give to your body’s daily food?

The Bible says, “Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). This verse uses a word picture that compares God’s Word with daily food that we need to survive. “Sincere” food means the “real thing,” food that is not just fake or unsatisfying. We can be sure that God’s Word is satisfying, rich, and very, very good. “O taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).

But how do you get the “daily food” of God’s Word? When we eat breakfast, lunch, and supper, we are meeting our physical needs. When we read the Bible we are feeding our spiritual needs. Just as you must eat to stay strong, so you must read and “digest” God’s Word regularly so that you can be spiritually “healthy.”

Continue reading Kids 4 Truth International – God’s Word Is My Necessary Spiritual Food →

“And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.” (Jonah 3:1-2)

When God told Jonah to go and preach in Nineveh, Jonah ran away. The Bible says that Jonah fled to the harbor and found a ship heading in the opposite direction of Nineveh. There was no way he was going to preach the Word of the Lord to the people of Nineveh.

The Ninevites were cruel people who tortured their enemies. Jonah wanted God to destroy the Ninevites. He knew that if he preached God’s Word, the Ninevites would probably repent from their wicked ways. So Jonah said “no” to God and ran the other way.

But God did not give up on Jonah. While Jonah was aboard the ship, God sent a raging storm. The sailors threw Jonah overboard because they thought he had caused the terrible storm. But God sent a big fish that swallowed Jonah whole. God heard Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the fish, and the fish spit Jonah up on dry land. Then the Word of the Lord came to Jonah again and told him to go to Nineveh and preach.

When Jonah said “no” the first time, God could have said, “Forget you, Jonah! I’ll just find someone else!” God can do anything He wants to do, and He could have found another prophet to preach to Nineveh. But God wanted Jonah to go. So God patiently waited on Jonah. He sent a raging storm to get Jonah’s attention, but Jonah did not repent. Instead of repenting, Jonah decided it would be better to die in the sea.

But God still wanted Jonah, so He sent a big fish to swallow Jonah. Finally, Jonah cried out to God, who sent him back to Nineveh to preach to the people. God wanted Jonah to learn a lesson. God wanted Jonah to obey Him, and He patiently waited for Jonah to obey.

God is patient. He wants you to follow Him and obey Him. When you say “no” to God, He doesn’t always punish you right away. He waits for you to obey. He is “a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Jonah 4:2). Sometimes He might have to send a hard time to get your attention, as he sent a storm to Jonah. But He wants you to become more like Him, and He patiently waits for you to do so.

God is patiently waiting for you to follow Him.

My Response:

» What does God want me to do today?

» Am I following the commands He has given in His Word?

» Am I saying “no” to God?

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“And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” (I Kings 17:4)

During the days of Elijah the prophet, God sent a drought–a long period of time without rain–to the land of Israel. God was punishing Israel because the wicked rulers, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, were causing the people to stop serving the Lord and to worship idols. Even though Elijah had warned King Ahab that God would punish them, Ahab did not listen. So God did not send any rain to Israel for a long time, and food could not grow. The people of Israel, including Elijah, soon became hungry and thirsty. Even though Elijah trusted in the Lord, he must have wondered where he would find food and water.

But God still took care of Elijah. Even though there was no rain and little food or water, God provided for the needs of His faithful servant. God knew where to find water, and He told Elijah to go to a little brook that still had water to drink. God also knew where to find food, and He commanded the ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah. What a surprising way to meet the prophet’s needs! Twice a day, the black birds delivered food to him. Even though the people who worshipped idols were hungry and thirsty, Elijah always had enough to eat and drink. God always provided for the needs of His servant.

God will always take care of you, as well. If you truly know the Lord, He will always provide for your needs, just like He did for Elijah’s. Sometimes, like Elijah in the drought, you may find yourself in the middle of a hard situation. Maybe one of your parents has lost a job, and your family needs money. Or maybe you have moved to a new school, and you need to find good friends. Whatever your need, God will never forget about you. Like in Elijah’s time, God knows where to find the things you need (Matthew 6:8). He will always be faithful to provide for you–sometimes in surprising ways!

God will always meet your needs.

My Response:

» What are some needs I have?

» Am I trusting the Lord to provide for my needs?

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“The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Have you ever had a dog? Jake had a dog, and he loved that dog. Her name was Daisy. She was a cute little white dog with black ears and a brown spot in the middle of her back. She had a cute little tail that curled up over her back. Jake would feed her and give her water every day. He would give her a bath when she was dirty, brush her fur when she had been outside, and take her for walks after school. Jake loved Daisy very much, and he showed her that he loved her by taking care of her. Even when she was bad and misbehaved, he still loved her. Who do you think takes care of us and loves us, even when we do wrong? Your parents do, but Who else? God does, and He loves us, too! God loves us unconditionally.

Do you know what it means to love “unconditionally”? The word “unconditional” means “without limitations, perfect in quality or nature.” Basically, it means that God love has no strings attached and there is nothing we can do to earn it or lose it. God’s love never changes! No matter what you do, you cannot make God love you any more than He does right now. You cannot do anything to make God love you any less than He does right now, either!

God’s love is even stronger than that bond between Jake and his dog Daisy. Why? Because God is God! His unconditional love has no bounds, because it is just as infinite (never-ending) as God is! God always loves His people, no matter what. Because of His unconditional love, He sent His Son to die on the cross. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

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