“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalm 145:7-9)

To be “gracious” is to be the kind of person who gives other people things they do not deserve. A gracious person shows people unmerited favor (kindness that they could never earn on their own). The LORD is the ultimate Example of Someone Who is gracious, Who gives graciously, time and time and time again. Whenever we act with graciousness toward other people, we are not inventing some new thing. We are simply reflecting the character of the eternal God. He has always been gracious, and He always will be gracious.

Have you ever noticed that it is easier to expect people to be gracious to you than it is for you to be gracious to other people? For example, let’s imagine that you are going over to your neighbor Tommy’s house, and Tommy’s mom is offering cookies to you. They are fresh-baked, warm-from-the-oven, gooey chocolate chip cookies. Of course, you accept her offer, even though you do not necessarily deserve a warm and wonderful cookie. In fact, as you chew it up, you realize that you could never earn a cookie that tastes like that! Tommy’s mom sees that you love the cookies, and she graciously packs a bag full of them and sends them home with you. WOW! (You can tell from the look on Tommy’s face, though, that he is not too pleased to see so few cookies left over for him!)

Now, imagine that Tommy comes over to play at your house. It just so happens that today your mom has just finished baking some warm and wonderful, gooey chocolate chip cookies, and you are thrilled! You and Tommy are both practically jumping up and down with hope and delight. Suddenly, you stop, you glance over at Tommy, and you realize that he is hoping your mom will be gracious and offer him some cookies. Some of your family’s cookies! Why, some guys have all the nerve! And what does your mom do? You watch her, as if in slow motion – reaching for a handful of cookies, placing them in Tommy’s greedy little hands, patting the top of his head. You find yourself wanting to scream NO!

That little story is kind of exaggerated. But you get the point: It can be harder for us to be gracious than it is for us to accept graciousness. We want (we expect!) everyone to be understanding with us when we make mistakes, but we are not as quick to be understanding when others make mistakes. We think of nice things that people could do for us, but we do not naturally spend time thinking of nice things we might be able to do for others. We are human, and we are prone to sin. We will never be able to be perfectly gracious in this life. Is it worth trying?

Yes! After all, the LORD is perfectly gracious. He has shown grace to you, time and time and time again. Remembering how much you receive, and remembering how little you deserve, can be a great help in remembering to be gracious to people. Has the LORD shown you kindness that you never could have earned? Does His graciousness make you want to be gracious with other people? If so, then be gracious. You will be reflecting, at least in a small way, the great graciousness of the eternal God. And, because He is gracious, He will help you be gracious!

God shows you grace, and you can reflect that by being gracious with others.

My Response:
» What kind of “unmerited favor” has God shown me in my life?
» Am I gracious with other people?
» How can I reflect to others some of the graciousness God has shown to me?

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“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalm 145:7-9)

This psalm was a well-known song among the Israelites in Old Testament times. What do you think the people in the neighboring nations must have thought when they heard the lyrics to this Israelite tune? The “neighbors” were godless people, meaning they were without the God of the Bible. Some of them were idolaters who worshipped many gods. Some of them would not bow the knee to any kind of god at all.

Do you think these godless people were happy? Were their idols hearing or answering their prayers? Were they able to get themselves through hard times on their own, without God? Maybe you are thinking, Well, how can I know what those ancient people were thinking? I am living in the twenty-first century, and those people are all dead now. I can’t watch them live without God. I can’t ask them how they liked their godless lives.

And you would be right, in a way. In our time, we can only imagine what people might have been thinking back then. But you can look around at people today. You can watch how godless people respond in a crisis and see how hopeless they are. You can read about them and see what they do and say. You can watch how it is for them to live life apart from belief in the God of the Bible. And you can see for yourself whether they really are happy or at peace.

When the USA’s World Trade Center was attacked on 9/11/01, Americans everywhere were asking a few questions: “Is God really out there?” “Is God really good?” If you have ever heard recordings of reporters and bystanders that day, as they watched the towers burn and fall, and as so many lives were lost, you can hear that many of them – even the ones who would never admit that God exists – were calling out on God! Most of them were probably saying His name in vain (in an empty way, because they were not really calling Him for help). But if you do not believe that God exists, why would your first reaction be to call out the name of a non-existent “God”?

There are many people who do not know God, and many who do not really want to know Him. But if they could believe what Psalm 145 teaches about God’s character, maybe they would be able to trust Him and obey Him. If they could have understood that their homemade idols could never be “good to all” like the LORD is, maybe they would have listened more carefully to the Israelite psalms.

Of course, we can only guess. But we can look around us today, too. Do your “neighbors” (everyone around you) believe in the God of the Bible? Do they have any clue how utterly great He is in His goodness, and how that goodness does extend to everybody? If they did, do you think we could watch their lives and see them happy and at peace? Do you think we could think of ways to show them the truth of God’s goodness, even in the way we live in front of them? The Israelites’ neighbors had heard of them, and they knew the stories about their God. Maybe we should be “singing” the goodness of our God a little “louder” here in the twenty-first century.

The LORD is good to all.

My Response:
» How is the LORD better than idols and better than having no god at all?
» Do I really believe (and act like it) that the LORD is good?
» Can people around me tell what I believe about the LORD’s goodness?

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

Have you ever gotten ready for school in the morning and decided you did not like your outfit? Maybe you did not like that color of socks. Maybe that shirt is uncomfortable. Maybe your shoes were too tight or too dirty to wear. Unless you are short on time, it is usually OK to change your clothes. People do it all the time.

Have you ever realized that a food you used to hate is starting to become a favorite food now? Maybe you used to hate spinach. After all, it is slimy and green. Your parents made you try it when you were little, and you wanted to spit it out! But let’s say that you just tried spinach again recently. (You had to, because it was in Grandma’s manicotti dish, and you love Grandma’s manicotti! So you tried it again – you put it on your fork, turned it around so you could get a good look at it, tasted it thoughtfully, and swallowed it right down! And you could not believe your tastebuds! After all those years of hating spinach, you are starting to love it. People are like that. As we grow older, our tastes change.

Did you ever lose track of someone who used to be a good friend of yours? Maybe you moved to another town, or maybe you just got busy with things going on at church or with your schoolwork. Maybe something happened in your family, and you just have not been seeing the same friends every day anymore. Or maybe your friends and you have just become interested in such different things that you do not need to spend much time together. That happens to people. Some friends will always be a part of our lives. But some of our friends will change over the years. We make new friends. We may never forget the old friends, but we might spend less time with them.

Change is a part of every human being’s life. Things change around us. We have to deal with that change. Other people change around us. And we ourselves change, both inside and out. We change our minds about little things like favorite clothes or what to drink at breakfast-time. We change our minds about big things, too, like whether we will obey our parents and what we want to be when we grow up. Sometimes it takes a very long time for us to change – it takes a long time to grow taller or wiser! On other things, we might change overnight – it does not take too long to decide whether or not to obey, does it?

Every human being has to change. But one encouraging thing about Jesus Christ is that He is always the same. He is God, so He will always have the great character that only God has. He will always be perfectly good and perfectly great in every single way. Jesus Christ does not have to decide every day whether or not He will love His people. He does not have to think about whether He will keep on being gracious and merciful and sinless. He does not have to wonder about whether He ought to be all-powerful.

Because Jesus never changes, we do not have to wonder about Him, either. We can trust that Jesus will always be exactly Who He always has been. He will never lose love for His people. He will never forget us or let us down or change His mind about us. He will never make mistakes. He will never do wrong. Because He is faithful and never-changing, Jesus deserves our trust and worship. What a great God He is!

The Lord Jesus Christ is always going to be exactly Who He always has been.

My Response:
» Do I ever doubt whether Jesus is still the same Person He was in Bible times?
» Do I ever wonder how Jesus could keep on showing grace to me every day?
» How should I respond as I learn more about the unchanging goodness and greatness of Jesus Christ?

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

Have you ever gotten ready for school in the morning and decided you did not like your outfit? Maybe you did not like that color of socks. Maybe that shirt is uncomfortable. Maybe your shoes were too tight or too dirty to wear. Unless you are short on time, it is usually OK to change your clothes. People do it all the time.

Have you ever realized that a food you used to hate is starting to become a favorite food now? Maybe you used to hate spinach. After all, it is slimy and green. Your parents made you try it when you were little, and you wanted to spit it out! But let’s say that you just tried spinach again recently. (You had to, because it was in Grandma’s manicotti dish, and you love Grandma’s manicotti! So you tried it again – you put it on your fork, turned it around so you could get a good look at it, tasted it thoughtfully, and swallowed it right down! And you could not believe your tastebuds! After all those years of hating spinach, you are starting to love it. People are like that. As we grow older, our tastes change.

Did you ever lose track of someone who used to be a good friend of yours? Maybe you moved to another town, or maybe you just got busy with things going on at church or with your schoolwork. Maybe something happened in your family, and you just have not been seeing the same friends every day anymore. Or maybe your friends and you have just become interested in such different things that you do not need to spend much time together. That happens to people. Some friends will always be a part of our lives. But some of our friends will change over the years. We make new friends. We may never forget the old friends, but we might spend less time with them.

Change is a part of every human being’s life. Things change around us. We have to deal with that change. Other people change around us. And we ourselves change, both inside and out. We change our minds about little things like favorite clothes or what to drink at breakfast-time. We change our minds about big things, too, like whether we will obey our parents and what we want to be when we grow up. Sometimes it takes a very long time for us to change – it takes a long time to grow taller or wiser! On other things, we might change overnight – it does not take too long to decide whether or not to obey, does it?

Every human being has to change. But one encouraging thing about Jesus Christ is that He is always the same. He is God, so He will always have the great character that only God has. He will always be perfectly good and perfectly great in every single way. Jesus Christ does not have to decide every day whether or not He will love His people. He does not have to think about whether He will keep on being gracious and merciful and sinless. He does not have to wonder about whether He ought to be all-powerful.

Because Jesus never changes, we do not have to wonder about Him, either. We can trust that Jesus will always be exactly Who He always has been. He will never lose love for His people. He will never forget us or let us down or change His mind about us. He will never make mistakes. He will never do wrong. Because He is faithful and never-changing, Jesus deserves our trust and worship. What a great God He is!

The Lord Jesus Christ is always going to be exactly Who He always has been.

My Response:
» Do I ever doubt whether Jesus is still the same Person He was in Bible times?
» Do I ever wonder how Jesus could keep on showing grace to me every day?
» How should I respond as I learn more about the unchanging goodness and greatness of Jesus Christ?

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 “He…set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” (Psalm 40:2)

Have you ever watched a young child learning how to walk? The child totters and staggers around around while proud parents offer squeals of praise to encourage their little one to take more steps. The cameras flash, video recorders roll, and phone calls are made. The parents quickly clear toys and furniture out of the way to keep the child from getting hurt. Usually the child will fall many times in this process, but eventually get up and try again. Parents are there when the child falls and can help the child get back up. Would good parents knock their child down, or poke or push to make the baby fall? Of course not!

You are not a baby any more, but you still have to learn to walk. Yes; you may already know how to walk on two feet, but there is another kind of “walk” we all need to work on, for the rest of our lives. In the New Testament, Paul compares the Christian’s life to walking. As you probably know by now, becoming more and more like Christ is not an easy walk. We get tempted to sin against God. We face hard things like losing loved ones or moving to a new city. Walking God’s way is hard.

But Christians have a heavenly Father who helps them learn to walk the Christian life. He is beside you with every step. Does that mean that you will never fall down? No! David says in Psalm 40 that he was having difficulties in the Christian walk. But just like a little child learning to walk, you have a wonderful Father beside you to help you up: God. David asked the Lord for help (and you can, too, if you are God’s child), and God responded by helping David. The way David described God’s help was as though He put David’s feet on a solid rock to keep him from slipping. If you are looking for help for the Christian walk, you cannot get anymore security and strength than the kind that God gives!

God is the kind of Father Who will strengthen our steps in the Christian walk.

My Response:
» How am I struggling in my Christian “walk”?
» Have I asked my heavenly Father to help strengthen my steps?

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 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)

When Jesus was on Earth, He called people to come and follow after Him. You’ve probably heard the stories of how He called different men to be His followers, or disciples. He called Peter, Andrew, James, and John while they were fishing. He called Matthew, who was a tax collector. He even picked Judas, a man who would betray Him, to be His disciple. Twelve men were Jesus’ special followers who traveled with Him throughout His ministry on this Earth.

Women and children followed Jesus, too. Often there were crowds of people around Him wherever He went. But was everyone who followed after Jesus really His true disciple?

The word disciple means “a learner,” or someone who follows the teachings of another. Here are some things Jesus said about His true disciples. First, His disciples have to be people who have believed on Him (John 8:31). His disciples love Him more than anyone or anything else – even themselves (Luke 14:26). His disciples love each other (John 13:35). His disciples keep His Word – not just when they feel like it, but all the time (John 8:31). And His disciples bear fruit (John 15:8). In other words, people can look at them and see that God is changing their lives in good ways. He is making them like Jesus.

Jesus still wants true disciples today. Does it sound hard to be His true disciple? Jesus didn’t say that His true disciples would be perfect people. He did not say they would never fail in their love and obedience to Him. The word disciple means someone who is learning to love, obey, and bear fruit. Even disciples need the Holy Spirit’s help to make good changes in their lives. A disciple is someone who wants more than anything else to become like the perfect Teacher, Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants true disciples who are learning more and more to love and obey Him.

My Response:
» Am I a true disciple of Jesus?

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“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren….In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 3:16; 4:9-10)

When a man and a woman get married, they give each other rings. The minister at the wedding usually says something like this to the man: “What token do you give to prove your love?” The man answers, “This ring.” The ring that he puts on his wife’s finger is a token, or a symbol, to everyone who sees it that this man chose this woman above all others and that he loves her with all of his heart.

As much as a man might love the woman he marries, no man has ever loved a woman as much as God loves His children. No one you know on Earth is able to love you as much as God can. No one has ever proven his love like God has.

We do not have to wonder about whether God is a loving God. John teaches that God’s gift of His Son is the token, or the proof, to us that He is the loving God He claims to be. Jesus laid down His life for us. What better proof could there be?

These are facts – real, trustworthy reminders that God is love. His love is not fake; God’s love is genuine – the real thing.

When a man and a woman get married, they do not love each other only on their wedding day. They keep on wearing their rings as a symbol that they love each other. And more than wearing rings, they keep on loving each other. Real, genuine love lasts.

Because God is faithful and true, there is no way His love could be fake. There is no way His love could let us down. Because He is infinite and eternal and unchangeable, there is no way that His love could ever be half-hearted, or that it could ever run out, or that it could ever just stop.

That may be why it is so hard to describe or to understand the love God has. Because God is Who He says He is, no human being has ever loved you or ever could love you the way that God can.

God has given us more than rings for our fingers. He has given us His life, His Son, His Word – all to prove His love. Not only that, but He keeps on proving that genuine love, day after day after day.

God has proven beyond any doubt that His love is real, not fake.

My Response:
» When am I tempted to believe that God’s love is not real?
» How should I respond to God’s genuine love for me?
» How can I try to share God’s genuine love with others?

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“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

As the family went to bed in their spacious old farmhouse, all was well. They were grateful for what God had provided and felt safe and secure. But in the middle of the night, the parents were awakened by the sound of…was that wind? No! That was fire!

They jumped out of bed and ran to wake up their boys, who were in their bunk beds upstairs. The boys climbed out their window and got safely to the ground.

The boys and their parents watched as 12 fire trucks tried in vain to save their house. They watched as the roof caved in and the walls crumbled. They watched and cried as everything they owned burned up. Photos, furniture, toys, computers – everything was gone but their family.

As they thought about all that they had lost, they realized that all the things they had lost were just things – things that would have eventually worn out or gotten broken or been lost. Then they thought about what they had not lost: each other. God had helped each of them to get out of the burning house. They praised God that they had not lost each other and that they still had the most precious gift they had received: their salvation.

Have you been dreaming about some new “thing”? Maybe a cool toy, a faster computer, or a new electronic game?

What do we really need? Let’s see…. We need food, clothing, and a place to live. Who provides these needs? You might say, “My parents work hard to provide the money to purchase the things we need.” But Who gives your parents the strength, wisdom, health, and knowledge to do their jobs? God does. He provides the jobs, too.

What else does God give? Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” God also gives us salvation if we trust in Him alone.

God provides everything I need.

My Response:
» What do I really need?
» Am I trusting God completely to meet all of my needs?
» Have I accepted God’s gift of salvation?

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“The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21b)

Job was a man who had been blessed by God. He had everything a man could want – a large family, many friends, a good reputation, lots of property, animals, health, and wealth. Most importantly, Job enjoyed close fellowship with his Creator. He knew that his blessings were direct gifts from God’s hand, and he was careful to give God the credit for all He had done for him.

Have you ever looked around and counted all your gifts from God? Maybe you have at Thanksgiving time, but hopefully you do it more often than just once a year! A grateful heart is usually a natural response to God’s rich blessings, and we are right to thank Him. We also ought to let God’s gifts teach us to trust Him as the great and good God that He is.

But what happens when God keeps back from you something that you really wanted? What if you have been praying for something important, and God seems to be saying “no”? What if God takes something away from you?

Job’s blessings were all taken away from him, and there did not seem to be any good reason why. Job had not bragged about deserving his gifts or earning God’s favor, but God decided to let Satan strike Job with disease and heavy losses. Job had not rebelled against God, but all his children were taken away from him. Job had not complained against God, but all his property was destroyed or stolen by robbers. Job had not failed to thank God for His gifts to him, and yet God gave Satan permission to take everything away from him – all his health, all his wealth, and most of his loved ones. Humanly speaking, it did not make sense for God to take everything back.

It is easy to trust a good and great God Who blesses us. But it can be hard to keep glorifying and praising God when He does something that hurts or surprises or confuses us. Has God ever taken something away from you or your family? A loved one? Your health? The money to go back to your Christian school?

What was Job’s response when God took everything away? He said, “Blessed be the name of the LORD.” God is the kind of God Who knows what He is doing, and He is still great and good. Even when we are confused and hurting after a loss, we can keep trusting in the good and great God Who always gives good and great gifts.

In the end, God provided great blessings for Job again. And He used the experience to teach Job a lesson. The lesson is that God has a right to give and to take away, and we can believe that no matter what happens, God will always be the good and great God He has always been. We can take everything that comes as from God’s hand.

Here is the last verse of a hymn that a Swedish Christian lady (Caroline Sandell Berg) wrote after she saw her father drown in a tragic accident:

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Like Job, this woman saw that God had a big reason for taking her father away from her. She learned to say, “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Is God trying to teach you to trust Him as a God Who is always great and always good?

Sometimes God gives us blessings, and sometimes He takes them away; but He is always great and always good.

My Response:
» Am I grateful and faithful when God gives good gifts?
» How can I still show thankfulness and trust when God takes things away?

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“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

The puppy looked up at them with big sad eyes and let out something between a yelp and a yawn. When he opened his mouth, a well-chewed science book fell out and thudded on the floor.

“Aw, who couldn’t forgive a face like that!” Lizzy leaned down and rubbed his ears.

Jacob bent over and grabbed his puppy’s collar.

“That’s it, Charlie. You’re sleeping outside tonight!”

Lizzy used a sock to wipe the puppy-slobber off Jacob’s science book, while he wrestled Charlie out the back door and into his doghouse.

“Don’t be so hard on him, Jacob,” she said when he came stomping back into the kitchen. “Charlie’s just doing what puppies do. They chew things and make messes. You’ve heard people joke about telling the teacher ‘the dog ate my homework.’ It’s just his nature.”

Jacob got a glass down from the cabinet. “My teacher isn’t going to believe me when I say that my dog ‘ate my science book’!” He slammed the cabinet door shut and threw open the refrigerator. “I’m sure she will just nod and smile and say, ‘Oh, that’s just fine, Jacob. You know that’s just what puppies do.'”

As it turned out, Miss Albert was surprisingly understanding when he told her what had happened to his science book. She did not say “that’s just what puppies do,” but she did nod and smile knowingly. Jacob wondered if Miss Albert might have had a puppy sometime in her life.

Animals do crazy things sometimes. Well, they do things that might seem crazy to us humans. You might get angry when a cat scratches your arm or when a dog makes a mess or when a parakeet will not be quiet. If you want to keep a pet, though, eventually you get over annoying animal habits, because, after all, they are just being what they are!

We humans have a lot of habits, too – things that we are and do because we are human. We like to eat several times a day. We like to sleep, usually at night. We tend to hate pain. We like to have friends and family who care about us. We like to think about things, and we like to have fun hobbies. There is a famous saying that “to err is human.” That means all humans make mistakes.

Not only do we make mistakes, but all of us are born with a sinful nature that we inherited from Adam. To sin is to do something much worse than just an accidental mistake. To sin is to do anything that falls short of God’s glory. We are all born sinners, which means that our natural tendency is to disobey God, to sin against Him. Those of us who trust Christ as Savior get a new nature, and they have a growing desire to live without sinning, like Christ lived. But since we are all still human, none of us are able to be that perfect yet. Even Christians who love God fail Him. When we sin against God, we need to repent and ask Him for forgiveness.

God has certain characteristics about His nature, too. Because He is God, He is perfect in His holiness – He never breaks His own laws! Because He is God, He is powerful and wise – He never messes up! Because He is God, He is good and gracious enough to help us sinning humans – He forgives us when we ask Him!

You may have heard this verse many times before, but have you really thought about what it means that God is faithful and just to forgive us? That means that, no matter what we do to make Him mad, God has promised to forgive us of that and of all our sinfulness – so long as we confess our sins to Him.

Charlie did a puppyish thing when he chewed up Jacob’s science book. He was doing what puppies do, but one thing puppies do not do is ask forgiveness. Jacob lost his temper when he saw what Charlie had done. To lose your temper when something bad happens is a natural human reaction, but it is also actually a sin against God. Jacob is a sinner because he is human. That is how humans are. If Jacob is a Christian, he should try not to sin, and if he does sin, he ought to confess it and ask God’s forgiveness.

If Jacob does confess his sin and ask God to forgive him, God will. That is what this verse teaches – that forgiving people who ask is part of God’s nature. He does it because His nature is to be faithful to His promises. He does it because His nature is to be just and righteous. That is the kind of God we have.

Because of Who He is, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse sinners who trust Him.

My Response:
» Am I trying not to sin against God?
» When I do sin, am I making it a habit to go to Him and confess and ask Him to forgive me and to cleanse me from all my unrighteousness?
» Do I have faith that He will do what He has promised?

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“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” (Psalm 115:3)

Little Amy longed to have blue eyes instead of brown ones. Her mother had blue eyes, and Amy wanted beautiful eyes just like her. Amy’s mom had taught her that God always answers prayer. One night before she went to bed, Amy decided to pray about her eye color. She decided to pray that God would “fix” her eye color. “Father, I would be so happy if only I could have blue eyes! Please change my eyes to blue. Please, Lord!”

The next morning, Amy jumped out of bed and headed straight to the mirror to see if God had answered her prayer. To her disappointment, brown eyes were staring back at her. “Oh, the Lord didn’t do what He was supposed to do; He didn’t answer my prayer!” she thought. Amy’s mother could tell how disappointed her little girl was. She explained to Amy that “no” is still an answer. Amy’s beautiful brown eyes were a gift from God. He gave her brown eyes for a reason.

When she grew up, Amy went to India as a missionary. But the Hindu women to whom she wanted to minister were distracted by how different Amy looked from them. They would never pay attention to the Gospel message she was trying to share. Amy decided to try to fit in with the Indian people. She wore a sari, the outfit that the Indian women wore, and used coffee to stain her skin brown. “Wow!” she thought as she looked into the mirror. “I look just like an Indian woman with my dark skin and sari!” Then she looked at her eyes. Thank you, Lord, for giving me brown eyes for a wonderful reason! If my eyes were blue right now, I certainly wouldn’t look anything at all like an Indian woman.” After that, the Indian women were not so distracted by how Amy looked, and they listened carefully to her message of Jesus Christ.

The Hindus in India did not believe in God and did horrible things to little children in their temple. Amy had a desire to rescue the children from the temple and tell them about Jesus. Because she looked like the Indian women, Amy Carmichael was able to save over one thousand children in India from the awful things happening to them in the Hindu temple. Amy praised the Lord the rest of her life for doing what He wanted and giving her brown eyes.

Has God ever said “no” to your prayers? Remember that God always does what’s best for you.

God does what He decides is best for His own glory and your good.

My Response:
» Has God ever said “no” to a prayer of mine?
» Do I really believe that God knows what is best?

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“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3)

1 Thessalonians is talking about when Christ will come back and take His followers to heaven. Christ’s return to Earth will be a wonderful time in which God’s victory over evil will be clear for everyone to see. But in reading these verses, it might be easy to get the wrong idea about what God is like. When you think about the Second Coming, do you think it sounds like God is going to sneak up on some people, rob and destroy them, when they least expect it?

Wait a minute! Could this be the same God Who is good, Who is love, Who is our Savior? Well, the answer is both “yes” and “no.” This Bible passage is talking about the sudden and unexpected way God will choose to come back. Sadly, some people will feel fright, loss and destruction on the day Christ returns. These people are those unbelievers who did not believe and give their lives to God. They will be the ones who turned their back on Him and would not have faith in Jesus. These people will be shocked, and the things they hold dear will no longer matter. Everything they want to keep will be taken away from them, as if it were stolen. They will realize (too late!) that they were wrong about what really matters in life. For those people, the coming of the Lord will come as a shock. It will seem to them like a thief broke into their house in the middle of the night, taking everything important to them while they were sleeping. These people will be taken by surprise, just like a thief would surprise them. The Lord’s coming will not be a nice thing for them. It will be scary and shocking and sad. They believed the lies the world told them and did not believe the truth.

But is this Bible passage trying to teach us that God is like some kind of robber? No. God is still good. He is still love. He is still the Savior. The Day of the Lord may come as a thief for some, in the sense that it will be unexpected and (for some) very bad. But God is no thief. God’s timing might be unexpected, like the coming of a thief, but He Himself is kind. Satan is the real robber. Satan really is a thief, because he steals lives and destroys people.

For God’s people, Christ’s return will still come suddenly. But it will not be a “bad” kind of sudden-ness. No one knows the exact day when Christ will come, but believers will look forward to that day, not be afraid of it. We ought to feel about it like we feel about an old friend that is always welcome to stop by for a visit. You might say to a friend, “Drop in anytime! I’m always ready for your company. You do not have to call or make an appointment! My house and my life will always be as clean as possible and open to you. I will not be ashamed or frightened to let you in. I’m already waiting for your next visit.” Do you think of Christ’s return that way? Are you ready and waiting to see how the Lord will come back and to see what He is like in person?

Christ’s return is sure, but it will be hard for some and happy for others.

My Response:
» Do I really believe God’s Word that Jesus is coming back one day?
» Am I looking forward to Christ’s return, or does the thought of it just make me afraid or ashamed?

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“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

Jared hurried into his bedroom to grab the football that was on his bed. He was in such a hurry that he did not even bother to turn on the light. His friend Thomas had just arrived, and they wanted to play football in the backyard for as long as possible before supper time.

Whoops! Before Jared knew what was happening, he found himself on the floor. It was dark – too dark to see where he was going! Just then, his dad came into the room and flipped on the light. Suddenly, Jared could see! There was his football on the bed, and on the floor beside him were the shoes he had tripped over.

“How did you expect to see without the light, Jared?”

Jared grinned, feeling a little silly. “I thought I didn’t need it, but I was wrong. Thanks for turning on the light, Dad!” Jared picked up the football and ran outside to play with Thomas in the sunshine.

Trying to do things in the dark can be dangerous. But some people do live in the dark – not in the physical kind, but in spiritual darkness. The Bible says, “He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth” (John 12:35). Many people try to live without God, trusting only in their own minds as they make decisions about their lives. This is walking in darkness.

It can be fun to do things your own way – at least for a little while. But continuing to walk “in the dark” leads to unpleasant surprises, like the surprise Jared got when he tripped over his shoes. Without the light, he stumbled and fell. Without spiritual “light,” we will stumble and fall spiritually, again and again.

When we fall into sin, the results are even more painful than falling on the floor. Our sins do not hurt just us! Our sins often affect other people, and they hurt Jesus’ testimony, too. But Christians do not have to walk in the dark. God is our spiritual light. The Bible says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1). Walking in the light protects us from falling.

Perhaps you are wondering, “But how do I walk in God’s light?” The Bible also says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Here are some ways to walk in the light:

1. Read God’s Word every day.
2. Pray and ask Him for help.
3. Obey what God’s Word says.

When you are walking with God, you are never “in the dark.”

My Response:
» Am I content to stumble “in the dark”?
» What do I need to begin doing to “walk in God’s light”?

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“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

What are some of the things that you have been told to do this week? Maybe someone told you to clean up your room, or to look both ways before crossing the street. Maybe your mom told you to be nice to your siblings, or to help with the dishes after supper. You have probably been told by many people to do many things this week. But have you ever stopped to think about some of the things God wants you to do?

God tells you in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that He wants you to “pray without ceasing.” What does that mean? To “pray” is to talk to God. But what does it mean to pray without ceasing? “Ceasing” means stopping. So, you are supposed to pray without stopping.

How can you pray without stopping? Does that mean you have to be praying to God every second of every minute of every hour of every day? No. This verse is saying that you always should be ready and willing to talk to God. Prayer to God should be natural, just like talking to someone who is in the room with you. When you have a friend over to your house to play, you do not have to spend every second of the day talking to them. You spend a lot of time talking to them because you are ready and willing to talk to them at anytime.

How can you “pray without ceasing”? Well, when you wake up in the morning, you could pray and thank God for the day. When you are ready to study for school, pray and ask God to help you concentrate. When you are going to get together with friends, pray that God will help you honor Him in your words and your behavior. When you hear a police car or ambulance go racing by, pray for them as they go to help someone in need. See? There are many ways that you can constantly be talking to God.

Some people think that when they pray, they must have long prayers using big words. Those prayers don’t impress God. God desires you to talk to Him throughout the day, even if each prayer is short.

God desires you to pray without ceasing.

My Response:
» How many times throughout the day do I think of praying to God?
» What do I pray about the most?
» How can I get in the habit of praying without ceasing?

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

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

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

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

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

God is always good, and His goodness is abundant.

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

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“O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)

The line for the roller coaster was very long and the sun was very hot, as all the guys in Jack’s family leaned against the railing. Their goal was to reach the sheltered area, get out of the hot sun, and eventually ride “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.” But the line was going so slowly. Standing in the hot sun and listening to whining children, people were getting annoyed.

On top of that, there was a recorded voice that kept saying the same thing over and over again. “Howdy partners,” said the man in a western drawl, and he went on to talk about the ride. His announcement always ended with, “We hope you enjoy riding on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!” Jack decided he had heard that recorded message over 50 times while they inched forward to the ride. After about the 20th time, he and his dad and brother started reciting it with him, always ending with, “We hope you enjoy riding on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!” Soon all the people around them were chiming in, “on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!” Well, it worked. The park workers got the message and sped things up some. Jack breathed a big sigh of relief when he finally got his turn on the roller coaster!

In Psalm 136, the Lord has something very important that He wants you to learn about Him. It is so important that He repeats “for His mercy endures forever” 26 times! Why do you think this idea so important?

Mercy means that someone does not receive the punishment he deserves. You might be thinking, “But I haven’t done anything to deserve a punishment.” The Bible says that you have. In fact, all men deserve to be punished forever in hell (Romans 6:23). That is why this phrase is so important! Without God’s mercy, all people would have to spend eternity paying for their sins. But “His mercy endures forever.” That means that God not only holds back your deserved punishment in this life, but, if you have accepted His gift of eternal life, you can enjoy God’s mercy forever even though you don’t deserve one minute of it! It will last for as long as God lasts, and God never changes. “His mercy endures forever!”

God wants you to be grateful for His enduring mercy.

My Response:
» Have I accepted God’s saving mercy to me? If so, have I thanked Him for saving me? Is there anyone that I need to show mercy to as well?

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

“Enough!”

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

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

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

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

God is all you ever need.

My Response:
» What do I think I need to be happy?
» Do I trust God to be enough?
» How can I start depending on God to satisfy my needs?

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Response:
» Do I understand how undeserving I am of God’s kindness?
» Have I bowed before God today and thanked Him for His kindness to me?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God’s creation is just one of the many wonderful works He has done. Some of His works are recorded in His Word. Some of them are things He has done in the lives of people in history. And some of them are things He has done in our own lives. When we notice His works and praise Him for them, we bring Him glory.

God has done many wonderful works, and He is honored when we notice them and give Him praise.

My Response: » How many of God’s wonderful works can I think of? » What wonderful works has He done in my life?

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