Category: Life Skills

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Sustaining relationships

Posted on by christianliving4young

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

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

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

Placing relationships right

LOVE is vital to any relationship that we consider valuable.

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

Matthew 22:37-38

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

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

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

Genesis 2:24

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

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

The vital Factor

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

1 Peter 4:8

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

Matthew 22:37-38

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

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

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

Handling Expectations

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

Matthew 7:12 ESV

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

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

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

Treasures uncovered

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

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

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

Prayer:

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

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

OMG !!! What do I do?

Posted on by christianliving4young

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

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Example of Saul (1 Samuel 13)

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

Analysis

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

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

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

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

Analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isaiah 43:1-2

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

Isaiah 26:3

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

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

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

Treasures uncovered

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

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

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

Prayer:

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

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

You are not a Loser!!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

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

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

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Our identity

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

Jeremiah 31:3

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

Romans 5:8

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

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

Ephesians 2:10

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

Jeremiah 29:11

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

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

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

Facing the troops

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

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

Deuteronomy 31:6

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

Psalm 118:6

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

Proverbs 29:25

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

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

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

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

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

Treasures uncovered

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

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

Prayer:

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

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Needs and Wants

Posted on by christianliving4young

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

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

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Needs

Need is an essential requirement for survival.

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

Matthew 6: 25-26

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

Matthew 6:31-33

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

Philippians 4:19

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

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

God provides for Elijah & Widow ( 1 Kings 17 )

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

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

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

1 John 3:17

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

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

Wants

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

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

James 1:14-15

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

Galatians 5:16

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

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

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

James 1:17

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

Psalms 37:3-4

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

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

Treasures uncovered

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

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

Prayer:

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

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

How to approach a Broken Heart

Posted on by christianliving4young

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

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

Let us dive into the treasure book for clues…

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Why a broken heart?

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

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

Revelation 21:4

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

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

Approaching a broken heart

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

Psalms 27:13-14

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

Psalms 34:18

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

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

John 16:21

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

Psalms 30:5

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

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

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

Isaiah 53:3

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

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

Examples

Hannah ( 1 samuel 1)

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

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

Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10)

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

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

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

Treasures uncovered

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

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

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

Prayer:

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

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Love

Posted on by christianliving4young

Love is an amazing feeling and a wonderful experience. There is absolutely no one in this world who has not experienced love – it could be the love of parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, pets, teachers, spouses or GOD. There is different dimension to love and it varies from one relationship to the other. Though the kind of love varies in each relationship, we all will agree it is a beautiful feeling and a wonderful experience to be loved and to love one other. Without love, the world would be gloomy, sad and a depressing place to stay. What does the treasure book speak about love?

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Definition of love

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:16

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:8

Dictionary defines love as an intense feeling of deep affection. The biblical definition of love is “God is Love“. There is no better definition for love but God himself. He is Love and the only true source of love. The demonstration of His love is seen on the cross of Calvary.

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

Romans 5:8

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

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 4:10

Jesus, the Son of God was sent to die on the cross for the sake of mankind – to redeem us from the power of darkness and bring us back to the kingdom of light as children of the living God. He did not have to do this. He could have just left us in the pathetic condition we were in – living in the kingdom of darkness in affliction as slaves of Satan. But He loved us so very much that He gave His only begotten Son to take up the punishment that we deserved and brought us back to the kingdom of light as children of God. He did this out of pure unconditional love. Unconditional means there are no conditions or strings attached. It is the kind of love that is not based on what someone does for you in return. You simply love them and want nothing more than their happiness. God loved us while we were still sinners and Christ died for our sake taking our punishment not expecting anything in return but just for our happiness – for us to have eternal life and not perish in the lake of fire. There is no other greater love than laying ones life for his loved ones and that is what Jesus did for us.

The biblical definition of love is God Himself. His love towards us is unconditional. He demonstrated this love by sending His son Jesus to die for our sake just so that we do not perish but can have eternal life, if we believe in Him.

Our Part

‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Mark 12:30-31

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:12

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

The first and the second commandment that God has given us is concerning love. So that’s how important “love” is for God. The first commandment is regarding Loving God – we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The second one is to love one another. The Love for God should be above the love towards any other human or thing or animal. Our first love should be God and then one another. Jesus also taught that we should even love our enemies no matter how bad they are to us. God does not Hate us even when we sin. It would definitely upset Him to see us doing wrong but that will never cause Him to hate us. If He had hated us for the sins we committed, He would never have sent Jesus to redeem us. Hatred is never an option for us. We should love one another including our enemies.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

1 John 4:20

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:35

We already saw that God is love. Also, Love is of God – meaning God is the only source of true love. Love comes to us from God. So Love is a factor that helps us to find if we truly share a relationship with God – if we actually know God and belong to Him. It also tell us if a person truly loves God. If you do not love one another whom you see in person, then you cannot love God whom you cannot see. If anyone hates a person, then he does not love God. Loving one another also shows we are disciples of Christ.

Love brings to light our actual relationship with God. As children of God, we are to first love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Then love one another including our enemies. If we do not have love for one another we are not born of God and do not know God.

Treasures uncovered

The biblical definition of love is God Himself. His love towards us is unconditional. He demonstrated this love by sending His son Jesus to die for our sake just so that we do not perish but can have eternal life, if we beleive in Him.

Love brings to light our actual relationship with God. As children of God, we are to first love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Then love one another including our enemies. If we do not have love for one another we are not born of God and do not know God.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for teaching us that You are Love and is the source of true love. We thank you for loving us unconditionally. Jesus we thank you for putting us before you and taking up our punishment to give us eternal life full of happiness. Help us to love you with our complete self and to love one another. We love you Jesus, in Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Life Partner

Posted on by christianliving4young

We humans are social beings and are dependent on each other. Even though in this century, people think they can handle everything on their own, it is not easy to survive as a loner. Loneliness hurts and affects mental wellbeing which can lead to depression and suicides. God knew that it is not good for humans to stay alone and hence He introduced the institution of marriage. Let us find out more from the treasure book.

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God’s design of life partners

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Genesis 2:18

After God made Adam, He knew it was not good for Adam to be alone. He created a helper for him – Eve, and blessed them to multiply, rule the earth and subdue it. Loneliness was the key factor that was considered in creating a partner for Adam. God created the first humans as man and woman so that they are not lonely but could enjoy each others company, help each other and be there for each other.

God designed life partnerships because loneliness is not good for humans. Life partners are to be a companion and helper to each other.

Whom NOT to partner with

There comes a time in our lives, when we should choose our life partners. We should be very careful in choosing the right partners as they become our greatest influencers. Influencers have a very big role in our lives as we learned in “Choosing Influencers“. If we do not choose wisely, we can end up in the road to destruction because “Bad company corrupts good character” as said in the word of God. We will look into an example of a couple from I Kings 21.

Ahab & Jezebel

During the time of prophet Elijah, Ahab reigned as the king of Samaria and he took Jezebel, the princess of Sidon as his wife. Next to his palace, was a vineyard that belonged to a man named Naboth. King Ahab desired to have this vineyard and approached Naboth to get it by paying a price or in exchange of a better vineyard. But Naboth refused to give it to the king as it was his ancestral property. The king was displeased and was sulking at his palace without eating. Jezebel, his wife got to know about this and told him that she will get him the vineyard he wanted. For this, she wrote letters in the King’s name, sealed them with his seal and sent them to the elders and the nobles of the city where Naboth lived. In the letter she gave them a plan to kill Naboth in trickery. The elders and nobles of the city carried out the plot as asked by Jezebel and killed Naboth. Jezebel then informed Ahab about the death of Naboth and asked him to take procession over the land he desired. The wicked and evil ways of Ahab provoked God and He sent His prophet Elijah to tell them about the calamities that will overtake them and their household, which eventually happened.

When we look at this couple, we can see Jezebel was a wife devoted to make her husband happy. When Ahab was sad, she took over and tried to cheer up his spirits. Everyone would love a life partner who is there for you at the time of your distress and go out of their way to comfort you & cheer you up. However, Jezebel did this at the expense of another man’s life. She took evil and wicked ways to attain her husbands desires. Hurting others and taking their lives did not matter to her. She did not fear God but encouraged Ahab to walk in wicked ways.

But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. 

1 Kings 21: 25

Ahab did evil in the eyes of the Lord more than all other kings before him because of his wife Jezebel who encouraged and persuaded him to do wickedness. Jezebel even killed the prophets of God and Ahab rather than stopping her, supported her plot. Slowly, the wicked person will influence your heart to walk in evil ways. So beware of yoking yourself with an evil person. Such a person will not help you but will take you to the pit with them!!! Ahab and his household was cursed because of what was done by Jezebel.

In addition to being evil, Jezebel was a Sidonite who worshipped Baal and Asherah – the false Gods. When Ahab married Jezebel, she also brought her Gods with her. Ahab also worshipped the Gods of his wife. So choosing a life partner who is after other Gods and who do not worship the true God, will definitely lure your hearts away to them. Solomon is another example of who turned away from the true God because of the Gods of his wife. Beware of yoking yourself with an unbeliever.

 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

2 Corinthians 6:14

So before choosing a partner and deciding to spend the rest of your life with them, get to know their character and their relationship with God. If they fear God, they will definitely hate all evil and wicked ways as we already learned in “The Fear of the Lord”. Do not be yoked with the lawless, because they can lure your heart away from your God and lead you to destruction as seen with Ahab and Jezebel.

Do not be yoked with the evil or the unbelieving, because they can lure your heart away from your God and lead you to destruction.

Trust God for “The One”

Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Proverbs 19:14 

The right partner comes from God. So rather than us struggling to find “the M Perfect” or “the Miss Perfect”, give it to the Lord in prayer. He will bring them along at the right time. Like how God gave Eve for Adam, He has the perfect partner for us. But how will you recognize the right partner? When God made Eve and brought her to Adam, immediately he recognized her as his partner. He said “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”. It was revealed to him because he was walking with God and was in communion with Him. So if you walk in communion with the Holy Spirit, He will give you the revelation that this is “the one” like how Eve was revealed to Adam.

When we choose to trust God and wait on Him, things will happen at the right time. When you take up the right partner given by Him, there will also be blessings on your union as how He blessed the first couple on Earth.

Give it to God in prayer because the right partner is revealed by God. Trust Him and wait on Him for “The one”.

Treasures uncovered

God designed life partnerships because loneliness is not good for humans. Life partners are to be a companion and helper to each other.

Do not be yoked with the evil or the unbelieving, because they can lure your heart away from your God and lead you to destruction.

Give it to God in prayer, because the right partner is revealed by God. Trust Him and wait on Him for “The one”.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for this beautiful experience of life partnership. Thank you for the love and care towards us and for providing us the right partner to enjoy our life on earth. Help us not to be yoked with the wrong people. We trust you and believe that you will bring us the right partner at the right time and will reveal to us “The one”. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

When at crossroads…

Posted on by christianliving4young

In life, many times we have stood at various crossroads not knowing in which direction we should move. At any given crucial point, we are bombarded with options and we end up being confused or lost among all those options. There are many paths that look promising, colorful and offer lots of fun. There are also those that look dull and lifeless. We should never choose paths just by looking at them because they might be wrong for us. After all, appearances could be deceptive !!!

Let us open the treasure book to hunt out clues on how to choose right path when at a cross road.

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Paths to avoid

Do not enter the path of the WICKED, and do not walk in the way of EVIL. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

Proverbs 4:14-15

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the UNGODLY, nor stands in the path of SINNERS, Nor sits in the seat of the SCORNFUL

Psalms 1:1

We should never choose the path that wicked people take – cheating & tricking others, hurting and consciously causing trouble for others, and all similar evil ways. God detests evil and hence we should never choose such paths, nor walk in it. But consciously avoid it and turn away from it. Many times, we only see those evil options to climb up the ladder in life. If the way is evil, avoid it and turn away from it; Do not enter it or walk in it.

We should also not walk in the counsel of ungodly as we will also be at the risk of being UNGODLY. We should not stand in the path of sinners nor sit with scoffers. For example, if some of our close friends rebel against their parents to get things done their way, or hang out at places not meant for them, or mock others and bully them – seeing them do these often, we too will feel those are normal things to do and end up being influenced by them. So do not walk in the council of ungodly / sinners / scoffers as those always follow evil ways. Do not choose any evil person as your influencer as such people can influence you into their evil ways. Hate evil and every evil way as we already learned in The Fear of the Lord.

The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

Proverbs 4:19

Taking the path of the wicked and evil is like walking in darkness. When you walk in darkness you do not see your path or see what lies ahead of you or even where you are headed to. It is as if you are blind and cannot see. When you are in the council of evil and follow their path, it is like a blind man leading another blind. Imagine two blind men walking together, they both have no idea about what lies ahead and can stumble and fall. This is what happens when we follow the path of the wicked – we stumble and fall not knowing what made us stumble. Even if we choose the evil path to climb UP the ladder of life, in reality we are FALLING down, not realizing it.

Do not be in the COUNCIL OF EVIL and do not choose the WAY OF EVIL, nor stand in it nor walk in it. But avoid it and turn away from it. The path of the wicked is like darkness and leads to stumbling and falling.

Ponder Your Path

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

Proverbs 4:26

Always ponder your path before taking a step. To Ponder means to carefully think about before making a decision. Pondering will help us to analyse our path and find out the pros and cons and where it will eventually lead us to – destruction or life. All your ways will be established if you invest in carefully thinking about it.

If we do not ponder, we might take the path of the wicked and do not realize it or even recognize it. Without knowing, we would be walking in utter darkness. This happened to David while he was king (2 Samuel 11). It was a time when he had many servants and army heads who worked for him and he had all the pleasures of life at the command of his voice.

During spring when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab his army commander and other servants with him to battle while he remained at his palace. One evening, David walked on the roof and saw a beautiful woman bathing. David inquired about the woman and found she was Bathsheba, who was married to Uriah who was a soldier in David’s army. David committed adultery with her knowing she was married. However, did not realize he was sinning and walking in the path of evil. The woman conceived and when David knew it, he tried to trick Uriah but the plan did not work out. David then asked Joab, his army commander to put Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and withdraw forces from him so that he may die. Joab did so and Uriah was killed. Even after all this, David did not realize he was walking in the wrong path. After Bathsheba mourned for her husband, David took her as wife and she bore him a child. The thing that David had done displeased God, but he neither recognized the path he took nor his mistake. God sent prophet Nathan to David and only then David had a realization of the path he took and the sins he committed. The realization, even though late, helped him from turning away from the path of destruction. However, he had to bear the punishment for his sin.

So make sure to ponder the path of your feet before you step into it so as not to be walking in evil ways.

Ponder the path of your feet.

The right path

Acknowledge God in all your ways and He will show us the right path.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:6

The right path is full of light and shines bright.

Like how wicked ways are completely dark, the right way is always filled with bright sunlight.

But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Proverbs 4:18

God Himself guards and preserves the path .

He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints.

Proverbs 2:8

Our souls will be at rest.

When we rest physically, we are relaxed, happy and at peace. Worries or anxieties do not overtake us. Similarly, when we choose the right path our souls will be at peace and happy.

Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find REST for your SOULS. ”

Jeremiah 6:16

Acknowledge God in all your ways and He will show us the right path which is full of light and shines bright. God Himself guards and preserves the path and our souls will be at rest.

Treasures uncovered

Do not be in the COUNCIL OF EVIL and do not choose the WAY OF EVIL, nor stand in it nor walk in it. But avoid it and turn away from it. The path of the wicked is like darkness and leads to stumbling and falling.

Ponder the path of your feet.

Acknowledge God in all your ways and He will show us the right path which is full of light and shines bright. God Himself guards and preserves the path and our souls will be at rest.

When we see life in a bigger frame, there are only two destinations – eternal life and eternal suffering. The path to eternal life is narrow and that is Jesus – the one and only way. Wide and many are the paths to destruction. All Evil and Ungodly paths leads to eternal destruction. But the good news is you can change your direction to eternal life. When you realize you have taken the wrong path, turn from it, repent and receive Jesus as your savior.

Prayer:

Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.

Psalm 25:4
Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Watch what you watch

Posted on by christianliving4young

During our free time, we long to do those things that we enjoy. Reading books, watching our favorite TV show, playing computer games, listening to our favorite music band, catching up with our friends, etc., are few options we would consider. We need our eyes and ears to be functioning well to indulge in these favorite pass times. Do you know that our eyes and ears also play an important role in determining the course of our life?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues.

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The significance of eyes and ears

Proverbs 23:7 says, “A man is what he thinks”. What fills the inside – the heart, is what comes outside – our actions. So what we fill our hearts with, influences our actions. How do we fill our hearts? We fill our hearts with the information that we “take in” through our eyes and our ears. Let us look into an example that we are all familiar with.

We all know Adam & Eve were deceived by the serpent in the garden of Eden and they sinned. God had clearly instructed them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They knew very clearly that they should not eat the fruit. But how were they enticed into sinning? How did this idea of eating the fruit get into their heart? The serpent started a conversation with the woman and lied to her.

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:4-5

So first, they heard the voice of the serpent. This information, even though a lie, got into their hearts through their ears as the voice of the serpent. Secondly, this information they heard from the serpent was strengthened by the sight of the tree.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. 

Genesis 3:6

Eve saw the tree was good for food and that it was a pleasant sight to the eyes. She took the fruit and ate it. She also gave her husband and he too ate it without any hesitation. What they heard from the serpent and what they saw with their eyes, influenced their action. Their action was wrong because it was disobedience to God and a sin. God threw them out of the garden. It cost them their good life and comfortable place of living.

Things are not different even today. The information that we collect from what we watch/see and what we hear, influences our thinking and our actions. Even though most of such information contradicts the word of God, we still go behind it and end up sinning. So it is very important to consciously monitor what we watch and listen to – the shows, movies, music and even games because they can lead us to sin. The friend circle around us also matters as we take in information from them too, that influences our action.

In Jesus ministry, many people believed in Him and followed Him when they heard and saw the miracles he did.

Eyes and ears are the “entry ways” for information into our heart – good or bad. So what we watch and listen affects our thinking, our actions and our behavior.

Guard eyes and ears

It is important to guard our eyes & ears as these influence our actions and could lead us to sin. Jesus taught that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out because it is better to enter life blind than to rot in hell. Word of God is the ultimate truth that teaches us to walk right and act right. So if we fill out hearts with the word, then our actions will be influenced by it.

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart.

Proverbs 4:20-21

We should incline our ears to the word of God and do not let it depart from our eyes. So when we have the word of God take up our eyes and ears, it will go into our hearts too. However, if it departs from our eyes and ears, it will slowly depart from our hearts too!! Haven’t you heard the saying – “out of sight, out of mind“. If the word of God goes out of sight, then eventually it will go out of mind too. The reason why God gave tassels on the garments of Israelites.

In Numbers 15 (37-40), we read that God spoke to Moses to tell the children of Israel to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations. The tassels were given to them so that each time they look on it they should remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that they do not follow the desires to which their hearts and eyes are naturally inclined to. Cloths are a necessity in life and hence by putting tassels on them, God made sure His words and commands did not depart from their eyes.

Incline your ears to the Word of God and do not let it depart from your eyes. For if it goes out of sight then it goes out of mind.

What to hear and watch

God abides in you. Whatever you listen to and watch, He too is listening and watching. There are certain things that you wouldn’t watch or listen when you are in the company of others. So remember, God is always with you and so watch and listen to only those things you can watch and listen in His company.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:8

We are instructed to meditate on things that are true, noble, pure, lovely, praise worthy and of good report. We cannot meditate on them unless we hear them or see them. So we need to listen to and watch those that are pure, true, noble, pure, lovely, praise worthy and good things. Abstain from watching and listening to wicked and evil reports. Do not watch intimidating murder or horror or cheating stories that will have an adverse effect on us. As we already established, what we watch and listen to influences us and can lead to sin. So watch out and be conscious about the things you see and listen to. Meditate on the good things.

Treasures uncovered

Eyes and ears are the entry ways for information into our heart – good or bad. So what we watch and listen affects our thinking, our actions and our behavior.

Incline your ears to the Word of God and do not let it depart from your eyes. For if it goes out of sight then it goes out of mind.

Listen to and watch those things that are pure, true, noble, pure, lovely, praise worthy and good things.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us that our eyes and ears play an important role in determining the course of our life. Help us to incline our ears to your word and not Iet it depart from our eyes. Help us to fill our heart with good by listening and watching good things acceptable to your sight. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Can we judge?

Posted on by christianliving4young

Social media has become an inseparable part of our daily lives. We spend many hours browsing through other people’s Instagram profiles, TikTok videos, YouTube videos, Facebook updates, Twitter updates etc. It is because we are very much interested to know what is happening in other people’s lives, the reason why we watch their profiles even when we don’t like them much. We would then criticize their actions and gestures, gossip about them and even post hatred messages for their posts. We are too quick in doing so. Is it right to judge others and speak ill of them?

Let us open the treasure book and see what it says.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

The rightful Judge

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Revelation 20:12-13

All of us will have to stand before a judgement seat one day. The judge on the judgement seat is JESUS, who will judge everyone of us in righteousness and truth. There is no room for any kind of partiality. Whoever we are – great / meek / powerful / influential – will be judged according to our deeds. Every thing that we do in this life will be written down and every soul will have to give account for each of their deeds. As we all know, each deed whether good or bad, will be evaluated based on the intention behind it because God weighs our hearts. Since each individual (including us) will be judged by a very rightful judge, who are we to take-up His job? Let us leave the judging part to the law giver, the rightful judge – Jesus, and concentrate on the better things in life.

Each individual will be judged by JESUS – the righteous & true judge.

Judge NOT, Condemn NOT

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:1‭-‬5

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Luke 6:37

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Romans 2:1‭-‬3

The first question we should ask ourselves before judging others is “Do I like to be judged? Do I like to be condemned?” If not, don’t judge and don’t condemn others. This is what Jesus Himself taught during His ministry – Judge Not and You will Not be Judged. Condemn Not and You will Not be Condemned. There won’t be any excuse for any one, no matter who you are or what position you are in – unlike the world we live. In this world, influential people come out of their crimes using their power. However, since our judge is righteous and true, there is no excuse for anyone. We will be judged by God with the same measure we judge others. When we judge others, we in fact condemn ourselves because we too practice those things that we judge. Each of us have a lot of flaws and imperfections. Our imperfections is considered to be a plank before the imperfections of others which is insignificant as a spec. Jesus is emphasizing that other’s flaws and limitations might be negligible compared to ours. We have to first concentrate on perfecting our character and behavior before judging others.

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

James 4:11‭-‬12

We should also not speak ill of others. It is considered evil. If we speak evil of others, then we are not only judging them but also judging the law. The law is given by God Almighty and so He is the lawgiver and the rightful judge. Do you have the power to save a soul or destroy it? – this power is only with the law giver. Then who are we to judge one another as we are only doers of the law. So do not judge or speak ill about others.

Do not speak evil of others. Judge Not and You will Not be Judged. Condemn Not and You will Not be Condemned.

How did Jesus judge? John 8 : 2-11

One day when Jesus was teaching in the temple, the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They set her in the midst and said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery. The law commands us to stone her, but what do You say?” They said this to test Him, so as to find something to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. When they continued asking Him, He rose and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Those who heard it being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one – the oldest even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus rose, He saw no one but the woman. He said, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

As per the law, a woman caught in adultery should be stoned to death. However, when this woman was brought to Jesus, He remained silent. When people insisted that He should tell His judgement, Jesus reminded everyone of the accusers that each of them is a sinner, just like the adulterous woman. Each of them deserved punishment just like her. How can a sinner condemn another, who is just like him? With a very simple sentence, Jesus made each of them realize that they could not judge anyone as they themselves were also imperfect like her. Each of them were convicted by their own conscience and left the scene immediately. All human beings whether small or big, meek or powerful, are imperfect. So how can we judge others?

You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.

John 8:15‭-‬16

Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

John 7:24

JESUS do not judge according to appearances as flesh does, He judges in truth and in righteousness as He proved in this example.

Treasures uncovered

Do not speak evil of others. Judge Not and You will Not be Judged. Condemn Not and You will Not be Condemned.

When we judge others, we condemn ourselves because we also practice what we judge. Since we are humans, we too are imperfect like the others we judge – so leave the judging to the perfect lawgiver who has the power to save and destroy.

JESUS is our rightful judge who judges every soul in righteousness & truth. No one is excused from this judgement.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being our righteous judge who judges us in truth and righteousness without any partiality. We thank you for reminding us that we two are imperfect like others and do not have any authority to judge others. Help us to remember this when our hearts rise to judge others. Thank you for loving us and caring for us even through our imperfections. In Jesus name, Amen.