Author: christianliving4young

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Sustaining relationships

Posted on by christianliving4young

Relationship is defined as “the way in which two or more people are connected to each other”. Since we humans are social beings, we are part of various relationships – parent & child relationship, sibling relationships, teacher student relationships, friendships, girlfriend boyfriend relationships, etc. Certain of these relationships are long-term and very valuable for us. It is not easy to sustain all relationships that we consider valuable. Some relationships fade and will be broken even though we wanted them to work. How do we effectively sustain relationships and how do we essentially fulfill our part in a relationship?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues as always!!!

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Well, there are no shortcut formulas for sustainability. But there are few things we need to do right, that will help sustain a relationship.

Placing relationships right

LOVE is vital to any relationship that we consider valuable.

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38

The greatest commandment of all times is to LOVE our GOD with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind. The complete being that we are, should love GOD. This is the first and foremost relationship that we are part of. This is the most vital relationship in our life. Every other relationship comes after this. No other relationship should take the place of this relationship. Put God first. Love Him the most. Loving anything else more than God is Idolatry. When other relationships take the place of the relationship with God, it will not stay for long but falls out and fades away eventually.

Communication is another factor essential in any relationship. Without communication, relationships fade. We should communicate to God. Prayer, reading the word of God are ways of communication with God. So we should be spending time and effort on our relationship with God. When this relationship is put in the right place and given the right priority, everything else falls in to place.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

The second important relationship is the relationship with your spouse. And every other relationship comes after that.

Place your relationships in the right order. The relationship with God comes first and is vital. Every other relationship follows this.

The vital Factor

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8

And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

Matthew 22:37-38

There are many factors involved in a relationship – love, care, commitment, faithfulness, trust, communication, honesty, mutual respect, etc., are a few to name. Out of these, love is the greatest. It is the most important factor in all relationships. Relationships thrive on love. Love should be earnest and genuine. Without genuine love, serious relationships do not thrive but fades with time. When genuine love dies, the relationship dies too. You should love the other person involved in the relationship as you love yourself. When your love for a person is genuine, you cannot knowingly hurt them. There will not be any place for ego or selfishness or any thing of that sort. All your actions will be out of the best interest for them.

Love helps to bear one another and sacrifice for one another. When you love the other person as yourself your relationship will be rooted in love. And when relationships are rooted in love, it will not wither away but thrives. It withstands all trials no matter how tough they are.

Love is the most important factor in a relationship and earnest love sustains relationships. Relationships rooted in genuine love thrives and withstands all trials.

Handling Expectations

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12 ESV

We all have expectations about all our relationships. For example, in a parent child relation, the child expects parent to provide for them while they grow up. Similarly, in a friendship, each party expects the other to be supporting them in all circumstances they are passing through. When our expectations about the other person in the relationship is not fulfilled by them, we feel dejected and tired. And when this continues, we try by all means to get out of the relationship.

But the word of God has a different take on expectations. It says that whatever we expect others to do for us should be done for them. If we expect them to help us in our studies, we should do the same for them. If we expect them to help us in our chores, we should help them in their chores. If we love this person as ourselves this should be an easy task for us because it is just like we are taking care of ourselves. And when the love is genuine taking care of others will not tire us off.

The right way of handling expectations in a relationship is to do for others what you wish they would do for you.

Treasures uncovered

Place your relationships in the right order. The relationship with God comes first and is vital. Every other relationship follows this.

Love is the most important factor in a relationship and earnest love sustains relationships. Relationships rooted in genuine love thrives and withstands all trials.

The right way of handling expectations in a relationship is to do for others what you wish they would do for you.

Prayer:

Father we thank you for teaching us that our relationship with you should be our first and the most important one. Help us to love you with all our heart, soul and mind. Help us to root our valuable relationships in love. Help us to also do for others what we expect them to do for us. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Healing

Posted on by christianliving4young

Our human body is prone to ailment and sicknesses. Different sicknesses have different effects on our body. It will all result in our body not working the way it is supposed to work. Sickness like cancer changes a person’s complete appearance and will put them in a lot of pain. It is terrible to live in such pain. Most sicknesses takes a toll on our body and doesn’t cure even after taking a lot of medicines. It is very difficult to live with it. Is there a way out?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues.

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Jesus the Healer

Yes, there is one way out. JESUS!!!

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Matthew 4: 23

Healing and miracles were a big part of Jesus’s ministry when He lived on earth. People flooded to see Him from all around the area. He performed marvelous deeds that was never heard nor seen until then. The blind saw… the mute talked… the lame walked… the dead raised… and so on. The power of God worked through Jesus. He healed all kinds of diseases and sickness. There was no sickness or disease that He couldn’t heal. He healed them all, even those tormented by unclean spirits.

Now He is not living on the earth anymore but in heaven with the Father. Can He still perform healings and miracles and other wonders on Earth?

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

The word of God says Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He was from the beginning of times is what He was when He lived on the Earth, and what He is today, and what He will be in the times to come. He doesn’t change, but remains the same from ever after to ever after. This means if He could heal and perform miracles yesterday He is able to do it today and tomorrow and for evermore.

Jesus is “God our healer” and He is the same from ever after to ever after. He is still able to perform wonders, miracles and healings.

Is He willing to heal me?

And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:2-4

And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.

Luke 6:17-18

A leper came to Jesus for healing. He told Jesus, ” Lord if you are willing you can make me clean”. Jesus did not reply to him – “Go away from me”. He said “I AM WILLING” and cleansed Him. We also see great multitudes going to him for healing. Not one returned without being healed. All of them were healed.

Even when we go to hospitals, depending on the criticality of our condition, they sometimes respond, “Sorry we cannot do much in this case”. But with Jesus it is very different. If we are willing to approach Him, He is willing to heal each of us, no matter how bad / worse / critical our condition is.

Jesus is willing to heal each of us. Be willing to approach Him. His arms are stretched out open wide, ready for us – to embrace us and heal us.

How do I approach Him?

We now have found the healer and know that He is willing to take our case. Now how do we approach Him? Let us look at few examples of people who approached Him.

The blind men (Matthew 9:27-31)

When Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” Jesus then entered a house and these blind men followed him there. Jesus asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

The woman with issue of blood (Matthew 9:20‭-22, Luke 8:43-47)

Jesus was on His way to heal a ruler’s daughter. On the way, a poor widow who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. Because she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” Jesus turned around and said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me“. He saw her and said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

The Analysis

In both examples, we see common traits in the people who approached Jesus.

Firstly, they pursued Jesus.

Both blind men, when they heard Jesus passing by, tried their best to reach Him. When they could not meet Him, they further pursued Him until they found Him. We see the same trait with the woman as well. She was very poor already as she spent all her savings on her illness. Moreover, with her illness, she was not supposed to be seen in public places as per the law. But this did not stop her. She took the risk and went around looking for Jesus until she found Him.

Secondly, they believed that Jesus could heal them. They had Faith in Jesus.

Jesus asked the blind men if they believe He could heal them. And they said they believed. Both were healed according to their faith. The woman however did not even want to meet Jesus. But only wanted to touch His garment. For her faith was great and she believed just touching the hem of His garment is enough to heal her. As soon as she touched the garment, power went out from Him and healed her. Her faith in Jesus, activated the power of God for healing.

Both blind men and the woman pursued Jesus even with their limitations. They believed in Jesus and their faith activated the power of God to heal them. They were healed in that very same instant.

Jesus died on the cross for our sins and also for our sickness.

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”

Matthew 8:17

He suffered for our sake and bore our sickness on the cross that if we believe in Him, we do not have to suffer or deal with it any more. Healing is made available by the cross to those who believe in Jesus.

Pursue Jesus even with all your limitations. Believe in Him and that He has made healing available to us by enduring the cross. Your faith will activate His power to heal and enable you to receive healing.

Treasures uncovered

Jesus is “God our healer” and He is the same from ever after to ever after. He is still able to perform wonders, miracles and healings.

Jesus is willing to heal each of us. Be willing to approach Him. His arms are stretched out open wide, ready for us – to embrace us and heal us.

Pursue Jesus even with all your limitations. Believe in Him and that He has made healing available to us by enduring the cross. Your faith will activate His power to heal and enable you to receive healing.

Prayer:

Abba Father, we love You and honor You. We thank You Jesus for being our healer. We thank You that You took our sickness and diseases on the cross. Help us to completely believe in You and believe in everything the Cross is offering us. Heal us completely for we believe in your healing power. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

OMG !!! What do I do?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Life is a roller coaster ride with too many ups and downs, bumps and halts. We have to face many situations and some of them would be life threatening and critical. It is quite naturel to be panicky in such situations. In such crucial times, the decisions that we take decides our future – it can either be good for us or disastrous. Usually, decisions taken in panick tend to be foolish. How do we handle such critical situations without losing our cool and without being foolish? As always let’s look into the treasure book to find clues…

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Example of Saul (1 Samuel 13)

After Saul reigned two years over Israel, his army headed by his son Jonathan attacked the troops of the Philistines. Then the Philistines gathered together to fight Israel. The Philistine army was too powerful and numerous for Israel to handle. Many Israelites hid and some of them even fled to other countries. Saul and his army waited seven days according to the time set by Samuel, the prophet. But Samuel did not come to Saul and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” He then offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, Samuel came. When Saul went out to greet him, Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw my people scattered and that you did not come within the promised days and saw the Philistines gathered together to fight us and that I have not made supplication to the Lord, I felt compelled and offered a burnt offering.” Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Analysis

Here Saul was in a very strenuous and critical situation. A huge army of the enemy was ready to attack his country and he could not match them in anyway. He was between life and death. His people started abandoning him and above all the prophet who was supposed to tell him what to do next did not turn up as promised. He grew afraid & impatient. Instead of waiting any further, he took the matter in his hands and sacrificed before God. Right then Samuel arrived. In lifethreatening situations, we usually tend to take very stupid decisions out of panic and that’s exactly what Saul did here. Instead of trusting God who made him king and waiting on Him to carry out His perfect plan, Saul tried to carry out his own plan. Saul was very foolish to act in haste and carry out matters his way. How far could he go in his own might? He disobeyed God, did not keep His commands and acted foolishly. There was consequences for his foolish act – Saul lost his kingship because of this foolish act.

Not keeping God’s commands in any critical situation is foolishness. The decisions made in disobedience to God’s commands, no matter how critical the situation, is foolishness and will have bad consequences.

Example of Israelite Midwives (Exodus 1:15-21)

Israelites were living in Egypt after the time of Joseph and were multiplying greatly. The Egyptians were threatened because of this and the king of Egypt called the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah who used to assist the Hebrew women in child birth and told them “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?” And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.” Therefore, God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.

Analysis

Egypt was the biggest empire during this time and Pharaoh, the king was the MOST POWERFUL person in that empire!! The Children of Jacob (Hebrews / Israelites) were living there as slaves and were working for Pharaoh. God was with them and they multiplied in number!! Pharaoh and his people were alarmed at their rising population and wanted to kill all male children of the Israelites. During those times pregnant women used to give birth at their homes with the help of midwives (nurses). Pharaoh summoned the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah and gave them order to kill all the little boy babies at birth! It was an order – a command from the emperor himself. And if you don’t follow the command, it is a crime. You can even be put to death. Pharaoh had the power to do anything to them if they disobeyed him. On the other hand, “killing” babies or “MURDERING” them is a SIN before GOD. They were in a very critical situation. Either they should obey pharaoh and displease God or they should obey God and displease pharaoh.

How did the midwives handle this situation? Not obeying Pharaoh will definitely have horrible consequences – they could loose their lives. There could not be any situation worser than disobeying and displeasing a dictator who can get you killed in an instant!!! But they also knew God was the “supreme power” and that He is more powerful than Pharaoh. So they chose to obey GOD. They feared GOD more than they feared Pharaoh, the king. They believed God will take care of their situation if they trusted and obeyed Him.

Did pharaoh kill them for not obeying him? When Pharaoh found that the midwives did not obey him, he summoned them. God gave them the wisdom to answer him. Pharaoh let them go.

The midwives were wise enough to understand that it is better to OBEY GOD than dipleasing a dictator!!! Because they feared God and did not murder the little boys, God dealt with them well and gave them families of their own. The midwives handled the situations right and so it was well with them. They chose to keep God’s commandments even when it became life threatening for them. God took care of them and gave them a life.

Keep God’s commands in all situations, no matter how critical they are and it will be well with us.

When in critical situations, panicking is not a choice for us – who are the children of God. If we panick there is a great possiblity that we end up doing foolish acts like King Saul. The only thing we should do is to TRUST HIM completely, wait on HIM and abide by all HIS COMMANDS – like the wise midwives.

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 43:1-2

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3

As long as we are redeemed by Christ and remain as God’s children, He is our caregiver, our protector, our father and our all-in-all. We only need to trust HIM to guide us and take us through. When we trust God completely, He will fill us with perfect peace and there will not be any room for panic, anxiety, worry, fear or the sort.

No matter how bad or critical our situation is, GOD Almighty is the ONLY ONE who can help us through. It doesnt matter if we are passing through water, river or fire because there is absolutely no situation that God cannot handle. We need to remember that the situations that seem gigantic and powerful before us is very tiny and feeble for Him.

There is no situation that is too hard for God. Trust God with your life and wait on Him. He will fill your hearts with perfect peace and guide you through.

Treasures uncovered

Not keeping God’s commands in any critical situation is foolishness. The decisions made in disobedience to God’s commands, no matter how critical the situation, is foolishness and will have bad consequences.

Keep God’s commands in all situations, no matter how critical they are and it will be well with us.

There is no situation that is too hard for God. Trust God with your life and wait on Him. He will fill your hearts with perfect peace and guide you through.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for teaching us how to handle all critical situations. Help us to completely trust you and wait on you rather than take foolish decisions during critical times. Thank you for filling our hearts with prefect peace. We Love you and adore you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

You are not a Loser!!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

Many of us have been bullied by various people during our school/college years and even after that. Being different than others or not keeping up to their expectations and sometimes even jealousy make us their favorite target. Facing our bullies is always a challenge as they would publicly harm us, call us names and humiliate us.

More than anything, they make us feel like we are a loser who is incapable of anything, totally worthless!!! Sometimes even life situations make us feel worthless, unwanted, useless, etc. Are we really worthless and useless? Let us find what the treasure book says about us !!!

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Our identity

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

God loves us with an unconditional love (Love). While we were still sinners He loved us and chose to die for us. No one will choose to die for a good person, then how for a bad person? God loves us more than we can ever imagine and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No matter how different we are from others, He still loves us. He accepts us exactly how we are and He cares for us. He will never give up on us nor forsakes us. This is the truth even if the world tells us otherwise.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Undoubtedly, we all agree that God is our Creator. We are His workmanship and are created for good works. He has not created us to be failures or losers but achievers. He has a master plan for each of us which he made beforehand. His plan for us is good – to give us a future & hope and not for putting us in hopelessness or in fear or despair or anything of that sort. But the devil want us to believe otherwise – that we are not loved, that nobody cares for us, that we are just failures and so on. For that he uses our bullies or even the people who are the closest to us to instill these thoughts of failure and despair in us. Remember our mind is a battlefield (The armor of God). Do not give-in to his mind games. If we give-in, God’s plan & purpose for our lives will not work. So do not believe the lie of the devil. Do not let their words get to you.

You are a child of God who is loved and cared for by God Himself. Only His thoughts about us matters to us and not anyone else’s. You are not what others think you are but what God tells you are. For He is your Creator and knows you very well including the minutest detail about you. He even knows the number of hairs on you at a given point of time . He has seen you at your best and at your worst. So do not give ear to others opinion about you but God’s statement about you which is the truth. Everything else is a lie.

Know your true identity – Child of God created in His own image and likeness. You are what God says you are – nothing more, nothing less. God loves you and accepts you exactly as you are and has a great plan and purpose for your life. Do not believe the lies that devil tries to instill in you.

Facing the troops

Every single person living in this world has to face various kinds of issues in life. Even your bullies!! Remember, your bullies are not any different than you!!! People are not always strong enough to face their challenges in the same might and power every single time. Everyone would have failed more than once including your bullies. They are also like you, humans who are at the mercy of God even to take the next breath.

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Psalm 118:6

The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Proverbs 29:25

Remember, you are a child of God and God Himself is your father. We do not have to fear anyone because we are children of God Almighty who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords – the one who owns the entire universe and is in control of it. He is faithful, just, good and a perfect father (The perfect father) to us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. So do not be afraid of men, even if they are more numerous and mightier than you. What can they do to you when God Himself is your ally. Do not limit the power of God to your understanding. He is the source of supreme power and there is nothing impossible for Him.

Example of Elisha and the Syrian Army ( 2 Kings 6)

The king of Syria thought of making a war against Israel, but God revealed it to Elisha the prophet and thus the Israelites were informed of the secret plan. The war did not work out as planned and the king of Syria got to know that Elisha, the prophet tells the king of Israel the words that he speaks in his bedroom. So he sent troops to capture Elisha. When the servant of Elisha went out the next morning, he saw the army surrounding the city with horses and chariots and he panicked. He asked Elisha, “Master! What shall we do?” Elisha answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed to God to open the servant’s spiritual eyes that he may see the reality. Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. When the Syrians came down, Elisha prayed to God to strike those people with blindness. And they suddenly turned blind. Elisha took them inside the city and then prayed to God to open the eyes of those men, that they may see. The Lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were captured inside Samaria, the Israel city! Now when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha if they should be killed. But he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” Then he prepared a great feast for them. After they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel.

Here, we see that Elisha trusted God completely. An army troop came to capture him. It was Elisha against an army consisting of horses and chariots and many men. Elisha did not fear because he knew if God is with him, the size of the army or their power or their abilities are immaterial. God was his ally. The army came to capture Elisha but they were captured instead. Elisha came out victorious. Being victorious doesn’t give us an option to harm others. Elisha could have gotten all of them killed and the king was ready to do it. But instead, he asked to set a feast for them and send them back to their master.

Do not fear men because you are a child of God. God is with you and whoever trust in Him shall be safe. God comes with us for our battles and He never leaves us nor forsakes us. The size of the opponent or his abilities are not of any concern when God is our ally. Victory is a surety with God by our side.

Treasures uncovered

Know your true identity – Child of God created in His own image and likeness. You are what God says you are – nothing more, nothing less. God loves you and accepts you exactly as you are and has a great plan and purpose for your life. Do not believe the lies that devil tries to instill in you.

Do not fear men because you are a child of God. God is with you and whoever trust in God shall be safe. God comes with us for our battles and He never leaves us nor forsakes us. The size of the opponent or his abilities are not of any concern when God is our ally. Victory is a surety with God by our side.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being our perfect father. We thank you for the love and care you shower on us. Thank you for believing in us and accepting us as we are. We trust in you. Thank you for teaching us our true identity in you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Needs and Wants

Posted on by christianliving4young

In life, we have many needs. Need is a requirement that is essential or very important for our survival. Food, water, shelter and oxygen are the basic needs of human beings. We cannot survive without them. Most of the time we confuse our wants with our needs. Wanting something is a desire to possess something. It is something you wish for and not a necessity to live. How many times we have wished for things that we see – “I want that bag / shoe / phone / pet” and so on. Our needs, because it is a necessity, should be met. It is a matter of life and death. However, our wants can wait.

What does the treasure book say about our needs and wants?

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Needs

Need is an essential requirement for survival.

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

Matthew 6: 25-26

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

Matthew 6:31-33

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Our God is “YHWH Yireh (Jehovah Jireh)” meaning the God who provides. God knows all our needs and He provides for us. We should understand that our needs are met by God and not by our smartness or our strength. If we trust in our might or in the might of any other human to provide for us – it will be temporary and short-lived. But if we trust in God to take care of our needs, it is for a life time – a permanent solution. When God is in control, we do not have to worry about our needs or seek after them. But seek the kingdom of God first and everything else will follow. Our God will supply all our needs according to His riches. He is the Creator of the whole world and the source of all riches. And He supplies our needs according to His riches.

The word of God mentions countless instances where God provides for the needs of His children. Taking care of the Israelite’s needs during the great Exodus is one such instance. Let us look into the example of how God provided for Elijah, His prophet.

God provides for Elijah & Widow ( 1 Kings 17 )

During the time of Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, God sent prophet Elijah to him to proclaim a drought in the country. Then God told him to get away and hide by the Brook Cherith. God met his needs there by providing drink from the brook and food through ravens. The ravens brought him bread & meat in the morning and evening. After a while the brook dried up. God told him to go to Zarephath and stay there. So Elijah arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, he saw a widow gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” So she said, “I do not have bread, but only a handful of flour in a bin and a little oil in a jar. I am gathering sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and they ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.

Our God works in miraculous ways for His children. Can you imagine ravens bringing food? God can carry out things through unexpected channels / resources. He can use anyone for that matter, to be a blessing for His children. He took care of Elijah and all his needs. We see that God provided not only for Elijah but also for the widow and her son who were thinking of having their last meal before starving to death. They did not have any food left but God miraculously provided for the widow and her son. The flour bin and the oil jar was never used up. Even after emptying and using up the contents of the flour bin and oil jar, the flour and oil remained to provide for them until the end of the drought. God took care of their needs too. Our God is true to His promises and always keeps His word.

But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

1 John 3:17

God loves us very much and blesses us beyond our imagination. When we see our brothers or sisters in need, we should also be kind and compassionate to them – extend to them what we received from God. The blessings that God provided for us is not exclusively for us but also for sharing with those in need and helping them in their lack. Those who do not show compassion to others do not love God and His love do not abide in them.

Our God knows all our needs and meets them. He works in miraculous ways to provide according to His riches. We should extend the blessings that God provided to bless others who are in need.

Wants

Wanting something is a desire to possess something. It is something you wish for and not a necessity to live. Desires can be good or evil. Wanting something or having a desire for something is fine as long as the desire is not evil.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

James 1:14-15

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16

Evil desires will not help you in anyway but will result in sin and eventually death. For example, it is evil to be covetous – i.e., desire for things that belong to others. This kind of desire will lead you to take possession of those things by evil methods – by cheating, by force, etc. This is sin and results in separation from God. So guard your heart and do not let evil desires in your heart.

Having a desire for the things of the world more than a desire for God is also evil. In this case, you love the world more than God. Friendship with the world is enmity to God. If you walk in the spirit – according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, you will not go behind evil desires. It is an antidote to walking in the evil ways of the world and its evil desires. Also when you walk according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit your desires will be in line with the plan & purpose God has for your life.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalms 37:3-4

Now for the good desires, God is a good God who does not withhold any good gifts from His children. Like most fathers, God also likes to see His children happy. When you love God with your whole heart, you will hate everything to do with evil and you will not have any evil desire in your heart. Trust in the Lord, love Him and delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Desires can be good or evil. Evil desires will result in sin and eventually death. Walking in the spirit is an antidote to walking in the way of the flesh and its evil desires. It also aligns our desire to the plan & purpose God has for our life. God does not withhold any good gifts from His children. Trust in the Lord, love Him, delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Treasures uncovered

Need is a requirement that is essential or very important for our survival. Our God knows all our needs and meets them. He works in miraculous ways to provide according to His riches. We should extend the blessings that God provided to bless others who are in need.

To Want is a desire to possess something. It is something you wish for and not a necessity. Desires can be good or evil. Evil desires will result in sin and eventually death. Walking in the spirit is an antidote to walking in the way of the flesh and its evil desires. It also aligns our desire to the plan & purpose God has for our life. God does not withhold any good gifts from His children. Trust in the Lord, love Him, delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being our provider. Thank you for meeting all our needs. Help us to walk according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit and guard our hearts against evil desires. Thank You for being a good father to us. We love you. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

How to approach a Broken Heart

Posted on by christianliving4young

All of us would have been hurt many times in our life. When we are hurt by the people whom we love, our heart breaks into tiny little pieces. Let’s say your best friend turned out to be some jerk who made horrific stories about you behind your back or your partner cheated on you or your friends avoids you for some reason or you lost your loved one to cancer. Whatsoever the situation is, a broken heart is hard to mend. When we are hurt, grief overwhelms us and we won’t be our normal self or in the right senses. Each one of us handles grief/ hurt differently. Some just cry their heart out, some tends to badmouth the people who caused the hurt or curse them, some act as though it has not affected them and they have moved on, some might get suicidal and so on.

What to do with a broken heart? How to handle it?

Let us dive into the treasure book for clues…

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Why a broken heart?

Sorrow, grief or hurt is the reason for a broken heart. It was not God’s, plan to bring these into this world. But like every other negativity, these too entered the world due to sin – the disobedience of mankind. In fact, the whole course of the world changed because of Sin and sorrow, pain and hurt became a part of this world that we live. Even a new born baby enters this world crying and not smiling. This is the course of the world. The life in this world is not a bed of roses. We need to first accept this fact and come to terms with it. In our life on earth, everyone has to go through hurt, sorrow and pain for sure, at some point or other in their life. And these result in a broken heart.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away

Revelation 21:4

However, in heaven things are completely different. There are no deaths, hurt or sorrow or crying. So no broken hearts in heaven. This was God’s plan for the Earth as well, however sin ruined it all. After Jesus’s second coming, the order of things in the world will change and will be as per God’s initial plan for the world – just like heaven.

Sorrow / grief and hurt causes a broken heart. These were not in God’s plan for the world, but they entered the world because of Sin and is now an integral part of the world that we live in.

Approaching a broken heart

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalms 27:13-14

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Psalms 34:18

It is easy to lose heart & hope when you are sorrowful or with a broken heart. But remember, the God that we serve is a good God who wants the best for us. He doesn’t like to see us being sorrowful or filled with grief or with a broken heart. With His help, we will get through it. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. Just trust God and wait on Him. He will strengthen us for He is faithful and keeps His word.

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

John 16:21

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy  comes in the morning.

Psalms 30:5

We also need to understand that the sorrow that we face is only momentary. It will be only for a short period of time. Joy and rejoicing follows it. It is like a mother who goes into labor to bring a new life. The hour of labor is sorrowful for her but the instant she sees her baby, all her sorrow and agony is long forgotten. Similar is the case of sorrow and hurt. The sorrow is short lived and the joy that comes after helps us forget all about the sorrow.

Jesus was hurt by the people around Him. His disciple in the closer circle – Peter, denied Him. Judas betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver.

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected by men. The people, His own creation crucified Him for no crime of His. He was a man of sorrow and grief. But His eyes was fixed on the greater glory. Fix your eyes on the greater things ahead of you and not on the momentary sorrow that will soon pass.

Remember, God is near to those who have a broken heart. Trust Him and wait on Him to strengthen You. With God by your side, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Fix your eyes on the greater things ahead of you and not on the momentary sorrow that will soon pass.

Examples

Hannah ( 1 samuel 1)

There was a man named Elkanah who had two wives Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. They went yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord in Shiloh. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. But Peninnah provoked Hannah severely and made her miserable because she did not have children. Year after year this happened and Hannah would weep and not eat.

Hannah was hurt by her husband’s other wife for not having children. Every year at the time of rejoicing, the other wife would bring up the subject and make Hannah miserable such that she neither got to enjoy the time with her husband nor enjoy the food given by her husband. The way she handled this grief year after year was by weeping and not eating even though she got a double portion of the meat. But weeping and not eating did not solve her problem of getting hurt. It just repeated yeah after year. One such year, the same thing happened and she wept. But this time she wept before the Lord. She poured out her heart to God and after that she was not sorrowful anymore but ate the food and went back home happy. That was the last time she cried about this issue. The next time she came to Shiloh, she had her son Samuel with her. The Lord put a full stop to the condition that broke her heart and made her miserable .

Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10)

There was a man named Jabez. His mother called him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” The meaning of his name was ” He will cause PAIN” Imagine having such an awful name. Each time someone calls him, it is like cursing and saying “You are a pain for everyone around you”. It would have been difficult for him growing up being mocked by everyone around him. He would have been hurt many times. People would have hurled insults at him and would have called him names. His heart was broken because of his name. He called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me and indeed enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” He poured out his heart before God and God granted him what he requested. The Lord put a stop to the condition that broke his heart and blessed him such a way that he ended up being more honorable than all his brothers. The Lord mend his broken heart.

When you pour your heart out to God, He first operates on the condition that causes the broken heart. He puts a full stop to the cause and blesses you so that it never breaks your heart again. Then he mends your broken heart. Only God and God alone can mend a broken heart. No one or nothing else can.

When in grief or sorrow or hurt, pour out your heart to God. He will put a full stop to the cause that breaks your heart and brings a permanent solution to the cause of the heart break and sorrow. He then mends your heart.

Treasures uncovered

Sorrow / grief and hurt causes a broken heart. These were not in God’s plan for the world, but they entered the world because of Sin and is now an integral part of the world that we live in.

Remember, God is near to those who have a broken heart. Trust Him and wait on Him to strengthen You. With God by your side, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Fix your eyes on the greater things ahead of you and not on the momentary sorrow that will soon pass.

When in grief or sorrow or hurt, pour out your heart to God. He will put a full stop to the cause that breaks your heart and brings a permanent solution to the sorrow. He then mends your heart.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being with us through our heart breaks. We trust you and wait on you. Help us to pour our hearts to you in times of distress. Thank you for putting a full stop to the cause that breaks our heart and thank you for providing a permanent solution. We thank you for mending our broken hearts. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Miracles

Posted on by christianliving4young

Imagine, you were riding your bike on the road and suddenly this car comes from a side road that you did not see and is about to hit you. You just froze and closed your eyes. But the next instant when you open your eyes, you see that both you and the car passed safely without a collision. Even though this was not a possibility, it just so happened and you are safe. You would call it a miracle. There are laws of nature that cannot be altered by us, the humans. But sometimes the natural events changes its course into something favorable supernaturally and we call it a miracle. Do you believe in miracles? Does it happen or are they just coincidences?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Does miracles happen?

Miracles are favorable extraordinary events that cannot be explained by scientific or natural laws. Let us look into examples from the treasure book to see if they are real or just a myth.

The burning bush (Exodus 3)

Moses, while tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, came to mount Horeb. There he saw a bush burning with fire but the bush was not consumed by the fire, meaning it was not burnt. As we all know, anything that catches fire gets burnt. That is the natural way . But here, even though the bush was on fire, it was not being burnt. How is this possible? There is no scientific explanation to it. This is supernatural and a miracle.

The parting of red sea (Exodus 14)

The children of Israel left Egypt and entered the wilderness near the area of red sea after Pharaoh allowed them to leave because of the plagues that hit Egypt. Then Pharaoh was sorry he let them go, so he pursued them with his great army. When the Israelites saw Pharaoh coming after them, they cried out to God. God asked Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea. The Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong wind and divided the water making the sea into dry land.  So the children of Israel walked on the dry ground and the waters were a wall to them on their right and on to their left. The Pharaoh and his army also went after them into the sea that turned to dry ground. After the Israelites crossed, the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and the sea returned to its full depth, the waters covering the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh who pursued the Israelites. 

The sea changed its natural course and turned into dry land only for the Israelites to cross. This did not happen naturally but because of a supernatural interference. The natural laws cannot explain it – so this definitely is a miracle. And the same sea took the lives of the Pharaoh and his entire army that pursued them.

Water turned into wine (John 2)

There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and Jesus, His mother and His disciples were attending. The hosts ran out of wine and it was a shame if the guests get to know. Jesus’s mother asked Him to help them out. There were six water pots of stone, and Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the water pots with water.” They filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it and gave to the master of the feast. And he said to the groom, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

How can plain water be turned to wine, that too in just an instant? In the natural course, you need to add something that ferments to the water to make wine. The laws of chemistry cannot explain this. This is supernatural. Another miracle!!!

Feeding the Five thousand (Matthew 14)

Multitudes followed Jesus wherever He went. One such time, when it got very late, Jesus asked His disciples to give the multitude something to eat. There was nothing to offer them but five loaves and two fish. He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, looking up to heaven blessed and broke them. He gave the loaves to the disciples and the disciples gave to the multitudes. They all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

How can five loaves and two fish be enough to feed a multitude of 5000 men? In the natural, this will not happen and cannot be explained by the laws of nature. It is definitely a miracle!!!

The conclusion

Apart from the above instances, there are many other miracles that Jesus did – walking on water, giving sight to the blind, healing all kinds of sickness and afflictions, raising the dead and so on… Also there are countless other miracles mentioned in the word of God that happened before Jesus, during His lifetime and after His death & resurrection. So miracles do happen!!!

Miracles are favorable extraordinary events that cannot be explained by scientific or natural laws. Miracles do happen and the word of God is filled with countless such instances.

The source of miracles

Miracles, as we know, are extraordinary events and cannot be explained by scientific or natural laws. It is above the natural laws, meaning it is supernatural. The supernatural happens because of a supernatural power – a greater power than that can alter the laws of the nature.

Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Jeremiah 32:17

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:8

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Mark 10:27

The only supernatural power that is above the powers of nature is God himself. He is Almighty and the creator of nature and all the laws of nature. He is above the laws of nature and the only one who can alter these laws. So only God can bring about miracles. God and only God is the source of miracles.

God and only God is the source of miracles. Because He is the same from everlasting to everlasting, Miracles and wonders are what He still does!!! Miracles are His specialty.

Who perform miracles?

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Acts 19: 11-12

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:23

We know God is the source of all miracles and the power behind them. He performs miracles Himself, e.g., the burning bush. He also does miracles through His children. We read in Acts 19:11-12 that God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, the apostle of Christ. All throughout the word of God we see God performing many miracles through His children – the prophets of the old testaments, Jesus, the disciples of Jesus, apostles, etc. He even performs miracles through us, provided we believe and have faith in our hearts. God does miracles through people who have faith in their heart, but the miracles happen not in the might of people but in the awesome power of God. After a while, people tend to forget who is the real source of miracles and go behind the people through whom it is performed.

God does miracles Himself and also through people who have faith in their hearts. But the miracles happen not in the might of people but in the awesome power of God. If you believe, God enables you to carry out miracles by His awesome power.

Treasures uncovered

Miracles are favorable extraordinary events that cannot be explained by scientific or natural laws. Miracles do happen and the word of God is filled with countless such instances.

God and only God is the source of miracles. Because He is the same from everlasting to everlasting, Miracles and wonders are what He still does!!! Miracles are His specialty.

God does miracles Himself and also through people who have faith in their hearts. But the miracles happen not in the might of people but in the awesome power of God. If you believe, God enables you to carry out miracles by His awesome power.

Miracles are the lifestyle of Children of God. Expect God to do wonders in your everyday life.

Prayer:

Father we thank you for teaching us about miracles. Thank you for being the source of all miracles and making it a life style for your children. And thank you for giving us a chance to carry out your miracles. Help us to believe in your awesome power. We love you Lord, in Jesus’s name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

It’s ME and only ME !!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

The world that we live in teaches us to compete with others. From a very young age it builds a competitive mentality in us and as we grow, this mentality also grows within us. It also urges us to take part in the rat race for wealth, position, power, recognition, etc. In this pursuit, as we climb up the ladder, we push others down and also knock them down if necessary. Our concern is only about us – our future, our career, our well being, our recognition, our fame, our reputation etc. We do not stop or care to look around and see if we are hurting anyone in this process. In fact, this is what our world follows and marks as the way to success. In other words, the world instills in us selfishness or self-seeking. The world supports selfishness doesn’t mean it is the right way. We should be concerned about what the treasure book says about selfishness / self- seeking.

Let us open the treasure book to find clues:

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Self- seeking / Selfishness

Selfishness / self-seeking is to think only about oneself without considering other people and to be concerned about only one’s own welfare / interests before those of others. In any given situation, selfish people will think only about themselves and their affairs and will act accordingly to turn everything to their benefit. Even remotely, they do not think how it will affect others and their lives.

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

James 3:16

but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

Romans 2:8

The word of God clearly states that selfishness is evil. Such people obey unrighteous and do not obey the truth. Obeying truth is obedience before God and obeying unrighteousness is disobedience before God. So the self-seeking / the selfish are disobedient before God. Disobedience to God is sin and hence selfishness is a sin before God. So this clearly is not a desirable quality for the children of God. What the world follows and instills is completely against what God wants us to practice and follow.

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:5

Do not follow the world or take in what the world instills. This is possible only if you set your minds in the things of Spirit rather than on the things of the world. Do not get into the rat race like the world but follow the things of the spirit and the plans of God for your life.

Selfishness is evil before God and is a sin.

Our Example

As we all know, Jesus is our perfect example to look onto.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:4-8

Jesus, although God, left everything to be born as a man just so that His creation – the human race, who were living under the clutches of sin could have eternal life. He took the punishment we deserved. He didn’t have to do that at all. Still He did because He was not selfish or self-seeking but loved us unconditionally. He had to go through terribly bad persecution of all times. He was tortured physically such that there was no place on His body without a bruise. He was completely disfigured because of the torture. He took the worst death of all times – being nailed on a cross ALIVE and then dying on the cross for no offense of His. He did it all for US so that we get eternal life. He is the most selfless person who ever lived on this planet. How could He possibly go through such terrible torture? The love He had for us overpowered the pain from His torture. He gave His precious life and blood for our sake – for saving us from the eternal punishment that we very well deserved!!! All throughout He put our interest before His own.

Jesus is our perfect example. He is the most selfless person who ever lived on this planet. He left everything to be born as a man, endured terrible physical torture and the worst death of all times just so that we can have eternal life.

Our attitude

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4

Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

1 Corinthians 10:24

 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Matthew 22:39

We should not do any thing because of selfish ambitions but should respect others and consider them better than ourselves. We should not only look out for our interests but also of others. Never do anything at the expense of others rather seek their well being. This can be done only if we love them. As Jesus taught, we should love one another wholeheartedly.

The world teaches us to be selfish, but God wants us to be selfless just like Jesus. Love each other, seek their well being and consider them better than yourselves.

Treasures uncovered

Selfishness is evil before God and is a sin.

Jesus is our perfect example. He is the most selfless person who ever lived on this planet. He left everything to be born as a man, endured terrible physical torture and the worst death of all times just so that we can have eternal life.

The world teaches us to be selfish, but God wants us to be selfless just like Jesus. Love each other, seek their well being and consider them better than yourselves.

Do not take in what the world instills, rather walk in the spirit and follow the truth.

Prayer:

Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness.

Psalm 119:36

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

Disobeying God

Posted on by christianliving4young

In this life, we have all had our fair share of disobedience – be it disobedience to parents, teachers, other elders, governmental authorities or even God. We already learned in “Obedience” that it brings blessings. What about disobedience to God? Since it is the exact opposite of obedience, does it bring upon us the exact opposite of blessings? Let us look into the treasure book to find more about this.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

What is disobedience to God?

Disobedience in simple words is “not doing what someone or something with authority tells you to do“. God is the supreme authority over all creation. Not doing what He has asked us to do is disobedience to Him. There are generic rules and guidelines that God has given for the human race like – You should love the Lord, your God with your whole heart and you shall not worship any other God other than Him, you shall not murder, you shall not covet other’s belongings, etc., as given in the word of God. God also gives each of us specific instructions to follow at different times. For example, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. This was a specific instruction to Abraham. God asked Noah to build an ark which was a specific instruction to Noah. So not following these generic or specific instructions given by God is disobedience to Him and is Sin.

God has given us generic instructions. He also gives us specific instructions from time to time. Disobeying both these generic and specific instruction is disobedience to God. Disobedience to God is sin.

Disobedience to generic instructions

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.

Deuteronomy 28:15‭-‬20

‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.

Leviticus 26:14‭-‬17

Disobedience to generic instruction brings forth punishment and curses. Like how blessings overtake the obedient, curses overtake the disobedient. Their food, water, possessions, fruit of labor, health and everything concerning them will be cursed. Their lives will be filled with terror, confusion, sorrow and defeat. Disobedience is wickedness before God and hence destruction and perishing will be the final outcome because God sets His face against them. Disobeying God is to fight God and to make Him your enemy.

Disobeying GOD’S generic instruction is wickedness and brings forth punishment & curse. It also means to fight God and make Him your enemy because God sets His face against the disobedient.

Disobedience to specific instructions

Example of Adam & Eve (Genesis 3)

God created Adam & Eve and put them in the garden of Eden to keep it. They were given a specific instruction – “not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil“. Enticed by the serpent, they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. When God asked them why they ate the forbidden fruit, they did not repent, rather started blaming each other. God put them out of the garden and punished them for their disobedience. They lost their peaceful life in the comfort of the garden and were cursed. In fact the whole of humanity came under the clutches of sin and were cursed because of their disobedience.

Disobedience to God’s specific instruction also brings forth punishment and curse.

Example of Jonah (Jonah 1-3)

The story

God gave Jonah a specific instruction, “Arise, go to the great city of Nineveh and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah disobeyed God. He went to Joppa and got on a ship going to Tarshish, another city. God sent out a great wind and there was a mighty tempest on the sea. The ship was about to break and the mariners were afraid. Every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah was in the lowest deck of the ship and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and said, “Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” And then they cast lots to know for whose cause this trouble has come upon them. The lot fell on Jonah.

Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” So he explained to them everything including how he got on this journey trying to flee from God. The men were greatly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this? What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?” And he said to them, “Throw me into the sea and the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not. The sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore, they cried out to God and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” Then they threw Jonah into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. The men on the ship feared the Lord exceedingly, offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

Now God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah and he was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly and repented his actions. God spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Again the word of the Lord came to Jonah, a second time saying, “Arise, go to the great city of Nineveh and preach to it the message that I tell you.” This time Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord and preached as he was asked to.

The Analysis

Here we see that God gave a specific instruction to Jonah. But Jonah disobeyed God and went his way. God set His face against him and punished him – Jonah was thrown into the sea and was swallowed by a great fish. In the belly of the fish Jonah repented and prayed to God. God had mercy on him and forgave his sin. God also gave him a second chance. This time Jonah obeyed God and did as he was asked to.

As we already established, disobedience to God is SIN. However, if you repent there is forgiveness and God gives us another chance to do it right. With Adam and Eve, there was no repentance and hence they were punished. But with Jonah even though he was punished, God delivered him when he repented and also gave him another chance.

If you repent, God will forgive your disobedience and deliver you out from your punishment. He also gives another chance to make it right.

Treasures uncovered

God has given us generic instructions. He also gives us specific instructions from time to time. Disobeying both these generic and specific instruction is disobedience to God. Disobedience to God is sin.

Disobedience to GOD either on generic or specific instruction, is wickedness and brings forth punishment & curse. It also means to fight God and make Him your enemy because God sets His face against the disobedient.

If you repent, God will forgive your disobedience and deliver you out from your punishment. He also gives another chance to make it right.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us the consequences of disobedience. Thank you for being merciful even in our disobedience that when we repent you deliver us out from the punishment we deserve. Thank you for the many chances you have given us to make things right. Help us not to disobey you. We love you Lord. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, The Negatives

I am the best!!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

We all, at some point in life, have either bragged or boasted about ourselves to our friends or even strangers! Our friends would have called us a show-off behind our back several times. We too would have had this kind of experiences with others. Usually people show-off or boast to build an impression about themselves that they are someone greater than those around them. Have you ever wondered what causes us to show off or boast? Is bragging / showing-off a desirable quality?

Let us look into the treasure book and find clues!!!

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Who is a boastful person?

Dictionary defines boasting / bragging as talking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about own achievements, possessions, or abilities. And showing-off is to boastfully display one’s abilities or accomplishments. These basically means nothing but crowning yourself and making yourself glorious in front of others.

For he says:

“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
And by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries;
So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.

Isaiah 10:13

The word of God also describes a person who glory in himself / herself as boastful. Such people believe all their achievements are because of their own strength and wisdom. But they are foolish and ignorant of the fact that they are all God’s creation who are positioned by God to be used in a certain way. And also that, their achievements are actually God’s grace in their lives.

Shall the axe boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!

Isaiah 10:15

Imagine an axe that boast to the woodcutter who uses it, “You are very lucky that you are holding me. I have cut down many forests. You are nothing without me and you cannot do anything without me.” What do you think the woodcutter will do to such an axe? Definitely the axe becomes a nuisance and he would throw it away and look for another axe. Such an axe is definitely foolish and ignorant. If someone does not hold the axe and use it, it will just rust away and will not be useful in any way. Similarly is the one who boasts. They are foolish and ignorant of the fact that they are just an instrument used by God and their accomplishments are not in their might or strength but because of the grace of God. They take all the glory for themselves. They are in fact robbers who steal the glory that is due to God.

Boasting is not a desirable quality. The boastful are those who crown themselves and glory in themselves. Such people are foolish and ignorant that they are just vessels in the hand of God. They try to steal the glory that is due to God.

Why do we boast?

The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and  renounces the Lord. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

Psalms 10:2-4

But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:16

If there is wickedness in your heart, pride and arrogance also becomes a part of you. Pride is to have a high opinion of oneself and ones importance. God detests pride. We already learned in Have an attitude? that GOD finds a Proud Heart DISGUSTING and He RESISTS it. When you have a prideful heart, it leads to arrogance – having an exaggerated sense of own importance. Pride and arrogance makes you feel more important and worthy than your fellow beings and in turn causes you to show off, boast and brag about yourself.

Boasting is a fruit of wickedness caused by Pride and Arrogance.

What should we glory in?

Thus says the Lord:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 10:17-18

The only thing we can take glory in is that we know the Lord God Almighty. We can glory in the Lord and nothing else. Everything else – our talents, our wisdom, our possession, our strength, our health, our beauty, our family background are all God’s gracious gift and not things for boasting or showing-off. Glory belongs to God and not to us in any way. We should give God the glory that is due to Him and not try to steal what is rightfully His by boasting, bragging and showing off.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Even our salvation is a gift of God and is not dependent on our works or performance so that there is no chance for anyone to boast. Jesus, the son of God, died on the cross for our sake and rose back to life on the third day. Whoever believes in Him is saved from eternal doom. No flesh can boast about this as it is a free gift to all who believes in Jesus.

Glory belongs to God and only Him. He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.

Treasures uncovered

Boasting is not a desirable quality. The boastful are those who crown themselves and glory in themselves. Such people are foolish and ignorant that they are just vessels in the hand of God. They try to steal the glory that is due to God.

Boasting is a fruit of wickedness caused by Pride and Arrogance.

Glory belongs to God and only Him. He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that boasting is not a desirable quality. Help us to always consciously stay away from boasting or bragging. Help us to always detest wickedness and everything associated with it. Father, we give you all the glory and honor that is rightfully yours. In Jesus’s name, Amen.