“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)

We hear many people talk about how much God loves us. Have you ever stop to think about how powerful God is? Joshua 10 tells a great story of God’s power! Take the time today and read verses 1-15.

In the Old Testament, we can read about how God specially chose a group of people called the “Israelites” to be His children. When God stood with Joshua and the children of Israel, there was no kingdom on Earth that could stand against His people. We know how powerful God is. God controls the weather. He can send hailstorms, hurricanes, tornados, and floods. He created the whole planet, and His power is greater than earthquakes and tidal waves and glaciers. God controls history, too. He has helped some armies win battles that were impossible for humans to win. In the Bible, there are stories about many miracles that God did that we humans could never do! God has proved over and over again how powerful He is.

But what if God only ever showed His power, but not His love? But do you know what else we learn about God from His Word? God loves His people and He wants to deliver them. God is powerful, and God loves perfectly, so He must be just as powerful in His loving as He is in everything else He does. God’s love is powerful.

Because He was their loving and powerful God and Father, God taught His people by disciplining them. When the Israelites obeyed God, then God would bless them with victory. They were small armies and had not been trained how to fight, but God helped them win, over and over again. But when the Israelites disobeyed God, then God would have to punish them for their sin. The Israelites suffered whenever they disobeyed God. One time, the Earth opened up and swallowed some of them. One time, God sent poisonous snakes. One time, they lost many of their men in a battle. But through it all, God loved them and He helped them when they turned to Him for help.

In the New Testament, we can read about when God came to Earth Himself. When Jesus Christ, Who is God, came to be born as a human being, He invited all people to be His children. He came to do the impossible. He was powerful enough to live a life without sin. He was powerful enough to bear the sins of men and the rejection of His Father when He died on the cross. He was powerful enough to raise up from the grave. None of us could have done any of those things!

Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is powerful proof that God loves powerfully. He loved the world so much that He sent His Son into it–not to condemn it and wreck it and make a mess of it, but to redeem and rescue and deliver and save anyone who comes to Him and trusts Him to help.

God’s love is powerful enough to deliver us from our sins through Jesus Christ.

My Response:
» Have I asked God to deliver me from my sin?
» When was the last time I told someone about God’s love for him or her?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Victoria put her arms around Aunt Grace and hugged her as hard as she could. “It’s so hard to say good-bye, Aunt Grace,” she said. “I wish you could stay with us instead of going back to Africa.”

Aunt Grace set her suitcase on the floor and knelt down to look right into Victoria’s eyes. “It’s hard for me to say good-bye too, Torybell,” she said. Torybell was the special name that only Aunt Grace called her. “I love you, and I’ve had so much fun staying at your house and playing with you. But you know something? I love Jesus even more. And Jesus loves the people in Cameroon that I work with. He wants them to have the Bible in their own language. That’s why I have to go back. Jesus has called me to learn their language and translate His Word so they can read it and know of His love. And when Jesus calls, I have to follow. You understand, don’t you?”

Victoria nodded. She closed her eyes to squeeze back the tears, and Aunt Grace gave her one more quick hug. “I’ll pray for you, Aunt Grace.”

“Thanks, Torybell.”

Victoria stood next to her mom at the window of the airport, and they watched until Aunt Grace’s plane was out of sight. Victoria looked up at her mom. “I’m going to pray every day for those people in Cameroon,” she said.

“Let’s make a point to pray together–every day,” said Mom. “We’ll pray that they’ll read the Bible Aunt Grace is putting into their language and that God will save them.”

Victoria was quiet as they walked to the car. Maybe someday I’ll be like Aunt Grace and live in another part of the world, she thought. It would be hard to say good-bye to Mom and Dad. But it would sure be great to tell the world about God’s love.

God loves the world and wants the whole world to know of His salvation.

My Response:
» Am I praying for God to save people around the world?
» How can I show God that His love for the whole world is important to me?

“As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, [Jesus] also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Trent jerked up into a sitting position, suddenly wide awake. His heart pounded, and he was breathing hard and fast as if he had been running. “It was just a bad dream,” he told himself, rubbing his eyes. “Just another dream.”

Ever since his grandfather’s funeral last week, Trent had had a bad dream almost every night. He would wake up thinking about Grandpa lying so still and silent in that big box. He would think about the quiet cemetery where they had buried the big box in the ground. And then he would start to get scared. What if his mom or his dad died too? What if he died? What would it be like?

Have you ever felt like Trent? The Bible tells us that the fear of death is something all humans have in common. But the Bible also says that we do not have to be slaves to this fear.

Would you be afraid of something that had no power to hurt you–like a dead leaf or a falling snowflake? Of course not. Did you know that Jesus Christ has made death just as powerless as these things for the Christian? Hebrews 2 tells us that when Jesus died on the cross, He destroyed the power of death. He destroyed Satan’s ability to keep us living in the fear of death all of our lives. He died to deliver us, not only from slavery to sin, but also from slavery to fear.

To those who do not know Jesus as their Savior, death is an uncertain and frightening thing. But Jesus promised that whoever believes on Him as He has commanded will not see death (John 8:51). The believer’s body will die, but his soul, the unseen part of him that thinks and feels, will go to be with Jesus forever.

If you have believed on Jesus Christ, He is your Savior. He died that you might be able to live forever with Him. Even though we don’t understand exactly what death is like, we who know Jesus do not need to be afraid of it. He has conquered death for us forever.

Jesus Christ has conquered death, and Christians do not need to fear it.

My Response:
» Has Jesus saved me from my sin and given me eternal life?
» If He has, am I thanking Him every day?
» Am I living with peace and hope in my heart instead of fear?

“Thy word have I hidden in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Do you have a “treasure-keeper”? Most of us have a place where we keep those things that are special to us. Your special “treasure-keeping” place might be a shoebox on the top shelf of your closet, a locked safebox, a trophy case, a diary, a cookie tin, a dresser drawer–or maybe even under your bed! Our “treasures’ can be all sorts of things: baseball cards, jewelry, a souvenir from a favorite vacation, a photo of your grandpa and grandma on their wedding day, a letter from a friend you met at camp, or maybe a medal you won in a competition. Whatever form your “treasure-keeper” takes, it is the treasure kept inside it that really is special to you.

Think now about a different kind of treasure–the “treasure of the heart” that is mentioned in God’s Word (Matthew 12:35). In Proverbs, the writer is instructing us that our real treasure ought to be God’s Word. The writer also tells us that our hearts ought to be our treasurer-keepers when it comes to this kind of treasure-keeping: Proverbs 2:1,3,5, and 6 say, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hidden treasures; then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

There is no treasure on Earth as precious as the Word of God. As you study the Bible and memorize verses, you are storing away treasure that can never be stolen or destroyed. (See Matthew 6:19!) Keep hiding away the treasures of God’s Word in your heart!

No treasure we have compares to the Word of God.

My Response:
» Do I treasure anything more than I treasure God’s Word?
» How can I hold on to and use the treasure God has provided for me?

“I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Joshua 1:5b)

In life we make a lot of friends, but most of us have only a few friends who are very close. Statistics and surveys have shown that the average number of close friends per person is only eight. Can you think of eight close friends you have? Your close friends may change as you grow older, too. Have any of your friends ever been mean to you or let you down? We have probably all had friends who have let us down before. It is also probably true that we ourselves have let our friends down! Even our moms and our dads, who love us very much, are not perfect. Even they have let us down before.

What does it mean to fail or to forsake someone? To “fail” means to let someone down, or to respond lazily to someone’s need. To “forsake” means to leave someone, to leave them all alone in time of need.

Did you know that God never lets us down? You might be thinking, “God has too let me down! You don’t know me or the stuff I’ve gone through.” You are right that no human being can really understand what you think and feel. But God does. You might have been born with a physical handicap. Maybe you are not as smart as your classmates or your siblings. You might not be very athletic. Maybe you do not have the musical talents or the good looks that you wish you could have. Maybe you cannot even think of one person who is your friend, nevermind eight.

You know what? In the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God made some promises to Joshua. Joshua was a young man and a pretty new leader. One thing God promised Joshua was that He would not fail him. You can be sure that Joshua really needed the Lord in the many battles he faced as he led the Israelites into the promised land. If God had failed Joshua, some of those battles would not have been won. God kept His promises to Joshua. When Joshua needed God, God did not fail him or forsake him.

God does not respond with laziness when He sees we need His help. When we trust and obey God, we are trusting and obeying the only Person Who has never failed or forsaken anyone who trusted or obeyed Him. God was not messing up when He gave you the life you have now. He was not a failure when He made you with the mind and looks and abilities you have. If you are relying on God and looking to Him for your help, He will never let you down or leave you alone when you need Him most.

The Bible speaks of a kind of friend that sticks closer than a brother. Well, God sticks even closer than that kind of friend! God told Joshua that when it came time for Him to be there, He would be there. You do not have any friend or family member who would be able to make and keep a promise like that! You probably would admit that you could never make that promise truthfully. But God could make and keep a promise like that. He did make and keep His promise for Joshua, and He will for you if you trust Him and obey Him and look to Him for help.

God never fails those who trust Him and obey Him.

My Response:
» Do I forget sometimes that the God of the Bible is faithful and that He can never let down people?
» Do I ever fail my friends and family members? How can I be more faithful like God, when it comes to keeping my word and being there for those I love?
» How can I show in my life that I believe God is trustworthy and that He deserves to be obeyed?

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Have you ever been lost? Isn’t it a scary feeling?

When Philip was five, he lived on a ranch in California. Philip loved riding around the ranch with his dad, who oversaw the care of the cattle and sheep. He almost always had another companion with him–his dog, Rusty. Rusty was a German shepherd and a “working dog” on the ranch. Philip’s dad would give Rusty specific commands, and Rusty would help him herd the cattle and sheep. But whenever Rusty wasn’t needed on the ranch, he could always be found at Philip’s side. Rusty was very protective of the boy. If Rusty ever sensed that something was threatening Philip, he would get in front of him and not move until everything was ok.

One day, Philip was with his parents on a part of the ranch with which he was unfamiliar. Somehow, he wandered away from his parents, so far away that he finally couldn’t find the way back to the family car. Fortunately, Rusty was with Philip when he got lost. Although Philip didn’t realize it as he was trying to find his way back to his family, Rusty had been leading him in the right direction, almost like he was herding lost sheep or cattle. Eventually, Philip became very tired and had to sit down on the ground. When his parents found him, it was two hours later, and Rusty was almost covering Philip. Philip did not know where he was, but it was a comfort to be able to put his arms around his dog and know that Rusty would never leave him there alone.

Do you ever find yourself in situations that make you feel afraid or confused? Perhaps you have felt lonely, or even lost. Psalm 23:4 assures believers that no matter where they go or what they have to face, they can depend on God. God stays continually with those who trust Him and obey Him. He gives comfort and guidance. He is there anytime to hear those who call upon Him for help. Are you dealing with really hard things right now? You do not have to deal with them all by yourself. You can count on God, anytime and anywhere.

God is always present to help, guide, and protect me in any situation.

My Response:
» When I am in the middle of a difficult time, do I think biblically about God’s character and remember to call on Him for help?
» What other verses in God’s Word help me to know that I can turn to God at any time and anywhere?

“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” (Psalm 139:17-18)

When Heather was little, her family would go camping at the beach. They stayed in tents and cooked over an open fire. Every day, Heather and her twin brother Mitch would go swimming in the ocean! They had so much fun playing in the water, walking along the beach, and, of course, playing in the sand. Mitch and Heather built too many sand castles to count, and one time they even built a car made of sand! Sometimes, Heather wondered if it was possible to count all the grains of sand on that beach. She tried once to count just a bucket full of sand, but as you can imagine, she gave that up quickly! Why? Even in a single bucket, there was way too much sand to count!

The Bible says that God’s thoughts about His people are more in number than the sand. Imagine counting all the piles of sand on a beach. It would be hard to count all the piles of sand on just one single beach. Now imagine trying to count all the piles of sand on all the beaches of the world! Even more incredible is the thought of trying to count every single grain of sand in every pile of sand on every beach in the world! In our wildest imaginations, we could not pretend to understand a number that big!

Like Heather, we would probably give up counting before we got through just one small bucket of sand. The numbers are just too much. Those kinds of numbers are exactly how the Bible describes how many thoughts God has toward His people.

Not only are God’s thoughts toward His own countless, but they are also precious thoughts. That means He cherishes His people and that He plans only good things to do for them, and through them. Here on Earth, we may sometimes feel forgotten or left out, but we can always go back to God’s Word and remember that God is thinking precious thoughts about us!

Psalm 139 speaks of how closely God pays attention to those whom He created, and especially how He feels about people who trust Him and obey Him by His grace. There are many other Bible verses that describe how countless and wonderful God’s thoughts are toward His own. Psalm 40:5 says, “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”

What a great and good God He is!

God’s thoughts toward His people are countless and precious.

My Response:
» Is it easy to imagine how many grains of sand there are on a beach?
» Is it easy for me to believe that God thinks about those who trust and obey Him?
» How should it help me to remember that God thinks so often and so favorably toward His own?

“And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10: 4-5)

Mary had a little lamb, her fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. This nursery rhyme meant quite a bit to Mary, because she really did have a lamb that wanted to follow her everywhere. Her father wasn’t exactly a “shepherd,” but he was in charge of a ranch that raised sheep. Mary loved to go with her father whenever he would check on the flocks. One day, he asked Mary if she would like to help him take care of a special little lamb.

This little lamb’s mother had died, and the lamb had also been born blind. Mary’s job was to feed the lamb with a bottle every day. She also checked his coat too make sure it was not scratched or dirty. Mary named the lamb “Fluffy.” Soon, Fluffy learned to recognize Mary’s voice. Even though Fluffy was blind, as long as he could hear Mary, he would follow her anywhere she went.

Some of the ranch workers would try calling to Fluffy, to see if he would follow them, but he never did. He listened only to Mary, and he really did follow her voice anywhere. Once, Mary and Fluffy even got in trouble with Mary’s mom, because they came walking into the living room where Mary’s mom was having a meeting with some other ladies in the neighborhood!

Why do you think Fluffy would follow Mary, but not the ranch workers? Fluffy knew that Mary had been was the one who fed him and took care of him. Fluffy had learned that Mary would never hurt him in any way. Fluffy could tell Mary’s voice apart from any others, and there was no one else he cared to follow. Fluffy was just a lamb, and he was also blind; but he still knew enough to know he belonged to Mary and could trust her care.

In chapter 10 of John, Jesus refers to Himself as our Shepherd. As we experience God’s daily love and care for us, we learn that we can trust Him wherever He leads. By reading our Bibles and praying daily, we learn more of Him, which helps our trust grow even stronger. We can grow closer to Him every day, and we can learn to tune out the other influences in our lives that might lead us astray. What a wonderful Shepherd we have!

God has daily proven His love and power, and we can rest safely in His care.

My Response:
» Am I willing to submit to and follow a loving God?
» How can I draw nearer to God every day?
» How does God’s trustworthiness compare to the other “voices” and desires that call out for me to follow them?

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do not appear.” (Hebrews 11:3)

Did you ever wonder what holds this world together? Why don’t we fall apart as we walk around? Why don’t the planets spin out of their orbits? What keeps the sun (a huge flaming ball of gases) all together instead of splitting up into thousands of flaming little sun-balls? What holds our insides in and keeps the outsides out? If you think of water in a pitcher, the pitcher holds the water in and keeps everything else out, right? But what is it that holds the pitcher together? As we walk around outside, we do not fall apart. Why? Because our skin holds us together! But what really is it that keeps your skin holding together?

Some say that Newton’s Law of Gravity holds us together, or a bunch of other recognized scientific laws. Isaac Newton did not create gravity, though; he just discovered it. Who invented gravity and designed it to do what it does? Some people say they just don’t know what keeps the universe running.

We are able to learn the true answer to the question of how the world keeps going, because the Bible tells us. It is God Who holds your skin together and keeps the planets in their proper orbits. God created the whole universe by simply speaking, as He tells us in Genesis 1. In the thousands of years since He first made Creation, God has been holding it together. He created our bone structures and skin. He created gravity. He created created solids and gases and powders and globby things and sticky things.

God is a very powerful God, and He is also good. By His providence and power, He keeps everything and everybody going. The next time you step out into your yard, be glad that your lungs and liver don’t fall into the grass! Be thankful that your lips and teeth are there to keep your tongue from sliding out. And take a moment to remember that God created this world in a very specific way so that things would work just right. Everywhere we look, we can see reminders that God is a great God and a good God Who not only created the world, but keeps on taking care of it.

As the sovereign Creator and Sustainer, God gets the credit for keeping everything together.

My Response:
» How can remembering that God is in charge help me respond rightly when things in my life seem out of control?
» Can I point to things in my life that help me see God taking care of even today?

Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

God created you just as He wanted you, with a loving purpose in mind.

When I was in elementary school, I didn’t like the way my voice sounded. Sometimes at school we would have to read aloud and record our voices. I always hated having my recorded voice played back to me. Surely that couldn’t be the way I really talked! I had such a quiet, babyish voice. How embarrassing!

What about you? Is there anything about yourself that you wish you could change—but can’t? Let’s think for a minute about Who made you the way you are.

Psalm 139 says that God formed you and wove you together in your mother’s womb. Before anyone else even saw you, God knew all about you! He planned you; you were completely His idea. Before you were even born, God skillfully formed you exactly the way He wanted you to be.

There are some things about ourselves that we can change. But many things we can’t. Have you accepted the fact that the way you look, the way you talk, your personality, or your health are all part of God’s plan for your life? God made you exactly as you are, because He has a loving purpose in mind for you. His Word says that His creation of you is a reason for you to praise Him! Have you ever done that?

God created you just as He wanted you, with a loving purpose in mind.

Do I complain about the way God created me? Have I ever thanked Him for making me with such wisdom and skill?

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

What is a “broken heart”? Have you ever had one? We use the expression when we talk about the deepest kind of grief a heart can feel. Broken hearts are often caused by a hurtful change in a relationship with another person. If someone you love dies, or if you have to say good-bye to a friend, or if someone close to you does something to hurt you deeply, you might say that you have a broken heart. But those are just the surface causes for a broken heart. Do you know what really causes broken hearts? All of the grief, death, and sadness we experience came into our world as the result of human sin.

Jesus’ heart was broken once too. Psalm 69:20 looks ahead to the time when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness.” Jesus’ heart was not broken because of His own sin; He never sinned. It was broken because of ours. All the sins of the whole world were laid on Him when He suffered and died. During those hours on the cross, He endured the awful wrath of God the Father in our place. The precious relationship Jesus had with His Father, closer and more satisfying than anything we could know, was broken while He bore our sin.

Does your God understand what your broken heart feels like? He not only understands, but He also knows how to heal it. Through Jesus Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, He made a way for you to come directly to Him with your broken heart. Your grief may be the result of your own sin or someone else’s. Or it may be the result of sin’s effects on our fallen world. Whatever the cause, God promises to gently care for your hurting heart.

The God whose heart was broken for sin will heal your broken heart.

My Response:
» Have I brought my broken heart to God for healing?

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle…Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24: 8, 10)

Have you ever imagined that you were a prince or a princess? Have you ever imagined that someday you would rule a kingdom all your own? Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be princes and princesses? Sadly, it doesn’t work that way. We can’t ALL be princes and princesses.

One of the songwriters in the Bible called God the “King of glory.” What do you suppose it means to be the “King of glory”? Doesn’t a king normally have a kingdom and people to rule? How do you rule over glory? The word “glory” means “great honor, praise, or distinction.” The word “king” means “one who is supreme or preeminent.” If you put the two words together, “king of glory” means “one who is supreme or preeminent in great honor, praise, or distinction.”

God is the one and only true King of glory. He is the only One Who deserves our worship and honor. We can praise people and things, but God deserves our highest praise much more than people or things do.

The world does praise movie stars and sports players, talking all the time about how great so-and-so is. Someone who has a unique skill might be called “king” of it as a way of showing that he has earned high honor for himself. A great basketball player might be called “King of Hoops,” or a great baseball player might be called “King of Diamonds.” Usually, when a human being is famous for being good at something, he is only good at that one thing. Some basketball players could never fix their car’s engine. Some movie stars could not swing a baseball bat.

But Whose greatness should believers be constantly talking about? Who is the King Who deserves the highest glory? That is really the question that the songwriter is asking in Psalm 24: “Who is this King of glory?” And both of these verses answer the same way: “The LORD.” Each of the verses gives different characteristics of God. He is “strong and mighty,” “strong in battle,” and “the LORD of hosts.” But the King Who has all these characteristics is just one Person–the one true God.

How should we honor and praise the “King of glory”? We can start by admitting God is Who He says He is, and obey Him and behave toward others as though God really exists. We can sing songs to praise God, tell God we love Him, and tell other people about how God is the one and only “King of glory.” When we do right, we are giving praise to the Lord.

God is the King of glory, and we ought to honor Him.

My Response:
» Am I admitting and acting like God is the King of glory?

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11).

Regular readers, please see a special note for you at the foot of this devotional.*

When Michele was eleven, her best friend left their school to go to a different school. Michele’s class was small, and she didn’t feel close to any of the other three girls in the class. She wanted so much to have a best friend that she could talk to.

That summer before sixth grade, Michele’s mom said, “Why don’t you pray that God will send a new girl to your class next year to be your close friend?” She took her mom’s advice and started praying. But she didn’t have much faith. Where would a new girl come from? And even if a new girl did come, would she really want to be her friend? Michele dreaded the beginning of the new school year, because she didn’t believe God would answer her prayer.

Then in August, a new girl named Kelly and her family started coming to Michele’s church. God had moved her all the way to Kansas from the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean! That fall, Kelly was in Michele’s sixth grade class. She was so cheerful and friendly that it was easy for Michele to get to know her. They quickly became best friends and went through the rest of high school together. They even attended the same college for four years, and still keep in touch today.

Michele would tell you now that God delights to answer the prayers of His children. It brings Him glory when we ask and truly depend on Him for things we need. If we ask for things that are good for us, He is pleased to give them to us at just the right time. But sometimes He goes beyond giving us what we ask for. Often, His gifts are better than anything we could have asked for or even imagined. And His gifts are always the best thing for us.

God delights to answer the prayers of His children.

My Response:
» What am I praying for?
» Am I praying with faith that God will answer in the best way?

“And let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.” (Zech 7:10b)

It seems that brothers and sisters are naturally good at annoying their siblings. It is natural to love our family members, but sometimes it is hard to like them. Brothers and sisters seem to know just the right buttons to push in order to annoy one another. Our God is not like that. Think about it. What would we think of God if He were the kind of God Who would say “devise evil against your brother”? Our God does not say that. No way! He says, “let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart”! God is holy, and He has an opinion about the secret thoughts you have toward your brothers and sisters.

Right now, you may have no desire to be “pals” with your brother or sister. When they grow older, though, brothers and sisters often become the closest of friends. You might never dream that you could be good friends as grown-ups, even if your family ends up spread out all over the country. In fact, you might think, “No way! Impossible!” When you are in the middle of an argument, you can think only of ways to get back at that brother or sister. You might even feel tempted to think of him or her as your enemy!

In His sovereign wisdom, God has placed us in the families and neighborhoods and churches where we live. We may not have perfect families. We may not even like some of our family members! But to spend time dreaming up ways to make them miserable–that is the opposite of God’s command. When we do these things to the people God has put in our lives, it is like we are telling God that He made a mistake and that He should have given us better people to live with.

In our natural sinfulness, we react against people–especially if we believe they have hurt us or wronged us. If we think people deserve punishment, we want to deal it out to them. And we cannot change our minds about people on our own. Where does that kind of heart change come from? What helps brothers and sisters change from enemies into friends? It is not what, but Who: God changes our hearts. God shows us how much He loves us, and then He shows us how much we should love the people He has given us. God tells us in I John 4:20, ” If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

When we refuse to think evil toward others, we honor God for His wisdom and goodness. And He can help us think rightly toward one another. When God changes your heart, you will not want to spend your time thinking of ways to hurt people. Ask God to forgive you of sinful thoughts toward Him and others. God will change your heart and help you obey His word!

We honor and obey God when we think rightly toward others.

My Response:
» Do I think of ways to get back at people?
» Do I ask for God’s help to change my mind about others?

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is…. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.” (Psalm 63:1, 5)

If you look up Psalm 63 in your Bible, you will probably see this title: “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” Have you ever wondered what “the wilderness” was like in Bible times?

One summer, Erika’s family went on vacation to the Holy Land. They spent some time in the wilderness area where David was when he wrote this psalm. Erika’s dad had a water bottle with him, and she was really glad. It was hot, dry, and dusty, and she began to understand what David the psalm-writer must have meant when he described being thirsty and longing for God “in a dry and thirsty land.” She could not see any rivers. There were not many trees or plants. What a barren, lonely desert it was!

Then, the group Erika was with visited the Dead Sea. Water! At last! But it was not the kind of water you could drink. The Dead Sea is saltier than any other ocean in the world. Erika could hardly wait to get back on the bus and grab another water bottle from Dad’s cooler. But when she opened it and reached inside, she saw that they were out of water.

Have you ever been thirsty? Really thirsty? So thirsty that water is all you want, all you can think about? That’s how Erika felt. And that is the kind of feeling David was using to describe his desire for God. He longed for God. He longed to know Him, to see His power and His glory. He knew that God was the only thing that could satisfy the empty, dry feeling deep inside–the thirst in his soul.

When their bus finally stopped at a little shop that day, Erika and her family were willing to pay any price for water. Erika hurried inside the shop and saw that there were two choices in the refrigerator—water and orange pop. Erika made a dumb decision. She looked at the bright orange pop cans and suddenly thought she’d like something sweeter and fizzier than plain old water. That can of orange pop was gone in about twenty minutes. But it didn’t refresh her. When the can was empty, she was still thirsty. Why? Because what she really needed was water.

How often do we reach out for other things to satisfy our souls when God is what we really need? Everything else is like orange pop in a dry and dusty wilderness where no water is. It might look good, but it doesn’t refresh and satisfy us deep down in our souls. Only God can do that.

Only God satisfies the thirst in our souls.

My Response:
» Am I looking for satisfaction in something other than God?

Psalm 144:1-2 “Blessed be the LORD my strength… my goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust.”

God is a stronghold for us when Satan tempts us to sin.

There is a place in Israel near the Dead Sea called Masada. It looks like a mountain with a flat, square top. Masada was once a huge getaway palace for Herod the Great. In the first century after the time of Christ, Jewish people used it as a fortress. Men, women, and children lived there for three years, hiding from the Romans who had attacked and destroyed their cities. “The Romans cannot get to us here,” they thought. “We are safe in Masada.”

But they were not safe. The Roman army built a siege ramp all the way up the side of the mountain. Day after day, the Jews saw the Romans working on the ramp, and they knew that they had only a little time.

When the Romans finally stormed up the siege ramp to take the fortress, they found all of the Jewish people dead. The Jews had decided to kill themselves rather than lose their freedom. Their Masada had not protected them after all.

The word Masada comes from a Hebrew word that is often translated “fortress,” “defence,” or “stronghold.” This word is often used in the Psalms to describe God. God is a stronghold for us as believers. Because we belong to God, we have an enemy, Satan, who is the enemy of God. Satan would like us to turn away from God and live in sin, doubt, and defeat.

But when Satan and his forces attack our minds and hearts, God is a safe fortress for us to hide in. When we believe His Word and depend on His help to obey it, He will keep us from sin. God is stronger than Masada. He will never fail or be taken by the enemy. Satan can never defeat us when we make God our stronghold. God is a stronghold for us when Satan tempts us to sin.

Am I abiding in God as my stronghold?

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.” (Exodus 13:15)

When the Pharaoh – the supreme ruler of Egypt – was oppressing the Jews and refusing to let them leave Egypt, God gave him many chances to change his mind. But eventually God was done giving second chances to Pharaoh, and He told the Hebrews put lamb’s blood on their doorposts. This act of faith would protect the Hebrews from the Lord’s judgment that would visit the land of Egypt. The Bible tells us that since the Egyptians did not have the blood on their doorposts the firstborn Egyptian sons and animals died. But right next door in Goshen where the Hebrews lived, all the Hebrew firstborns were safe because they believed God and obeyed His command.

After the Hebrews left Egypt (“the exodus”), God told them that from then on He wanted the first of everything. That meant that if they had a cow, the first calf would be sacrificed to the Lord. If they had a sheep, the first lamb belonged to God. This was to be a constant reminder throughout the years that God had gone to great lengths to rescue the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. These “firsts” came to symbolize the best or most important, which God deserved.

Even though we no longer sacrifice calves or lambs, God still deserves the best that we have. Whether it is the talents He has given to us or some money that we earn, God deserves the first and the best. Every boy or girl, man or woman who has trusted in Jesus for rescue from sin owes his or her soul to the Lord. Because of the gratitude in our hearts for this amazing gift of salvation we should give God the first and the best!

Because God has rescued us, He deserves our best

My Response:
» Do I keep the first and best for myself and give God the “leftovers”?

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

What is a “broken heart”? Have you ever had one? We use the expression when we talk about the deepest kind of grief a heart can feel. Broken hearts are often caused by a hurtful change in a relationship with another person. If someone you love dies, or if you have to say good-bye to a friend, or if someone close to you does something to hurt you deeply, you might say that you have a broken heart. But those are just the surface causes for a broken heart. Do you know what really causes broken hearts? All of the grief, death, and sadness we experience came into our world as the result of human sin.

Jesus’ heart was broken once too. Psalm 69:20 looks ahead to the time when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness.” Jesus’ heart was not broken because of His own sin; He never sinned. It was broken because of ours. All the sins of the whole world were laid on Him when He suffered and died. During those hours on the cross, He endured the awful wrath of God the Father in our place. The precious relationship Jesus had with His Father, closer and more satisfying than anything we could know, was broken while He bore our sin.

Does your God understand what your broken heart feels like? He not only understands, but He also knows how to heal it. Through Jesus Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, He made a way for you to come directly to Him with your broken heart. Your grief may be the result of your own sin or someone else’s. Or it may be the result of sin’s effects on our fallen world. Whatever the cause, God promises to gently care for your hurting heart.

The God whose heart was broken for sin will heal your broken heart.

My Response:
» Have I brought my broken heart to God for healing?

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)

Does God ever lie? No, He cannot lie. He is a God of truth and does not sin, so He never says anything that is not true. Everything in His Word is absolutely true.

God wants us to tell the truth, too. Have you ever told a lie? Sometimes we plan ahead of time to tell a lie, maybe to cover a mistake we’ve made. Maybe your little brother rubs a whole can of red Play-Doh into the carpet because you weren’t paying attention when you were babysitting him, so you decide that when your mom gets home, you’ll tell her that it happened when you had to go answer the phone.

Other times, lies just sort of slip out when we’re under pressure. Maybe your dad asks if you fed the dog, and you say you did – even though you didn’t – because you’re in the middle of a video game and don’t want to stop.

We have all lied about something, and sometimes we don’t take those lies seriously. Lying is sin. In fact, the Bible even says that God hates lying. In Proverbs 6, God lists six things He hates. Only one sin is listed twice in that list: lying! God wants us to tell the truth. When we tell a lie, we need to confess our sin to God, and then we need to confess our sin to the person we lied to and tell the truth instead.

God is Truth, and He hates lies.

My Response:
» Have I been telling the truth? Do I need to confess a lie – to God and to the person I lied to?