Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

We Cannot Hide From God

"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:24)

There is no place we can go to hide from God.

When God told Jonah to go to Ninevah, Jonah disobeyed and "rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." He boarded a ship headed for Tarshish, but God saw him even there. You probably know the rest of the story. God sent a mighty storm. Knowing that the storm was meant for him, Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard. He was swallowed by a huge fish, and was carried in the fish's stomach for three days. He repented of his sin, prayed to God, and God answered his prayers, causing the fish to spit Jonah out onto the land.

God sees our disobedience.

Sometimes when we do wrong, we try to hide it from our friends, our parents, and even God. But it doesn't work. God sees us no matter where we go. He always knows what we are doing and what we are thinking. Jonah couldn't leave God's presence by going to Tarshish. God is everywhere.

God also sees our troubles.

Sometimes when we are hurting, we think no one else understands; but God always does. When you feel lonely, you aren't really alone. You can pray to God and ask him for help no matter where you are. There is no place you can go that he won't hear you. Jonah prayed to God from the belly of the fish, and God answered his prayers.

The next time you want to disobey, and you think no one is around, remember that God is. He can always see you. And the next time you feel lonely, or think there is trouble in your life that no one else understands, ask for God's help.

The Bible teaches that there is nowhere we can go that the Lord is not there. That means we can never hide from Him, but it also means He is always there when we need Him. Call on Him. No matter where you are or what kind of trouble you are in, He can always hear you.

God is already everywhere we could go. We cannot escape from His presence, and we can count on Him to be close by at all times.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Love Is His Choice

"The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers…." (Deuteronomy 7:7-8a)

Question: Why does God love us?
Answer: Because He loves us.

Does that sound like the correct answer to the question? Do you think your teacher would count that answer right if you wrote it on a test? The truth is, that is the right answer to the question, according to Deuteronomy 7. God told His special people, the nation of Israel, that He loved them simply because He had chosen to love them.

God has also chosen to love us, even if we are not Jews. John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world--everyone. Romans 5:8, which was written both to Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), says that God displayed His love for us while we were still sinners. How did God display His love? He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place.

Why should God love us? The answer to that question does not really have anything to do with us. God did not love us because we were attractive or because we were loveable. He did not love us because there was anything we could do for Him. He chose to love us, knowing we were helpless, lost sinners. There was nothing we could give Him in return. He chose to love us because He is God, and it is His nature to love. Out of His great love, He gave His Son's precious blood to redeem us. Once we are His children, we can be sure that nothing will ever separate us from His love. His love is unchanging, everlasting, a love that never fails.

Where would we be today if it were not for the wonderful love of God? If God had not loved us, there would be no hope of salvation. Isn't that a reason to thank Him every day of our lives for His gracious choice to love us?

God's love for us was His choice because His nature is Love.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Wants Us To Bear Fruit

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.... Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." (John 15:5,16)

"These are the best apples in the world!" exclaimed Savannah.

"You like those, eh?" asked Grandpa Gooberman.

"Yes, I do!" replied Savannah, with bits of apple flying out of her mouth.

With a twinkle in his eye, Grandpa Gooberman said, "Yup. Sure was a good harvest. I picked them right off of the pear tree this year."

Savannah stopped chewing, mid-bite. "You did what?"

Grandpa Gooberman took out his red handkerchief and appeared to be blowing his nose. "I picked them off the pear tree!"

"How could you get apples from a pear tree?" asked Savannah.

"Why do you ask? You don't think it's possible?"

"No, way! That's impossible!"

Of course, Grandpa Gooberman did not pick the apples off a pear tree. But why would he tell his granddaughter that? It was because he wanted to teach her a lesson about her relationship with God. Grandpa Gooberman asked Savannah to run and go get his Bible. As she opened the old, worn Bible, she saw that it was full of verses that were underlined and had lots of notes in the margins.

Grandpa Gooberman turned the pages to the book of John. He wanted to show her two verses. The first verse was John 15:5. In John 15, we are described as branches and Jesus is the Vine. Jesus was using this description as a way of teaching that if you really do have a relationship with Him, you will produce a certain kind of fruit. Just like an apple tree produces apples, and just like a pear tree produce pears, a Christian must and will produce fruit that is consistent with Christ.

The second verse that Grandpa Gooberman wanted Savannah to see was verse 16. He showed her in the verse that God has chosen people, and that He has special purposes in mind for them: to save them and to help them produce good works. He reminded her that the book of Ephesians teaches us that good works do not save us, but that, as the book of James teaches us, good works are always a fruit of salvation.

So, the whole point of Grandpa Gooberman's lesson was to remind Savannah that if she was trusting in Christ as the only way of salvation, then she should be bearing the "fruit" of good works. Just as it is impossible for a pear tree to produce apples, it is impossible for a non-Christian to do good works that please God.

God wants every believer to produce the good works that are appropriate (fitting) for a child of God.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Never Too Busy

"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth." (John 9:1)

Have you ever wanted to talk to people, and found they were just too busy? Megan experienced that this past Christmas. The whole family was planning to meet at Grandma's house for the holiday. This was the one time of the year where every uncle, aunt, and cousin got together. Megan was especially excited about it, because her older cousin Audrey was going to be there.

Megan had always looked up to Audrey. Audrey was the oldest cousin, the coolest cousin, and also the first cousin to go to college. Even though Megan was only in 6th grade, she still could hardly wait to hear all about college life.

The day finally came when Megan's family loaded up the car and headed to Grandma's house. Megan's family was the first to arrive. One by one, the other families came, until finally Audrey's family came. Megan ran out the door and into the snow without even bothering to put on her coat. As she ran up, she saw someone in the car that she did not recognize. Audrey climbed out of the car and gave Megan a big hug. "Hey, Megan! How are you doing?" Audrey said. "I want you to meet a friend of mine; his name is Derrick."

It turned out that Derrick was Audrey's boyfriend. Since he was new to the family reunion, the whole family wanted to talk with him and Audrey. Every time Megan tried to talk to Audrey, someone else would want to be introduced to Derrick. Even when Megan tried to get Audrey to go snow-tubing, she was too busy! Megan finally gave up and went tubing all by herself.

When the time came for everyone to cram back into their cars and head to their own homes, Audrey found Megan. "Megan, I know we didn't get to spend much time together this year. I am very sorry." Megan said that it was all right, but deep down she was really disappointed.

On the way home, Megan's mom asked her what was the matter. "I can't believe she was too busy for me!" she said quietly.

Megan's mom thought about it for a moment, and then told her something very important. "Megan, people will let you down from time to time. They don't want to, but they do. But there is Someone who will never let you down and be too busy for you."

Megan's mom pulled a Bible out of her bag and read the story from John 9 about the healing of a blind man. The story starts out like this: "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth." Megan's mom asked her, "Where do you think Jesus was, when He 'passed by'?"

"I don't know," Megan replied. Megan's mom said, "Look at verse 59 of chapter 8 ("Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by"). Jesus was in the middle of people trying to hurt Him! But as He was passing by them, He noticed this blind man and took the time to stop and heal him."

Megan's mom was trying to help Megan understand that Jesus did not even let people who were trying to hurt Him keep Him from doing His Father's will. The Bible promises us that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. He is never too busy for us. We can go to Him in prayer at any time of day or night--He is always there for us.

People may sometimes have to let us down, but Jesus is never too busy when we need Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Sees Us at all Times

God Wants Us To Be Content in Him Alone

"Jealousy is the rage of a man." (Proverbs 6:34a)
"I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." (Deuteronomy 5:9b)

When the Bible talks about jealousy, it means envy, discontentment, being mad about someone else's "good luck," and, even a hatred against that other person. Have you ever discovered that you were jealous of someone? Maybe there was something you wanted and did not get get, but your friend did get that thing. How did you feel? Maybe you know people who are very popular, or very good looking, or very talented in sports, or very rich. And maybe sometimes you wish you could be like them. We live in a world where it is easy for us to be jealous. Commercials on television make us want to have whatever they are advertising. When people show off what they have, it makes us feel left out.

Remember, there is no such thing as "good luck," and God does not play favorites with people. The Bible says that "no good thing will [God] withhold from" the person who walks uprightly (trusting and obeying Him). We start to think we deserve to have whatever we want, instead of being content with what God has been good to give us. When we start to feel like that, we need to remember that, if God has withheld something from us that we want, and we are trusting and obeying Him, then that thing that looks so good to us must not be the best thing for us to have.

Why is it wrong for us to be jealous? We were all created by God, and we could never earn any of the good things He has done for us or given to us. When we complain, or when we long for something God has not decided to give to us, it is basically saying that we are not grateful for His wisdom and His timing and His gifts. When we are discontent, we are not glorifying God. When we desire more things, or when we seek to get other people's approval of us, or when we want anything other than God and His good gifts, then we are showing that we do not trust God. We are showing we do not trust that He knows what He is doing in the way He takes care of us. We are showing that we want more than God, and that God is not enough for us.

It is wrong for us to be jealous. But did you know that it is right for God to be jealous? He is the only One Who has any right to expect to own anything He wants. He is the only One Who has earned honor and approval and adoration. He is the only One Who deserves our worship and attention. When God spoke about being a "jealous God," He was revealing that He wants our complete loyalty. He does not want us to trust in things or people. He does not want to share attention. He wants for us to desire Him more than we desire money or talents or anything else.

One of the very first stories told in the Bible is a story about how jealous Cain was of his brother Abel. Cain was not happy when God rejected Cain's offering, but accepted an offering that Abel gave Him. Really, though, Cain had given the wrong kind of offering, against God's instructions. But Cain was mad. The jealousy that developed in Cain turned into a rage, and Cain ended up killing his brother Abel. This was the first murder ever, and it was caused because of jealousy! (Genesis 4:3-8)

Do not let yourself become jealous. God wants you to be content and thankful for what He has given you. He is jealous for His glory, and He wants you to know that He loves you and will take care of you according to what He knows is the best way, not just the way you think is best. Are you content with the circumstances and friends and abilities that God has decided to give you? Are you content with God? He wants you to be content in Him and Him alone. Galatians 5:26 says, "Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." Philippians 4:11b says "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

Jealous for His own glory, God wants us to be content in Him alone.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Wants Us To Obey His Word

"Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go; keep her; for she is thy life." (Proverbs 4:13)

Pretend you have invented something very special. It took a very long time for you to design, and it is very useful. Let's say you call it a "Jillipy-Bop." The Jillipy-Bop is so special and useful that all your friends tell you they want a Jillipy-Bop of their own! Your parents are so impressed with the Jillipy-Bop that they help you get your Jillipy-Bop patented, mass-produced, and marketed. A store in your hometown has agreed to sell your Jillipy-Bops, and you are now in business!

However, your Jillipy-Bops each come with some small parts that the buyer must put together before it works. You must put a set of instructions in every Jillipy-Bop box. You write up the instructions and ship out the boxed Jillipy-Bops. The instructions you wrote up are very simple, so you are sure that no one will have trouble putting your invention together if they follow the instructions.

But soon you receive a letter from a customer that has a problem with his Jillipy-Bop. "This thing doesn't work!" the customer writes. "I want my money back!" This customer includes his name, address and telephone number, so your parents tell you that, as a businessman, it would be wise if you call and try to find out what happened.

Your first question is" "Was the Jillipy-Bop broken during shipment?" The answer: "Well, no."

Your next question: "Were all the parts there?" The answer: "Yes, I guess so."

Finally: "Were the instructions in your box?" The answer: "Yes, I guess so."

"Did you read the instructions carefully before you tried to put your Jillipy-Bop together?"

There is a long silence…so you decide to ask him again: "Did you read the instructions carefully before you put your Jillipy-Bop together?"

The answer, when it finally comes out, is spoken very quietly: "No. But I thought it looked easy enough that I could put it together myself. The instructions are still in the box."

Your reply: "In order for it to work properly, you have to read and follow the instructions. When I hang up, read the instructions , take your Jillipy-Bop apart, and put it back together again. Then call me back and let me know if it works."

Later the phone rings, and a much more cheerful voice tells you that after following the instructions, he put the Jillipy-Bop together. It is working perfectly now, and he thanks you.

You might think this is a silly story, but it illustrates something that happens every day in many believers' lives. We get frustrated because it is hard for us to trust God or to respond rightly when we are in trouble. We get confused about what we ought to do or how we should handle a certain situation. And sometimes we call out to God and say, "Why isn't this working? Why does this have to be so hard? I don't know what I'm doing wrong! I want to give up!"

The last place we seem to want to look is God's Word--and yet it is our very best source for the wisdom we need! Our "instructions" from God are all in the Bible. If our Bibles go un-touched and un-read, we cannot expect to know what God says about "life" and "how to handle it." We will go through life trying to figure it out on our own, without any clue what God is trying to teach us! God's instructions are not all that difficult, if we will just be willing to follow them. He desires for us to be able to "put all the pieces together" for His glory and for our good.

Proverbs 23:12 says, "Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge." To "apply your heart" means to heed, or pay serious attention to. Are you paying attention to God's Word?

God wants us to read and obey the instructions that He gives in His Word.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Will Use Anything To Glorify Himself

"And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:2-3; *read John 9:1-12*)

Have you ever seen a beautiful diamond? Diamonds come in all shapes and sizes. Every little girl dreams about that day when her "Prince Charming" will ride up on a white horse and presents her with a huge, sparkling diamond ring. And no little boy ever dreams he might end up being that Prince Charming!

Diamonds are beautiful. When sunlight comes through a diamond and makes a rainbow of colors, it is something to see! But do you know what diamonds are made from? The beautiful diamond that you see on your mom's ring comes from carbon. Ok, so what is "carbon"? Carbon is the same thing that coal is made of. Coal!?! That's right! Genuine, solid, black, ugly coal.

So, what makes the difference whether coal or diamonds come out of carbon? The answer is pressure and heat. Basically, the more the pressure and heat that get put into the carbon, it will produce a better and better quality diamond. Less pressure and less heat on carbon causes it to produce coal, which is far less valuable than diamonds.

The way diamonds are made can be a reminder to us of how God often chooses to work when He refines believers. In John 9, we read about a man who was born blind. The disciples asked Jesus if this was a result of this man's own sin, or perhaps the sins of his parents, or what? Jesus' response is very interest. He said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."

Jesus teaches us a valuable lesson in the passage: God will use anything to glorify Himself. What does that mean? It means that God will use all situations and circumstances to bring honor to His name. This man was born blind, not because of anything he did, but so that one day Jesus would pass by, spit on the ground, make clay, put it on the blind man's eyes and give him sight. The man was born blind so that he could be a part of an exhibit of Jesus' supernatural, miraculous, powerful, and gracious glory.

Just think about it! God took used the "pressure" and "heat" of a very hard situation (this man's lifetime of blindness) to turn this man into a dazzling testimony of God's ultimate strength and lovingkindness!

The next time something happens to you that you do not like or that you feel you cannot bear, stop and ask yourself how God could be honored in your situation. Your response to hard things could be one way God gets glorified. If you trust Him to take care of you through a hard time, your faith and submission to Him is an honor to Him. And if you wait to see what He is trying to do in the lives of other people through your hard situation, or how He might change your heart to make you better through this trial, then you are honoring Him. He will glorify Himself through showing Himself as a powerful and gracious God. Trust Him that He knows what He is doing and that He will do whatever it takes, for the sake of His own glory and His people's best good.

God will do what it takes to accomplish what will glorify Himself and bless His people.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Cares When We Are Distressed

"I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears." (Psalm 18:3,6)

Have you ever heard a kitten or a rabbit that was in pain? A rabbit's scream is a terrible sound. If a rabbit is caught in a bush or a trap, and especially if he is frightened or wounded – or both – he is probably going to scream.

What if you were to hear a call even more desperate than that of a small animal? What if you were to hear a fellow human being call out in distress (in pain or great fear of danger)? Would you answer? What if you were walking along in your neighborhood one day, and what if you were to hear a voice call out, "Help! Somebody – please help!"

Well, you might be afraid! That would be a natural reaction in an emergency. You might feel like there isn't much you could do – whether you're limited by your age or size or knowledge or whatever the case may be. But if you heard someone desperate and calling for help, you would probably do everything in your power to try to be of at least a little help! Maybe you could find the nearest phone and call 9-1-1 or some kind of emergency response number. Or maybe you could run to find out what was wrong and see if there is some way to contribute to fixing the problem. It may not be very much, but you would probably do all you could!

There are hundreds of verses in God's Word that reveal (show) Him to be a God Who comes to the rescue when we call out to Him for help. The marvelous thing about having the God of the universe as our Deliverer is that – unlike well-meaning humans who might respond in an emergency – God has no limitations at all! He is always present and all-knowing – so He knows when we are in trouble, maybe even before we ourselves are aware of the trouble. He is all-powerful, so nothing could possibly keep Him from helping if He wanted to help.

God does want to help. Being our highest Source of comfort and strength and power and mercy brings glory to His name, and He loves to help His people who trust Him. These verses about calling out to God in our distress do not have to do only with physical danger or emergencies that we can see and touch. We should also look to God – first and foremost! – when we find ourselves in spiritual danger!

Are you tempted to sin? Are you losing a battle in submitting your reactions to God and responding rightly to what He is bringing into your life? Are you worried or upset or afraid or confused about what God wants you to do next? If so, good! It's not good that you are in trouble, but it's good if that trouble drives you to call out to the best possible Savior and Deliverer you could ever have: God.

More than anyone or anything else, God is able and willing to deliver us out of our troubles.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Cares When We Are Distressed

"I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears." (Psalm 18:3,6)

Have you ever heard a kitten or a rabbit that was in pain? A rabbit's scream is a terrible sound. If a rabbit is caught in a bush or a trap, and especially if he is frightened or wounded – or both – he is probably going to scream.

What if you were to hear a call even more desperate than that of a small animal? What if you were to hear a fellow human being call out in distress (in pain or great fear of danger)? Would you answer? What if you were walking along in your neighborhood one day, and what if you were to hear a voice call out, "Help! Somebody – please help!"

Well, you might be afraid! That would be a natural reaction in an emergency. You might feel like there isn't much you could do – whether you're limited by your age or size or knowledge or whatever the case may be. But if you heard someone desperate and calling for help, you would probably do everything in your power to try to be of at least a little help! Maybe you could find the nearest phone and call 9-1-1 or some kind of emergency response number. Or maybe you could run to find out what was wrong and see if there is some way to contribute to fixing the problem. It may not be very much, but you would probably do all you could!

There are hundreds of verses in God's Word that reveal (show) Him to be a God Who comes to the rescue when we call out to Him for help. The marvelous thing about having the God of the universe as our Deliverer is that – unlike well-meaning humans who might respond in an emergency – God has no limitations at all! He is always present and all-knowing – so He knows when we are in trouble, maybe even before we ourselves are aware of the trouble. He is all-powerful, so nothing could possibly keep Him from helping if He wanted to help.

God does want to help. Being our highest Source of comfort and strength and power and mercy brings glory to His name, and He loves to help His people who trust Him. These verses about calling out to God in our distress do not have to do only with physical danger or emergencies that we can see and touch. We should also look to God – first and foremost! – when we find ourselves in spiritual danger!

Are you tempted to sin? Are you losing a battle in submitting your reactions to God and responding rightly to what He is bringing into your life? Are you worried or upset or afraid or confused about what God wants you to do next? If so, good! It's not good that you are in trouble, but it's good if that trouble drives you to call out to the best possible Savior and Deliverer you could ever have: God.

More than anyone or anything else, God is able and willing to deliver us out of our troubles.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Tells Us To Wait on Him

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

Adele's pet dog Molly is so smart. Molly seems to be aware of everything that goes on. She hears everything! Adele has to spell words out when she talks about F-O-O-D or a S-Q-U-I-R-R-E-L, so Molly will not understand her. But it is very hard to trick Molly, even when you spell words out! She is so smart, it is easy to think of her as a human being rather than a dog. And Adele loves Molly dearly, but Molly does have one fault. There is one thing that Molly has never learned. For the past eight years she doesn't quite understand what is meant by the word "wait"!

Adele knows that she has probably not helped Molly learn the meaning of "wait!" because Adele is always quick to get Molly whatever she acts like she wants. Molly stares at Adele for a long time if she wants some food. If Adele sits on the couch, Molly will sit right in front of her and stare and stare. Not just for a short time. It is an actual staring contest, as far as Molly is concerned! And Adele gets "out-stared" every single time. Exasperated, Adele finally gets up and goes to get Molly's food. Molly has no concept of "wait," and she has found a way to get what she wants when she wants it!

All of us have had to "wait" for something. It may be for dinner, a school bus, or a friend. It may be waiting to get over a cold, or waiting to go visit some special place or favorite family members. Waiting is not an easy thing to do--not for a dog, and not for us! It requires patience and understanding. Most of all, it requires trust.

In our world today we expect to get what we want when we want it. But God has instructed believers about waiting and about what (or Whom) we should be waiting for. Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." This verse tells us Whom we should look to for what we need: We should wait on the Lord. At least Adele's dog knows whom she ought to wait on in order to get her food. It would do Molly no good to sit and stare at the mailman, or at a tree trunk. Molly waits (if only briefly!) on Adele, because Adele is, in Molly's world, the best source for F-O-O-D. When a Christian needs something, that Christian should go to the God of the Bible for it.

Psalm 27:14 also shows us how we can endure the waiting, by strengthening our hearts and taking courage. Similarly, Romans 8:25 says, "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." The only patience Molly shows is the ability to stare for as long as it takes to get what she wants. Dogs and human beings are not born with patience. They have to learn it. Christians can learn patience, by God's grace, and they can trust that the Lord's timing is the best possible timing.

God wants believers to show their trust by waiting patiently on Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Cares for Us

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Peter 5:10)

Every fall, Ricky and his sister Anna got to go with their cousins to the apple orchard. The orchard was way out in the country, and Ricky and Anna could smell the sweet, spicy scent of ripe apples even before all the kids could pile out of Uncle Josh's truck.

The orchard owners would let them do "taste tests" on all the different kinds of apples, to see if they could tell the difference (sweet, or tart, or juicy, or crisp, and so on). They learned that apple trees need about six to eight weeks of cold winter weather so they can go dormant (which is like hibernating, or sleeping for a while) so that the trees will produce juicier, more flavorful fruit. They also learned that if the owners pruned (cut, trimmed back) a tree, it would produce more--and many times better--fruit than it would have if they had left it alone. And Ricky's jaw dropped when the owners told them that sometimes a branch from one tree is grafted onto another tree--so that it is possible to have different kinds of apples growing on the same tree!

The Bible talks about God like a husbandman, which is the name for someone whose job it is to care for an orchard or vineyard. Instead of trees or vines, God cares for people! Like the orchard owners, God puts a lot of hard work (and seemingly ugly work) into taking care of His own, and helping them bear the best "fruit."

Did you know that God prunes (cuts and trims) His people so that they will grow spiritually? In John 15:2, Jesus says, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." Sometimes this process that God uses can feel painful for us, but we still ought to rejoice that He is working on us--because it is going to reap good results. We read in James 1:2-3, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

What is that spiritual fruit that God is trying to help us bear? He tells us in Galatians that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffereing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." We know that God has many good thoughts toward us. (See Psalm 40:5 and Jeremiah 29:11.) And we can be sure it is God's will for us to bear fruit. (See John 15:8.) Knowing these things and knowing what we know about God's character and power, we should trust the heavenly "Husbandman" when He "purges" us or when He tries our faith. It is His goal to "grow us" into people who are more and more and more like Jesus Christ. And being more like Christ is the way we bear fruit.

God is our "Husbandman," and He wants to "grow" us spiritually for His glory and for our good.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Wants Us To Pray

"Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God for Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

One of the hardest commandments in the Bible is that we ought to pray. Prayer takes serious thought and time. Have you ever started to pray but then got interrupted or distracted?

What is prayer? Prayer is talking to God. When we talk to God, we develop our relationship with Him. God is the only perfect Source of power, strength and wisdom. The disciples wanted to know how to communicate with God and to have a relationship with God, so they asked Jesus to teach them to pray.

Early in life, it is wise to learn how to pray, when to pray, and what to pray. Each person is different, and each person prays differently, but each prayer is precious in the sight of God. He hears, knows what is on your heart, and wants you to "talk" to Him. Prayer gives honor and glory to God.

A man named Fenelon (who lived from 1651-1715) wrote this: Let us not be content to pray morning and evening, but let us live in prayer all day long. All should become prayer, that is, a loving consciousness of God's presence.

Read Matthew 6:5-13, if you have a few minutes to do that right now. Prayer is not difficult to do, but it does take determination. Will you decide to pray? Will you intend to pray? Will you make yourself pray? Will you ask God to help you pray? Will you pray?

God wants us to pray, and He teaches and enables us to pray if we will ask Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is a Righteous Judge

"The heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself." (Psalm 50:6)

Matt couldn't remember when he had ever been more frustrated at the outcome of a soccer game. The score had been tied 2-2 in the fourth quarter when he had attempted a shot on the goal. The keeper had been out of position, and Matt's kick would have scored if a defender had not deflected it with an outstretched arm. "Hand ball!" Matt had shouted.

But the referee had not blown his whistle. Apparently, he had not seen the foul. The game had continued, and the opposing team cleared the ball to the other end of the field. Two minutes later, they scored a winning goal to break the tie. Matt's team had lost the game.

Afterwards, Matt felt disappointed, but he understood that referees--like parents, teachers, and all other human authority figures--make mistakes. People are not perfect. They are prone to misjudge sometimes.

The only perfect judge is God Himself. He sees and hears everything. He knows not only the outward circumstances, but also the mind and heart of each one of us.

Deuteronomy 32:4 says, "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." How are you responding to God's perfect "judgment calls" as He arranges the circumstances of your life?

Because God's view is clear and complete, His judgments are always right.

[Soldier4Christ]

Attitudes Matter to God

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." (Psalm 66:18)

Outwardly, Jenna was dusting the coffee table. But inwardly, she was stewing. She could think of at least fifty other things she would rather do than clean the house for company. A new family from the church was coming over for supper, and her mother had given each of the children a task to help prepare the house. Not only did Jenna dislike having extra work, but she also dreaded eating lasagna again, her mother's favorite dish to make whenever company came. Furthermore, the children in the new family were all under school age, and Jenna was not looking forward to babysitting them after dinner while the adults talked.

Nothing about the plans for the evening appealed to her. The more she thought about it, the more her resentment grew. Why didn't her mother consider what Jenna wanted? Why shouldn't her mother do all the cooking and cleaning, since she was the one who wanted to have company in the first place?

Stepping into the living room, Jenna's mother glanced around and smiled approvingly. "That looks much better, honey. Thanks for your help." Suddenly Jenna felt ashamed. She realized that her mother had no idea what she had been thinking. She had fooled her mother, but Jenna knew that her attitude was not right.

It is sometimes easy to hide from others what is going on in our hearts. We can act as though everything is okay and pretend to be sweet, obedient Christians. Still, the secret sins of our heart cause our fellowship with God to be broken. God does not want our service if our attitude is not right.

Psalm 19:12b says, "Cleanse thou me from secret faults." What kind of attitude do you have when it comes to serving God? A holy heart is much more valuable to God than busy hands.

God will accept our acts of service only if our hearts are right toward Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Knows Our Ways

"Thou compasseth my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways." (Psalm 139:3)

The Matthews household was in an uproar. No one had seen the family cat all day, and it was almost time for bed. Aaron thought he had heard a faint "meow" a couple of times, but when he called, "Here, Kitty, Kitty," Angel did not come.

The family had tried all the usual tricks, to no avail. Even the sound of the can opener and the smell of tuna had not coaxed Angel out of hiding. Their beloved cat had been with them for six years and had never gone away for more than a few hours. Whatever could have happened to her now?

Anna had an idea. She opened her closet door, and sure enough, out ran Angel, her eyes wide and black. "Meow!" she cried, and Anna followed her to the kitchen to set out the tuna and some fresh milk.

She explained to Aaron how she had gotten the idea to check the closet. "You know how Angel loves to nap on soft things? I thought maybe she might have been resting on my new fuzzy slippers this morning when I closed the closet door." Anna left her slippers under her bed from then on, so that Angel could nap on them whenever she pleased without getting trapped in the closet again.

Just as Anna understood the ways of her pet, our Heavenly Father sees and understands everything about us. He knows our habits and our thoughts. It is not possible for us to go anywhere He cannot find us.

Jeremiah 23:24 says, "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Saith the Lord." Is it hard for you to remember that God knows and cares about and watches you? Meditate on this truth from Scripture, and let it change how you respond to scary situations, times of sorrow, or temptations to sin.

God knows and understands us even better than we do.