Category: Life Skills

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Fighting our battles

Posted on by christianliving4young

We live on this planet for a very short time and during this life time, we go through different experiences. We experience times of happiness, sadness, laughter, fear, anger, embarrassments etc., as a result of various circumstances life throws at us. There are battles we need to fight to walk through life victoriously. We will have to battle with misunderstandings, injustice, gossips, jealousy, unkindness, cheating, etc., that are brought about by people, our fellow beings on the earth. This is a physical battle, however not using physical weapons. Most of the time we struggle through them and it hurts us. We already learned how to handle battles in the spiritual realm (happening in our mind) by wearing the Armor of God and fighting with the sword – The Word of God (The Armor of God). However, what about the physical realm? How do we handle the battles that come up because of the wickedness in this world? Should we fight them with all our might?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

How to fight our battles ?

The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name.

Exodus 15:3

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?

Psalm 27:1

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Exodus 14:14.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Psalm 9:10

The Lord is a man of war. He knows how to battle. Make Him your salvation. If you have accepted Him as your Savior, He becomes the defense of your life. As we all know, it is the Defense Ministry that takes up the battles of a country and makes strategies & plans to fight its enemies. So when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, He takes up the role of a Defense Minister in our lives, in addition to the various other roles. We only need to handover the battle to Him and sit aside peacefully because THE LORD WILL FIGHT OUR BATTLES. Another quality of our defense minister is that He never abandons or leaves us in the middle of a battle. He will accomplish what he started. So trust Him because He knows what He is doing.

The Lord is the defense of our life. Don’t try to help Him by fighting the battle yourself. He is more than able to handle it. So handover your battle to Him, step aside, relax yourself holding your peace and trusting Him.

Our mindset in the battle

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 20: 1

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

Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

Isaiah 8:10 (NIV)

When we come face to face with a battle, the enormity of the opposite side should not affect us. They might be powerful and gigantic and might device plans and strategies that we would never figure out even in our wildest dreams. These facts should not bring upon fear in you. Be strong and courageous. Just remember who is fighting your battle and who your defense minister is.

When in battle do not focus on its enormity or on the quirkiness of plans devised against you. Instead focus on Him, your defense minister. Be strong and courageous.

Example: 2 Chronicles 13

The Word of God has many examples of God fighting the battle for His people. One such is the war between Judah and Israel. After the days of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel got separated into two – Judah as one nation and the rest of Israel as another nation. When King Jeroboam ruled Israel and King Abijah ruled Judah, there arose a war between both these kingdoms. Abijah went for the battle with an army of four hundred thousand valiant warriors and Jeroboam went against him with eight hundred thousand mighty men of valor – double the size of army of Judah.

For Judah, the Lord was their God, and they did not forsake Him. But Jeroboam and Israel forsook the Lord, God of their fathers. Abijah said, “God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”

Meanwhile, Jeroboam caused an ambush to go behind Judah so that they were in front of Judah and the ambush was behind Judah. When Judah looked around, to their surprise, the battle line was at both front and back. They cried out to the Lord and the priests sounded the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The children of Israel fled before Judah and God delivered them into the hands of Judah. Abijah and his people struck Israel with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain. The children of Israel were subdued and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers.

The army of Israel was double the size of the army of Judah and Israel devised an amazing fighting strategy against Judah. Judah was trapped by the army of Israel in the front and the back. In fact Judah was surprised to know they were trapped and they never even expected such a move. But they did not panic or fear. When we reason with our minds, it is very obvious that Judah would not prevail against Israel. Here comes the twist – the head of the army of Judah was the Lord Himself. No great army is great enough for the Lord to handle!!! No trap is strange enough for the Lord to handle!!! Judah prevailed against Israel, contrary to all reasoning.

With God on our side as the head of our army, we need not worry or panic seeing the opposition or their strategies. Look on to God our Savior and seek Him. He will take up His role and fight our battles.

No army is big enough for Him and no traps quirky enough for Him.

Treasures uncovered

The Lord is the defense of our life. So handover your battle to Him, step aside, relax yourself holding your peace and trusting Him.

When in battle do not focus on its enormity or the quirkiness of plans devised against you, but focus on Him, your defense minister. Be strong and courageous.

No army is big enough for Him and no traps quirky enough for Him. Victory belongs to Him.

Our opposition could be circumstances, situations or even individuals or a group of individuals. No matter what, the Lord wins the battle always. Make sure not to keep any kind of enmity or bitterness towards people who are opposing. People are God’s creation and God loves them unconditionally. Remember our enmity is towards wickedness, Satan and the dark powers of the world.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for being our salvation and the defense of our life. Thank you for being on our side and never forsaking us. Help us to handover our battles to you and stay calm. Thank you for fighting our battles. We love you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Handling Mess-ups

Posted on by christianliving4young

We have messed-up many things, many times over the years. We were lucky enough to get out of at least a few of them without being caught. However, many times we were caught red-handed. How did you face such situations? We were questioned left and right as to why we ended up making this mistake, how this happened and so on. When confronted, it is a normal tendency to answer with many excuses, like – it is not my fault, it is because of this/that, it is because of you/him/her/them and so on….. We usually try to blame others or the situations or even God for the mishaps. Is it okay to be handling mistakes this way?

Let us open the treasure book and find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Example of Adam & Eve

In Genesis chapter 2 we see that, God after creating Adam, took him and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend it and keep it. God commanded him that he could eat from every tree in the garden except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Knowing it is not good that Adam is alone, God also made him a companion – a woman. In Genesis chapter 3, we see that the serpent lured the woman into eating the forbidden fruit. She also gave it to her husband Adam and he too ate it. Then their eyes were opened and they knew they messed up. When God came to meet them, they hid from Him as they were afraid to face Him. God asked Adam, “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” He answered, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, gave me and I ate.” When God asked the woman she said, the serpent deceived me and I ate.

Here we see that, when Adam was questioned about the mistake, rather than taking the responsibility and giving a simple answer – “Yes, I did”, he replied “The woman whom YOU gave me, gave it and I ate.” Eating the forbidden fruit is the act of disobedience here. Although, eating the fruit was his own willful choice, Adam blamed the woman and God Himself. He in fact blamed God for providing him a companion and blamed his companion – the woman, for giving the fruit to him. The woman also behaved similarly when questioned. She too, rather than taking the responsibility and answering “I am sorry I ate it”, blamed the serpent.

The blaming did not help either of them. God is a righteous judge. Adam, Eve and the serpent were punished for their respective actions. Even though tempted by the serpent, it was their (Adam & Eve) willful choice to eat the fruit.

Blaming one another or God or the situation is not the right way to handle mess-ups or mistakes. We alone are responsible for our actions because our actions are an outcome of our own willful choice, even if influenced by others. So blaming others or God doesn’t help.

Clue 2: Take responsibility

Always make sure to speak the truth. If you made a mistake, take responsibility for your actions by first admitting it rather than blaming others or situations. As we saw, blaming doesn’t help. It only hurts and puts a strain on the relationships that are involved. If Adam & Eve handled the situation differently, things would have turned out much better for them, because God is gracious and merciful.

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

1 John 1:9

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

The word of God also clearly states that covering up sins will not turn out to be good eventually, but confessing them will open doors to mercy. Covering up the mess or concealing it might save our face for a short period, however it will surface eventually and will get us into a deeper state of mess. Although, confessing mistakes is not an easy process, it will fetch us mercy and will bring us peace eventually.

So first, confess your mistakes and repent before God. Tell Him, “Father I messed up. Please forgive me. I am truly sorry for my actions”. He is just and faithful to forgive us. Then ask for His help and guidance to come out of it. He will cover us with His mercy and grace, and guide us out of the mess.

Treasures uncovered

Do not blame God, others or situations for our mess-ups because our actions are an outcome of our own willful choice.

Take responsibility for your actions by admitting your mistakes and not concealing them.

Repent and ask forgiveness, God is faithful and just to forgive.

Do not play the Blame Game like Adam & Eve. We alone are responsible for our actions and no-one else. So be bold to admit your mistakes and take responsibility. Do not conceal it, but repent and ask for forgiveness. God is faithful and just to forgive us.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us on how to handle mess-ups. Please forgive us for concealing it and blaming it on others. Help us to realize our mistakes, take responsibility and confess it before you. Father, forgive us our trespasses. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Be Happy !!!

Posted on by christianliving4young

Have you posed for a picture lately? Get a camera, get the lighting right, then pose and say “Cheese”…. CLICK!!! Why do we always smile for pictures? We all prefer to look good in pictures. Smiling make us look happy and cheerful so we try to give a decent smile rather than a sulking face for pictures. A person looking at a happy picture feels happy because happiness is contagious. Haven’t you seen people who are full of Joy and Happiness spreading it to the people around them? Who doesn’t like to be happy? Even though we prefer to be Happy, that is not the case always – days of gloominess and sadness are also a part of our lives. How can we stay happy even when our circumstances are not right?

Let us open the treasure book to find clues.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: The source of true happiness

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:17 NKJV

When we accept Jesus as our savior, we shift our citizenship from kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God. And when we enter this kingdom – righteousness, peace and JOY in the Holy spirit are made available for us. The righteousness bought by the blood of Jesus, divine peace that transcends all understanding and everlasting JOY are all available for us. Like how certain passports provides certain privileges, JOY is a privilege we enjoy as a holder of the passport of the kingdom of God. It is up to us whether we use the privilege or not.

JOY in the Holy Spirit is a privilege we enjoy in the kingdom of God.

Different things brings happiness to different people. For some it is music, for some others eating good food lift up their spirits, there are others who cheer up after a nap, for some others it is watching funny videos and so on. However, if we depend on these momentary things for our happiness, it will soon die off when the moment passes by.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalms 16:11

Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place.

I Chronicles 16:27

The fulIness of joy or the complete form of joy is only found in the presence of God. There is gladness in His place. So having a fellowship with God who is the complete form of Joy ensures that this joy is transferred to us. When we spend time with Him – talking to Him and walking with Him and living in Him, we also overflow with joy and gladness, spreading it everywhere we go. This is the kind of JOY that stays and do not die off. If we abound with this Joy, even when the circumstances looks grim, the gladness will not depart from us.

God is the source of ultimate JOY and being with Him makes our heart also abound with JOY regardless of our circumstances.

Clue 2: The effect of Happiness

A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

A happy heart is like medicine, it does good to the physical and mental well- being of a person. However sadness is bad for the health. Scientific researches also has proven that happiness is good for health – it boosts our immune system.

So DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY ! ! !

Clue 3: God’s will for us

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

I Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18

We know that God is always Good. He always wants the best for us. His will for us is that we always rejoice, pray without stopping and give thanks in everything. When we pray, we are communicating with God and having a fellowship with Him. This will fill us with His JOY. God wants us to be always rejoicing. So rejoice in everything and make this your lifestyle. If things don’t work out the way it should be – do not worry, but rejoice because all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Rejoice always – this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus.

Treasures uncovered

JOY in the Holy Spirit is a privilege we enjoy in the kingdom of God.

God is the source of ultimate JOY and being with Him makes our heart also abound with JOY regardless of our circumstances.

BE HAPPY, Happiness has medicinal effect on body and mind.

It is the will of God in Christ Jesus that we “Rejoice always”.

Prayer:

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Father, we thank you for making JOY available to us. Help us to rejoice always. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Handling Ridicule

Posted on by christianliving4young

In the world that we live today, it is a very common practice to ridicule or mock people who are differently abled or who think differently than what is considered normal. This is instilled by the society from a very young age. At school, mostly we see differently abled children or differently looking children being bullied / ridiculed by others who consider themselves normal. It is done just because of the fact that they are different from the rest. Young to old, rich to poor, influential to non-influential – this practice is seen everywhere irrespective of cultures or language or religion. Have you ever been ridiculed / mocked for thinking differently from the crowd or behaving differently from the crowd or looking differently from the crowd? Or have you bullied others because they were different?

When ridiculed, different people react it in different ways. Some get offended and hurt, some cry, some shout back, some others get angry, some others build hatred and bitterness towards those who ridiculed them and so on. How do you handle ridicule? Do you show your anger at them or mock them back or hate them?

Let us see what the treasure book says about handling ridicule.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Is ridiculing an acceptable behavior?

The dictionary meaning of ridicule is “the act of making fun of someone or something in a cruel or harsh way with mean / unkind comments or behavior”.

… And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Matthew 5:22

The word of God clearly states that ridiculing or mocking is not an acceptable behavior. Those who ridicule are in the danger of going to hell. But, everyone is not aware of this truth and in life we are sure to come across at least a few people who ridicule us. If we do not learn to handle it, then definitely it will hurt us. It will weigh down our self-confidence, brings in bitterness / hatred and might slow down or even stop us from carrying out the mission / purpose for which God sent us.

How did Jesus handle ridicule ?

In the Bible we see a lot of people, but Jesus is the only one who lived a perfect life without sin. Hence, learning from His life is the bestest option we have.

RIDICULE BY STRANGERS (Mark 5:21‭-‬23‭, ‬35‭-‬42)

One day, one of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus came to see Jesus. He fell at Jesus’s feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is dying, please come and heal her.” While he was still speaking, someone from his house came and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” When Jesus heard this, He said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid, only believe.” He took three of His disciples and went to Jairus’s house. There He saw a large crowd weeping and wailing loudly. When He came in, He told them, “Why make this commotion? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But He put them all outside, took the father and the mother of the child along with those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And those present in the room were overcome with great amazement.

Jesus, the Son of God Himself was ridiculed. So do you think we have a chance out of it? Never!!! In this story, we see that Jairus’s daughter was dead when Jesus arrived at his house. When Jesus told the crowd that the little girl was sleeping, they ridiculed Him. He acted differently from everyone else and so they ridiculed Him. Jesus ignored the ridiculing. Neither did He bother about the people who ridiculed Him. He moved ahead with His mission as though nothing was spoken. And because of that the little girl came back to life. What if Jesus stopped because of other’s mockery?

RIDICULE BY NEAR & DEAR ONES (John 7: 3-5)

Again in John 7, we see Jesus being ridiculed by His brothers. They did not believe in Him or the miracles He performed. It really hurts when people whom we consider “our own” ridicules us. In such cases, we tend to react based on our emotions – screaming, shouting, crying or saying nonsense out of anger. But Jesus remained calm and answered them politely. He showed us the best and perfect way to react when ridiculed by our loved ones. It is not easy to behave this way, but with God’s help it is possible.

RIDICULE BY AUTHORITIES (Luke 23:6-12)

Jesus was also mocked and ridiculed by Herod, a ruling authority while He was under trial. We see that He remained silent there. Jesus is the Son of God and has greater authority than Herod. He could have behaved differently. The contempt and mockery by Herod did not get to Him. He chose to remain silent as His focus was on the greater plan of God – the salvation of mankind.

Ridiculing did not get to Jesus because He was focused and mindful of the mission He came for. Nothing else affected Him. Doing the will of His father was His priority. His ear was deaf to the mockery and ridiculing that people did to Him. Wherever He had to keep silence, He remained silent. Wherever He had to speak, He spoke. Even at the point of death He prayed for those who mocked and ridiculed Him saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This shows He did not hate those who ridiculed Him but had compassion on them and interceded for them.

He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.”

Proverbs 9:7

The word of God in Proverbs 9:7 confirms that you cannot correct a scoffer or a mocker. This is probably the reason why Jesus kept silent and did not bother to correct any of the mockery statements, but rather prayed for them.

Treasures uncovered

Ridiculing is not an acceptable behavior, but we will have to handle it right.

Be deaf to ridiculing and mockery.

Doing God’s will should be your priority and not what people think about you or talk about you.

Rather than trying to correct a mocker / scoffer, pray for them.

Shut your ears and heart to ridicules. If not it will weigh down your self confidence and can even stop you from carrying out your purpose in life. Focus on God’s will and the purpose for which He sent you, not on how people think about you or talk about you.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us on how to handle ridiculing. Help us to shut our ears and heart to mockery and focus on doing your will. Father, help us not be concerned about what people think about us but be focused on what you think about us. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

How to approach Goals?

Posted on by christianliving4young

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

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

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

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

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

Jeremiah 33:3

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

2. Make a step by step action plan

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

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

Luke 14:28-30

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

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

Proverbs 15:22

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

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

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

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

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

4. Stay on track and be focused

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

Proverbs 4:25

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

Samson and Delilah ( Judges 16 )

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

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

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

5. Periodical review and assessment

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

Proverbs 4:26

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

Treasures uncovered

How to ideally approach goals?

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

Make a step by step action plan.

Be determined to move forward and not succumb to failures.

Stay on track and be focused

Periodically review and assess progress

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

Prayer:

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

Psalm 20:4

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

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Faithfulness

Posted on by christianliving4young

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

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

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Faithfulness of God

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

Isaiah 25:1

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

1 Corinthians 1:9

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

Clue 2: Faithfulness in our daily life

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

Proverbs 28:20

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

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

Galatians 5: 22- 25

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

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

Clue 3: Faithfulness to God

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

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

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

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

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

1 John 1:9

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

Treasures uncovered

God is faithful and unchanging from everlasting to everlasting.

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

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

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

Prayer:

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

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

The attitude of Gratitude

Posted on by christianliving4young

Yet another eventful year has passed by. Turning back, what do you see? A year filled with terror, uncertainty, distress and unhappiness? In fact, amongst all the unusual happenings around us, God has been so good to us and faithful to us. He has preserved us and kept us safe under the shadow of his wings. He has blessed us to see yet another year dawning– blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

We normally take all these for granted. Nothing comes to us because we deserve those, but only because God is gracious to us and merciful towards us. Let us take this opportunity to thank Him with ALL our HEART. Let us also appreciate our near and dear ones for being there for us and being our support system. As we begin a new year, let us fill our hearts with an attitude of Gratitude.

Let us open the treasure book to find more clues on being thankful.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Why be thankful?

Oh, give thanks to the Lord , for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

I Chronicles 16:34

Our God is good all the time and His mercy endures forever. We should thank Him because He is so so so Good to us. Imagine a father who is mean to his children, it will be very difficult to survive in such a home. But our father in heaven is so good. He is ever loving, caring, protecting, compassionate and above all very good. There is no shadow of darkness in Him. So we should thank Him simply because He is good.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:18

In EVERYTHING we should give thanks because this is the will of God for us. If we love our God, then doing His “will” is our priority. His will for us is that we give thanks to Him in all things.

Clue 2: When to thank and for what?

Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Ephesians 5:20

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 3:17

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Colossians 4:2

There is no specific time and place for thanking God. The word of God says we should thank God the father ALWAYS, for ALL THINGS in the name of our Lord Jesus. Be it good times or bad times, rough times or easy times, sad times or happy times, healthy times or unhealthy times, God’s will for us is to be thankful always in everything.

Our words and deeds should reflect Jesus and should be with an attitude of Gratitude to Father God. Even in our prayers we should be thankful.

We should put on an attitude of Gratitude at all times and for everything.

Clue 3: The Ten Lepers ( Luke 17 : 11-19)

Jesus, during his ministry passed through a certain village where he met ten men who were lepers. They stood afar and shouted on top of their voices, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”. He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, a Samaritan, returned when he saw he was healed. With a loud voice he glorified God and fell down at Jesus’s feet, giving Him thanks. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

Here we see Jesus Himself commenting about the lepers who did not return to thank God. Let us not be in this category – people who go to God only for their needs and once needs are met they do not return to God but live their way. Let us appreciate God and be thankful for everything at all times – even when the circumstances looks dull and dim. Let us thank Him for everything small and big – the nature He created for us, our health, our food, our clothes, our shelter, our education and even our life itself as it is a gracious gift of God. Let us be thankful and do the will of God.

Treasures uncovered

Be thankful to God because He is good and this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.

Put on an attitude of gratitude at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus.

Appreciate everything and everyone in life and do not take them for granted.

So let this be our new year resolution that we will not be grumpy and complaining about how bad our day and life is or how miserable our condition is, but will be content and grateful about everything. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us about being thankful. Father help us to be thankful always and in everything as is your will. Help us to appreciate You and everything else in our life. Thank you for the gift of life and all our situations. We love you lord Jesus, in Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Code of Conduct

Posted on by christianliving4young

There is a “Code of Conduct” established by the society we live in which we are bound to follow. The country that we live in also has its own rules and regulations and we have to follow them very strictly. If not, we have to pay a price – fine or prison. Even at home and schools there are rules… We have been taught endless lists of do’s and don’ts from a very young age. Are you fed up following these disciplinary rules put up by parents, schools and other institutions? Are we obliged to follow this “Code of Conduct” and the never-ending list of rules?

Let us see what the treasure book says about this:

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1: Why Code of Conduct?

Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done”.

Genesis 8:21

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Ephesians 2:1‭-‬3

When sin entered the World, it disrupted everything. It changed the normal course of the world planned by God and even the thought process of humans. The human mind became naturally inclined to evil from a very young age. By nature, i.e., naturally men became the children of wrath, walking in the course of this world which is trespasses, sins, evil and wicked ways, thereby living according to the spirit of disobedience. This is human nature by default. So if there is no Code of Conduct, then it will be a total chaos.

Imagine you live in a society that do not have any kinds of rules or Code of Conduct. You are free to do what you like and is free to live as you please. Remember, not only you, but everyone in the society is free to do what they want.

Let us assume that you love Hotdogs. One fine evening you crave for a hotdog and remembers the hotdog vendor across the street who sells these amazing hotdogs. You run to the stall and see a hungry mad crowd already around the stall screaming on top of their voices to get the vendor’s attention because there is no queue system. Slowly there will be fights over who should be served first and in no time, it will turn into total chaos because there is no proper Code of Conduct. Similarly, imagine there are no traffic rules. People would drive madly as they please causing accidents and even deaths of many. Also, such a society will be filled with theft, robbery, crime, violence and all kinds of wickedness because there are no rules to regulate the public. Everyone will do as they please. It will not be a healthy environment or a peaceful place to live.

We see a similar kind of society in Genesis 6. People did not fear God and lived as they pleased doing wicked. They did not follow the Code of Conduct expected of them. It grieved God and He regretted to have ever created man. The earth was so corrupt and filled with violence that He decided to destroy mankind because of their wickedness.

Rules and Code of Conduct are in fact to protect us and to help us be fruitful. The absence of rules which is lawlessness and indiscipline will result in total chaos, violence and destruction since the inclination of human heart is towards evil from a very young age. So if there are no rules or “Code of Conduct”, people will be barbaric and it grieves God. The world will be in utter chaos.

Clue 2: Our attitude to disciplining

Disciplining is the practice of training people to obey rules or a Code of Conduct and it uses punishment to correct disobedience.

Disciplining by God

For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 3:12

God disciplines whom He Loves. So God is very much “for” disciplining because He loves his Children.

Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.”

Job 5:17

The Correction from God might not look okay initially but eventually will make us Happy. So do not despise His disciplining. He knows the best for us and disciplines us in the best possible way.

Disciplining by parents

We normally hate all these rules and disciplinary actions by our parents. It usually looks like they are totally against us and that they do not love us or understand us. Is it actually so? We saw in Proverbs 3:12 that a parent corrects the child who is a delight to them. If your parents do not love you or care for you, they will not correct you as your Code of Conduct does not matter to them. But if you are their delight, and they love and care for you, they will definitely correct you as everything concerning you matters a lot to them.

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

The word of God instructs the parents to discipline their children in the way they should live. No wonder parents puts up those rules for us from a very young age.

A fool despises his father’s instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent.”

Proverbs 15:5

The word of God calls the child who despises father’s correction “A FOOL”. One who receives correction is considered prudent or wise.

God loves us the most and after that it is parents who truly loves us. They try to provide us the best according to their abilities. This even involves a lot of sacrifice from their side. So embrace their love and affection towards you. Honor them, respect them and love them. They discipline us because they love us. It is your call to decide whether you want to be WISE or FOOLISH.

Clue 3: Our Code of Conduct

We are ambassadors of Christ and hence our code of conduct should not reflect anything else but one that is fitting to be His ambassadors. We represent Him and not our “self” anymore to the outside world. So, if our Code of Conduct is not right then we will be degrading Him and bringing disgrace to Him.

In Genesis 6 we see a very wicked generation who grieved God. In that wicked generation one man found favor in God’s eyes and that was Noah. How did he find favor? Noah walked with God and was found to be just and perfect. He did not walk in evil ways like others in his generation. Walking with God will make you walk in righteousness and to hate evil and wicked ways. So Noah found favor in the eyes of God because his Code of Conduct was pleasing to God and hence he and his family survived the destruction caused by flood.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Our Code of Conduct is to IMITATE GOD and WALK WITH HIM. If we walk with Him and imitate Him then we will Walk in Love, Light and Wisdom – a life fully pleasing to Him.

Treasures uncovered

The absence of Code of Conduct will result in chaos, violence and destruction.

God disciplines us because He loves us and His disciplining will eventually make us happy.

Parents discipline their children out of love and everyone who despises disciplining by them is called a FOOL.

Imitate God and Walk with Him. This is our Code of Conduct.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for teaching us about the importance of being disciplined. Help us to never despise disciplining by You or our parents. Help us to imitate You and walk with You and live a life pleasing to your eyes. In Jesus name, Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Have an attitude?

Posted on by christianliving4young

There are many kinds of people around us. Some are very friendly, some are shy and some others very active & cheerful. There is also another category who puts on an “attitude” and are rude, arrogant & selfish. The world that we live in also promotes and glorifies the aspect of putting on an attitude. Is this right?

Well, putting on an attitude and being arrogant is normally an outcome of PRIDE. “Being Proud” means “thinking very highly about oneself and showing excessively high opinion of oneself & one’s importance”. For “the proud“, the world seems to revolve around them and they expect everyone else to think likewise and act likewise. They expect special treatment from everyone and consider themselves as “ELITE” – the best & the wisest. And when it comes to others, they scorn, they look down upon them and laugh at everything concerning them, even their achievements – if not openly, at least in their hearts…

Do you fall into this category? Do you have an attitude? Do you have a proud heart? Then you are in big trouble friend! BEWARE of “Being Proud“.

Why should we be so conscious about PRIDE? Let us open the treasure book for clues!!!

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue 1 : What is wrong in having an attitude / being Proud?

Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

Proverbs 16:5

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble

James 4: 6

We already know that when God looks at a person, he scans the heart (What does God notice in me) and finds the exact condition of the heart. Here the word of God says that God doesn’t like a proud heart rather it is an abomination to him. For each one of us, there are things that disgusts us – maybe unclean surroundings, a pile of waste, certain smells etc. For GOD, a person with a PROUD HEART is DISGUSTING. GOD RESISTS them.

This is indeed a horrible place to be. If God resists us whom do we turn to? What do we do if He finds us disgusting? Since God hates a proud heart and finds its disgusting, we should never let our hearts be filled with pride and contempt. For that, we should constantly do a self-check.

The self check

A proud and haughty man – scoffer is his name. He acts with arrogant pride

Proverbs 21:24

A major behavioral trait of a proud person is SCOFFING… The word of God even calls a proud person “scoffer”. Scoffer is one who makes fun of others and their ideas. He will always look down upon others with contempt, consider them silly, laugh at them and their situations, even their achievements. Scoffers think they are better-off than everyone else and SUPERIOR to others. They tend to be arrogant in all their dealings. Probably, some people might not show these behavioral traits outwardly, but keeps it hidden inward. God is the scanner of hearts and He gets to see all these traits hidden in your hearts. So be true to yourself and examine if you are proud at heart – Do I scoff? Do I have these behavioral traits? If you do, now is the time to turn away from it and change your attitude.

So then how should our attitude be?

Clue 2: What should be our attitude?

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

1 peter 5: 5-6

We should be submissive especially to our elders and to one another. Put on / wear humility as your attitude. We can be humble, when we submit ourselves completely to God and understand that all what we have and enjoy is a gracious gift of God. Even the next moment of our life is not in our hands and we do not have any control over it. We do not have any thing to be proud of, except our God. Also we are not superior to anyone rather are all God’s children. Our color, family background, financial stability, talents, social status, authority etc., doesn’t give us any edge over others. We should be of the same mind toward one another. Jesus, being God, humbled himself before the Father and gave Himself up for us who were lowly. When we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, He will give us grace and exalt us.

So clothe yourself with humility and “Embrace” it.

Clue 3: Why embrace humility?

When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:2

A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.

Proverbs 29:23

By humility and the fear of the lord are riches and honor and life.

Proverbs 22:4

We wear clothes to cover and to protect our body. Similarly clothing ourselves with humility also protects us from shame and disgrace which is brought about by Pride. Pride brings a man down whereas humbleness or humility brings honor. Being humble is also considered Godly wisdom. Humility brings riches and life. God gives Grace to the humble and exalts them. So clothing ourselves with humility not only protects us from shame and disgrace but also brings about honor, riches, grace and exaltation.

So Embrace Humility!!

Treasures uncovered

“Attitude” is an outcome of PRIDE, so is scorn, scoff, rudeness, arrogance and selfishness.

GOD finds a Proud Heart DISGUSTING and He RESISTS it.

Clothe yourself with HUMILITY and not “Attitude / Pride”. Humility brings about grace, honor, riches and exaltation. It is Godly wisdom.

When we achieve something, it is quite natural to say or think ” I am proud of myself”. It is okay to feel so. But this should not lead us to a state where we scoff others, mock them, ridicule them, scorn them, show an attitude and be mean to them. Our life should not revolve around our achievements, our social status, power, authority or financial stability.. Then we tend to become PROUD, narrow-minded and mean. Be grounded and get your life revolve around God and His wisdom. Submit yourselves before God and wear humility.

Prayer:

Father, we submit ourselves before you. Reveal to us if there is hidden pride in any area of our life. Help us to wear humility and be humble in all our ways. Guide us and teach us your wisdom. Help us to be always compassionate to our fellow beings and see them as Children of God. In Jesus name Amen.

Posted in Ages 11 & above, Life Skills

Valuing people

Posted on by christianliving4young

In this world that we live, people value one another based on their status in the society. Profession, achievements, power, authority, finances, family background, nationality, caste, religion, skin color, etc., are considered for honoring and respecting one another. If we see a wealthy person or a famous personality or a person with power and authority, we show them respect and give them importance. When we see someone from a financially weaker background compared to us or someone who is from a lower social status than us, do we respect them and give them importance or do we look down upon them and DESPISE them? Looking down upon people who are weak and who are from poor background is very common today as was in the past. Respecting people is good, but is despising or looking down upon someone correct? Something is being commonly practiced for many years doesn’t mean it is right. Let us open the treasure book and see what it says.

OPENING THE TREASURE BOOK undefined

Clue:1 How does God value people?

Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands

Job 34:19

God is NOT PARTIAL to anyone, be it kings, princes, rulers, governmental authorities, police, the rich, celebrities or any other influential people in this world. He does not regard people based on their possessions, trade, authority, power or achievements. All people are His creation – whether rulers, authorities, rich, famous, poor or weak – all are His children.  

Jesus too was not partial during his time on earth. He was friends with people from all social standing. Tax collectors and sinners were despised by the religious Jews in those days and they wouldn’t associate with such people. But Jesus, even though a Jew, were friends with them and ate with them at their houses . He also made friends with people who were oppressed and under the bondage of sin. He helped them out of sin, healed the sick and the demon possessed. We also see Him in John chapter 4, talking to the Samaritan woman at a time when Jews despised the Samaritans. She even asks Jesus, “you being a Jew, why ask me for a drink”. He did not despise people, rather was very approachable for all who were considered lowly in the society. He helped them and healed them physically & spiritually… Even his disciples were from diverse background – tax collectors, doctors, fishermen, religious leaders, etc. He did not despise anyone based on their social status or trade but in fact saw all of them through the eyes of God.

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

Here the world means people. God loves all people!!! The plan of salvation – “Jesus dying on the cross for the sin of the world” was not for only a certain community or religion but for the entire humanity irrespective of social status or wealth or power or authority or gender. He died for all humankind, taking their punishment so that people who believe in him can have eternal life.

So we now know that God does not despise anyone but loves everyone!!! He does not value people based on their status or authority or wealth, but is impartial and loves each of us very much.

Clue:2 How does despising affect people? Judges 6

During the time when Judges ruled Israel, Midianites greatly oppressed Israel by destroying their land’s produce and cattle. In fact, Israel became very poor because of this. Now there lived a man named Gideon who was from the Clan of Manasseh. God sent an angel to him who called him “Mighty man of valor” and told him “Go and save Israel from the hand of Midianites and I am with you”. He replied to the angel “My clan is the WEAKEST in Israel and I am the LEAST in my father’s house, how will I save Israel?”. He had a very poor self image. He would have been hearing his whole life that he is the least and this was deep-rooted in his heart. This is the reason why he replied to the angel about him being the least and did not take up the task with courage even though the angel confirmed to him that God is with him. He was not at all confident that he could accomplish what God told him. He asked God for several signs and God gave him all the signs he asked. Then… after getting all these signs from God, Gideon went as God told him. He defeated the Midianites and brought victory for Israel.

When you despise someone, they will lose their self confidence that will eventually result in a very poor self-image. This would hinder them from accomplishing the tasks God has in mind for them and slow them down in their journey to their destiny . So do not despise anyone and do not be a hindrance in the path of people’s destiny but be a blessing to them.

Clue:3 How to treat people?

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Matthew 18:10-14

DO NOT DESPISE PEOPLE. It is not the will of our Father that anyone perishes. He loves everyone of us, even the people who live in sin. He loves humankind so much that He sent His only son Jesus to die on the cross for their sake. God loves all His children and want all of them to be saved. Do not even despise the ones who is living in sin, but rather slowly give them Jesus. Bring them to repentance and introduce them to the plan of salvation. There is much rejoicing in heaven for a sinner who comes to God.

It is not good to show partiality to the wicked,
Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

Proverbs 18:5

You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.

Leviticus19:15

DO NOT BE PARTIAL OR UNJUST TO PEOPLE. We should not show any kind of partiality while dealing with people. We should not honor a rich person or a powerful person more than a poor or a weak person. We should not be partial either to the poor or to the wicked. We should also not be unjust to people, but deal with them in righteousness. Be impartial with people, be righteous and just in all your dealings with them. Look at them as God sees them!!!

Treasures uncovered

God is not partial to anyone and does not value people based on their social status, but loves all people very much that he chose to send his son to redeem them from the power of darkness and sin.

By despising people, you damage their self-image, hinder them from accomplishing God’s plan and slow them down from reaching their God ordained destiny.

Neither despise people nor be partial & unjust to them, rather love each other and look at people as how God sees them.

Prayer:

Father we thank you for enlightening our understanding about how to deal with people. Help us to be impartial and just in our dealings with people and help us to regard everyone equally. Help us not to despise anyone based on their social status. We thank you for loving us unconditionally despite our shortcomings. Love you Jesus, in Jesus Name Amen.