“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.

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“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

Virtually anyone who has any Christian upbringing at all has heard the very first verse of the Bible. And anyone who claims to be a Christian accepts the truth it teaches, that God created us! But how many of you have ever sat down to think just how that fact affects how you live and act every day?

Anytime a person creates something, he has a purpose for that creation. For example, your mom never just goes into the kitchen and starts throwing together some flour, sugar, and milk without having something very specific in mind that she plans to create with those ingredients. A potter never begins spinning her wheel until she knows what she wants to mold that clay into. And a carpenter never begins cutting up a new shipment of lumber into an odd assortment of shapes and sizes until he has some idea of the type of furniture he plans to build. God did not just create you on a whim with no design for you. Instead, when God created you, He had a very specific purpose in mind for you.

Since God created you for a purpose, He has a right to demand that you fulfill that purpose. Back to the illustration of the potter: If you were the one who purchased the clay, took the time and effort to spin the wheel, and used your skill to carefully shape the clay into a ceramic bowl, you would then be the owner of that bowl. You would have every right to decide whether it ought to be used for your morning cereal, or to hold a potted plant! Because God created you, He owns you and has every right to decide your purpose. But you do not have to wonder what that purpose is. Scripture identifies that purpose for you: God called you to salvation even before He created you. Why did He? “That we should be to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:12)

God owns me and has the right to demand that I act in a way that brings glory to Him.

My Response:

» Have I been acting today in a way that gives God the glory He deserves as my Creator and Owner?

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“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness.” (Psalm 145:7a)

When we say that something is “good,” what do we mean?

When something is “good,” it does what it is supposed to do. Imagine that you are playing soccer, dribbling the ball down the field. You fake around one defender and then another. Now, the goalie is the only player left between you and the goal. You dribble to the right and then kick the ball high and to the left corner of the goal. It flies past the diving goalie’s outstretched hands. That was a “good” shot: it did what it was supposed to do.

Psalm 145:7a says, “They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness.” When David says that God is abundantly good, what does he mean? He means that God will always do what He is supposed to do. God never makes a mistake or a bad decision. Everything that He does is best for Him and for His creation – even when it doesn’t seem to us that things are good. We are too limited to be able to say whether something is truly good or bad, but we can trust that the God always does good.

God is not just good; his goodness is great, or abundant. When Steph was a kid, she used to save up her money to buy small bags of M&M’s. She would go home and lie on her bed and read a book while eating them one at a time, trying to make them last for a looooong time. But they always ran out way too soon! When something is “abundant,” it means that there is more than enough of it. Abundant M&M’s would be a bag that never ran out. That is how God’s goodness is to all people: it will never run out!

God is always good, and His goodness is abundant.

My Response:

» The verse says, “They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness.” When was the last time I got excited and told someone how good God is to me? Who can I tell today about God’s goodness to me

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“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” (Psalm 18:2)

“Enough!”

When was the last time you heard that word? Did your dad say it to stop your siblings from fighting? Did a teacher say it after asking for volunteers? Or did you say it when your mom asked if you wanted more dessert? “Enough” means that you don’t need any more; you have all you need and cannot take any more. Can you imagine having enough video games to keep you busy for the rest of your life? How about having enough clothes, movies, money, or friends? You name it. It is hard to imagine having “enough” so that you could sit back and say, “There is nothing else I need or want.”

The funny thing is, you already DO have “enough.” Did you know that? Scripture says that God is enough. He is all you ever need. He is the Provider, the greatest Joy, Peace, and Life; He is everything you could ever need or want. He provides Living Water to satisfy your thirsts. He is the Bread of Life that can feed your soul (Isaiah 55:1-2). God knows all and is all. Friends, clothes, good grades, video games, and money will never be enough to make you happy. God is all you need. He is your Rock (Psalm 62:6), Fortress (Psalm 18:3), and Shepherd (Psalm 23) – He is GOD.

Job recognized that God was enough. Job 1 records that after Job heard that everything was taken from him – his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, servants, and children – he fell down on his knees and worshipped God. He did this because he knew that God was enough to sustain him in every situation. God was all that he needed.

What do you think you need? Are you thinking, “If I only had such-and-such, I would be happy!”? God is everything that you really want or need. He truly is enough.

God is all you ever need.

My Response:

» What do I think I need to be happy?

» Do I trust God to be enough?

» How can I start depending on God to satisfy my needs?

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

David had just become king of Israel. He summoned a servant of Saul, the former king, and asked him, “Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?” (2 Samuel 9:3)

The servant told the king about Mephibosheth, a grandson of Saul who was still living. Mephibosheth had fallen when he was a little boy, and his injuries had never healed correctly. Now he was lame. He could not be a great warrior for King David, and he couldn’t be of much help as a servant. If anything, he would only be a burden to the king.

David called Mephibosheth to his house. He told Mephibosheth that he had been good friends with his father, Jonathan. He invited the lame man to live with him in his palace, to own the land that had belonged to Saul, and to eat at the king’s table for the rest of his life. Mephibosheth hardly knew what to say. He could not imagine why the king would even think twice about a man like him, but he bowed before David and gratefully accepted his offer.

How was David’s act of kindness like the kindness of God? God had a plan to show kindness to us before we were even born. He showed us kindness through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and provided a way for us to come to God. In a way, we too were “lame.” We were completely undeserving. There was nothing that we could do to help ourselves or to earn God’s favor. We were dead in our sins. But because of God’s great mercy and love, He brought us alive at the moment of our salvation. He brought us into His family and now He provides for us everything that we need. The best news of all is that His wonderful plans of kindness are not finished yet. Ephesians tells us that He has great treasuries of grace and kindness stored up for “the ages to come,” throughout eternity!

God has shown His kindness to us in Jesus Christ, and He will continue to do so through all eternity.

My Response:

» Do I understand how undeserving I am of God’s kindness?

» Have I bowed before God today and thanked Him for His kindness to me?

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“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.” (Psalm 145:4-5)

Maria’s father had surprised her by taking her to visit an aquarium. Maria could hardly believe all the wonderful things she saw there. In one tank were some white fish called “flounder” that could disguise themselves. They would lie flat on the sandy bottom of the tank, blending perfectly with the white sand so that all you could see was their eyes. In another tank were some sea creatures called “cone jellies.” They floated gracefully through the water, and each one had a little light glowing inside of it. Some fish had beautiful bright colors. Some had funny long snouts. And some had feathery-looking fins that swished about them like a lady’s ruffly skirt.

“Dad,” said Maria, “How did God think up so many different kinds of fish to make?”

“It would be hard for us to think up all those fish, wouldn’t it?” said Dad. “But not for our great Creator. He never runs out of ideas for making new things.”

“Some of these fish live way down in the ocean where no one ever sees them,” said Maria.

“You’re right. Why do you think God put them there?”

Maria shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Why?”

Dad leaned closer to a tank to watch an angelfish swimming through a little tunnel of coral. “He says in His Word that all things are created for His pleasure–and that all His works praise Him. So at least one reason He put those fish deep in the ocean is just for His own enjoyment and glory.”

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“And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” (1 John 3:19-20)

When someone asks you whether you know for sure that you are a child of God, how do you respond? I remember as a child trying to answer that question. I would always say, “Yes! I know I’m saved!” After answering, however, I would always ask myself whether or not I really knew for certain.

You see, when I was very young, I prayed with my mother to accept Christ as my Savior. But, I didn’t, and still don’t, remember it! I don’t remember what I prayed, or where I was. I loved going to church, and told my grade school friends about Jesus, but I didn’t remember when I got saved. I was so worried that I would pray, “Lord, if I’m not saved, please save me now.” I prayed this prayer every night! I had no confidence in my salvation, but was too embarrassed to ask my parents or teachers for help.

A few years later, I began reading through the book of 1 John. As I read, I began to see many verses that told me how I could know for sure that I was saved. For example, 1 John 4:15 says that if I confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, God lives in me, and I live in Him! For each of these verses, I would write a paragraph about how I knew from that verse that I was saved. Even though I don’t remember what I prayed when I asked Jesus to be my Savior, I know that right now I am trusting in His payment on the Cross for my sins! I also know that God cannot fail, and that He has promised that if I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then I am (not might be) saved and have eternal life.

Are you struggling with whether or not you are truly saved? Maybe you don’t remember what you said when you prayed for the first time; maybe you don’t know if you said the right words; maybe you don’t even remember praying! Are you worried that you didn’t “do it right” or that God didn’t hear you? 1 John 1:9 says that God is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins” when you confess them to him! When you told God that you were a sinner and asked Him to forgive you, He did! In 1 John 5:11, 13-14, God tells us that we can know – not just guess or hope – that we are truly saved and have eternal life. God knows you better than you know yourself. Even though you may not “feel” saved, God knows whether or not you have truly trusted in Jesus Christ to be your Savior.

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“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9)

“Hey! Follow me!” And around the big concrete cistern they walked, hopped, and ran. The older ones were the leaders and the younger ones quickly followed. Around and around the hole they went walking and jumping and having a great time. I stood off to the side watching – I was afraid to follow – afraid that I would fall into the big hole. But not my little brother! He ran right up and followed the leader, joining in the game until he tried to jump over the hole like the older, much bigger boys.

“Mom! Dad! Ronald fell into the hole!” My parents and their friends came running to rescue my little brother. Someone went down into the hole and rescued Ronald, and although he looked very hurt and badly shaken, he was okay after a trip to the emergency room.

Ronald got hurt that day because he chose to follow the wrong person. The activity they were doing was unsafe – but he didn’t think about that because he was following someone else. It was not safe for anyone to play around that concrete cistern.

Whom are you following? Are you following Jesus or are you following another person? Are you following the things of Jesus or the things of the world? Jesus wants us to follow Him, much as He called men like Matthew to follow Him during His earthly ministry. It is dangerous to follow the people or things of the world. Follow Jesus!

We should follow Jesus by obeying His instructions.

My Response:

» Am I following Jesus or this world? I can call on God to help me: “God, please give me the desire and ability to follow Your Son.”

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“O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” (Psalm 84:12)

“Come on, Danny. Jump in! I’ll catch you!”

Danny listened as his dad called him to jump into the pool. It was a hot summer day, and Danny and his dad were spending an afternoon at the swimming pool. The only problem was that Danny didn’t know how to swim. And even though his father promised to catch him, Danny was afraid to jump into the water.

Danny had a wonderful dad. His dad always made sure that he had clothes to wear and good food to eat. He played ball with Danny every day after school and helped him with his homework. He made sure Danny was warm enough when the weather turned cold and took him swimming in the summer when it was hot. Once when Danny was playing in the street, his dad saved his life by running and snatching Danny from the road just before a car hit him. But even though Danny’s father loved him very much and was always there to take care of him, Danny did not trust his dad to catch him when he jumped into the water.

You might be just like Danny. Your Heavenly Father sacrificed His only Son so that you could have eternal life. He provides for all your needs, He blesses you everyday, and He answers your prayers. He’s done all this for you, and yet you still might struggle with trusting Him with your daily problems and needs. When you go through difficult situations, God wants you to trust Him. You can trust Him because He is God: He knows all and rules over all. He is your strength and refuge. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.”

Trust God with all your problems because He is trustworthy.

My Response:

» Am I looking at my circumstances rather than looking at God?

» Am I trusting in myself or someone else when I should be trusting God?

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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.

It probably was not a sin to pour boiling water into a glass pitcher – Mrs. Blackburn was not breaking any of God’s commandments by doing so! But in a way, God very gently warned her never to do that again! God knows exactly what circumstances to give you to teach you and bring you closer to Him. Sometimes He uses painful circumstances to teach us lessons; sometimes He teaches us things without bringing pain. But there’s one thing to remember no matter what method God uses: God will always do just what’s right for you. In fact, God is gentle with His people even when He brings them severe pain.

God is the best teacher because He knows what we need to learn and how we need to learn it.

My Response:

» Are there any circumstances in my life that God is using to teach me a lesson? Am I learning?

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“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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Psalm 25:4-5 “Shew me thy ways, 0 Lord: teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

God promises to be with us every step of the way.

Have you ever thought, “I’m really just a “nobody” and what can I do for God?” Moses felt that way. Moses tells God in Exodus 3:11 “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” And in Exodus 4:10, And Moses said unto the LORD, “0 my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Moses begged God to send another, but the Lord became angry and told Moses that his brother Aaron could help and speak the words that should be said. Then God said this to Moses, “And thou shalt speak unto him (Aaron) and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.”

God had a very special plan that needed to be accomplished. God chose someone to complete the task who was not famous or popular. I don’t believe Moses went around thinking, “I want everyone to notice me. I must do something great!” He had a humble heart and a desire to serve yet felt he wasn’t worthy. God said something very important to Moses, “I will teach you what ye shall do.” God is still looking today for someone who is not proud, but someone who desires to serve with humility. God has a specific plan for those who are willing to step forward and say they will do what God wants them to – even though they feel the task is too hard. God promises to be with us every step of the way.

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“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

When I was in fourth grade, my family took a trip to Washington, D.C. Before we left, some of my friends at school said, “Maybe you’ll get to see the President!” I wasn’t too sure we would see President Reagan, but I was very excited about the possibility.

One day while we were sightseeing near the White House, we noticed a crowd gathering by the White House fence. Some people had cameras. “What’s going on?” we asked someone in the crowd.

“The President’s helicopter will be landing here soon. We’re all hoping to see him!”

My family joined the waiting crowd. My dad was able to get me right up by the fence where I could see. Sure enough, we soon heard the helicopter coming. It landed right on the White House lawn, and President Reagan got out—on the opposite side from where we were standing. A groan went up from the crowd. We could not see very much of him at all. In fact, from our side of the helicopter, we could see only his feet. Although I was a little disappointed, it was fun to go home and tell my friends that we had seen the President’s feet in Washington, D.C.!

It’s exciting to see a famous person. People will form lines and wait for hours just to get one glimpse of a person they admire. But have you ever thought that someday, all those who have had their hearts cleansed by Jesus Christ will see God? What could possibly compare with the wonder of that? What would it be like to see Him? 1 Timothy 6:16 tells us that God dwells in light so bright that no one can even come near it. People who saw Jesus on this earth saw God in human form, but not in all of the glorious splendor that surrounds Him in heaven. Moses saw a brief glimpse of God’s glory, and even that was enough to make his face shine for days and days.

Jesus gave one condition for seeing God: being pure in heart. Only those who are pure in heart will see Him. And there is only one way to have a pure heart. Jesus Himself must purify it for you with His blood that cleanses from all sin (I John 1:7).

The pure in heart will one day see God in all of His glory.

My Response:

» Has my heart been purified by Jesus Christ?

» Is He daily keeping my heart pure as I confess my sins to Him?

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“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)

As a kid I always loved going over to visit my “cousins.” They weren’t really my cousins, but since our families spent so much time together, we called each other cousins. It was fun to be at David’s house because his dad was a police officer and had really cool things to show us…such as real handcuffs! And what made David’s house even more fun was that he had a big swimming pool in his backyard.

Without fail, every time I was ready to go down the street and play at David’s house, my mom would tell me something that you have probably heard before: “Be good!” Why would Mom have to tell me to be good? She told me because she knew that my being good was a choice I had to make.

But no one has to tell God to “be good,” because He just is good. He can’t choose to do wrong.

God’s goodness is seen in His creation. Right after God finished creating the world, He looked at it and saw that He had done something good. Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” God never has to do anything over; everything was good the first time He created it.

God’s goodness is seen in His involvement in our lives. Have you ever read the story of Joseph in the Bible? Joseph’s brothers hated him, so they sold him to a group of people who were going to use Joseph as a slave. But God was being good to Joseph the whole time that all of this was going on.

Eventually God put Joseph in a very high position in a foreign country. Joseph used his high position in the land to prepare for a seven-year famine. Back in his home country, Joseph’s family ran out of food and had to go to the land where Joseph lived so that they could get more food.

When Joseph’s brothers came to him for food, what was his response? He forgave them and gave them as much as they needed. Why did Joseph do that and not try to get even with his brothers for selling him to be a slave? He didn’t try to get even because he understood God’s goodness. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph says, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

Joseph understood that God allowed all those things to happen to him so he would be in a position to help thousands of people during the famine. God is always working in your life, and it is good!

God’s goodness is seen in His gifts. Have you ever wanted to get the perfect gift for someone? Maybe at Christmas time you go up and down the aisles of the store looking for that perfect gift for Mom or Dad. When they open the gift, you are holding your breath with excitement, hoping that they just absolutely love the gift that you picked out.

God is constantly giving us gifts, which the Bible describes as “good gifts.” James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

God doesn’t have to be told to be good, because He is good. And according to Psalm 52:1, His goodness endures forever!

God is always good, and He is only good.

My Response:

» Since God is always good, do I remember that I can totally trust Him to be good in my life?

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“God, who…spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds….Being made so much better than the angels.” (Hebrews 1:1-2, 4a)

When I was in school I had a friend who was really smart. Every time we finished taking a test, I asked him how he did. I remember the extremely rare times when I did better than he did. I was so happy! I think all of us have a desire to be better than someone else.

Did you know that the Bible tells us that Jesus is better than anyone else who has lived? The first chapter of Hebrews tells us that He is better than prophets and angels.

First, Jesus is better than the prophets. God used men called prophets to tell the world what He wanted them to know (vv.1-3). These prophets were important people who did amazing things. For example, Elijah asked God for fire to come down from heaven, and God sent it. And Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, but God didn’t let the lions hurt him. A third prophet, Elisha, made a river split into two so he could walk across on dry land.

But the only way these prophets could do these things was because God worked through them. The first part of Hebrews 1 teaches us that Jesus is better than the prophets. Why? First, because Jesus is the Creator of everything, including those prophets! Second, because He upholds everything, He is the one who made it possible for the prophets to do their work. Third, the prophets were sinners, so they could not save anyone from his sins. But Jesus never sinned. In fact, He cleansed our sins (v. 3).

Not only is Jesus better than the prophets, but second, He is better than the angels. We know that God uses angels for special jobs. An angel warned Lot and his family that judgment was coming to their city. It was an angel who told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. It was an angel who told Jesus’ disciples that He had risen from the dead.

But for all of the supernatural power that angels have, Jesus is still better than they are. God hasn’t called any of the angels His Son – only Jesus has that honor (v. 5). In fact, God told the angels to worship Jesus when Jesus came to earth to be born as a baby (v. 6). Angels have their place, but they are under Jesus the King (vv. 7-9). Angels are to care for those who will be saved, but Jesus is the one who provides the salvation (v. 14).

If a prophet or even an angel were to die for you, it would do nothing to save you from your sins. But since Jesus is God, His death provides a way for you to be saved from your sins. That power makes Him far better than prophets and angels.

Jesus is better than anyone else, including prophets and angels.

My Response:

» Do I recognize Jesus for all He is worth?

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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.

God rewards pastors (1 Peter 5:4). Your pastor has the responsibility to protect you from danger and to teach you God’s Word. It is a tough job – you need to pray for him.

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“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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