Category: God & Me

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, 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.

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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, God & Me

The Perfect Safe House

Posted on by christianliving4young

During olden times, wars were very common. Kingdoms used to invade each other under the leadership of kings in the desire for conquest, wealth and power. During such wars if the defeated king escapes, he would flee to find refuge either by going in hiding or going to his friendly neighbors, where he will rest and regain his strength and power. Once he is strong enough, he can fight back for his kingdom.

In the present time too, things are not much different! Though we are not fighting a physical war with weapons, we are always fighting battles one after the other in pursuit of something – to get into a desired school / college, to get accepted into a gang of friends, to get into the school baseball team, to get the right job, and so on. We emerge victorious in few of those battles but definitely not all. Heart breaking failures occur from time to time. When such failures occur, it would not be always easy to getup and stand on our feet to fight again. We will not be strong enough to carry on with the fight. We would need a place of refuge to regain our strength. Where to find refuge – a place that gives protection or shelter from danger / trouble – A Safe House?

Let us look into the treasure book to get clues!

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Our Safe House

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Psalms 46:1-3

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Psalms 91:3-4

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Psalms 9:9-10

When we are in trouble, we would only approach people who will stand by our side and help us get through the difficult times. We will never go to someone who would reject us or abandon us half way. Most of the time we will confide in our best friends, specially those we trust will stand by us. However in most cases they will not have a proper solution for our problem but can only comfort us.

The Word of God says, God is a very present help in trouble. The Word also confirms He never forsakes those who seek refuge in Him. Whoever approaches Him for refuge, He never denies them nor abandons them half way through. You would be familiar of how a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings to protect them when a threat is present. Similarly, God covers with His feathers those who put their trust in Him and protects them from the enemy / threat. So God has all qualities and abilities for being a refuge. He offers complete protection and safety during times of trouble. Additionally, He also has solution for our trouble – He can deliver us from the trouble we are in. In fact, He is the only one who is capable of deliverances – be it a snare, or a pestilence or a natural calamity or oppression or any thing else we face. There is no trouble that is hard enough for Him.

So God is a very present help during trouble, offers refuge and also never forsakes those who put their trust in Him and reach out to Him during trouble. Also at the same time, He is a deliverer from all kinds of trouble. So if we trust in Him and make Him our refuge we enjoy all these benefits. When God is our refuge, even if the ground that we stand on or the surroundings that we are in is shaking with trouble, we do not have to be anxious or fearful. There is no need to fear or be anxious while under His care and protection. For He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, there is no one as powerful as Him and there is no power above Him. He is the perfect SAFE HOUSE.

God Himself is “The Perfect Safe House”. During trouble, He offers help, refuge and never forsakes. He also delivers us from all our troubles. Like how chicks find refuge under their mother’s wings, we the children of God should find refuge under His wings.

Example of Ruth

The Story – Ruth Chapter 1-4

Elimelech was a man who lived with his wife Naomi and his two sons in Bethlehem during the rule of Judges. There was a famine in the land and he moved to the country of Moab with his family. Elimelech died there and Naomi was left with her two sons. They took wives from the women of Moab- Orpah and Ruth. After they lived there for ten years, Naomi’s both sons also died. Naomi decided to return back to her homeland as she was left alone in a foriegn land and also heard the conditions have changed there in the land of Israel. She told both her daughters-in-laws to return to their mother’s houses and to build a family. They did not agree to her request. But Naomi tried to convince them and finally Orpah agreed, but Ruth clung to her. Naomi again tried to convince Ruth, but she did not agree. She told Naomi, “Wherever you go i will go, wherever you stay i will stay, your people will be my people and your God, my God“. When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to stay with her, she stopped persuading her.

Both of them came to Bethlehem and it was the beginning of barley harvest. Naomi when she left Bethlehem, had her husband and her sons, but she came back a poor widow. They did not have enough to even buy food. So Ruth went to a field to glean (gather left over grains after harvest) after the reapers . And it so happened that she went to the field belonging to Boaz, who was a wealthy relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. When Boaz came to the field, he noticed Ruth and his servant gave a good report about her. Boaz spoke to Ruth and told her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Ruth found favor with Boaz and he treated her well. He gave her food in abundance. He also ordered his servants to treat her well and be careful that no-one harms her. Later on we see that Boaz redeemed Naomi’s land and took Ruth as his wife.

Analysis

After her sons died, Naomi was left alone with her daughter-in-laws. Naomi tried her best to persuade Ruth to leave, as she still could remarry and build a family of her own. But Ruth did not abandon her nor did she agree to leave, but clung on to her. Ruth and Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, Naomi’s homeland. Ruth left her people, her household, her country and her God to be with Naomi. They did not have any men in their family to support them, to provide for them or to protect them. But Ruth took refuge in the Lord God, the God of her mother-in-law. She came under His wings as soon as she took Him as a refuge.

Poverty was a huge problem for them and they did not have any means to buy food. So Ruth offered to go gleaning to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from fields after they have been harvested. During harvest, the reapers gather all the grains first and after this the gleaners are allowed to collect the leftover grains. In the modern day, gleaning could be somewhat compared to dumpster diving. From this we know that Ruth and Naomi were miserably poor. For gleaning, Ruth ended up in Boaz’s field but she did not know whose field it was or their relationship with him. God directed her there. Boaz was very kind to her and gave food for both Ruth and Naomi and eventually married Ruth. God delivered her from poverty.

God changed her status completely. From a miserably poor widow she became the wife of a rich man. God settled her and gave her a family of her own. Her son Obed was the father of Jesse, the father of David. She was the great grand mother of King David. From a nobody she became a renowned woman.

After Ruth took refuge in the God of Israel, God directed her path, provided for her, protected her and eventually delivered her. God raised her from poverty, settled her in a family and established her. Instead of being a poor widow, she became the wife of a rich man in Bethlehem and the great grand mother of King David!!!

Under Gods wings, there is no fear or anxiety because He takes up the complete responsiblity. He directs our path, provides for us, protects us, delivers us, settles us and establishes us.

Treasures uncovered

God Himself is “The Perfect Safe House”. During trouble, He offers help, refuge and never forsakes. He also delivers us from all our troubles. Like how chicks find refuge under their mother’s wings, we, the children of God, should find refuge under His wings.

Under Gods wings, there is no fear or anxiety because He takes up the complete responsiblity. He directs our path, provides for us, protects us, delivers us, settles us and establishes us.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that you are the perfect safe house for us. Thank you for being an ever present help during times of trouble, thank you for not forsaking us when we seek refuge in you, thank you for the protection you offer and thank you for being our deliverer. We thank you for covering us with your feathers when we come under your wings. We love you Lord. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Finding God

Posted on by christianliving4young

In the world that we live, if we need to find information about something, we have to look for it from a genuine source. With internet being available to all, we have every information we need at our fingertips. However, the information we find online is not always genuine. If we do not get the right information, we could be misled. It is very important to get the correct information always specially when it relates to our health, life and future or else it can affect us adversely.

Similarly wrong information about God also affects us adversely because it affects our entire eternity. If our sources do not give us genuine information, then we are doomed. How do we find God and what are our genuine resources? Let us search the treasure book to find clues.

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Seek God

Different individuals have different things that interests them. Interest is the feeling of wanting to know or learn about something or someone. We all have various interests that are unique to us. Some of us are interested in electronic gadgets, others in photography, cooking, travelling, sports, vehicles, language, history, etc. When our interests are deep rooted, our hearts will be filled with the desire to know more about it and we end up spending several hours on google or on YouTube researching and reading about it. We put our heart and soul to it and we acquire more knowledge about it. So we find when we seek.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”

Matthew 7:7

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 4:29

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Similarly, when we have a deep rooted interest in God, we seek Him. And if we seek Him we will find Him. When we seek we need to do so with all our heart and with all our soul. Our heart and our soul should be full of the desire to seek Him. This happens only when God becomes our primary interest.

God should become our primary interest and then when we seek Him with all our heart and soul we will find Him.

How to seek God?

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

2 Timothy 3:16

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 

1 Corinthians 2:10-11

In the physical world, how do we look for things that interest us? We research about it by reading genuine articles, listening about it from experienced people, going for courses, watching videos etc.

We use similar principle to seek God. The first place we should turn to is the “Word of God”. It reveals many things about God such as His likes and dislikes, His behavioral characteristics, what pleases Him and what makes Him angry and so on. Listening to preachers and teachers of the Word also helps us learn about God. But you need to verify with the word of God everything that you hear and do not blindly believe things spoken about Him. Also listening to testimonies of people who experienced God is another way of seeking. Spending time in prayer talking to God and worshipping Him in truth & in spirit also reveals Him on a personal level. The Holy Spirit inside of you also reveals the heart of God.

Word of God is the primary resource for seeking God. Spending time in prayer talking to God and worshipping Him in truth & in spirit, reveals Him on a personal level. The Holy Spirit inside of us reveals the heart of God to us. Reading or listening to preaching, teaching and testimonies are other ways of seeking God.

Example of Josiah ( 2 Chronicles 34)

The story

Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in His ways. While he was 16 years, he began to seek God. When he was 20 years, he started to remove the idols and worship places of other Gods from Judah and Jerusalem. He broke down the altars of the Baals, the wooden images and the carved images. He broke the molded images in pieces, made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. When he was 26 years, he took to repair the house of the Lord his God. The Lord’s worship place was in ruins and not attended to. Also the law given by God was not followed and infact neither the people nor the king was aware of such a law until they found the “Book of the Law of the Lord” given by Moses from the temple during its repair . Next he reinstated true worship among his people. He gathered all people of his kingdom at the house of the Lord and made known to them what was written in the Book of the Law. Then he along with the people made a covenant to God to follow Him and walk in His ways as given in the book of the law. Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.

The explanation

Josiah became a king when he was very very young – at the age of 8. We think 8 years is a very small age to know God or walk in His ways. But Josiah proves this wrong. He got a huge responsibility of leading God’s people at the age of 8. Even at that young age he chose to do what was right before God and walked in His ways. While he was still young (in his late teens), he began seeking God. This is an age when you feel you know better than anyone else. But, Josiah chose to seek God this time. When he seeked God, the things of God were revealed to him one after the other. Even things that were hidden for a very long time. In fact, the very heart of God was revealed to him.

Just imagine having power in your teens to do anything that you want!! What would you do? Maybe provide free internet to all, or make education available to all. Each of us will have our own version for sure. Josiah in his teens was the king and could do anything with the power he had. But when the heart of God was revealed to him, he used the power to reinstate the ways of God in the kingdom and lived according to how God wanted him to live. First he removed all worship places in the country where people worshipped other Gods – He removed Idolatry from among God’s people knowing it was an abomination to God. Secondly, he repaired the worship place of God. And next, he restored true worship among God’s people and made them diligently serve the Lord their God. He turned back the hearts of God’s people to the one true God.

When you seek God, the heart of God will be revealed to you and God will enable you to walk in His ways and carry out His plans.

Treasures uncovered

Finding God

God should become our primary interest and then when we seek Him with all our heart and soul we will find Him.

Word of God is the primary resource for seeking God. Spending time in prayer talking to God and worshipping Him in truth & in spirit, reveals Him on a personal level. The Holy Spirit inside of us reveals the heart of God to us. Reading or listening to preaching, teaching and testimonies are other ways of seeking God.

When you seek God, the heart of God will be revealed to you and God will enable you to walk in His ways and carry out His plans.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for enlightening us about how to find you. Help us to diligently seek you all the days of our life. Thank you for the resources you have given us to seek you. We thank you for word of God and the Holy Spirit you have provided us. We also thank you for the teachers and preachers whom you have placed in our lives to help us seek you. We love you Lord. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Am I Chosen?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Imagine, your mother wants to buy a packet of noodles from the grocery shop next door. She will CHOOSE you for this task only after she weighs you with a set of conditions.

Can you walk all alone to the store and come back safe without getting hurt or being lost? Can you handle the money without losing it? Are you capable of finding the exact brand that she needs? Do you know enough math to get the correct balance? Will you get back on time without wandering on the streets? Are you faithful with the money that she gives you? And so on...

If you fulfill most of these criteria, then you QUALIFY and she will be confident to CHOOSE you for the task.

In every field, people are CHOSEN only if they qualify the conditions set for the task. Your ability is weighed and tested and you are chosen based on how well you are able to handle the task. What about God? How does God choose people for His missions / tasks?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues:

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Not a Criteria

For most important things of life, age is a definite criteria. If you are not of age, you cannot watch certain movies, apply for jobs, get a driving license, get married etc. Similarly, your physique, your abilities, your education, etc., matters in carrying out specific tasks in the world. What about the things of God? Let us look at the people used by God to carry out His missions and see if He also chooses in a similar manner.

Prophet Samuel, King David, Father Abraham, Moses the leader of Israel, Gideon the mighty warrior are few people used by God. Let us see if these were the criteria used for selection.

Samuel as we all know was a prophet of Israel who ministered God’s word to the children of Israel. He was dedicated to God’s service at a very young age and was sent to live in the temple of God after he was weaned. He stayed away from his family and ministered to God under the guidance of priest Eli. God chose to speak to him when he was a child and chose him over the established priest Eli.

David was a shepherd boy taking care of his father’s sheep when he was anointed as a king over Israel. David, a youth was chosen over his elder brothers who were trained soldiers in king Saul’s army. David was still in his youth when he killed the giant Goliath and rescued Israel from the terror of Philistines.

Abraham and his family used to make idols for a living. He was seventy-five years old when God asked him to leave his land and his profession to go to the promised land.

Moses was almost 80 years old when he was sent by God to rescue Israel, from the hands of Pharaoh. He had a stammering issue.

Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites when the angel of the Lord appeared to him. Gideon feared the Midianites and was doing the best to hide his resources from them. His clan was the weakest and He was the least in his father’s house, still God chose him as a rescuer of Israel from Midianites.

God chose a child like Samuel to minister before Him, a youth like David to rescue Israel from Philistines, 75 year old idol maker – Abraham to be Father of God’s chosen people, 80 year old stammering Moses to rescue Israel from the land of Pharaoh, least of the least and fearful Gideon to rescue Israelites from their enemies!!!

So for God, neither age, physique, ability, family status, financial stability, education nor any other quality / talent is a criteria for choosing people for his missions. God chooses people for his missions contrary to how the world chooses.

Our age, physique, abilities, family background, financial stability, education, etc., is not a limiting factor to carry out God’s mission. God does not choose people based on these criteria.

The Criterion

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Judges 16: 6-7

The heart is deceitful above all things. And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

Proverbs 23:7

When God looks at a person, he scans his / her Heart. As we already established, God does not choose you based on how you look, or how well toned your body is or how tall and handsome you are or any other material things for that sake. He only scans the heart and searches it to find what it contains. The heart of a person reveals what kind of a person he / she is. The content of the heart gives away the character of a person. It will show whether a person is evil or good, whether he has any secret evil desires, what is the intention behind each of his action and so on.

So God chooses people for his missions based on the content of their heart.

Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:37

We humans are expected to fear God (hate evil) and be obedient to God by keeping all the commandments given by God. Loving God with all our heart, soul and mind being the first and greatest among them. When we look at all the people used by God we see that they all walked in God’s ways, trusted Him and was obedient to Him keeping His commandments. Some might have even strayed away at times, but they repented and got back on track.

A clean heart that is willing and eager to obey God’s word, no matter how illogical or silly it sounds, fully trusting Him is what God chooses for His missions.

In Jesus Christ

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

Humans are sinful and wicked in nature after their fall and slavery into sin. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior, we become a new creation. Our old evil self, indulging in sin and wickedness goes away and we become new creation who are righteous before God through Christ. Our heart is also renewed and do not remain evil, when we are in Christ. We become more christ-like. We are automatically chosen for God’s missions in this case because our hearts and minds are renewed and clean.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16–17

Once we are chosen, God equips us with the required abilities to fulfill the missions we are chosen for. The apostles of Jesus came from different backgrounds – some were well educated and some were not. This did not matter at all for carrying out God’s missions. God used them all for His missions irrespective of their qualifications or their backgrounds or their physique.

The word of God and the Holy Spirit who is inside of us will equip us to face our own challenges and the missions God has in store for us. Let us get on this adventure with Jesus on board.

Treasures uncovered

Our age, physique, abilities, family background, financial stability, education, etc., is not a limiting factor to carry out God’s mission. God does not choose people based on these criteria.

A clean heart that is willing and eager to obey God’s word, no matter how illogical or silly it sounds, fully trusting Him is what God chooses for His missions.

When we are in Christ we become a new creation with renewed hearts and minds. We are then automatically chosen for His missions. The word of God and the Holy Spirit who is inside of us will equip us to face our own challenges and the missions God has in store for us.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for sending us your Son Jesus. Thank you Jesus for reconciling us to the Father and for taking our punishment. We thank you for choosing us for your missions. Thank you Holy Spirit for living inside us and equipping us for all the good work. We love you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

The Perfect Father

Posted on by christianliving4young


The word “Father” or “Dad” or “Papa” means different things to different people. Some relate it to love, sacrifice and security. For few others, it reminds of physical abuse, anger, adamancy, quarrels and hatred. There are also a few to whom it does not mean anything. The meaning of father differs for different people depending on the kind of relationship they share with their father. Some love their dads very much, but for some they never got to know their fathers. It is definitely a miss! However, the greatest miss is not knowing your heavenly father who loves you unconditionally and is able to take care of you way better than your human father. Not getting to know Him as a father would be a greater loss than not knowing your earthly father!!! Let us get to know our heavenly father!

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Become a Child of God


Only if we become God’s children, we can call Him our father. How do we become a child of God?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

John 1:12

When sin entered the world, the whole of humanity became slaves to the kingdom of darkness. Being a slave is a difficult thing. There is no freedom or rights for a slave, but is always at the mercy of his master. Jesus is the only way of getting out of this slavery. When you believe Jesus is the son of God who died for your sins and accept Him as your savior, you are bought by the Kingdom of light. When this happens, our status automatically changes from a slave to a child. A child has rights, freedom, authority and inherits His father’s possessions. Who would want to live as a slave when there is an option to live as a child of the most high God. There is no other privilege in the world than “The child of most high God“.

Jesus is the only way to get to the Father and believing in Jesus is the only way to be a child of God.

FatherIy traits

A good father loves his children and takes care of them. He takes the responsibility of providing for his children, protecting them and equipping them to stand on their own feet. A good father also corrects his children. Our heavenly father does all this and even more.

Love

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:9-10

The bible says God is love. He Himself is love and the greatest source of love. God does not exist without love. His love for us is unconditional. He loved us even when we were in the kingdom of darkness sinning. He sent His only son to be sacrificed for our sake because He loves us unconditionally.

Care

casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

When we have God as our father, we need not worry about anything because He cares for us. Even our teeniest worry should be cast on Him because He genuinely cares.

Provisions

Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Matthew 6:8

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:11

God knows all our basic necessities of life and He provides for it. Even before a need arises in our life, our God knows about it and has already provided for it. We only need to trust Him and reach out to take it.

Protection

For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Psalms 91: 11-12

God has kept angels as our body guards for our protection. Normally, only VIPs gets bodyguards. We have seen high officials and wealthy people coming with body guards. But when we become a child of God, we also become VIPs – Children of the most high God. Oh what a privilege!!!

Correction

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11-12

Every father who loves their children corrects them. God too corrects us because He loves us and delights in us.

Equips to stand on our feet

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

Mark 9:23

 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

Every parent would want their children to be successfully standing on their feet facing the world boldly. God gave us Christ who strengthens us to face everything that comes our way. God has already equipped us. We only need to believe and move forward facing boldly everything that comes before us.

Our God is a good father who loves and takes care of His children. He provides and protects like no other. He corrects us and equips us to stand on our feet and face the world. He is able to take care of us far better than our earthly fathers.

What if you make mistakes?

Most children are afraid to go back and confess to parents when they mess up because they do not know how the parents will react. Some hide their wrongdoings and move on while some are caught and some others boldly approach their parents, confess and gets punished. When we make mistakes and realize it, we all would want an ideal father who would tell us, “Do not worry my child. I have got your back”.

How does our heavenly father respond to mistakes. Let us look into a story taught by Jesus (Luke15).


There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So the father divided his property between them. The younger son took all he had and set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he was in need. So he looked for a job and ended up feeding pigs. He longed to eat the food of pigs, but no one gave him anything. He came to his senses, and thought about the surplus food his father’s servants had. So he thought of going back to his father to be a servant as at his house as he is no longer worthy to be called his son. When he almost reached his father’s house, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. Here the father celebrated His son’s return even though the son did not deserve it. Jesus said this story to teach that our Father God is like this father.

Living in sin is the mistake that we do before God. However, if we realize our mistake, repent and return to our father, He celebrates our return and take us back as His child. There is rejoicing in heaven over sinners who repents. So if you have been living in sin, repent and get back to your father. He will gladly take you back as His son and celebrate your return.

God is our Perfect Father. If you have been living in sin, do not be reluctant to approach your father. He longs for you to repent and get back to Him. He will celebrate your return and will take you back as His child.

Treasures uncovered

Jesus is the only way to get to the Father and the only way to be a child of God is by believing in Jesus.

Our God is a good father who loves and takes care of His children. He provides and protects like no other. He corrects us and equips us to stand on our feet and face the world. He is able to take care of us far better than our earthly fathers.

God is our Perfect Father. If you have been living in sin, do not be reluctant to approach your father. He longs for you to repent and get back to Him. He will celebrate your return and will take you back as His child.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being a good and perfect father to us. Thank you for sending Jesus your son for our sake. Thank you for adopting us into your kingdom as your children. We love you Father and we bless your holy name. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Spiritual Immunity

Posted on by christianliving4young

Currently, the phrases like – staying fit and healthy, build your immunity, strong immune system, etc., has become a part of our regular talks. With corona virus and its mutant variants doing the rounds, everyone is concerned about having a strong immune system. Immune system, as we all are aware, is the defense mechanism of the body that fights foreign bodies that enters it. If you have a strong immune system, when virus or any other harmful foreign body enters your body, your body is equipped to fight against it and win over. It helps you from getting into life threatening situations. Similarly in the spiritual realm, a strong immune system helps us to live a healthy spiritual life leading to eternity. How do we build spiritual immunity?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues.

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Why we need spiritual immunity?

Like how our bodies relate to the physical realm, our spirit relates to the spiritual realm. When we are alive in the physical world, we feel and understand the things happening in the physical world. Similarly to feel and understand the realities and facts of the spiritual world, our spirit should be alive and awake.

When Adam & Eve were created, they were spiritually alive beings. They used to meet God and speak to Him. They did not realize they were naked because they were more sensitive and alive in the spiritual realm than in the physical. But with sin entering their lives, they became dead in spirit and more alive in flesh and sensitive to the physical realm, realizing they were naked.

We are actually designed to be alive and active in the spiritual realm, instead became sensitive to the physical because of sin . However, when we accept Jesus as our savior, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us and helps us to stay alive in the spirit.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Romans 8:14

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Ezekiel 36:27

When our spirit is connected to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit (Staying Connected), we will be led by Him and will be spiritually awake, being fully aware of the truths of spiritual world. Anything else that gets inside of us, other than the truth of God are foreign bodies that try to infiltrate our spirit. Fear, despair, doubts, hopelessness, unhappiness, loneliness, pride, lust, greed, worthless, selfishness, anxiousness, worry, etc., are examples of the foreign bodies that try to get into our spirit and affect our spiritual health. Unless we have a strong spiritual immune system, we cannot fight these viruses and bacteria. And when these viruses win over our spirit, they infect us and will lead us to stray away from fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for our life, and risk our eternal life.

All the matters in our spirit that are against the realities of the spiritual realm are the viruses and bacteria that try to infect us and affect our spiritual well being. They lead us to stray away from fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for our life, and risk our eternal life.

Building spiritual immune system

If our spiritual immune system is strong enough to fight and win over the viruses and bacteria that try to infect, they cannot bring any kind of harm to us. We will then be able to carryout the purposes, plans and missions for which God has chosen us. So it is very important to build a strong immune system.

In the physical realm, we follow a healthy life style like eating healthy, exercising, etc., to build our immunity. It is not built in a day. The immunity gets better by consistently following a healthy life style. Similarly in the spiritual, we need to follow a consistent healthy life style.

Anchoring on Jesus

As we saw before, with the entry of sin, the flesh became more alive than the spirit. The only way to get our spirit alive is through Jesus – by accepting Him as our savior. When we accept Jesus, Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us and helps us to stay alive in the spirit. So when we have Jesus as our savior and is in communion with the Holy Spirit, when problems or trouble come our way, they will not overwhelm us or weaken our spirits. Our spirits will stay strong anchored on Jesus, the strong tower.

Anchor yourself on Jesus

Word of God

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Matthew 4:4

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

John 6:35

as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

1 Peter 2:2

The word of God is the food that will provide us the right vitamins and minerals needed for our spirit to stay fit and healthy. It is filled with the mysteries and truths of the spiritual world. As we eat and drink of it – meaning read and meditate on it, the mysteries and the secrets of this unseen world will be revealed to us one by one.

Jesus is the word of God as given in the Gospel of John. He also is the bread of life. So without Jesus and the word of God, our spirits will not be nourished. For our spirits to grow and get stronger, we need the word daily as many times as we eat food. We should eat proper meals and even snack on it. If we choose not to eat or drink in the physical, we will definitely die. The same with our spiritual food. If we choose not to eat or drink (read and meditate the word of God) our spirit will be dead.

Read and meditate the word of God for our spirits to grow and remain healthy. This is a continuous process and should be done regularly.

Word of God is the food that nourishes our spirit and lets it grow stronger.

Praying in the Spirit

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

Ephesians 6:18

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

Jude 1:20

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 

1 Corinthians 14:4

Prayer was an integral part of Jesus ministry. He took time alone from the crowds and even His disciples to pray. Before crucifixion, being in agony he prayed and it strengthened Him to go through what lay before Him. Prayer is a Power-Packed Spirit Strengthener.

Praying in the spirit is to let Holy Spirit pray for us. We do not know what exactly to pray for because our understanding is limited. However, the Spirit of God knows exactly what to pray for. So let the Holy Spirit inside of you to pray for you. This happens when we pray in other tongues. It builds your spirit like how we build muscles when we exercise. It also builds our faith in God. So like how we work out regularly and sweat it out to build strong muscles, we need to pray in tongues regularly. Set apart time like how we set apart our time for work-outs.

Prayer is a Power-Packed Spirit Strengthener. Pray in tongues to build your spirit and your faith.

Worship

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

John 4:24

Worship is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration. When we worship we should worship in Spirit and Truth. It brings alive the spiritual world. We read in Acts 16: 16 that Paul and Silas were imprisoned in the city of Philippi. But that did not stop them from praying to God or worshipping Him. At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and worshipping God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. Worship changes the natural atmosphere to the supernatural. It brings the spiritual world alive in the physical.

Worship brings the spiritual world alive in the physical.

Treasures uncovered

All the matters in our spirit that are against the realities of the spiritual realm are the viruses and bacteria that try to infect us and affect our spiritual well being. They lead us to stray away from fulfilling God’s plan and purpose for our life, and risk our eternal life.

To build our spiritual immune system,

  • Anchor yourself on Jesus
  • Word of God is the food that nourishes our spirit and lets it grow stronger. So eat and drink form the word of God
  • Prayer is a Power-Packed Spirit Strengthener. Pray in tongues to build your spirit and your faith.
  • Worship God for it brings the spiritual world alive in the physical.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for enlightening us about our spiritual being. Help us to build a strong spiritual immune system. Help us to consistently read and meditate the word. Help us to set aside our time to pray to you and worship you in truth and in spirit. In Jesus‘s name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

The WILL of GOD

Posted on by christianliving4young

In life we have to make several choices. We have to choose career options, universities, job opportunities, friends, life partners, business partners, etc. The choices that we make, determines the course of our life and hence bad choices affects our journey ahead. Our loved ones, specially parents, are concerned about the choices we make and tries to impose their WILL on us. We all know that God loves us very much, so is He concerned about our choices too? Does He have a WILL concerning our choices and does He impose it on us?

Let us look into the treasure book to find clues.

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Is God Concerned?

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

II Peter 3:9

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:38‭-‬40

God is definitely concerned about all Humanity. He is not willing that anyone perishes but has given us a salvation plan that “whoever believes in the Son, Jesus has everlasting life“. All the choices we make in life eventually leads us into two major paths, (as we already learned in “Life – The bigger picture“) – the wider path to eternal perishing and the narrow path which is JESUS himself leading to eternal life. God has given us FREE WILL to choose between the two. And HIS WILL for us is that we choose ETERNAL LIFE. He WILLS that we believe in His son JESUS and has EVERLASTING LIFE. So he is patient and gives us many chances to get to the right path. Grabbing the opportunity and getting on the right track however is our choice. God does not force it on us.

God is concerned about the choices we make in life and has a WILL regarding our choices, but does not force it on us.

Jesus our perfect example

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

John 4:34

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:21‭

Food is one of our basic requirements to live in the physical world and without it we will starve to death. Jesus considered doing His father’s WILL as food – a basic requirement to live in the spiritual realm, without which perishing is a surety. Even if we are great achievers in the world we live and have worked for the kingdom of God, if we do not do the will of God, entry to heaven is denied. And the WILL of God is that ” We believe in Jesus who is the only way to eternal life.”

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 6:38‭

saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Luke 22:42

Jesus is the perfect man to have lived on Earth. He is the best example we can look upon. Jesus was more concerned about the WILL of His father rather than His own WILL. He came to live on Earth not in His own will but His father’s. He was mindful of the Will of His father for which He came to earth. We read in Luke 22:39-44 that, just before His crucifixion, He went with His disciples to pray in the garden of Gethsemane. He was in great agony knowing what He had to suffer and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground. Even at this point of extreme mental stress, He opted for His father’s will – “nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done”. It was definitely not easy for Him but still He chose to do His Father’s will.

Many a times we too will be in stressful situations which are not easy to get through. But those situations are not an excuse for us to stray away from the WILL of God. We too should be mindful of our Father’s WILL in all situations and walks of life.

Doing God’s will is food that sustain us in the spiritual realm. We should be mindful of doing God’s Will and not ours, no matter how tough our situations are.

God’s WILL concerning us

God’s WILL concerning all of humanity is that we do not perish but believe in Jesus and have everlasting life. Jesus is the only narrow path that leads to everlasting life and any other path leads us to eternal perishing. We should keep ourselves from all evil and wicked ways that leads us to destruction but do good as our Father wills.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

His will for us is to rejoice always and not be worried about the issues of life. He also wills for us to always pray without ceasing, that is to communicate with Him 24×7. He wills that we are grateful for everything in life. He wills that we do good by being just, merciful, and humble. He also wills that we keep ourselves from all evil and wicked ways. These are His GENERIC WILLS concerning us.

He also has SPECIFIC WILLS for each of our lives. Like how Jesus was sent to save all human kind, David was sent to be a ruler over Israel, Paul to be an apostle, each of us are on earth with specific purposes. Jesus knew the specific will of God concerning Him and did everything according to this. How do we get to know the specific will of God concerning us to be able to function under His will? Let us look into the life of Elijah, the prophet.

In 1 Kings 17, we see God communicating with Elijah at different times. God told Elijah to tell the inhabitants of Gilead, that it will not dew or rain except at his word. After Elijah carried out His will the next word came to him, “Get away from here and hide by the Brook Cherith. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” Elijah did according to the word from God and carried out His will. After a while the brook dried up because of no rain and then again the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath and dwell there. I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to the widow at Zarephath as per the word and will of God. And it continues. At all phases, walks and situations in his life, Elijah got to know the specific Will of God concerning him. He was in a personal relationship with God and recognized His voice at all times. When He walked in His will and obeyed, the next word came to Him. So walking in an intimate relationship with God, doing His will at all times and being obedient helps us to know His specific WILL concerning us.

When we continue to live believing in Jesus and share a personal & intimate relationship with Him, obeying Him – the specific will of God concerning us for specific times will be revealed to us through His Holy spirit who lives inside of us.

Treasures uncovered

God is concerned about the choices we make in life and has a WILL regarding our choices, but does not force it on us.

Doing God’s will is food that sustain us in the spiritual realm. We should be mindful of doing God’s Will and not ours, no matter how tough our situations are.

When we continue to live beliving in Jesus and share a personal & intimate relationship with Him, obeying Him – the specific will of God concerning us for specific times will be revealed to us through His Holy spirit who lives inside of us.

Prayer:

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Psalms 143:10
Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Shhh… It’s a Secret !!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

Do you have secrets? Remember the time you bunked classes and went for a movie with your friends? Shhh!!! it is still a secret!!! We all have several secrets that we either keep to ourselves or we share with our most trusted friends.

Even in different walks of life, we see people holding on to different types of secrets. Governments and political leadership have their secret strategies, each country has its own secret defense operations, FBI has their secret missions, restaurants keep their secret recipes, businesses keep their trade secrets and so on.

What does the bible tell us about secrets? Does God have secrets?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues.

Does God have secrets?

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

Amos 3:7

For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright.

Proverbs 3:32

God has secrets too. However, His secret counsel is only with the upright. Similar to how we share our little secrets with our most trusted friends, He too shares His secrets with His trusted friends – the upright. The floods during the time of Noah is an example. Noah was upright before God and He revealed the plans of flood only to Noah. We see another example in Genesis 18. God and His angels after visiting Abraham were leaving to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Even though it remained a secret to other people, He chose to share with Abraham what He was about to do. Abraham was called “Friend of God” and God revealed His secret mission to His friend, Abraham. Throughout the ages we see that, without revealing His secrets to His friends, God has not done anything in the world. God remains the same yesterday, today and forever.

The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were kept a secret from the foundation of the world as written in Matthew 13:35. Jesus, while on earth, spoke about these mysteries using parables and those parables were not understood by everyone. Jesus explained them to His friends – the disciples, later on when they were alone. Even today, these things are not understood by all people in the world. They are only revealed to His friends – the ones who does His commands and walks in His ways. To others, it still remains a secret.

God has secrets and He reveals it to the upright – His friends.

Does God know our secrets?

“Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the Lord;
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:24

Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

Psalm 44:21

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:13

God is omniscient, meaning He is all knowledgeable. He knows everything and nothing is hidden from Him. No creature can hide from His sight. He also knows the secrets hidden in people’s hearts. He is a discerner of thoughts and knows the very intend behind those thoughts. Every thing is wide open before Him. All secretive plans that people make to hurt, to ambush or to destroy one another is all open before Him. Even your secret desires and ambitions whether good or bad is wide open before God. So no matter how deep you bury your secrets, or how efficiently you hide it, those secrets are naked and open to His eyes. Simply put, God knows all our secrets. Ugly or bad, He knows it all – even the shameful things which are done in the dark. So beware, next time you make an ugly secretive plan in your heart, God knows exactly what you are planning. You cannot hide your secrets from God.

No secret is deep enough to be hidden from God – He knows it all.

Does God expect us to do anything in secret?

But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

Matthew 6:3-4

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 

Matthew 6:6

But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:17-18

There are certain things that God expects us to do in secret. As we already established, God knows all our secrets. So God expects us to do those things in secret so that it stays only between us and Him. Our prayers, our fast and our charitable / good deeds should be done in secret. These should be affairs between only us & God, and not public to get praises from people.

Our prayer life and fasting should not be limited to corporate prayers and fasts that we do at Church meetings only. In such cases, the only intention is to show others that you are upright. Pray when you are alone with God and fast without making it public. Similarly, when we do good deeds, it should not be for being recognized or praised or for fame and publicity. The good deeds that we do should be done in secret where God is our only audience. All our deeds should be focused on pleasing God and not pleasing people. God who sees these in secret will reward us openly. So be vigilant, so that we are not cheated by our own selfish desires and ambitions. Remember, our heart’s desires are wide open before Him and He knows the exact intentions behind each action. So do these in secret with the right intentions and rise up to His expectations.

Our prayers, our fasts and our good deeds should be done in secret – to be seen only by God. Our Father who sees in secret will reward us in the open.

Treasures uncovered

God has secrets and He reveals it to the upright – His friends.

No secret is deep enough to be hidden from God – He knows it all. Our secrets are wide open before Him.

Our prayers, our fasts and our good deeds should be done in secret – to be seen only by God. Our Father who sees in secret will reward us in the open.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for revealing your secrets to the upright. Help us to always remember that our secrets are wide open before you and that we cannot hide anything from you. Help us to concentrate on pleasing you and secretly carry out our good deeds. We love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Pleasing God

Posted on by christianliving4young

Our parents have the highest authority over our lives as long as we remain under their care and protection. If we are disobedient with them, we will be punished for sure. However, if we put on our best behavior by being obedient and carrying out the things that are expected of us, our parents will be happy and pleased with us. For instance, if we obey and respect our parents, do all our chores with perfection, get good grades at our school, etc., our parents will be very pleased with us. This will make sure we have an edge over our siblings in everything. The same at schools and colleges too. Our teachers too will be very pleased with us, if we do what is expected of us – respect them and be obedient to them, complete our assignments on time, score good grades, etc. We will also see them favoring us over others.

If pleasing parents and teachers brings us benefits, how will it be if we pleased God, the supreme authority over all creations. Can we please God by any chance? Let us look into the treasure book to hunt out clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Is it possible to please God?

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:21-22

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”

Matthew 17:5

In the first passage from Luke, Jesus is getting baptized. When He prayed, the heaven opened and Father God confirmed that He is well pleased with Jesus, His son. In the second passage from Matthew, Jesus took Peter, James, and John on a high mountain and He transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. There they heard the voice of God from heaven confirming to them that Jesus is His son and that He is well pleased in Him.

Jesus during His life time on earth, pleased God so very well.

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Hebrews 11:5

Enoch walked with God all his days (Genesis 5: 21-24). He too pleased God.

We saw that Jesus and Enoch pleased God. So it is possible to please God. If they could, definitely we too can.

How to please God?

Faith

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

Faith pleases God. Faith is a thorough belief without seeing or having any solid proof. We do not see God, but definitely believe in the existence of God. Believing in the all powerful God and having faith that He rewards those who diligently seek Him pleases Him. We see many people with extraordinary faith in the Bible. During the ministry of Jesus, many were healed because of their faith. The woman with the issue of blood is one such example. Jesus tells her – “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Luke 8:40-48). There were even times when Jesus Himself marveled at the faith of certain people like the centurion who is mentioned in Matthew 8. So faith pleases God and brings about deliverances.

Faith pleases God

Doing what is expected of us

Doing what God expects from us pleases Him. So we should get to know what He expects from us.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Deuteronomy 10:12

God expects us to love Him and serve Him with all of our being. As Jesus taught, the first and greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind” (“Give it all”). Keeping the greatest commandment pleases Him. We also have to serve Him with all our heart and soul. Only if we love Him with all our being, we will be able to serve Him with all of our being. And this pleases God.

To Fear the Lord is to hate wickedness and all evil ways as we already learned in “The Fear of the Lord”. So God expects us to hate all evil and wicked ways.

We are also expected to walk in all His ways. We saw Jesus and Enoch walked with God and in all His ways, no wonder God was pleased with them! Walking in His ways is to keep His commands. How do we get to know His ways?

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 14:26

The word of God teaches us about God, His likes & dislikes, His commands and everything else about Him. By reading and meditating the word of God, we get to know His ways and commands. As we know, Holy Spirit lives inside of us from the time we accept Jesus as our savior. Holy Spirit is the one who reveals to us the word and teaches us His ways. Doing good, loving, sharing, obedience, humility, gentleness, kindness, forgiveness, faithfulness, etc., are few of His ways. As you read and meditate on the word, more of His ways will be revealed to you. Walking in all His ways also pleases Him.

So we, His children, are expected to love and serve Him with all our being, walk in His ways and hate evil & wicked ways.

If we do what is expected of us, God will definitely be pleased with us!!!

Example of Solomon I Kings 3:4-‬13

After King David, his son Solomon became the king of Israel. We will look into an instance from Solomon’s life that pleased God and see how it benefited him.

After Solomon offered sacrifices, the Lord appeared to him in a dream by night and said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to David my father. Now, O Lord my God, You have made me king, but I am a little child in the midst of Your people who are too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give me an understanding heart to judge Your people rightly.” This pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked for wisdom. Then God said to him: “Because you have not asked long life nor riches for yourself, nor the life of your enemies, but asked for understanding to discern justice, I have done according to your words. I have given you a wise and understanding heart. There has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.

Israel was the chosen people of God and had become a big nation by now. David had many sons besides Solomon, but he was chosen as king of Israel after David. Handling the affairs of God’s chosen people and serving them is serving God. Solomon knew, he had to take care of the nations affairs in justice as this is God’s way. He needed divine wisdom to serve the people. When God appeared, Solomon asked only for a wise heart to judge His people, when he had the opportunity to ask for riches, long life, or anything else he desired. But he put God first. Serving God & His ways were a priority over his own desires. This pleased God. God not only gave him the wisdom he asked for, but also riches and honor which he did not ask. God made him the wisest of wise amongst all generation. Fame, Riches and Honor followed Him. The one instance that pleased God changed Solomon’s life forever.

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

1 John 3:22

As we established before, Walking in His ways and keeping His commandments pleases Him. If we please Him, we will receive whatever we ask for. From Solomon’s life we see that we will receive more than what we ask for.

Treasures uncovered

Faith pleases God.

Doing what is expected of us pleases God. God expects us to love and serve Him with all our being, walk in His ways and hate evil & wicked ways.

If we please Him, we will receive whatever we ask for and even more.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us what is expected of us. Help us to walk in all your ways, love you & serve you with all our being and hate all evil & wicked ways. Holy Spirit, teach us the ways of God and help us to have faith in God. Help us to live a life pleasing in your eyes. In Jesus name, Amen.