Month: January 2021

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

How to approach Goals?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Being the beginning of a new year, most of us would have made at least a few resolutions – maybe to do a bible reading plan, or to loose weight and stay healthy, or learn a new language, or the like. In most cases what happens is that, in a span of one or two months, many of these resolutions will be gone with the wind. At the end of the year when we turn back, we will see that we have not accomplished much. Most of it would have been easy to achieve. But why not accomplished? Maybe, we are not approaching them in the right way!

Let us find out an ideal way to approach a plan / goal so as to be fruitful. As always let us see what the treasure book has to say…

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

1. Take it to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help and guidance.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Jeremiah 33:3

As we learned in Successful planning, our plans / goals should align with the plan of God to be fruitful. So keep the plans in prayer and ask for God’s counsel. God will reveal to us if they are in line with His plans or not. Ask for His help and guidance. He will guide our steps to move forward.

2. Make a step by step action plan

The plan that is conceived in your heart, should eventually be put into action.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?

Luke 14:28-30

Here Jesus is asking a question to His disciples. It clearly indicates that for any goal that we pursue in life, we should have an action plan. Make a step by step action plan to have clarity on how to move forward. If not, you will feel lost not knowing which direction to move in.

Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

Proverbs 15:22

Do a proper research on the subject if you are not well versed with it, get advise from experts, also get information from people who already succeeded in carrying out such tasks.

Once you have an action plan, work with definite timelines and deadlines. If there are no deadlines, there will be no accountability and the plan will go on and on…. indefinitely…. and you might end up accomplishing only a part or maybe nothing at all.

3. Be determined to move forward and not succumb to failures

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

Determination is very important. The task you have taken up might not be easy. There might be days that you fail. But these failures should not stop you from reaching your goal. You should be determined to continue no matter what happens. Remember, failures are not full stops but just a coma. Moreover, as the proverb says “Failures are stepping stones to success”. Even the people around you might discourage you, mock you and hurt you because of all the failures concerning your goal. When discouragement and failure comes your way, doubt creeps in – “will I be able to accomplish?”. But remember, all things are possible with God and with God by our side, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

4. Stay on track and be focused

Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.

Proverbs 4:25

We all have seen different kinds of trains, trams, subways, etc. They have specific tracks assigned for them to move from one station to another. What if a train derails and gets off-track? It will be a chaos!!! The train wont be able to move forward until it is reinstated to its track. Similarly, if we do not stay on the path chosen for the goal, we will not move forward to accomplish the goal. There are different distractions that take our focus off the goal and blur our vision leading us to stray away from track. Beware of such distractions that ruin our plan forever. Let us look into an example of distraction.

Samson and Delilah ( Judges 16 )

Samson was a Nazirite to God from his mothers womb. Nazirites are Israelites who are consecrated to the service of God, under vows to abstain from all wine and anything else made from grapes. They grow their hair and not cut it, also they avoid defilement by contact with dead bodies (Nazirites – Numbers 6). God sent Samson to deliver Israelites out of the hand of Philistines. This was his purpose.

Samson was so strong and caused many causalities to the Philistines. They greatly feared him and was waiting for an opportunity to devour him. Samson loved a woman named Delilah. Knowing this, the lords of Philistines offered her riches to entice Samson in telling her the secret of his strength. She asked him about the secret of his strength and he gave an answer to her but did not tell her the truth. Whatever Samson told Delilah, she passed it on to the Philistine lords and they waited at her place to rip him off his strength and seize him. But since the actual secret of his strength was not revealed, they could not take hold of him. From this incident Samson did not learn that Delilah did not love him but is siding the Philistine lords. He again went to see her and she repeated the same question. This time also Samson did not tell her the true secret behind his strength. Again the Philistine lords tried to seize him and they couldn’t. This happened a third time and again they couldn’t take hold of him. But Delilah kept on trying and finally Samson gave in. He told her the actual secret and she revealed them to the Philistine lords. This time they ripped him off his strength, seized him and took him as a prisoner.

Here we see that, Samson did not recognize the distraction. After the first time, he should have known that his friendship with Delilah is a distraction that could trap him and move him away from God’s plan and purpose for his life. However, he did not recognize, instead went on with it. Finally he got caught and was brutally dealt with. Now Delilah on the other hand, kept on persisting. She failed many times, but the failure did not stop her from pursuing her plan. She did not stop but continued and achieved her goal. Even though Delilah’s intentions were evil, her persistence and determination to succeed is noticeable.

5. Periodical review and assessment

Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.

Proverbs 4:26

We should review our path periodically and learn from our previous mistakes and failures. Keep track of our developments and asses our progress – how far we have come?, how long we have to go?, are we following the action plan?, are we respecting the timeline?, etc. It will help us to decide on whether we should increase our pace, slow down or move as it is. It will also help us recognize the distractions that slowed us down.

Treasures uncovered

How to ideally approach goals?

Take it to the Lord in prayer and ask for His help and guidance.

Make a step by step action plan.

Be determined to move forward and not succumb to failures.

Stay on track and be focused

Periodically review and assess progress

Approaching goals and plans in this way would definitely help us to reach our goal, be fruitful and successful.

Prayer:

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose.

Psalm 20:4

Father, thank you for revealing to us how to ideally approach a goal. Help us and direct us in all our goals so as to be fruitful and successful. Strengthen us to move forward during times of failure. Help us to stay focused, recognize the distractions that come our way and move away from it. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Dishonesty

Posted on by christianliving4young

Have you ever been dishonest to anyone? If you say you have not, then you are being dishonest now. Remember the time you told your parents you are studying, but you were actually chatting with friends… Or remember the time you were hanging out with friends and when mom called, you told her you are at the library… We have all been dishonest… countless times… even a few minutes back… If we were Pinocchio, can’t imagine how long our nose would have grown by now!!!

Let us see what the treasure book says about dishonesty.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue1 : How does God see dishonesty ?

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

Proverbs 12:22

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.

Proverbs 11:1

God hates dishonesty, rather it is an abomination in his eyes. Be it lying to others or being dishonest in your work / activities – God detests them all, it disgusts Him. God speaks only the truth and is very righteous & just in all his doings. In fact, He delights in people who are truthful and just. Don’t we feel good when our parents tell us they are proud of us? Wouldn’t it be even better to hear from God “You are my delight!!! “. Imagine His eyes brightening up and glowing with happiness when He thinks about us. So next time when the thought of dishonesty creeps in, ask yourself – Do I want my actions to be disgusting before Him?

God detests dishonesty and lying lips, but being truthful and just are a delight to Him.

Clue 2 : The source of dishonesty

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

John 8:44

The devil is a liar and the father of all lies. He is the source of all lies, dishonesty, deception and wickedness. These behavioral traits comes from him. If we are more inclined to these traits, then we are under the fatherhood of devil. We should do a serious self check and see what we are practicing and whom we are inclined to.

God is truth and love. Jesus Himself said that He is the way, the truth and the life. His words are all true and if we practice truthfulness and honesty we are His true children.

So devil is the source of all dishonesty and God is the source of righteousness, honesty and integrity.

Clue 3 : Wages of Dishonesty

Dishonesty to God

In Acts 5, we read the story of a certain man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira. They sold all their possession and kept a part of it for themselves. The balance they brought to the church and laid it down before the apostles and told them this is all of their possession. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? You have not lied to men but to God”. Ananias hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. Few young men carried him out, and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She too lied. Peter said, “the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. 

Lying to God is very serious. It happens when Satan fills your heart with his garbage and when you are completely disconnected from God. Those who are connected to Him practices righteousness and hates lying / being dishonest. Staying connected to God and keeping His commands will help us detest lying and dishonesty like Him.

Wealth from dishonesty

Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.

Proverbs 13:11

The word of God says that the wealth coming from dishonest ways and methods do not grow, rather they will diminish. Many people choose dishonest ways to gain wealth thinking it will make them rich. However, in reality such wealth do not last. In fact, this wealth will not help them in their need. But whoever earns through hard work, their wealth will remain and it will increase. So whatever earnings you do, do it with full integrity and honesty because only that will remain and increase. Moreover, it is the way God wants us to live.

Clue 4 : Living an honest life.

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.

Colossians 3:9-10

Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.

Proverbs 4:24

We know dishonesty is not good, but still at times to save our face we might end up being dishonest – with our friends, our parents and others. The dishonesty will prove okay for a short period, however, in time it will bounce back. After all, lying and being dishonest is sin and there is punishment associated with sin. When we are in Christ, we are a new creation. Like how we remove dirty cloths and put on neat and tidy ones, we should put off / remove the “old self” with its evil desires and passion and wear the tidy and clean “new self” renewed in the knowledge of God. We were once the children of devil carrying out all his evil practices. But now after receiving Christ, our fatherhood changed – we are now children of God and our new self should practice what our father does. We should put away lying, deceitfulness and dishonesty.

Treasures uncovered

God detests dishonesty and lying lips, but being truthful and just are a delight to Him.

Devil is the source of all dishonesty.

We should never lie to God. It happens when Satan fills our hearts with his garbage.

Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished.

We should put way lying, deciet and dishonesty. Put on the new self created in the image of God.

Make sure you are truthful and honest in everything you do and be a delight in God’s eyes.

Prayer:

Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips
And from a deceitful tongue.

Psalm 120:2

Father, we thank you for enlightening our souls about dishonesty and it’s consequences. Help us to be away from lying lips and a perverse mouth. Help us to be honest in all our ways and be a delight in your eyes. Holy Spirit, we need your help and guidance in keeping your commands. We love you Lord Jesus, in Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Faithfulness

Posted on by christianliving4young

Dogs are the most loyal and faithful pets we can ever have. They remain faithful and loyal to their owners until death. This is one characteristic that makes them a very popular pet. Faithfulness is defined as remaining loyal to someone or something without fail and being consistent in practicing it regardless of circumstances. This characteristic is expected in relationships like friendship, courtship, marriage, etc. In fact, these relationships thrive on this characteristic. If this factor fades out, the relationships too fades out. So this is a very important characteristic that we should build up as we grow and mature.

Let us open the treasure book to begin the treasure hunt.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Faithfulness of God

O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You,
I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Isaiah 25:1

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:9

Faithfulness is one major attribute of God. He cannot be otherwise. This is Him – very faithful in all His dealings, His words and His relationships. Even if we are not faithful, He remains faithful because our behavior or character does not change who He is. From everlasting to everlasting, He remains faithful. Being His children, we too should look up to our Father who is perfect and imitate Him as we learned in Code of Conduct.

Clue 2: Faithfulness in our daily life

A faithful man will abound with blessings,
But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 28:20

Being faithful brings us blessings whereas if we are unfaithful and follow evil shortcuts, punishment is sure to follow.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,  FAITHFULNESS,  gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Galatians 5: 22- 25

Faithfulness is one among the nine fruits of the Spirit that will be seen in one’s life as an outcome of living and walking in the Spirit. So we should do a self check and see if these attributes are seen in our daily life. If not, then my friend we are still walking in flesh fulfilling its desires and passions. We should slow down and spend more time with God – reading scriptures, meditating, praying, talking and hearing from Him to subdue the desires of flesh and live according to the Spirit of God.

So to be faithful in our daily life, we should not walk in flesh fulfilling its evil desires and passions, but in the Spirit. In short, we should listen to the Holy Spirit living in us and walk under His guidance.

Clue 3: Faithfulness to God

The parable of Faithful Servant – Matthew 24: 45-51

Jesus frequently used parables to teach His disciples. In this parable He taught them about the importance of being faithful in the kingdom of God.

A master had some servants with whom he left his home and everything he possessed. The servants were supported to carry out the duties assigned to them faithfully without fail. No one knew when the master will return. Few servants carried out their duties without fail while the majority lived their way and misbehaved with their colleagues thinking the master is not going to return anytime soon. But the master returned at an hour when no one was looking for him and when everyone least expected him. Who is considered a faithful and wise servant? The one whom the master found carrying out his duties without fail even at the least expected hour. Blessed is that servant. The faithful servant was rewarded and made ruler over everything the master possessed. Who were considered unfaithful? Those servants who were irresponsible and lived their way misbehaving with their fellow servants. The unfaithful servants were punished and thrown out of the house. 

The master here is Jesus and we are the servants. Jesus will return as King at an hour we least expect Him. Are we being faithful to Him by obeying His commands without fail? Or are we living our way and misbehaving with our fellow servants? If found faithful we will be rewarded, if not we will be punished and thrown into the lake of fire.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

If you have been living an unfaithful life, repent and confess your sins. Our God is faithful and just. He will forgive us and the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Treasures uncovered

God is faithful and unchanging from everlasting to everlasting.

Walk in the spirit to walk in faithfulness. A faithful man will abound with blessings.

If we are found faithful when our king Jesus returns, we will be rewarded. If not, eternal punishment awaits.

Walk in the Spirit and walk in faithfulness to God, to be called a “Faithful servant” for life everlasting.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being faithful and unchanging from everlasting to everlasting. Help us to walk in the Spirit and be faithful in all our dealings with God and man. Help us to look onto you and be your imitators. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Laziness / Being Slothful

Posted on by christianliving4young

Are you familiar with the animal Sloth? Of course, who can forget “Sid” the sloth from Ice age or the sloths from Zootopia! Sloths are incredibly slow in every thing they do. It is surprisingly their survival skill. However, from olden times, “sloth” is associated with laziness and carelessness. Dictionary defines “sloth / slothful” as “unwillingness to work or make any effort”. Is this a desirable character or not?

Let us see what the treasure book has to say about this.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Is slothful desirable?

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

Genesis 2:15

God created Adam and put him in garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. God wanted man to work in the garden. His ideal plan and will for humans is to do work and not simply waste way being idle or being lazy. He wants us to be engaged and be fruitful.

King Solomon, the wisest of all times, wrote many facts about the effects of being lazy or slothful in the book of proverbs.

He who is slothful in his work, Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.”

Proverbs 18:9

He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Proverbs 10:4

Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger.

Proverbs 19:15

Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,”

Proverbs 6:6

Slackness or laziness is considered foolish. The ants are considered wiser than a sluggard because they work hard. The one who is slothful is also called a destroyer. It makes a person poor, makes him suffer hunger and eventually destroys him. God wants us to be productive and creative. He has blessed each of us with a variety of amazing talents. We have to make use of it and be diligent in our duties..

Laziness, idleness or being slothful is not a desirable character. If we are being lazy, then we are going against the will of God and are destroying ourselves.

Clue 2: Spiritual idleness

The parable of talents ( Matthew 25: 14 – 30 )

Jesus in the parable of talents, likened the kingdom of heaven to a man who, while travelling to a far country, called his servants and delivered his possession to them. He gave five talents to the first, two to the second and one to the third servant. He gave them to each according to his own ability. After distributing the talents he immediately went on the journey. The one with five talents traded and made five more talents. Likewise, the one with two talents gained two more. But the one with one talent went and dug the ground and hid his masters possession. After a long time the master came and settled accounts with them. The one with five talents brought five more. His master was happy and appreciated him. He was also happy about the one who doubled his two talents. He made both of them rulers over more. Then the one who got one talent came and returned back the talent as it is. His lord answered and said to him, “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. The story ends with the unprofitable servant being cast into the outer darkness. 

With this parable, Jesus is teaching that laziness or idleness in the spiritual realm is also not desirable. In fact, “the lazy” is considered to be wicked. God has blessed us with various talents and abilities. There isn’t a soul that He has created who is without any talent or abilities. We need to trade what God has given us and multiply it for His kingdom. We cannot waste away the resources given by God and cannot burry it but use it for His glory. We are only expected to do according to our abilities, not a bit more. So no need for any kind of comparison or competition with others. We have to serve Lord with the best of our abilities. When we use our talents/ abilities for His glory, more will be added to us. But if we are lazy and do not do anything, whatever we have also will be taken away.

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord”

Romans 12:11 ESV

We should serve the Lord, no matter what and should be zealous and passionate in our spirit for Him and His kingdom. Do not slack spiritually but be fervent in spirit and glorify God in everything you do. Engage your complete heart in serving Him.

Treasures uncovered

Slothfulness / Lazyness is not desirable in the physical and spiritual realm.

Lazyness destroys oneself and is against God’s will.

Be diligent, fervent in spirit and serve the Lord with all your heart

Prayer:

Father we thank you for teaching us that laziness / being slothful is not a desirable character and is against God’s will. Help us to be diligent and fervent in serving you. In Jesus name Amen.