Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

God Created Everything in Six Normal Days

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31)

Have you ever built something? Maybe you wanted to build a bird-house or a dog-house. Stop and think how long it took you to build whatever you built. How long did it take you? Did it take you a day? Two days? Maybe even a week?

Now take a look around you. Look at the sky, the trees, and the ground. Look at your brother and sister, and your mom and dad and your friends. Now think of all the billions of people in the world and the trillions of animals and the quadrillions of stars and planets. Can you believe that God created all that and everything else in just six days? Not six years. Not six months. Not even six weeks. Just six days!

Almighty God created everything out of nothing. Nothing existed before God created it--nothing except for God himself. If you were to build a bird-house, you would probably copy another one that has already been built. At least you have seen one before to know what one looks like. But, when God created everything, He not only made it, but He imagined everything first. A tree never existed, before God made it; and neither did water or a fish or a human! And God created everything, and He did it out of nothing, in only six days! (Genesis 1:31)

There are some people who would like to tell you that the six days we read about in the Bible are not six actual days. They think that the word "day" represents a year or a hundred years or even thousands of years. However, if God would have wanted to say "a year," He would have said "a year." A "day" means a "day." And our great Creator God created everything in these six days.

So, look around today, and think about all that God has created. He is our Almighty Creator. Praise Him! He created everything for His own glory's sake, so we ought to worship Him.

God created everything out of nothing in only six days, all by Himself.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Always Alive -- Everywhere!

"And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: snd as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:2-5)

In Luke 24, Jesus had already been crucified and buried in the tomb. The people who loved Him were heartbroken. Three women went to Jesus' tomb, only to find it empty. As they wonder what happened, two angels reminded them that Jesus had taught His disciples He would rise up again after three days. The angels told the women that Jesus was not dead anymore--He is now among the living!

When the women told this to the rest of Jesus' disciples, they did not believe the news. Peter and John ran to the tomb, and they also found it empty. They believed, but they were still very confused about what had really happened and where Jesus was if He was not in His grave!

A couple days later, two other followers of Jesus were walking along on a road with a stranger who had joined them. They did not realize it at first, but it turned out that the stranger was Jesus Himself, and He preached to them a message that showed the Gospel story from the Old Testament until His resurrection. Imagine how it would be if Jesus Himself came and talked over the Gospel with you, with His scarred hands and feet and all His knowledge of the Scriptures!

It was not until later that the men finally realized who had been walking and talking with them. In Luke 24:32, they say, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"

Does your heart ever "burn within" you when you hear the Gospel story preached? If you are a believer, do you spend time thinking about what Jesus Christ's resurrection means for you personally? Are you confused like Jesus' disciples were at first, or have you really come to understand that Jesus is no longer dead? When we talk to Jesus and seek to know Him better, we need to remember to seek for Him among the living. He is not just a story. He is not a dead and buried historical prophet. He is God--so He is everywhere at once--and He is alive!

Jesus Christ is living, not dead! We can seek Him anytime, anywhere.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Gifts Cannot Be Bought

"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money." (Acts 8:17-23)

At a glance, it may seem as though Peter is being a bit harsh on Simon--someone who claimed to be a brand new believer. While it is good to be gentle in spirit toward anyone who is wrong spiritually, it is also most important to point out the seriousness of a sin against the Holy Spirit's testimony.

There was nothing wrong with Simon's desire to be a part of sharing the Holy Spirit, but Simon believed he could purchase God's gift with money. One may think that could be a simple mistake of a new believer, but it goes deeper than that. Simon was showing that he really did not yet have a good understanding of God. Peter even says "May your money perish with you" so that leads us to believe that Simon was not truly saved from his sin, even though he claimed to believe in Jesus. To truly understand and accept the gift of salvation, you need to realize there is absolutely nothing you can do to get it!

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." This verse says you cannot do any good deed or work in order to "earn" your salvation from God. It is only through God's gifts of grace and faith that you are able to receive anything good from God!

Paying money, donating time, helping the poor -- all those things are good, but you cannot expect to receive God's blessings and gifts because you do those things. Doing good things to get good things is the absolute opposite of what God desires! You should do good things, but you should do them because of your understanding about who He is and what He did for you -- and our Lord Jesus Christ did not live a sinless life, die, and rise again so that you could try to "earn your own way" to heaven by good works.

Because Simon believed he could buy God's gift from Peter, he revealed a dangerous view of God. Trying to work for good things will have you constantly wondering if you've done enough to earn God's approval. God wants us to know He paid it all for us to have our sins forgiven and have a right relationship with Him. He wants us to be sure that there is nothing we can do to work our way to salvation. He wants the glory He deserves for being so gracious to give us salvation as a free gift!

Recieve God's gift and serve Him in humility because of what He's already freely given.

We cannot "earn" God's gracious gifts.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Bigger than His Enemies

"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Psalm 110:1)

This verse talks about God speaking to Jesus. God tells Jesus to sit and He will make His enemies a "footstool" for Him. What is a footstool? It is a thing designed to help you prop up your feet. A footstool is not a fancy piece of furniture, and it is not very costly. It gets knocked around and used a lot, because it makes people more comfortable when they are sitting down. To sit down is one thing. To sit down and prop up your feet -- well, that means you are really settling in and getting comfortable! You are planning to stay there a while, and that is your place.

A footstool is great to have close by you when you sit. But why does God use a word picture of a "footstool" to describe His enemies? When you think of enemies, you really probably do not think of wanting them sticking around nearby. You do not think of enemies being nice, useful, or comfortable. Usually, they are under your skin--not under your feet! Enemies cause problems, whether they are real people or spiritual struggles. They try to mess up your plans and hurt you emotionally and physically. Why would anyone want to keep an enemy close by?

God said He would make Jesus' enemies a "footstool" because of the idea of a footstool being low and common and completely at the service of the person using it. A footstool has no importance of its own. It is useful only if someone props his feet up on it. Basically, the image of God turning enemies into footstools is the idea of God completely conquering and humbling them, dominating them, squashing them down.

It is clear from God's Word that Jesus has been given all authority and power. He is in control. Sometimes, we see artwork that shows a weak-looking "Jesus," or pictures of Jesus in very humble circumstances. The truth about Jesus is that He did humble Himself, and He is a great example of humility. He submitted to His earthly parents. He washed His own disciples' feet. He let His enemies crucify Him. And yet, He truly is the only One Who did not have to be humbled, which is why His example is so amazing to us sinful human beings. Jesus has always been, and always will be, the only One truly worthy of worship. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. The reality is that we are all in His power, and every knee will bow to Him.

Jesus has all authority and power over His enemies.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Comforts Those Who Mourn

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

God used Mandy's friend Crystal to teach her the meaning of this verse. Mandy was talking to Crystal on the phone one day, and she told Crystal a lie. Mandy lied because she cared more about pleasing Crystal than about pleasing God, and because she wanted to make herself look better than she was. As soon as the lie was out of her mouth, Mandy was shocked and sorry. But she did not tell Crystal she had lied. "What would she think of me if she knew?" Mandy thought. "She might not want to be my friend anymore. I'll just confess my sin to God. That will be enough."

But for a few days after that, Mandy was still miserable. She could not stop thinking about the lie. Finally, she wrote Crystal a note. She told Crystal about the lie and asked her to forgive her.

When Crystal got Mandy's note, she went out of her way to come and find her. Mandy was so ashamed to face her that she began to cry. She felt that she did not deserve to have Crystal's friendship anymore.

Mandy will never forget what Crystal did next. She put her arm around Mandy and told her she had forgiven her. Then she reached out and wiped away one of Mandy's tears as it fell.

Have you sinned against God? Are you ashamed and sorry? Maybe it is a sin that you have committed many times before. Maybe you feel like you just cannot face God and ask His forgiveness yet again. What must He think of you?

When we come to God with a mournful, brokenhearted spirit about our sin, God's response to us is just like Crystal's to Mandy--and even more wonderful, because He is God. The Bible tells us that He will never turn away a broken and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). He will forgive us--every time we come. The blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing us from every sin (1 John 1:9). And someday, when we see God face to face, He will wipe away our tears forevermore (Revelation 21:4). That is how gracious He is.

God comforts and forgives those who are truly sorry for their sin.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Loyal to His People

"O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 136:26)

Do you know what it means to be loyal? Stella's grandpa kept a white pony named Ginger on his farm. Whenever Stella visited Grandpa, she loved to ride Ginger around the pasture. Sometimes Stella would sit on the fence for an hour at a time talking to Ginger. When she would have to leave Ginger and go back home to the city, the pony stayed in her thoughts. Stella often drew pictures of Ginger or wrote about her in stories.

Now the truth is, Ginger was a very stubborn pony, and she was even a little bit mean at times. But if anyone ever said anything bad about her, Stella always stood up for her. She thought of Ginger as her horse. When Grandpa finally had to sell Ginger away to another farm, Stella went out to the empty pasture and found some long white hairs from her tail stuck in the fence. For years afterward, she kept that horsehair in a special little box. Her love for Ginger was loyal.

Did Ginger deserve to be loved like that? No, probably not. And neither do we. But God's love for His people is just as loyal as that--in fact, it is even more loyal than any human love could be, because God is God. When you read the Old Testament, you can see God showing loyal love to His people, the Israelites, over and over again. He faithfully led them. He defended them against their enemies. He shared the deep thoughts and plans of His heart with them. He revealed Himself to them with wonderful miracles. He did not overlook their sin. When they broke their covenants with Him and went after idols, He always punished them. But even the punishments were signs of His loyalty. He never gave up on His people. He never "let them go." He always drew them back. When they humbled themselves and sought Him, He mercifully restored them again to a right relationship with Him. And best of all, He sent them a Redeemer--His own dear Son, Jesus Christ.

The Hebrew word for God's loyal love is hesed. You will often see this word in our English translations as lovingkindness or mercy. God acts the same toward His redeemed people today as He did toward His people Israel in the Old Testament days. He will never give up on His people, nor will He ever give up a good work that He has begun. He loves us with a loyal, steadfast love.

God's love for His people is loyal and steadfast.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Gives Direction

"And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover." (Luke 22:8-13)

If you look at verse 8 above, you see that Jesus asked Peter and John to go prepare a place where they could celebrate the Passover feast. This was the last meal Jesus would share with his twelve disciples, and it needed to be very special. He did not want a crowded place, but somewhere perfect for the occasion. On top of that, it was the day of the feast itself! Have you ever gone out to eat on an Easter Sunday or on Thanksgiving Day, only to find all the restaurant lobbies filled with people waiting to be seated?

Peter and John were entrusted with the task of finding a very special place on very short notice. If you had been in their shoes (their sandals?) you might have left immediately, all worried about having to find this special place. Instead of panicking or leaning on their own wisdom, these men actually took the time to ask Jesus what He desired. In the end, their choice was probably a great blessing to them! If they had hurried away without asking for some direction, they may have wandered the city for a long time and still not found that perfect place that had already been prepared ahead of time.

In the same way, when we have a task to accomplish, no matter how small it seems or how able we feel, we always need to seek the Lord and ask Him for directions. He does not visibly stand before us these days, like He did with Peter and John, but he is with you and will guide you if your heart's desire is to do what He would have you do. As we see in verses 9-13, Jesus knows what He is doing. He knows all things, and He is the most wise and most able. He has plans that include you, too. Take the time to ask Him for specific directions. Do not lean on your own wisdom and strength; lean on the One Who is most wise and able to help you. Like that room God provided for the disciples' Passover feast, you will find that God's guidance always leads to the best thing.

God is the best Guide when we need direction.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Most High

"Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?" (Job 40:9)

In the Bible, God is sometimes called "the most high God." What does this mean? Does it mean that God is high up in the sky, or that He lives above and beyond all of us down here on Earth? Well, we know from the Bible that God is everywhere. But the words "most high" refer to God's preeminence, which means He is the greatest of all, the highest of all. God is everywhere, so He is "high" above us in that sense. But in a spiritual sense, He is higher and far above anyone or anything else. God is preeminent. He is the most high God.

But where is God in our thoughts? How do we think about Him? How important is He is our lives? Is He preeminent over all other loves and interests? Does the way we spend our time and money and energy show whether we believe God really is the most high God?

Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? Nebuchadnezzar was the king ruling over these three young men. King Nebuchadnezzar thought so highly of himself (he had so much pride) that he had an image/idol of himself set up for his people to worship in his honor. Nebuchadnezzar considered himself a god, and he expected everyone to worship him. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, however, served only the most high God. In fact, because they were true to God by not refusing to worship anyone or anything else, a whole kingdom learned about the most high God.

When their king grew angry with the three men, God saved them from dying in the fiery furnace that was their punishment. When God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Nebuchadnezzar finally realized that God is the most high. Nebuchadnezzar figured it out that he himself was not most high. When he called the three men to come out of the furnace, the king even used a phrase that shows he understood finally. He called, "Ye servants of the most high God, come forth" (Daniel 5:18).

Maybe you do not have an idol you worship like Nebuchadnezzar did, but do you ever have a problem thinking too highly of yourself? How about the pride you take in a collection or hobby that you have? Do you start to treat something else or someone else as more important than God?

God is and always will be "the most high God." No matter where we put God in our priorities or how often we think of Him, it does not change that He is the most high God. We can trust Him. We can serve Him and obey Him and never be ashamed. Psalms 57:2 says, "I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me."

Thank the most high God today that He is all you need to be completely satisfied. You need no other gods. Lift Him up high!

God is and always will be the most high God.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Loves You Unconditionally

"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 31:3)

Have you ever had a dog? Jake had a dog, and he loved that dog. Her name was Daisy. She was a cute little white dog with black ears and a brown spot in the middle of her back. She had a cute little tail that curled up over her back. Jake would feed her and give her water every day. He would give her a bath when she was dirty, brush her fur when she had been outside, and take her for walks after school. Jake loved Daisy very much, and he showed her that he loved her by taking care of her. Even when she was bad and misbehaved, he still loved her. Who do you think takes care of us and loves us, even when we do wrong? Your parents do, but Who else? God does, and He loves us, too! God loves us unconditionally.

Do you know what it means to love "unconditionally"? The word "unconditional" means "without limitations, perfect in quality or nature." Basically, it means that God love has no strings attached and there is nothing we can do to earn it or lose it. God's love never changes! No matter what you do, you cannot make God love you any more than He does right now. You cannot do anything to make God love you any less than He does right now, either!

God's love is even stronger than that bond between Jake and his dog Daisy. Why? Because God is God! His unconditional love has no bounds, because it is just as infinite (never-ending) as God is! God always loves His people, no matter what. Because of His unconditional love, He sent His Son to die on the cross. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Do you love God in the same way? Would you do anything for God? Probably, if you were being honest, you would have to say no. That kind of love is not easy for human beings to have. We can try, though. God is the One Who has shown His love to us, and He wants us to love others and forgive others as He has forgiven and loved us: Unconditionally! Because God loves us unconditionally, we should love him and serve him with our lives.

God's love for His people is unconditional.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Does Not Tempt Us To Sin

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." (James 1:13)

God is holy. He has never sinned, and He never will. He is perfect. In fact, there is no sin in heaven. God will not allow sin into heaven. Because He is holy He wants us to be holy, too.

This verse teaches us one main truth: God does not tempt us to sin. This verse says it pretty clearly: "neither tempteth he any man." God doesn't tempt anyone to sin. One man said, "God sends hardship in our lives to make us better not worse." God doesn't send a temptation into our life, but He sends trials to make us be more like Jesus.

Let's say you get really sick. You have to go to the hospital and get some bad news from the doctor that you are going to be sick for a while. So you have to take medicine, and maybe you are told to lie in the bed for a whole month. Where did that illness come from? The Lord allowed that to happen. Did He do that as a way to make you mad or upset enough to sin? No! God has nothing to do with sin. Then why does He give you hard things to go through?

The Bible says it is so that you can be more like Jesus. Jesus suffered common temptations that we all face. But He never sinned when He faced them. He responded to situations with the right attitude, and He took hard things as from His Father's hand. God sends trials (hard things) into believers' lives to sanctify them (make them more like Jesus, more holy). Maybe God wants you to work on your attitude. When you get better, maybe you have learned to have a better attitude. God sent a trial in your life to make you better.

But where does temptation to sin come from? God does not tempt me, that is for sure. He never wants to see me sin, and He would never help me to sin. He wants me to be holy.

There are three areas that temptation to sin comes from: the world, the flesh, and the devil. If you are in a store, and your stomach is growling, and no one seems to be looking at that candy bar shelf, and you are tempted to grab a candy bar--well, then, that candy bar is being used by the world, by your own flesh, and by the devil to draw you in to sin. If you are watching TV and they show you a movie that has things in it that are displeasing to God, then that movie is being used by the world, by your own flesh, and by the devil to tempt you to sin. Candy bars and movies do not have to be wicked in and of themselves. But we can sin with anything! When we are tempted to use anything as a way of filling up our own ungodly desires, rather than as a way to glorify God and live out our love for Him, then we are sinning.

Remember, God does not provoke you to sin, or tease you with sin. He does not want to see you fall. One thing we can pray for when we talk to the Lord is that He will keep us away from temptation. He wants to help us turn away from temptation and say "no" when we find ourselves wanting to sin. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:13 to pray, "lead us not into temptation." God can keep us from situations in which we will be tempted. When we are tempted to sin, we can count on Him to help us get out of a hard situation in a way that will make us more holy and more like Jesus.

God does not sin or cause sin.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Always Provides

"And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there." (I Kings 17:4)

During the days of Elijah the prophet, God sent a drought--a long period of time without rain--to the land of Israel. God was punishing Israel because the wicked rulers, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, were causing the people to stop serving the Lord and to worship idols. Even though Elijah had warned King Ahab that God would punish them, Ahab did not listen. So God did not send any rain to Israel for a long time, and food could not grow. The people of Israel, including Elijah, soon became hungry and thirsty. Even though Elijah trusted in the Lord, he must have wondered where he would find food and water.

But God still took care of Elijah. Even though there was no rain and little food or water, God provided for the needs of His faithful servant. God knew where to find water, and He told Elijah to go to a little brook that still had water to drink. God also knew where to find food, and He commanded the ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah. What a surprising way to meet the prophet's needs! Twice a day, the black birds delivered food to him. Even though the people who worshipped idols were hungry and thirsty, Elijah always had enough to eat and drink. God always provided for the needs of His servant.

God will always take care of you, as well. If you truly know the Lord, He will always provide for your needs, just like He did for Elijah's. Sometimes, like Elijah in the drought, you may find yourself in the middle of a hard situation. Maybe one of your parents has lost a job, and your family needs money. Or maybe you have moved to a new school, and you need to find good friends. Whatever your need, God will never forget about you. Like in Elijah's time, God knows where to find the things you need (Matthew 6:. He will always be faithful to provide for you--sometimes in surprising ways!

God will always meet your needs.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Has Everlasting Arms

"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." (Deuteronomy 33:27)

The highlight of each fall in Andrew's hometown is attending the Riley Days Festival downtown. Every year, their town has a parade, live entertainment, craft booths, and yummy food filling the streets surrounding the courthouse. Andrew's family always looked forward to Riley Days, and they would usually set aside the entire weekend for attending the festival.

During one of these Riley Days evenings, Andrew was having a hard time keeping up with the rest of the family. He had sprained his neck during a dodge ball game earlier that day, and it was really starting to bother him as their family walked around the festival.

Finally, Andrew asked his dad, "Will you carry me?" His dad was glad to carry him, and Andrew was so relieved. It was wonderful to let his body go limp in his dad's arms. Andrew did not have put out all that energy to hold his head up. He could trust in his dad's strength to carry him in a time when he was very weak.

In the same way that Andrew's dad was glad to carry him around the festival that night, your heavenly Father will carry you through difficult times. When you are facing troubles and feel overwhelmed by the weight of them, let God carry you through them. He commands us to cast our care upon Him. Why? Because He cares for us. When you are weakest, He is always strong. Read His Word, and take comfort in His promises to you. God's "arms" will never get tired (His strength and comfort and grace will never wear out) as He carries you through those difficult times. The Bible says that He has "everlasting arms."

If you are facing difficult circumstances and have been trying to work hard in your own strength--stop it! Crawl into your heavenly Daddy's arms; trust Him; and let Him carry you.

God is a refuge, and He has everlasting arms.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Knows What Is Best

"Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." (John 11:5-6)

When Jesus' friend Lazarus was sick, everyone must have expected Jesus to go right away to help him. Lazarus's sisters, Mary and Martha, had sent the alarming message of their brother's serious illness to Jesus because they hoped that He would come quickly and heal him. But, strangely, Jesus did not go to help Lazarus right away. Two days went by, and Lazarus had died before Jesus and disciples began the journey to Lazarus's home at Bethany.

No one seemed to understand why Jesus had waited so long, allowing Lazarus to die. Before Jesus even reached the place where Lazarus lived, first Martha and then Mary sadly came to meet Him. Greatly disappointed, they told Jesus that if He had come earlier to heal Lazarus, their brother would not have died. Although Mary and Martha did not understand why Jesus allowed such a terrible thing to happen, Jesus had a special reason for not coming earlier to heal Lazarus.

Jesus asked that someone roll away the tombstone in front of the place where the body of Lazarus had been buried. Then Jesus called out, "Lazarus, come forth." Suddenly, the man who had been dead walked out of the tomb. Jesus had done something better than just making a sick person well. He had brought a dead man back to life! Jesus knew what was best.

Even though sometimes you may not understand why God allows things to happen as He does, God always knows what is best for you, too. Even though you may not understand why God doesn't answer your prayers the way you would like, He wants you to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). He always has a special reason for answering your prayers in the way that He does. Even though you, just like Mary and Martha, may become disappointed when God does not answer your prayers in the way that you expect Him to, God often has something better planned for you than you can imagine. "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

God knows what is best for you.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Merciful

"I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?" (Matthew 18:32b-33)

"She was rolling her eyes at me!"
"He hit me!"
"He wouldn't share his cookies with me!"

The same boys and girls who had been quietly listening to a Bible lesson only minutes before were now filling the air with angry shouts. What had the Bible club leader just said?

"God is merciful. He sent Jesus to die for us when we were still sinners. He did that so that we could be saved from all of our sins. He promises to forgive our sins when we come to Jesus."

Forgiveness. Love. Salvation from sin. God offers us all of these things freely. There is nothing we could ever do to earn our salvation. We could never deserve forgiveness and love. What if God had thought only about how much we had hurt Him by our sin? What if He had not returned love and kindness for our hatred and rebellion? We are saved only because God has been merciful to us. (See Titus 3:5.)

Since God has been merciful to us, how do you think He wants us to treat others? He wants us to treat them just as He has treated us--with mercy. Mercy reaches out to others with compassion, with forgiveness, with love. Mercy means not returning evil for evil. Mercy means refusing to roll our eyes back, hit back, or be unkind back. Mercy means forgiving. Mercy means thinking about someone's needs rather about how that person hurt us. Mercy means treating others as God has treated us.

God is merciful, and He wants us to show mercy to others.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Word Is My Necessary Spiritual Food

"I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12b)

Have you ever been excited about a special meal you were going to eat? Maybe it was your school's macaroni and cheese, your Mom's yummy lasagna, or Grandma's meatloaf and mashed potatoes. And even peanut butter and jelly can look pretty good when you are hungry! Because each one of us is special, we all like different foods. Jack's idea of a tasty treat might be Jane's idea of terrible torture. Whether you like Mexican, Italian, Chinese, French, or Grandma's cooking best, we can all agree upon one thing: We all like to eat! We expect to eat several times every day, sometimes more.

Almost everyone has a very healthy physical appetite. But how is your spiritual "appetite"? Did you know that God's Word ought to be more important to us than meeting our everyday needs like food and drink? Have you ever given God's Word the same amount of attention you give to your body's daily food?

The Bible says, "Desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). This verse uses a word picture that compares God's Word with daily food that we need to survive. "Sincere" food means the "real thing," food that is not just fake or unsatisfying. We can be sure that God's Word is satisfying, rich, and very, very good. "O taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:Cool.

But how do you get the "daily food" of God's Word? When we eat breakfast, lunch, and supper, we are meeting our physical needs. When we read the Bible we are feeding our spiritual needs. Just as you must eat to stay strong, so you must read and "digest" God's Word regularly so that you can be spiritually "healthy."

Maybe making the Bible that much a part of your regular spiritual "diet" just sounds like way too much work for you. Think about how important your spiritual health is, even compared to your physical health! For example, would you ever treat your daily mealtimes with as little concern as you do your quiet time with God? Would you ever say, "Hmm. Tomorrow is going to be a really busy day for me. Maybe I should just skip breakfast, lunch, and supper! Sure! After all, it will save time, and I will definitely remember to eat the day after that!"

No way. That does not sound like such a good idea after all. Your day would not be better because you skipped meals! Your day would be worse! You would be very tired and hungry, and your body would be even weaker and less ready to do what you needed to get done! What a mistake!

But that is what many Christians do in the spiritual sense. They think, "I can wait on this," or "I can skip today, no problem--I'll just start reading and praying again tomorrow, or sometime next week when I have more time."

You may not always feel like it, but you do need spiritual food every single day. If you do not get the strength you need from God's Word and from spending time with Him every single day, then you will be spiritually weak and flabby. On the other hand, the more we "eat" (or, take in) the Word, the stronger we will be against the devil's temptations to sin.

We cannot survive spiritually without God's Word.