Category: God & Me

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Besties for Life

Posted on by christianliving4young

We all have at least one bestie whom we call our “BFF”. We share all our secrets with them, we hang out, watch movies together, study together, play together, give advices to each other, find solutions to each other’s problems, etc… They understand us better than our family. However, life brings us such dark times that neither our besties nor our family will be able to help us… Whom will we turn to? Is there anyone who can help us in such situations? Who will be by our side during such terrible times? Is there anyone who cares for us more than our friends and family?

Let us open the treasure book and find some clues!!!

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1 – Isaiah 49:15, Psalms 27:10

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.

Isaiah 49:15

When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

Psalms 27:10

A mother who nursed her child can never forget the child, but even if it so happens that she forgets her child, the Lord will NEVER FORGET US!!! Parents loves us the most – more than anyone else in this world. They are very much concerned about our well-being and they sacrifice a lot for our sake… They would never want to abandon us. But if such a situation arises when “Our Own” abandons us, where will we turn to? The Lord, for he will take care of us. He will be by our side always… He will never leave us nor forsake us… He loves us unconditionally – more than even our parents!!! We cannot see such perfect love anywhere else.

Clue 2 – Luke 8:26-39, Mark 5:1-20

Jesus with his disciples went to a place called Gadarenes where he met a man who was possessed with demons. This man was not in his right mind and behaved crazy. He did not wear cloths and he lived in tombs. His family and friends disowned him as he was a nuisance and burden to them. They bound him in chains and shackles. But he broke loose of the bondage and wandered in the wilderness. Night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. The demons tortured him and no one could tame him or help him. He was in a very pathetic condition when Jesus met him. Jesus, the Son of God, has authority over the demons. When He saw this man, He had compassion on him and set him FREE from the captivity and torture of the demons. The man came back to his right mind and behavior. Jesus stayed by his side and helped him out from his terrible condition when everyone else remained helpless.

No matter how terrible our situation or condition is, Jesus is able to help us and bring us out of it.

Clue 3 – Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Isaiah 41:10

This is a promise that God has given us. We need not fear because the all-powerful, all-knowledgeable and sovereign God is WITH US. HE is by our side always… We need not be discouraged at all because HE is our GOD. God will strengthen us, help us and uphold us.

It will be so good to have such person as our best friend, who is with us always, who encourages us, who takes care of us and strengthens us…

Treasures uncovered

What do we look for in a bestie?

A bestie should be honest, faithful, trustworthy, non-judgmental, encouraging, loving and caring. Also they should stand by us during times of failures and help us in our need.

GOD is the perfect Bestie we can ever have.

God is Honest and trustworthy. He always keeps his word and promises.

He is faithful. Even if the parents who gave birth to us disowns us, He will not leave us or abandon us, but will be by our side always and takes care of us.

He loves us unconditionally… While we were still sinners, He laid down his life for us to save us from the eternal fire.

He is not judgmental. He knows everything concerning us and accepts us as we are.

He is an ever present help during times of trouble.

He encourages us, strengthens us and upholds us.

What more do we need in a bestie? So get closer to Him… Seek Him and you will find Him. Make Him your bestie…

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that you are the perfect bestie that we can ever find. Thank you for being a great friend to us and for taking care of us. Thank you for always standing by our side and loving us unconditionally. We love you, in Jesus name Amen!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Give it ALL

Posted on by christianliving4young

There are certain special people in our life whom we try to impress. We put on our very best behavior while with them. We sooo want to get in their good books and friend circle that we make sure everything that we do and say is right when we are with them. We also do the best we can to care for them and make them happy!!!

How then should we be with the Lord our God? Let us open the treasure book and find clues…

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1 – Matthew 22:37-38

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

When it comes to God, we should LOVE him with ALL our HEART, ALL our SOUL and ALL our mind. In Luke 10:27 in addition to these it is also written “with ALL our STRENGTH”. This is a commandment – an order and not a suggestion. This is also the first and great commandment.

Heart, Soul and Mind makes up our personality – our behavior, our thoughts and our emotions defines who we are. Our strength represents our physique or our body… So when we love God we should LOVE him with ALL that we are – ALL of our HEART should love him, ALL of our SOUL should love him, ALL of our MIND should love him and with ALL of our STRENGTH / MIGHT we should love him. Our love towards him should not be half-done or incomplete, but COMPLETE with the involvement of our entire being. When all of our being is committed in loving him then nothing else will take the place of God in our lives!!!

Commit yourself completely in LOVING GOD!!!! With all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength!!

Clue 2 – Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

When we trust the Lord, we should do it with ALL our HEART. When all our heart is involved in trusting him, doubt or disbelief has no place… The trust will be complete… Give in all your Heart in trusting God.

When we acknowledge him, we should do it in ALL our ways!! We should not do it only for a certain period of time or only for certain ways / paths that we take… Acknowledging should also be complete – in ALL our ways!!!

Clue 3 – Jeremiah 29:13

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

Jeremiah 29:13

The word of God says that if we seek him we will find him, provided we seek him with ALL our heart. “ALL” again indicate completeness. We should commit our complete heart in seeking HIM… We have to give our undivided attention and commitment in seeking him.

Treasures uncovered

When it comes to God,

We have to GIVE IT ALL!!

Our COMPLETE SELF (all that we are) in LOVING HIM

Our COMPLETE HEART in TRUSTING HIM

Our COMPLETE WAYS / PATHS in ACKNOWLEDGING HIM

Our COMPLETE ATTENTION & COMMITMENT in SEEKING HIM.

For God, how our “Heart is engaged” matters a lot!!! The complete immersion of our heart is KEY in all matters concerning GOD, whether in loving HIM or trusting HIM or acknowledging HIM or seeking HIM. We have to give him our ALL and not partial or incomplete or fractional involvement. When we give our ALL, GOD becomes primary in our life and everything else fades before us and loses its value. So Give HIM your ALL!!!

Prayer:

Father we thank you for teaching us that our heart’s engagement really matters to you and in all things concerning you, we have to give our undivided and complete attention. Help us to fill our heart completely with you. Help us to love you with all that we are, acknowledge you in all our ways, trust you and seek you with all our heart. Help us to be committed to you all throughout our lives.. We love you Lord, in Jesus name… Amen!!!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

Effective Prayer

Posted on by christianliving4young

Prayer is talking to GOD and having a personal time of fellowship with Him. If you do not pray daily, well…. now is a good time to start talking to your father in heaven. It is vital for a fruitful and successful Christian life. When we talk to him daily, we build our relationship with him, if not he will always be a stranger to us. When we talk to him, we will also hear from him and will be able to recognize his voice. So let us begin our journey of prayer!!!

How do we pray?

Pray

Let us open the treasure book…

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

CLUE:1 Matthew 6: 6

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

Personal prayer time is not to show others your proficiency / fluency or to get their attention. It should be done in private – a secret time just between you and your father in heaven. This is what Jesus taught his disciples and what he practiced while on earth. He used to step away from the crowds & even his disciples and went to mountains for his personal time with God, spending all night in prayer. So first, move away from the crowds to your secret place to spend time in prayer.

CLUE:2 Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

Philippians 4:6

Begin prayer with thanksgiving. Remember everything God has done for, provided for, taken care of and thank Him for that. Then make your requests known to God.

CLUE:3
1 Samuel 1, Matthew 6: 7-8

There was a man named Elkanah from Ephraim and Hanna was his wife. She did not have any children and this made her very unhappy. Every year they would go as a family to worship and sacrifice to the Lord at Shiloh where Eli and his sons were the priests. One year as they went, Hannah was too sad and wept in pain before the lord and prayed. As she was praying, the priest Eli saw her and watched her. He thought she was drunk and rebuked her. But she told him

I am not drunk, but I am pouring out my soul before the Lord”.

Later on we see that God answered her prayer and a son was born to her, prophet Samuel who judged the people of Israel.

Hanna while praying poured out her soul before God. She was not pretentious or fake, but by pouring out her heart before God, she made her problem known to Him the same way she felt it. Her prayer was answered. So “be yourself” before God and “pour out your heart to him”.

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Matthew 6: 7-8

Do not use vain repetitions while praying because you are not heard for the repeated words you speak. Your father knows all your needs even before you ask and you don’t have to always repeat them. Do not corrupt the relationship by talking only about your needs. Your needs will be taken care of !!!

CLUE:4
Mark 11:24, John 14:14

Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Mark 11:24

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

John 14:14

Believing that you receive what you have asked for and asking it in the name of Jesus makes sure the prayer is answered!!!

Treasures uncovered

How to pray effectively

Pray in secret

Begin your prayer with thanksgiving

Be yourself before God and pour out your heart before him – do not be fake or pretentious and do not use vain repetitions

When you ask believe that you receive and ask everything in the name of Jesus

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us how to pray. Help us to pray daily and have a personal relationship with you. Help us to be thankful and be ourselves before you. Help us to believe that our prayers will be answered, in Jesus name AMEN!!!

Posted in Ages 11 & above, God & Me

What does God notice in me?

Posted on by christianliving4young

We meet a lot of people in our day-to-day life. When we look at a person, each of us notices different things. Some of us notice their appearance or their style – their shoes, dress, hairstyle, watch, etc. And others their fluency in speaking or their expressions or their behavior, and so on!!!

Have you ever wondered what God would notice in us when he looks at us?

Let us open the treasure book for clues:

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1 : 1 Samuel 16

There was a man named Jesse, who lived in Bethlehem with his eight sons. God asked Samuel, the prophet, to anoint a son of Jesse but did not tell him which one. Samuel went to Jesse and the first son was presented to him.

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.”

1 Samuel 16:7

The first seven sons of Jesse were presented to prophet Samuel and God did not ask him to anoint any of them. Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons. David, the youngest was a shepherd boy and at this time he was taking care of his father’s sheep. He was called back home for Samuel to see him. When David arrived, the Lord said “this is the one, anoint him“. Then Samuel anointed him in the midst of his brothers.

Why did God choose David over his brothers ?

God was well pleased with David’s heart and chose him!!! The Lord does not look at our outward appearance, but at our HEART!!!

Clue 2 : Genesis 4: 3-5

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 17:10 

The Lord searches people’s heart and test their mind to see what their intentions are. And then rewards them based on their conduct and according to what their deeds deserve.

This character of God is clearly seen in the story of Cain & Abel. God RESPECTED Abel and his offering, but did not respect Cain and his offering.

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

Genesis 4: 3-5

WHY did God respect Abel but not Cain? He searched both their hearts & its intentions and respected the heart with good intentions – the reward for Abel’s conduct. How do we know Cain’s heart’s intentions were not good? Later on we see that Cain called his brother Abel to the field and murdered him. So his heart was evil and not right in the eyes of GOD, the reason why God did not respect him or his offering !!!

Treasures uncovered

When GOD looks at us, HE notices our HEART and its INTENTS.

GOD respects a person with Good heart and intentions.

When God looks at us, he notices our heart and its intents – not our appearance, our abilities, our education or our culture!!! God searches our heart and sees what we are made of…. GOOD or EVIL!!! He will see the intentions behind all our actions – do you intent to cheat, hurt or do you actually care!!! Are your feelings for others, genuine or fake?

Be genuine to God and to everyone around you. Let us fill our hearts with love, God’s word, & goodness. Let us ask Jesus to help us change our hearts, to make it pleasing in the eyes of God.

Prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 139: 23-24

Father we thank you for letting us know that our heart and its intents matters to you more than our appearance or our intellect… Help us to have a clean and pure heart that is pleasing to you!!! In Jesus name Amen!!!