“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)

Angela pressed her face between the white boards of her grandma’s backyard fence. She waited there for a minute, listening, and then she ran across to the other side of the yard and pressed her face up against those white boards. After a little while, she ran back to the other side, and then back again.

Grandma had been watching her from the screen door and finally opened it. “Angela, honey, what in the world are you doing?”

Angela put her finger up to her lips and ran up to her grandma. “This is what,” she whispered, pointing with both hands to both sides of the back yard. “I am listening to your neighbors!”

Grandma’s face looked shocked. “Listening to my neighbors?” she whispered back. “Whatever for?”

“I’m seeing if they are Christians, Grandma.” Angela pointed to the neighbor’s yard on the right. “That’s Mr. Cherian over there – I think he is a Christian!”

Grandma nodded. “Sam Cherian and I have talked about the Lord many times. He is a wonderful brother in Christ.”

Then Angela pointed over to the lefthand neighbor’s yard. “But I’m just not so sure about Miss Wyler. She just never sings!”

Grandma looked over toward Miss Wyler’s yard and said in a very quiet voice, “Angela, why would you say that? There is nothing in the Bible that says we have to sing in order to be genuine believers in Jesus.”

“Oh, Grandma – I know that! But sometimes you can really tell the Christians from the non-Christians because they DO sing! Mr. Cherian only has one real leg, and he isn’t grouchy at all. When I watch him working in his garden, he is always humming a hymn or singing something! And he usually has a smile on his face, too. He doesn’t even sing that great and he has that funny high voice, but he is always singing. There is something different about him, and I think it’s something joyful in his heart that makes him sing.”

Grandma nodded. “And what have you been noticing as you’ve watched Miss Wyler working in her garden?”

“Well, she is nice enough to me when I say ‘hello’ to her. But she just does not seem like a very happy person, inside or out. She hangs around with her cats and mutters under her breath about all the things that keep going wrong in her yard or with the weather. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile or heard her sing a single note.”

“I see what you mean, honey,” said Grandma. She put her arm around Angela’s shoulder and led her inside the house. “Wilma Wyler does seem to have a hard time remembering that there’s more to life than her cats and good gardening weather. I don’t know if she’s a true Christian or not. One thing I do know is that all of us struggle sometimes to remember God – don’t we? We get caught up in our worries and our work, and we forget that His goodness and greatness are bigger and better and longer-lasting than any of our problems.”

“I guess that’s true for me, too,” said Angela. “And I am a Christian! But I guess sometimes I don’t act like somebody who knows Jesus. If I’m really believing God is as good and great as His Word says He is, I have a lot of reason to be happy, even when things don’t go like I want. Kind of like Mr. Cherian singing in his garden even though his garden gets the exact same weather Miss Wyler’s garden gets. And Mr. Cherian has no cats and only one leg!”

“That’s right, honey. As long as we are right with God, we have every reason to rejoice in all that He has done and all that He is. Singing is one way Christians can show that our happiness is in God instead of in our circumstances.” She poured Angela a glass of lemonade and leaned over the table to hand it to her, smiling widely. “Maybe the next time we’re out back, we should sing a little song, just in case Mr. Cherian or Miss Wyler decide to ‘listen’ to their neighbors?”

God’s goodness and greatness are reasons enough for a Christian to “rejoice evermore.”

My Response:
» What do I think I need in order to be “happy”?
» Do I think of salvation as something worth singing about?
» Who is my Source for real and lasting joy?

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“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed…. 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.” (James 1:5-6, 17)

With a heavy heart, Hillary stared out the window. Here it was already late October, and the leaves on the trees had not even changed color yet. But the grey sky outside matched her mood. She watched the swaying of the branches (still so full of green leaves) as a damp, cold wind blew through them. Hillary wished the leaves would just fall off. She also wished her tears would fall down, too. If only she could have a good cry, she thought maybe she would feel better.

But there wasn’t time for crying. Caroline – Hillary’s best friend and closest cousin – was all ready to move to China this week. Uncle Dave’s company was sending him and Aunt Britt and Caroline to Shanghai for two years, and Hillary was going to be left behind in plain, boring old Iowa – with only the teen-aged neighbors and the baby cousins to play with. Caroline had promised to write, but Hillary knew things would never be the same after they were gone.

“We know this is going to be especially tough for the two of you girls,” Uncle Dave had said to them. He gave Caroline and Hillary each a pretty jade ring that he and Aunt Britt had bought for them the last time they were visiting in China. “I want both of you to wear your rings every day,” he said. “When you look at them, I want you to remember that you have someone you love on the other side of the world thinking about you. Let your rings remind you to pray for each other every day.”

“These rings are made out of jade,” added Aunt Britt. “Right now you see this bright, greenish color. But when you wear jade up against your skin, it will change color a little bit, and you never know exactly how it will change for any one person. But the rings are always going to stay jade, no matter what colors they turn. I want these rings to remind you of more than each other. I want them to remind you that sometimes God brings change into our lives, partly so that He can change us, because we need to be changed. But God Himself never changes. He’s on both sides of the world. He is all-wise, and He is always there. God will never move away; He has never been afraid or lonely. Like these rings will always stay jade, God will always be the same good and great God He has always been. Even when you cannot see what changes are coming, God can, and you can put your trust in Him.”

Hillary turned away from the window and turned her jade ring around and around on her finger. She could not tell if it was starting to change colors yet or not, but she thought about what Aunt Britt had said: God will always be the same good and great God He always has been. He would be in Shanghai with Caroline, and He would stay here in Iowa with Hillary, too. She looked outside again at the still-green leaves and thanked God that even though seasons and circumstances change, she could always count on Him to be the good and great God that He has always been.

God will always be the same good and great God He always has been.

My Response:
» Am I frustrated with the changes (or the lack of change) in my life right now?
» Why does God bring change into my life?
» How can I put into practice what I know from the Bible about God’s unchanging goodness and greatness?

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“And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” (Joshua 2:11-13)

Rahab was a sinner saved by God’s grace. She had been a godless woman living in a godless city, Jericho. One day, two spies from the children of Israel came to see Rahab’s city, because their leader Joshua had told them to. God was going to help the children of Israel fight and take over the whole city of Jericho.

Of all the houses the spies could have visited, they visited Rahab’s. Rahab had a bad reputation. She had done many bad things, and she was a low woman in her city. But Rahab took the spies in and protected them from the leaders of Jericho who came searching for them. She helped the spies, showing them kindness, and gave them guidance for how to escape. Do you know why?

All the people of Jericho had heard about the children of Israel and what their God had done for them. They had heard about how God opened up a dry path through the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross in safety, and then how the Egyptian army was drowned when they followed them and God brought down the waters on them. The people of Jericho had also heard about how God fought with the Israelites. And the people of Jericho were scared that they would be next.

Was Rahab like the rest of her people? Was she scared of the children of Israel and their God? Yes! So why did she show kindness to Israelite spies? Rahab was not just scared of God. She believed in Him. She believed that the God of the Israelites was the one true God, everywhere and over all.

Rahab believed God, and she feared Him. But in spite of her fear, she had the faith to ask for goodness and mercy and deliverance from death. Based on what she knew of the Israelites’ God, based on all that He had already done, she asked for mercy for herself and her family. The Israelite spies agreed. They promised that when they came to take over Jericho, they would protect anyone who was in her house.

Even though Rahab knew she was a sinner who did not deserve mercy, she asked for help from the only ones who could help her. She was not asking for mercy based on all the things that she had already done. How could she? But she knew enough about God and all the things He had done. She could ask for mercy, in spite of herself and in spite of her fear, because she trusted that He was the kind of God Who shows mercy to people who turn to Him.

God is the kind of God Who shows mercy to undeserving people who call upon Him for help.

My Response:
» Am I trusting in the God of the Bible, or in myself?
» On what basis can I hope to have mercy from God – based on my own good deeds? based on how well I pray?
» How can I show by my actions that my faith is placed in the one true God?

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“He laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, ‘Thou art Christ the Son of God.’ And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: For they knew that he was Christ.” (Luke 4:40b-41)

Some people think Jesus behaved very mysteriously when He lived on Earth. They think He could have been more clear about Who He was and why exactly He came to Earth. But often, people see only what they want to see. This was true in Bible times, and it is still true today.

Before Jesus died on the cross, He did many supernatural miracles and preached many amazing sermons. People were surprised by Him all the time! The Bible says over and over that the people “marveled” or that they were “astonished” or that they were even speechless! These are all ways of saying that Jesus amazed and surprised crowds of people with His words and His actions.

The Bible also says that many people understood Who Jesus was and believed in Him. But many people did not. They could not seem to understand, or else they did not want to understand. They wanted a glorious king to rescue them from the Roman empire. They wanted a wonderful leader to rule over them and restore them as a nation. They wanted someone around to heal all their diseases and fix all their earthly problems.

Jesus was not here to fix all their earthly problems. If He had come for that reason, He would have fixed all of the sick people and broken situations. Jesus did what He came to do. That is why He told demons not to possess (take hold of) people. If a demon (devil) was bothering someone, and that someone was brought to Jesus, Jesus would tell the demon to get out and go away. Demons are angels who have rebelled against God. So Who created angels? Jesus did. Jesus knew every one of these demons, and they knew exactly Who He was. They were afraid of Him. They wanted Him to leave them alone. And they knew right away that He was GOD.

Even the demons believe Jesus is Who He says He is. They are not going to heaven; they are rebelling against God. Jesus did not come to Earth just to get rid of all the demons and diseases and hunger and political problems. He did help people, especially in ways they needed to be helped. But those miracles were supposed to help people understand Who He was and what His bigger purpose in coming was: “To seek and to save that which was lost.”

During His time here on Earth, Jesus gave many clues and open messages about Who He was and why He came. He came to die on the cross for sinners, to take away their sins and to give them His righteousness instead. Do you believe Jesus is Who He says He is? “The devils also believe, and tremble.” It is important to take what you know in your head about Jesus and make it count for something in your heart. Do you really believe He is both the Son of God and the only Savior of sinners? Are you trusting in Jesus Christ as your God and Savior?

For those who were listening, Jesus made it clear Who He was and Why He came to Earth.

My Response:
» Am I trusting in Jesus as both my God and my Savior?
» Am I too busy looking for Jesus to help me that I am missing what He wants to teach me?
» How can I explain to my friends and family Who Jesus is and why He came?

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 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8a)

Maria turned on the faucet for her mom. Then she slowly followed the hose to where her mom was watering the flowers. “How was your day, Maria?” her mom asked.

“Not very good,” Maria said. “Jessica ruined it.”

“Jessica ruined your whole day. Hmm. How did Jessica do that?”

“She didn’t want to sit by me or play with me today. She played with Sarah instead. Jessica’s supposed to be my best friend!” Maria glanced at the flowers. “That flower needs some water, Mom. It looks brown.”

“My hose doesn’t reach that plant,” she said. “I need to replant that flower before it dies.”

“Oh,” Maria said. “Anyway, it’s going to be a bad year. I am the only third-grader without a best friend.”

“I know how important Jessica’s friendship is to you, sweetie. I’m sure she will still be your friend if you talk to her about it.” Mom started rolling up the hose, and they walked back to the house. “But Maria, don’t let this ruin your year – or even your day. You can still be happy even if Jessica is being unkind.”

“But it’s so hard! How can I be happy when Jessica is being mean to me?”

“Maria, do you see that plant down there next to your knee?”

“That really big one?” Maria asked.

“Yes. That’s the same kind of flower as that brown one back there.”

“Really?” Maria asked, looking from one to the other. “What makes it so different?”

“The difference is its water source. I can’t reach the brown one with my hose, so it has to wait for the rain to water it. But this big, green one is right underneath the leaky faucet. The drips from the faucet are a constant supply of water that help it grow. Even if there is no rain for weeks, that plant will still have water every day – because it is right next to the source of water.”

“Ok,” Maria said slowly. “I don’t get it.” Her mom smiled, and then turned off the hose.

“In the Bible, Jeremiah talks about people who trust in other people instead of trusting in God. Jeremiah compares those people to a plant in a desert. A desert plant does not have a constant source of water, so it will not live long or well. But someone who trusts in the Lord is like a plant living by a river. A plant next to a river will always be green and healthy because its roots get water from a constant supply. When you put your hope in a person – even a good friend like Jessica – you will be disappointed sometimes. No person could ever be a reliable source of abundant life.”

“Abundant?”

“Well, abundant means profitable or plentiful. An abundant life is full of all the good things God wants us to have.”

“Oh, now I get it,” Maria said. “If I want to have an abundant life, I have to get it from God, not Jessica – right?”

“Exactly,” Mom said. “Only God can be a constant Source of life for you. If you trust God to be your best friend, He will not let you down.”

“Wow! I hadn’t thought about it that way before.” Maria was quiet for a moment. “Um…Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Can we move that brown plant closer to the source of water, now?”

And together they went to get the shovel.

Is God your best Friend? Or are you relying on other people and other things to give you happiness? God is the only One Who can be a reliable Source for full joy in life. Jeremiah 17 teaches that those who trust in the LORD are blessed.

Only God can be our Source of abundant life.

My Response:
» Am I depending on people to be my source of abundant life at church, home, or school?
» How can I show that I believe God is the only reliable Source of abundant life?

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“We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Have your mom and dad ever told you that they “love you more” than you could ever love them, or that they have loved you longer? If so, they are probably right. You cannot even remember knowing your parents when you were first born, or – some of you – when you were first adopted, and you are probably still learning how to love them rightly. Your parents loved you first. They brought you into their home, and you belong to them. You are learning to respond to them with love in return. But they will always be the ones who loved you first, not the other way around.

Who “invented” love? Who created it? 1 John 4 reminds us that God did. God IS love. He is the Source of perfect love. And He loves people even when they are not lovable! Could a human being ever think up on his own the idea of God’s love? No. Could we ever earn God’s love? No. Could we keep loving others if it were not for God’s help and what He has done in loving us first – before we were even able to love Him?

What are your thoughts when you remember that God is the Source of all love, and that He chose to love you when you were unlovely and unloving?

It makes the tears run down one’s cheeks to think that we should have an interest in that decree and council of the Almighty Three, when every one that should be blood-bought had its name inscribed in God’s eternal book. Come, soul, I bid thee now exercise thy wings a little, and see if this does not make thee love God. He thought of thee before thou hadst a being. When as yet the sun and the moon were not, – when the sun, the moon, and the stars slept in the mind of God, like unborn forests in an acorn cup, when the old sea was not yet born, long ere this infant world lay in its swaddling bands of mist, then God had inscribed thy name upon the heart and upon the hands of Christ indelibly, to remain for ever. And does not this make thee love God?
~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Those are some difficult words from Charles Spurgeon, but they are very true. Our response to God’s kind of love should be to love Him more and more. 1 John 4:19 says in a very simple way that we love God, because He first loved us. God is loving; it is a mark of His nature, and we who are believers should be marked by His marks. In the Bible, believers are taught to love one another because of the way that we were loved first by God.

God loved us first, so we should love Him!

My Response:
» Do I really love God?
» Why do I love God?
» Is it difficult for me to treat others with the kind of love I’ve been given?

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“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:10-11)

Highlights magazine has a sort of comic strip storyline with two characters, brothers named “Goofus” and “Gallant.” In the story, Goofus and Gallant are always faced with choices about things – things like helping their mother, obeying a “No Swimming” sign, or what to do on a test when they do not know the correct answer.

Somehow, Gallant always chooses to do the noble, wise, and good thing. He helps his mom with a sweet attitude. He does not go swimming in the wrong zones. And he would never cheat on a test.

But Goofus always manages to get himself in trouble. How? Well, he always chooses the easy, fun, and foolish way out of any situation. If he has an opportunity to cheat on his test, he probably will think, “It’s just for this one time” or maybe “I already know the right answer; I just forget!” If he sees a “No Swimming” sign, he will tell himself that the sign is for little kids, or for really bad swimmers, or just against swimming at certain times of the day. Goofus is quick to think of reasons why what he wants to choose is also what he should choose. Then he goes swimming, against the sign, and gets hurt, or he cheats on his test and gets suspended from school.

When we are tempted to think like Goofus does about sin, it is called “rationalizing” or “justifying” ourselves. We want our decisions to be rational (to make sense), and we want them to be just (right and good). But we also want what we want! So we fool ourselves into thinking that sin is reasonable and makes sense. We talk ourselves into calling sin something other than “sin.” We want a way to make our wrong decisions be right!

We cannot justify (make right) our own sin or anyone else’s sinfulness, because we ourselves are sinful. But Jesus Christ was not sinful. He never sinned. Do you know Jesus is able to justify those of us who want to be right with God? Even if we were to behave like Gallant all the time – always obeying mothers and signs and rules! – we still could never get rid of our sinfulness. We could never “earn” the right to be called just (right or good). But realize this: Jesus did earn the right to make us just, when He took upon Himself the iniquities (sins) of many. He bore our sins, and that was the only way we could ever be justified (made right or good) before God.

Jesus Christ is the only One righteous enough to make sinners right with God.

My Response:
» Do I try to rationalize my sin? Do I ever try to justify my sinful choices?
» How does God view any one of my sins?
» Who can make me right with God, even though I’m a sinner?

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“Thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 13:18b)

Can you see any trees from where you are right now? Some trees are great for climbing. You can go up into the branches and sit for hours, reading a book or maybe just watching the people in your neighborhood. Maybe your elderly next-door neighbor is out in her garden inspecting her roses. Maybe you can spot the postal service car coming down the road, pausing every few seconds to put envelopes into each mailbox.

People are funny sometimes, when they do not know they are being watched. You are probably the same way. When you are alone, you probably behave a little differently than when lots of people are around. You just do whatever you feel like doing. Maybe on some Saturdays, you just stay in your pajamas all day and hang around inside the house. You might be embarrassed if someone outside your family were to see you, but it is just fine for you to make that choice, at least the way you see things.

The LORD is always watching us, though. We do not have to worry so much about pleasing other people, but we do need to remember that God can see everything, and He knows everything about us – including the thoughts of our hearts. If we really love God and want to please Him with our faith, we will not live our lives as though we think He is not watching us. God’s people listen to God’s voice, and they keep His commandments. They “do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD.”

Proverbs 12:15a says that “the way of a fool is right in his own eyes.” Have you ever caught yourself choosing to do something that breaks God’s commandments? Who were you pleasing when you made that choice? Was God watching you? Did you care? It is foolish to do only what we think is OK. What is right in our eyes is not always really right. Why? Because our spiritual “eyes” are limited. We have “blurry” vision, in a way. We are human, sinful, and selfish. We cannot get a clear picture of what is right (and we cannot be anything but fools) unless we choose instead to follow what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

The Israelites found that out the hard way, when they had a very dark time in their history. “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). When a lot of self-pleasing people get together and do whatever they want to do, a lot of bad things can happen to everyone.

God forgave the Israelites over and over again for doing their own thing and disobeying Him. He will forgive you, too, if you are sorry for focusing on yourself and what you think is fine behavior. Repent (change your mind about your sin) and turn the other way – do what is right in the eyes of the LORD instead.

The LORD sees all, and we are wise if we choose to please Him instead of ourselves.

My Response:
» Whom do I want to please? Other people? Myself? Or the LORD?
» What are some ways I can remind myself that God sees everything and knows the thoughts of my heart?
» How can I show others that I choose to do what’s right in God’s eyes?

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“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:30-33)

Meri sat on the bench at the mall, swinging her legs and watching the people go by. She loved “people-watching,” as her mom called it. Her mom sat next to her, sipping some soda and checking things off her list, so she wasn’t paying attention. But Meri couldn’t take her eyes off all the crowds of moving people – busy people, rich people, angry people, colorful people, laughing people, impatient people – all kinds of people!

Suddenly, Meri took in a quick breath and stopped swinging her legs. A teen-aged boy was walking by, but there was something wrong with him. His face was all flushed red and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. It looked like he had been crying really hard, and like he might just start up again. He was holding an open cell phone, but it did not seem like he was talking to anyone.

Meri had never seen a boy cry, nevermind a boy walking around crying in a public mall. There are people everywhere in a shopping mall. There are hidden cameras. Meri wondered if someone had called the boy on his cell phone and given him some bad news. She pulled on her mom’s elbow to get her attention, but by then the boy was rounding the corner and going into the restrooms. Meri felt sorry about the boy. She wished she could have helped him feel better, but she didn’t know what to do or say that might have helped.

The crying boy that Meri saw at the mall probably did not go to the mall expecting to burst into tears. He probably went to buy junk food or a pair of jeans, or maybe to hang out with some of his friends. But we cannot plan our lives out. Things happen, and sometimes we are very upset by the things that happen – whether our emotions come out as anger, fear, sadness, loneliness, or mixtures of many emotions – those are just natural human responses to things that happen.

Meri felt sad because she saw the crying boy but could not help him. But do you know that Someone else did see that boy? God saw him! Even without hidden cameras, God sees all of us, and He knows when we are in need.

What kinds of needs do you have right now? Do you think God sees you? Do you think He knows your needs? Do you think He cares? Even the flowers and birds are taken care of by God. How much more is He able to take care of His people? Matthew 6 teaches us that it is better to be concerned over spiritual, eternal things than it is to worry over eating and drinking and other needs we have.

Food, shelter, health, finances, and clothes – of course, these are not “little” needs to us, but they are very small when you compare them to the “big picture” of God’s kingdom. He is a very big God. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. He can see what we need. We can trust Him to care about the needs He sees.

We can trust God to take care of our needs.

My Response:
» Do I trust God to see me when I need His help?
» What are some needs I have right now that God could help me with?
» How can I show in my life that I believe God can take care of me?

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 “This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.” (Isaiah 28:29)

Have you ever heard someone called a “workaholic”? What is a workaholic, anyway? It is a nickname given to people who work all the time. In the morning, all they can think about is working. At noontime, you have to remind them to eat lunch because they get so caught up in their work! And it is hard for them to go home and relax in the evenings, because all they seem to be able to think about is work. Work, work, work! Some people really do just love to work.

For most of us, though, work is not very lovable. When we think of fun things to do, working is not at the top of the “fun things to do” list. We are tempted to be lazy and stay away from work completely! We have to “work” to make ourselves even want to work!

God is not like us. He is not at all lazy, but He does not have to be a workaholic, either, in order to get done everything He gets done. God is sovereign. He is omnipotent (“om-NIH-po-tent,” all-powerful), omniscient (“om-NISH-ent,” all-knowing), and omnipresent (“om-nih-PREZ-ent,” all-present). So whatever He decides to do, He just does it, and He does it with the best possible quality! God’s works are all excellent. Deuteronomy 3:24 – “O LORD GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might.”

Because He is Who He is, the LORD’s works have to be excellent. He is God. Since Jesus is God, He did many wonderful works (including supernatural miracles) while He lived on Earth. And He did so many wonderful things that only a “few” of them could be fit into the Bible. The disciple John wrote, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (see John 21:25).

God created the universe. God redeems sinners from their sin. God cares for His people. God deserves honor for all He is and all He does.

Now here is an important question to think about: If God is able to do anything, and if He is willing to glorify Himself by doing great works, do you think He might be able and willing to help you in your need?

We can trust in the excellent works of the LORD Jehovah.

My Response:
» Do I remember that God is all-powerful, all-wise, and all-present?
» How is God working in my life today?

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 “Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word…. Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.” (Psalm 119:40-41, 57)

“If they would burn the Word of Christ, they would burn Christ.”
~ William Tyndale (1494–1536), language scholar and theologian
who was burned at the stake for translating the Bible
and for believing in justification by faith alone

Throughout history, there have been many people who fought the spread of God’s Word. There were people who thought it was wrong for the Word of God to be translated into a “common” language, or any other language but the original languages it was written in. Some religious leaders did not want the Bible to be readable, because their false teachings would be found out if people could check them by the Bible in their own languages.

Many years ago, a man named William Tyndale was overcome with a passion to see the Hebrew and Greek original Scriptures translated into English. His dream was that any common ploughboy (any farmer’s servant) would be able to read the Bible in his own language (English) instead of having to know Hebrew or Greek, or instead of having to listen to the Bible read in Latin. Tyndale was a skilled translator and wonderful writer, so his translations (some pieces of the New Testament that he translated) are quoted today even more than famous lines from Shakespeare’s plays are quoted!

But back in his time, William Tyndale was not so popular. He was betrayed, went to prison, and eventually was strangled and burned at the stake – all because he wanted to give the Bible to English-speaking people. Tyndale loved God’s Word so much that he died for it. He died so God’s Word could be read. He died so God’s Word could be printed and preserved (kept safe and available) for generations to come. God used people like William Tyndale throughout history to preserve His Word, to keep it safe. That is why God’s Word is still here for us to use in our time.

King David’s psalms about God’s Word show that he also had a deep love for the Scriptures. He says he has longed after God’s Word. He says that the LORD is his portion (the LORD is all he needs), and because of that, he promises to keep (obey) the LORD’s words.

David was “a man after God’s own heart.” He loved God, so he loved God’s Word. William Tyndale’s whole life (and death) was devoted to making sure God’s Word would be around in the future, readable by both rich and poor people. He was passionate about God’s Word, because He was passionate about God. God’s Word ought to be considered precious (extremely valuable) because it is from God. Many people have lost their lives trying to make sure God’s Word would stay safe. If you have a Bible today, check out your relationship to God’s Word. How often do you read it? How do you respond to it? Does your life show that you love the Word of Christ?

God’s Word is precious, because it is from Him.

My Response:
» How often do I think about God’s Word?
» Why is God’s Word so valuable?
» Do I really treat God’s Word as something precious, or do I ignore it?

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“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God. The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.” (Psalm 18:30-31,46)

Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art.
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.

Have you ever heard the song “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting”? Like the psalmists in the Old Testament, we can sing songs about the heart of God. We can sing songs about His character traits and about His amazing works. What are some things about God’s goodness and greatness that you would think of as good reasons to sing?

In the song “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting,” the writer is rejoicing that Jesus is Someone we can rest in, Someone whose loving heart is very great, Someone worthy of trust, and Someone Who gives joy. In King David’s psalm quoted above (Psalm 18), he rejoices that God’s way is perfect and that His Word has been tried (proven) to be steadfast. He describes God as a buckler (a safe place, a shelter, a fortress) for all who trust Him. More than once, David even calls the LORD a rock!

Do you know of anyone else like that? Anyone else whose ways are perfect? Anyone else who is a fortress for every single person who trusts in him? Anyone else who could be described as a rock? No one else is like that. Only God! That is why David says, “Who is God, save the LORD?” That means, “Who else could God possibly be, if He is not the LORD?”

People think different things are scary, and every child has his own set of fears. You might be afraid to get a shot at the doctor’s office, or maybe visiting a nursing home is scary for you. Maybe caves (or things that live in caves) make you afraid. Maybe you do not even like to cross the street!

But King David is not very specific, is he, about what kinds of things God protects us from. Why doesn’t David sing about God being a “buckler” in times of war or in times of illness? Well, he does get that specific in other songs, but these verses here are more broad and general. No matter what you need help with, whether it is a common thing or a rare thing, you can count on the God of the Bible. You can trust Him to be your help and fortress. He is a rock for all those who trust in Him. He is trustworthy. His ways are perfect, and His Word is proven. We can sing with David and Christian song-writers throughout the centuries that our God is that kind of God.

No one else is a rock and a fortress like our God.

My Response:
» Am I resting in God as my rock?
» Do I trust the perfect ways and proven Word of God?
» Do I remind myself often and rejoice in the truth about God’s goodness and greatness?

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 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

If you like to play hide-and-seek, it is probably fun for you to think about hiding places. Maybe when you visit a new place or go to someone else’s house, you scout out all the best places to hide. If you’re good at finding hiding places, the “seeker” probably has to spend a long time looking for you. There may even have been times when you’ve hidden so well that he’s given up looking for you!

In Psalm 139, David was thinking about hiding places, but not because he wanted to play a game. He was thinking about how impossible it is to run away and hide from God. In the first part of the psalm, he wrote about God’s very personal knowledge of His creatures. He thought about how God knows every move we make, every word we say, and even the thoughts that go through our minds! When we think about a God who knows us so deeply and personally, we might feel like we want to get away and hide from Him – especially when we consider that we’re sinners and He is holy.

David considered several places he might go. Perhaps he could go up into the sky – even into outer space. Or maybe he could go to the world beyond the grave – the world where people go after they die. Perhaps he could go as far east as the sunrise, or to the farthest reaches of the sea. Do those sound like good hiding places? The problem is, none of those are places a person can hide from God. God’s presence fills the earth and the sky. He is there, no matter where we go, no matter how much we might want to run away from Him.

In verse 10, David thinks about the fact that God is loving. His gentle, strong hand is actually leading us when we try to run from Him, and wherever we end up, His hand takes hold of us there. We can never run away or hide from Him.

What are some ways you try to “run away” from God? Do you close up your heart when He speaks to you through His Word or through your pastor’s preaching? Do you refuse to cooperate with Him when He shows you a need to forgive someone or to change your attitude? Do you try to shrug off something He tells you to do because you know it will make you uncomfortable?

Since God is loving, why would we want to be apart from Him? The Bible says that the best place to be is in His presence (Philippians 1:23). It is only there that we can have “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). Being close to Him, loving Him, and obeying Him is the very best thing for every one of us.

We can never run away from God.

My Response:
» Am I trying to run away from God in my heart?
» What is God asking me to do?
» What do I need to do to stop running and obey Him?

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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

What does it mean when someone is not available? Maybe your mom has taught you to take a telephone message for her when she cannot come to the phone. She has probably told you to say something like this: “I’m sorry, but Mom is not available right now. May I please take a message?” When you tell someone that your mom is “not available,” it may mean that she is not at home, or it may mean that she is giving the dog a bath and is up to her elbows in soapy water. Whatever Mom is doing, the point is that the person trying to call her cannot reach her. The caller will have to wait or try again later.

Sometimes we cannot reach people when we need them. We get their answering machines or their voice mail messages when we try to call them. But God is never out of reach when we call on His name. The Bible tells us that He is “a very present help” – especially when we are in trouble. One translation of the Bible has this wording in the margin: “abundantly available for help.” When you go to God in prayer and ask Him for help, He is always available! In fact, He is very or abundantly available. He is ready, willing, and eager to help you. You must come in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). You also must not be hanging onto any sin that you are unwilling to confess when you come to Him (Psalm 66:18). But as long as you are coming in obedience to these conditions, you can come to Him for help any time at all.

What kind of trouble can God help you with? Maybe you have started attending a new school, church, or club, and maybe you’re finding it hard to make friends. God can help you reach out to others. Maybe you are upset because your brother or sister treated you unfairly. God can help you forgive and love in return. Maybe you are worried about a family member who is sick. God will listen to you and carry your burden for you so you don’t have to worry. Whatever your problem, nothing is too great or too small for God to care about and help you with. Don’t hesitate to come to Him and ask His help. He is always available to you.

God is always available to help us.

My Response:
» What problem do I need to take to God for His help?

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“See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:25-29)

Annie looked at the fire that Mr. Cook had built for their Sunday School class’s hot dog roast. She tried to get closer with her stick, but the fire was still too hot. She was hungry, and this was going to take a long time! It was a good ten minutes before the roaring fire had died down enough for Annie and her friends to get near enough to roast their hot dogs. When she finally squatted down nearby and stuck her hot dog over the hot embers, Annie glanced down at her shoes. The tips of her sneakers were a little bit melted! Wow!

Annie’s shoes were not fire-resistant. That means that they were not able to stand up against the heat of the fire. The toes of them were melted! It is a good thing that she stayed as far away from the fire as she did!

Did you know that God describes Himself in His Word as a consuming fire? “Consuming” means it burns up everything it touches and cannot be put out. That is pretty strong language to describe God, isn’t it? But it probably does not even come close to how powerful and glorious and holy God really is. Human language could never express everything that God is. But Hebrews 12:25-29 uses very strong words to describe Him – as the One “that speaketh from heaven,” and as Him “whose voice then shook the earth,” and “God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:25-29 starts out with “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.” That “him” there is referring to God, and the command is that we are not supposed to refuse Him and His Word. Why? Because this is the kind of God He is – the kind of God Who speaks from heaven, the kind of God Whose voice shakes the earth, and the kind of God Who is a “consuming fire.” No one can stand up to God and get away with it.

Have you ever met someone who wanted to be “God-resistant”? We should not resist God. Standing up against God is not only sinful, but it is also useless and foolish. He is the God Who created you by the power of His Word, and His Word has not lost any of its power since then. We should not resist God or refuse His Word. Instead, we should pray for “grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Do you know who God resists? James 4 teaches us that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. If you really believe that our God is a consuming fire, you will humbly pray for His grace to help you please Him with your life.

Our God is a consuming fire, and we should pray for grace to please Him.

My Response:
» Do I try to stand up against God?
» What is my attitude like toward the Word of God?
» Am I proud, or am I praying in humility for grace to please such a great God?

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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. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Have you ever coveted? To “covet” something is to wish you had that something, even if God has chosen not to give it to you. Maybe you wish sometimes that your family had a nicer house, with a back yard big enough for a ball game. Maybe you have found yourself wishing that you were taller, or prettier, or stronger. Maybe you struggle with some kind of disability, and you just wish you could be “normal” like everyone else. Not everything we wish for is a bad thing in itself. We can wish for very good things. But when those wishes for good things become strong enough desires to make us bitter at God, or willing to break God’s laws to get those things, that’s when wishing becomes coveting. And that’s when wishing becomes sin.

God’s Word clearly teaches that He is sovereign. He is in control, and He is aware of (He knows the details of) everything going on in our lives. Hebrews 13:5-6 reminds us that the Lord has promised never to leave or forsake His people. If we are trusting the Lord, we can be content with those things He has chosen to give us. We can be content without those things He has chosen not to give us.

Do you believe the Lord is with you? Is He more valuable to you than the other things you desire? Or do you wish for some things so much that you would be willing to sin against Him to get those things? Reminding ourselves that the Lord is always with us and always aware of our needs is a great way to keep ourselves from giving in to the temptation to covet.

Another way that the Lord keeps us from sinning is the fact that He is our best helper, not men. The Lord is always available – we can always call on Him when we need help. What man or woman could always be there for us? And the Lord is greater than any person or problem that could come up against us. We really have nothing to fear if the Lord is with us and if the Lord is our help.

People who believe the Lord is like what He says He is like are people who do not have to worry about pleasing other people. Have you ever kept quiet about your faith because you were worried about what people might think of you? Have you ever walked away from a chance to do something right because you were afraid of what might happen to you? That kind of “fear of man” is sinful, because it is acting like God is not there and that God’s opinion does not matter more than people’s opinions.

The Lord’s opinions do matter more than people’s. And the Lord is always there. He is like no other person we could count on. If we truly believe what God says about never leaving us or forsaking us, and if we truly believe that we do not have to fear people if the Lord is helping us – then we will not sin against Him by coveting what others have or by fearing others more than Him.

The Lord’s perfect character helps us say “NO” to sin.

My Response:
» Do I wish sometimes for things that God does not want me to have?
» Do I really believe the Lord is with me?
» Am I afraid sometimes that people will mock me?
» Do I really believe the Lord is my helper?
» How can I show in my life that I believe these truths about the Lord?

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“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:28-31)

Crystal knew she was in big trouble. Her dad had told her not to play with the lawn dart game when he was not home. He had said that kids had died playing that game. But her friend Alicia had come over this afternoon, and they were bored. So Crystal had gotten her bright idea – and she was pretty sure that her dad would not mind making an exception to his rule, just for this one special occasion. And they would not be foolish; they would be very, very careful. Anyway, it was just this once.

Mom was inside doing laundry and would probably never notice, so Crystal had gotten the lawn darts out of their box in the garage and taken them outside to play. She and Alicia had been tossing them farther and farther, and it was really fun – until they heard a weird crunching sound.

There, lodged in the windshield of her mom’s car, was a lawn dart. There were little cracks in the glass all around the dart, and the dart itself was stuck in the hole it had made.

Crystal felt terrible. She knew exactly how her dad would respond, and she dreaded him coming home. He would say, “You knew the rules, Crystal. This is deliberate disobedience.” Or maybe he would say, “Don’t you see that you could have gotten hurt? This could have been you.” Maybe he would say, “This is exactly why I warned you to wait for me.” Or, “I am going to have to punish you, Crystal. And you have to pay for the windshield to be replaced.” What if he said all of those things? If he did, she knew she would deserve every word.

Have you ever sinned willfully against God? Hebrews 10:28-31 shows us something about God’s character and His reaction to deliberate disobedience. It says that Old Testament lawbreakers were rebellious enough to die without mercy, so how much more would we deserve punishment for disobeying God – we who have the knowledge of Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death? When God reaches down and saves you, He is saving you from eternal punishment in hell. Do you realize God is actually saving you from Himself?

When she was deciding to disobey, Crystal had all kinds of “good reasons” in her head for why it would be OK “just this once” – she couldn’t let her friend be bored, they would be very careful, her parents probably wouldn’t mind at all, this was a special one-time thing, and so on! But you know what? Crystal was wrong. The game was not any less dangerous just because it was for “just this once.” As it turned out, Crystal did not know as much as she thought she did, and she realized in the end that she deserved whatever punishment her dad gave her.

Because God is holy and wise, He cannot let sin go unpunished. He would not really be God if He ignored our sins. We should not take sin lightly, either, especially if we love God. God takes sin seriously, and there is a sense in which we ought to fear disobeying God. Think about it – the thought of God’s judgment and His wrath over sin, and the thought that Jesus had to come live and die to save us from that judgment and wrath – these thoughts should keep us from sinning.

God takes sin very seriously.

My Response:
» How serious am I about staying away from sin?
» Do I treat God and His Word flippantly?
» How might meditating on God’s character and works keep me from sinning when I am tempted?

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“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” (John 17:16-19)

What does it mean to “sanctify” something? “Sanctify” means to clean up something, to set something apart as special or for special use, to make it appropriate for a special purpose. The word “sanctify” has the idea of making something holy, purifying it, setting it apart for a special spiritual purpose.

Have you ever been in a stable? It is not especially clean, is it? There are animals in stables, and all the things that go along with animals – their food, the way they smell, the dirt that they get on them. Stables, even when they have been cleaned out, are not exactly clean! But they are clean enough for their purpose – to be a house for animals like cows and horses.

Have you ever been to the mother-baby floor of a hospital? There is a very special nursery room for the newborn babies there. It is a room set apart for them, and it is always kept 100% spic-and-span clean. Why? Because babies pick up germs and sicknesses very easily. It is important to keep germs away from them until they grow strong and healthy enough to fight off sicknesses. This room is so set apart that normal people (non-nurses and non-babies) have to wear special robes to go in there and sit with the babies. Sometimes they have to wear masks. Normal people would look funny wearing masks and robes in a supermarket or at the library – but in a hospital nursery, we do not think it is strange. It is appropriate and right to be careful around babies in a hospital nursery. That room is set apart just for them.

Now, even though Jesus was born in a stable, we would probably never dream of putting a newborn baby in a stable under normal circumstances. Even the cleanest of stables will still have germs and weird smells – and no nurses or masks or robes! So what made the stable where Jesus was born a good enough stable for His birth to happen in? Well, that stable was special because God, in His sovereign wisdom and power, had prepared it and set it apart for the birth of His Son. By itself, that stable would have been just as dirty and smelly – and as inappropriate for a nursery – as any other dirty and smelly stable. But because God chose it and “sanctified” it, it was a good enough place for Jesus’ birth.

God sanctifies people, too. He prepares them, He washes them clean, He sets them apart for His own special purposes. He is perfectly holy, so He is the only One perfectly able to sanctify us. Jesus’ prayer in John 17 makes it very clear that God is the One Who sanctifies us, and that He does that sanctifying by the power of His Word.

If God has saved you, He wants to sanctify you. He wants you to be set apart as special for His special purposes. He wants you to be holy like He is holy. And the wonderful thing is, God has the power to change you. It is a long process, but the truth of God’s Word is powerful enough to change you and make you holy.

God is the One Who can make us holy, by the truth of His Word.

My Response:
» Am I sanctified?
» Is God sanctifying me?
» How has God been changing me through the truth of His Word?

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