Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Law Teaches Us That We Need Christ

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24)

Are you looking forward to the day when you receive your driver's license? If so, you will need a driving teacher to show you how to get it.

When Suzanne was fifteen, she enrolled in a driver's training school. There were two parts to the school. One was the in-class work; the other was the in-car training. Suzanne did very well at the in-class work. She passed all her quizzes and tests because she studied hard and knew the rules of the road.

But the driving part was a little different. Suzanne did not feel very confident when it came to driving in a busy city. Thankfully, the teacher sat right next to her – right in the passenger's seat – and the teacher had a special tool to help ensure nobody would get hurt. On the teacher's side, near his feet, he had his own brake pedal.

One day Suzanne and her teacher were in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a fairly large city. One of the things Suzanne was learning to do that day was to merge into traffic. "Merging" is when your car comes off a ramp onto a highway and joins the fast-moving traffic. One key to successfully merging is to speed up and match the speed of the other cars.

Suzanne did not do well at merging. She sped all the way up to about 35 miles per hour, but she should have sped up to about 60 miles per hour! If she had merged onto the highway, the cars coming up behind her would have had to slam on their brakes. It was a good thing that the instructor slammed on his brake and prevented Suzanne from putting the car in a very bad position. After the instructor yelled at Suzanne for a bit, they changed drivers, and another student took the wheel. Suzanne got into the back seat and considered her mistake.

What was the instructor doing? He was teaching students how to drive. Without him and his instruction, Suzanne would never be able to receive her license.

The Bible teaches us that God's Law is the schoolmaster (or tutor) that brings us to Christ. Just like Suzanne's driving instructor was bringing her to the point of receiving her own license, so God's Law is an instructor that shows us how badly we need Jesus Christ. When we see how we have failed to live up to God's Law, it points us to the only One Who has perfectly fulfilled that Law. And Who is that? It is Jesus Christ! God's Law guides us to forgiveness in Christ.

Paul helps us understand this truth in Romans 7:7; he says that he would not have known that he was coveting unless the Law had said "do not covet!" God's Law showed Paul that he was a sinner. When we realize how badly we have broken God's holy laws and how we have failed to live up to His perfect standards, we are humbled before Him and left with no other option but to cry out in faith for His mercy and forgiveness.

The demands that God makes of us show that our only hope of salvation is through faith in Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Gives Wisdom

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

Michael's parents were late picking him up from school, so he walked down the hall to Mr. Bruce's classroom to wait until they came. Mr. Bruce was the 10th grade teacher at Michael's school, and he had the most interesting room! Michael and the other 4th-graders were never sorry when they had to wait a little longer if it meant being able to visit Mr. Bruce!

Michael found a desk and plopped himself down. Then he started to look around Mr. Bruce's classroom. Right away, the bulletin board caught his attention. There was a poster of a man with lots of books around him. The man looked like he was thinking really hard and that he was writing something important. Next to the poster were these words: "Lack wisdom? Ask God! James 1:5."

Wisdom. What is wisdom anyway? Michael really wanted to know, so he decided to ask Mr. Bruce. "Mr. Bruce, what does your bulletin board mean? I don't understand it."

"That's a great question, Michael!" replied Mr. Bruce. "It's a wonderful promise God has given to us! Let me read the whole verse out of the Bible to you. It's from James 1:5: 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.'"

"Oh. That verse is full of all kinds of big words I don't know!" exclaimed Michael.

"Well, let's see if I can explain it to you in an easier way," said Mr. Bruce. "Having wisdom means knowing how to decide what is right and good. And if you lack something, well, to lack means that you need something that you don't have. So the first part of the verse says that if you need help with knowing about doing the right thing, you can ask God. But the verse says more than that. God gives wisdom 'liberally' and He doesn't 'upbraid' us. If someone is a liberal giver, he's not stingy. And to upbraid someone means to scold him, or give him a hard time."

"Like my sister Tracey does when I ask her if she'll help me with my homework?" asked Michael.

"Yes, probably so," chuckled Mr. Bruce. "But God isn't like that at all! The Bible says that when we need His help, He wants us to come to Him and to ask Him for wisdom. He won't be angry with us. Instead, He generously gives us the wisdom we need!"

"Wow, that's a great promise, Mr. Bruce! There are lots of times when I'm not sure if what I'm doing is the right thing or not. But now that I know that God can help me, I can just ask Him, right?"

"That's right, Michael!"

If we ask God for help figuring out what's right and what's wrong, God promises to help.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Gives and Takes Away

"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.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Provides All We Need

"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.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Love Is Genuine

"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 proved 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 proved beyond any doubt that His love is real, not fake.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Sent Jesus at the Perfect Time

"But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." (Galatians 4:4)

Mom smiled. "Not till after breakfast. Would you like to help me set the table?"

Natalie gulped her food at breakfast. As soon as she finished the last bite of her cinnamon roll, she asked, "Is it time to open presents now?"

Dad pushed his chair back from the table. "Not yet, sweetheart. We'll read the Christmas story from the Bible and sing some carols first."

Natalie listened to Dad reading, and she sang with all her heart during the carol-singing time. But her eyes kept roving to that pile of Christmas presents wrapped in shiny, colorful paper.

Finally Mom turned from the piano and said, "Guess what, Natalie? Now it's time!"

Like Natalie, you might have a hard time waiting to open presents on your birthday or at Christmas-time. When there is something that we really want, the time that we spend waiting for it can seem like forever. God's people in the Old Testament probably felt the same way. God's prophets had told them that God would send a Messiah who would be their Savior. But hundreds and hundreds of years went by. God's people waited and waited.

God had a perfect time for His Son to be born. He knew what that time was before He even created the world. Galatians 4 tells us that He sent Jesus into the world only when the time was exactly right – the time that He had planned. When Jesus came into the world, conditions were just right for all of the prophecies about Him to be fulfilled. For example, the Roman emperor at the time of his birth required everyone to travel to his birthplace for a census. Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem. Micah's prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem came true (Micah 5:2). The Romans were still in power when Jesus died. Crucifixion was their typical method of putting people to death. Jesus' death by crucifixion was also a fulfillment of prophecy (Psalm 22; Psalm 34:20). God made sure that His Word, given long ago through His prophets, was proved true. His people had to wait for their Messiah, but God sent Jesus at the perfect time.

God sent Jesus at the perfect time to fulfill prophecies about His life and death.

[Soldier4Christ]

No One Is Greater than God

"When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself." (Hebrews 6:13)

Have you ever heard someone say, "I swear that it's true!" Maybe your parents have even told you not to say that, because "swear" is used nowadays as another word for "curse," and we should not curse. Well, your parents are right to forbid you from swearing, too – it really is enough for you just to say, "What I'm saying is true."

Sometimes it's important for a person to make a very serious promise. For example, if the bank lends your parents a lot of money to buy a house, your parents sign a contract that promises to pay all the money back to the bank, a little at a time.

In Old Testament times, a lot of agreements weren't written down; two people would just make spoken promises to each other. So instead of signing a contract, someone who made a promise would say something like, "I swear by the king," or "I swear by the temple." When a person did this, he wasn't using dirty language. Instead, he was saying that he would be as reliable as the thing that he swore by. Kings were expected to be very trustworthy, and the temple was expected to last forever. In the same way, the person making a promise was saying that his promise was trustworthy, and that it would last forever.

There is something else you should notice about these promises. The king and temple are greater than the person making the promise. In fact, Hebrews 6:16 says that when people make these serious promises – when they swear (in the good use of the word) – they always swear by something or someone greater than themselves.

But if God wants to make a solemn promise, by whom or by what would He swear? Would God swear by a human king? Of course not! God is the One Who made the man into a king. Would God swear by the temple? No! God is the One Who designed the temple and gave strength to the builders and supplied all the building materials. Would God swear by the universe? Surely not! God made the universe, and everything in it!

So does God swear by anybody? According to Hebrews 6:13, when God made a promise to Abraham, He did swear by someone. The book of Hebrews says, "When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself."

When God makes promises, He bases His promises on His own greatness and reliability. Because no one and nothing is greater than God, no one and nothing can stop God from keeping His promises. Those of us who are God's children can look for God's promises in the Bible, and we can know that God will keep them!

God is greater than everything and everyone else, and He will keep all the promises that He makes.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Plans Cannot Be Thwarted

"Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee." (Job 42:1-2)

When Job said to God, "I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee," he was not trying to say that God knows everyone's thoughts. Of course, God does know every thought we could possibly think, but this verse is teaching us something else about God. It is teaching us about God's sovereignty, His absolute rule over everything. Anything that God thinks up is His idea, and He can do whatever He pleases. None of us are able to hold God back if He has made up His mind to do something. That is what Job meant when he said, "No thought can be withholden from thee."

None of God's purposes can be thwarted. Do you know what thwarted means? It means to be twisted or wrenched around or messed up or squashed. God's plans cannot fail, and nobody can stop Him from accomplishing His will.

Have you ever been watching a football game and heard someone shout "Interference!"? If the quarterback is throwing the football to the receiver, and somebody from the other team grabs onto the receiver or knocks him over before he can catch the ball, that is called "interference." The catch is never completed like it was supposed to be because the receiver was "interfered with." Human beings interfere in each other's lives all the time, and everyday circumstances can thwart our plans, too. Our plans get changed all the time. Our picnics get rained out. Our favorite sports teams do not make it to the playoffs. Your parents' car might break down during your vacation. Maybe your best friend's family has to move 800 miles away.

As human beings, we have to get used to interference and thwarted plans. We are not able to make everything go the way we plan. We are not all-powerful or all-knowing. But we can be glad that God is. We can rejoice that God is sovereign and that He does whatever He pleases. He is in control of what happens in our lives – and not only that, but He cares about what happens in our lives. There are many promises in the Bible that speak of how God intends to do things for His glory and for our good. He knows the plans that He has, and we can know for sure that no one and nothing can hold Him back from carrying them out.

God's purposes can never be messed up, and we can trust Him to do whatever He sets out to do.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Has Taken Away the Sting of Death

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Camille was riding in the car with her daddy. Since it was a beautiful summer day, the windows were partially down. All of a sudden a big bee came in through an open window. Camille immediately began to panic because she was very allergic to bee stings – she could die if the bee stung her!

Camille's father knew what he needed to do. He watched the bee carefully. As the bee flew up near the windshield it landed on the dashboard for a brief second. With reflexes like lightning, Camille's father cupped his hand right on top of that bee! And then he kept his hand there. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Until...ZING! "Ouch!" the father shouted as he lifted up his hand and let the bee go.

"Daddy, daddy!" screamed Camille. "The bee will sting me! Help!"

"No, honey," replied her father. "He can't sting you any longer. The bee only had one sting – and guess where it is?"

"Where?" asked Camille.

With that, her father reached out his hand with his palm up and allowed his daughter to inspect it. There, in the middle of his hand was a small stinger. Although the bee was still buzzing around, it could no longer sting Camille because that kind of bee had only one sting to give. Camille's father took away the sting of the bee and rescued his little girl.

Camille was both happy and sad all at once. Can you guess why? She was happy because she realized that the bee was now powerless to hurt her. She was sad because she realized that her father had taken the painful sting for her.

"Do you know what the bee has done?" Camille's dad asked.

"What?" asked Camille.

"The bee has stung himself to death!" Camille looked confused. Her father carefully explained to her that that kind of bee will die soon after it uses its stinger.

Just like the bee stung itself to death, so death itself has "stung itself to death" at the cross. That's hard to understand, but it simply means we do not have to fear what happens after we die. We do not have to fear that death has power over us. Jesus has power over sin and death, and He proved it on the cross!

Jesus has taken away the sting of death by taking sin and death upon Himself, and then single-handedly beating them both. He proved His victory over them by rising from the grave! Christ is more powerful than sin and death. Because of Christ's victory over death, we can be assured that if we have faith in Christ, we will also rise from the grave someday and share in eternal life with Him.

Because of Christ, death has no lasting power over the Christian.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Helps Our Unbelief

"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:23-24)

The crowds that had gathered around Jesus were shocked and probably a little frightened. A man had brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus. As soon as the boy met Jesus, he fell to the ground, rolling and foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the father how long this problem had been going on. The father replied that the boy had had the demon since he was a child. Sometimes the demon threw the boy into fire or water as though trying to destroy him. If you can do anything, please have compassion on us, and help us, the father pleaded.

Jesus' eyes saw right into the man's heart as He said, All things are possible to him who believes.

The father knew that he had unbelief in his heart. He said to Jesus very honestly, Lord, I believe; help me overcome my unbelief.

Jesus rebuked the demon and told it to come out of the boy – and with an awful cry, it did! For a moment, everyone thought the boy was dead. Then Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up. He was healed – free from the horrible demon that had tortured him all his life.

Is there anything in God's Word that you have trouble believing? God says He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But maybe you have prayed for an unsaved grandparent or friend for years. Nothing seems to be happening. God says He will complete the good work He began in you when you were saved (Philippians 1:6). But maybe it seems like you will never be able to conquer the sin of losing your temper. Or maybe you long to be free from fear – fear of the dark, fear of a certain person, fear of being home alone, or fear of giving oral book reports at school.

Maybe it seems God is not keeping His promise, and that He will never help you change. You can trust God's Word. If you doubt it, even a little, confess your unbelief to God. Just like the father in Mark 9, tell Jesus, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. God can and will turn your doubts into faith.

God helps you believe His Word when you have a heart of unbelief.

[Soldier4Christ]

The LORD Is a Man of War

"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name." (Exodus 15:1-3)

When Moses and the children of Israel sang this song of praise, they had just been rescued by a miracle. The Egyptian military had followed them when they left Egypt, and the Israelites knew they were in trouble. The LORD opened up the Red Sea for them so that they could cross it on dry land. Once all of His people were safe on the other side, the LORD let the water come crashing down on top of the Egyptian soldiers who were chasing them.

These Egyptian soldiers did not understand or care Who God was, and it cost them their lives. They did not understand or care that God protects His glory, and God protects His people. If they had believed the truth about God, they never would have chased His people down in the first place.

When you see it all capitalized in the Bible, the name "LORD" means "Jehovah" (juh-HO-vuh). It is a name full of meaning, and it is what God answered Moses when Moses asked what to call Him. It means "I AM." In other words: God was, is, and always will be Who He says He was, is, and always will be. It is not for humans to change Him or to think of Him in other ways, or as less than He is. He is the King of the universe. He is not just a human being. He is all-powerful, everywhere at once, and all-knowing. Nobody alive compares to God. If people really understood and believed Who God is, they would not be surprised to read the Israelites' song. They would not be surprised to learn that the LORD is a "man of war."

The LORD is a warrior. He is willing and able to fight for the glory of His name and to fight for the good of His people. He is mighty. He is unstoppable. He is unbeatable. Clearly, the Egyptian soldiers did not know Whom they were up against. Or if they knew it, they did not really believe it.

That God is a warrior does not mean that He is only a warrior. Defending His name and defending His people are noble reasons for Him to fight. There are other sides to God. Many verses teach about God's compassion, His love, His wisdom, His longsuffering, His generosity. Being a "man of war" is only a part of Who God says He was, is, and always will be.

The Israelites' praise song reminds us that our God is strong and sovereign, unable to be conquered. It reminds us that our God is willing and able to show rebellious enemies Who is really in control. It reminds us that God is bigger than any problem or enemy we could ever face. He will take care of us and He will see to it that His name is magnified as it should be.

The LORD is willing and able to conquer the enemies of His glory and His people.

[Soldier4Christ]

All Our Righteousness Is of God

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ....God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them....Be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

Have you ever heard of Onesimus (oh-NESS-ih-muss)? The apostle Paul wrote a letter for the sake of Onesimus, and that letter was inspired by God to be a part of the New Testament. If you find the book of "Philemon" in your Bible, you can read the whole story, but here it is in a nutshell:

Onesimus was not a powerful king or a famous preacher. In fact, Onesimus's only claim to fame was that he was an unprofitable servant. He had left his master, Philemon (fai-LEE-munn). Bible scholars think Onesimus had run away or had been sent to prison by Philemon for doing wrong.

But God saved Onesimus during his time away from his master. Onesimus met Paul, and through Paul, Onesimus met Jesus Christ. In his letter to Philemon, Paul describes Onesimus as his own spiritual son, and he asks Philemon to take Onesimus back into his household as a servant again – and not only as a servant, but as a profitable, useful servant. And not only as a profitable, useful servant, but as a much-loved brother and a fellow-laborer in the faith.

Imagine yourself in Onesimus's situation. The only thing you are known for is being an UN-profitable servant. You have wronged your master, and you haven't done what you were supposed to do. You have been an unrighteous servant, and no one owes you anything – especially not your master.

Now imagine you read what Paul has written your master: "If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account. I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it."

The apostle Paul wrote that letter in behalf of Onesimus. He offered to shoulder the blame for anything Onesimus had done wrong. He told Philemon to put Onesimus's wrongdoings on his account. Paul told Philemon to take Onesimus in as though Philemon were taking in a respected friend and brother like Paul.

How do you think that Paul's letter made Onesimus feel? He probably felt very special, but it was not because of anything he deserved or earned for himself. If his master let him come home and treated him like a brother, Onesimus would have to realize that it was Paul who patched things up. He would know that Paul was the one helping him to fix that relationship, helping him to get things right with his master.

In the verses at the beginning of the devotional, the word "reconcile" carries that idea of "patching things up" between two people. "While we were yet sinners," the Bible says, Jesus Christ, Who is God the Son, came to die for us and save us. God Himself came to Earth to reconcile us to Himself. The word "imputed" means that God put our sins on Christ's account and put Christ's righteousness on our accounts. Since He was God on Earth, living a perfect human life, Jesus Christ was able to shoulder the blame for all our sins. Through Jesus Christ's character and sacrifice, God is able to forgive us and adopt us into His family.

If Jesus Christ has reconciled you to God, how should that make you feel? He was able to take the responsibility for you, even though you do not deserve any grace or mercy. All of us, if left to ourselves, are unrighteous servants. We are runaways and rebels, just like Onesimus was. To have Jesus Christ on our side, with His perfect righteousness, going to God on our behalf – that should make us feel special. We ought to be glad that He has made it possible for us to be right with God, for things to be "patched up" between us.

Onesimus is not the star of his reconciliation story, and neither are we the stars of our stories. God is the righteous One Who made it all possible.

Our righteousness and spiritual reconciliation comes from God Himself.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Created Peace

"Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all." (2 Thessalonians 3:16a)

"Stop it!" Erin shouted. Her older brother Collin was running around the room with her favorite doll in his hands, held high above her head so she could not reach it.

"Not until you give me back my remote-controlled car!" Collin yelled back.

"I was just looking at it," Erin said defensively. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Yes!" shouted Collin. "I never gave you permission to mess with it. I don't want you to break it. Give it back NOW!"

Have you ever been in an argument like that before? It may have been with a brother, sister, parent, or friend. Because you both wanted your own way, the disagreement and hard feelings went on and on until someone finally gave in.

God has another plan for you. In Romans 12:18, He commands you to "live peaceably with all men." That is hard to do sometimes! Your siblings and friends do not always want to be peaceful. Sometimes they purposefully do things to annoy you or to start fights with you. But you must remember to turn to God – the Creator of true peace. Peace was God's idea in the first place, and He brought peace to the world through His Son. Jesus, "the Prince of Peace," said that He gives peace to all those who choose to follow after Him (John 14:27). If you are a peacemaker, then you will help people see what your heavenly Father is like.

God's peace is perfect because He created peace.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Our Source of Strength

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" (Isaiah 40:28a)

Tired and sleepy! Has your mom ever described you that way, or warned you that you will be tired and sleepy if you do not get your nap for the day? Many people are tired and sleepy all the time because they do not sleep enough! Some people seem to need less sleep than others. But everybody – firefighters, nurses, teachers, football players, preachers, moms, dads, kids, and even the President – has to get at least some sleep! No matter where people live – in America, Mexico, the UK, Australia, China – everybody sleeps. Why? Because God made us that way.

Do you think God ever gets tired and needs to sleep?

Well, let's think about it. When people do a lot of things like working outside or shopping all day, they get tired and fall asleep right away at night. God does do a lot of work every day. So it might make sense to us to think of Him to getting tired and needing to sleep. But there really is only one way to find out whether or not God has to sleep, and that is to see what the Bible says about it. And guess what? The Bible does say something about it. Let's take a close look at today's verse:

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not [in other words, He doesn't get tired], neither is weary?" (Isaiah 40:28a)

The next verse says:

"He giveth power to the faint [those who get weary]; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."

So, the Bible says God does not get tired. That's right. God never sleeps. And on top of that, He gives strength to the weary! That is amazing. How does He do that? He is God; and, because He is God, He is very powerful. In fact, He is the Source of all strength.

God is never weary, and He is the source of our strength.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is a Great King

"I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen." (Malachi 1:14b)

Eric's heart pounded as his followed his father toward the large display case in the center of the room. This was what he'd been waiting for, ever since their plane landed in London two days ago. His dad had promised to bring him here to the Tower of London to see the British Crown Jewels – the crowns, scepters, and swords that had belonged to England's kings and queens through the centuries.

Eric's mouth hung open as he stared at the gem-studded objects. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, and diamonds gleamed from silver and gold settings. His father pointed to a huge heart-shaped diamond in one of the crowns. "That's the Star of Africa," he whispered. "The largest diamond in the world."

"Dad," said Eric, "why do the kings and queens have to wear such expensive stuff? I mean, aren't they afraid someone's gonna steal all these things?"

A guard standing near them cleared his throat and smiled at Eric. "That's why I'm here, young man," he said in a crisp British accent. "Our kings and queens are royalty. They deserve only the best our land has to offer. They wear these jewels because it's only fitting. They're kings and queens, you know. It's only fitting that they have the finest and the best."

In the book of Malachi, God rebukes His people because they have not been bringing Him the best and the finest that they have to offer. Instead, they have been bringing lame and sick lambs. Don't you understand, God tells them, that I am a great King? All the nations fear My name!

Do you give God the finest and the best you have to offer? Do you give time to His Word when you feel wide awake and alert, or do you put off your devotions for times that you are rushed or tired? Do you sing songs and hymns to God as an act of worship, or do you sing them without thinking about the words? Do you give God your complete attention when your pastor explains His Word to you? Do you put your whole heart into your chores, schoolwork, and other things He has given you to do? Remember that God is a great King. He deserves our finest and our best gifts.

God is a great King who deserves the best we have to offer Him.