Monday, December 27, 2021

Calendar of Devotionals - 1 of 4

 Hi, readers. I'm back - kind of. For reasons which will become apparent, this is the first of 4 sets of 16 little stories with a Godly message.

In the last 4.5 years, Youthquake: 1. Had a good ministry with dozens of kids trusting Christ as Saviour in an old church building; 2. That church withered and broke up in 2020 so we lost the building and nobody came anyway due to Covid when we tried to resume; 3. We had a radio program for another 1.5 years and had to move all our content to archive.org; 4. Among other projects, our director and I started a devotional calendar that never got beyond 64 little stories from yours truly and about 30 connected Bible verses from our director, Sal Varsalone; 5. Sal died after a brief illness in November, 2021, and we're becoming a private foundation with all remaining funds going to send kids to Camp CHOF.

That day-ty-day flip calendar never got done, and I don't have access to the bits he did, but most of these have a Bible verse listed. For those that done, you can look it up. (You can use the Blue Letter Bible for even more advanced searching.)

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1.

How bad will the storm be?

 

Lexi watched the storm clouds gather. She didn't like storms. She was thankful for the time she lived. She could hear a forecast and know if it would be a simple rainstorm or a noisy thunderstorm that could knock out her family's power. 

 

She couldn't imagine life in the old days. You wouldn't know if a hurricane was coming that could last for days!

 

Life is full of storms. Thankfully, Jesus promises to guide us through them. We don't know if it will be a little one like a short argument with a friend that is easily resolved or a big one like a divorce. However, we know God will guide us and give us wisdom so we can get through it.

 

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2.

 

Harriet couldn't sleep. She'd always had trouble sleeping. Sometimes, she felt like there was some strange presence in the house.

 

There it was again. Yet, just as her nerves started acting up, she remembered God was with her too. He lived inside her because she knew Jesus as her savior.

 

Jesus Christ is Lord, Harriet practically shouted inside. She proclaimed that the devil had no power over her.

 

Suddenly, the feeling left. She felt peace. Because she knew that greater was He that was in her than he that was in the world. There might be spiritual battles around her but she was safe.

 

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3.

Is that all? Kiersten asked. She was stunned. Where were the rest of her presents?

 

Kiersten's mom wasn't really mad, but she spoke sternly yet calmly to her. “Kiersten, you got over two dozen gifts for your birthday. You need to learn to look at what you have and be thankful and not worry about what you didn't get. She pointed out there were a lot of poor kids that might only get one or two things.”

 

Kiersten trusted in Jesus to save her soon after this. She realized her mom was right. She needed to be content with what she had. Because she had learned that the most important thing was to have the Lord inside. Because “He has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Having God with us is better than any worldly treasure.

 

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4.

 

I feel like I can talk to you about anything.

 

Marshall was excited. He had helped another friend with some problems at school. He was only 16, but his friends knew him as someone who they could turn to for wisdom.

 

Marshall didn't always have the answer, but he could always pray with them and help them talk things out and decide what might be the best solution based on God's word.

 

He had burdens himself. He knew his parents weren't really in love, he had never seen his dad truly affectionate with his mom. In fact, his dad would eventually walk out on the family and, over a decade later, at his wedding, his dad would say that Marshall was more mature than him!

 

In the meantime, Marshall had been the father figure for his four younger siblings because he knew the Bible said to bear one another's burdens. He wasn't just the boss. He was someone who poured himself into others because that was how God had poured himself into Marshall.

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5.

Danny didn't have time to think. He saw the toddler jumping into the pool without water wings and knew the child would have trouble staying afloat.

 

He was already in the pool, and swam over to hold the toddler up. Of course, he was only a young schoolboy himself, so he had a bit of trouble keeping from going under while holding her up.

 

Eventually her parents got her, but the seconds seemed a lot longer at the time as he used all his muscles to keep the girl above water. However, he knew he could trust God to use him no matter how hard it was. Because Philippians 4:13 promises I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. 

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6.

That bird just grabbed my hot dog!

 

Doug couldn't believe it! A seagull had truly just swooped down and grabbed his hot dog out of a bun while at the public beach.

 

The restaurant owner had seen what happened. He had probably seen it happen before. And, he quickly gave the boy a new hot dog.

 

Doug received something else special that day. The memory of a great example of how God provides for all of his creatures. Matthew 6:26 says "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither. do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly. Father feedeth them."

 

Sometimes even with our own food.

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7.

Johnny was amazed. He had just met friends on the beach who were staying in a penthouse. Can I have a look at it? Please, he asked excitedly.

 

The family was lucky to stay in the penthouse themselves. They only were because they had forgotten to make reservations at their usual place. They told the boy that he could lucky on but he couldn't come in. He was amazed just to see how fancy and expensive everything looked.

 

This is just like God's grace. Except his free gift is forever. He doesn't give us just a look at Heaven, he gives us eternal life that can never be taken away.

 

And, Johnny could not have gotten to see that fancy penthouse on his own. His own merits did not allow him to see it. But, all he had to do was ask. Just like all we have to do is trust Jesus for salvation. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of Works lest any man should boast.

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8.

 

"I really like Luke. He seems really nice."

 

Missy smiled politely. She hadn't thought about it before, but Luke was the first boyfriend of hers that her sister Kiersten, 10 years younger, had felt happy about.

 

Missy had been looking at the outside. Sometimes the boy just looked great. Some boys had acted nice towards her and she thought they were so sweet, but they hadn't paid any attention to her family. Some boys attracted her with their nice cars or athletic ability or something. 

 

Kiersten knew to look at things like God does. 1 Samuel 16:7 says Man looketh at the outward appearance, but God looketh upon the heart. She was swayed by the kindness of Luke's heart. And she was right. At Missy's wedding, Missy shared that Luke was the first boy Kirrsten really liked. They're happily married with 3 kids after 14 years. 

 

Whether it's who you like or something else, remember, God sees the whole picture, and knows what really matters.

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9.

"We have to save the little chicks!"

 

It seemed hopeless. Farmer Smith's barn was burning down. And, while some animals made it out, the kids knew there were some cute baby chicks in there. Were they going to die?

 

When the fire was put out, the family looked around. They saw the chicks' mother hen was really charred. She was obviously gone.

 

But wait, what was that sound? Miraculously, the chicks had survived! Their mother had sheltered them under her wings, bearing the brunt of the fire for them.

 

In John 10:28, Jesus says no man can pluck us out of His hand. Once you trust Him to save you, He shelters you soul from the fires of hell just like that hen protected her chicks.

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10.

I need an answer now!

 

Doug had been handing out tracts, little slips of paper that tell about Jesus and salvation. A man whose boy took one asked him if he had ever seen Jesus. Doug had no clue what to say.

 

He knew God would have the answer though. He couldn't rely on his own wisdom. There were a few good answers when he thought about it later. But he had no time to think now.

 

God gave him the answer he needed. He told the man he had seen God in the good things in life how he had overcome so much despite his handicaps and so on. The man then took a tract and promised to read it.

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We must respect God's perfection and how He knows what is best in every situation. This doesn't mean being scared of God. It means revering God and how He can give us the wisdom we need right away when we turn to him.

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11.

Don was puzzled. He was always rather shy. Yet a kid who he didn't know had just asked him a Bible question.

 

He gave the answer. He knew it was right because he had read the Bible and listened in class so well. The boy thanked him.

 

Don wondered: “How did you know I would know that since I have never met you.”

 

Somehow, I just knew you would know, was all the boy would say.

 

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12.

Lily, 7, smiled at her mom's cousin and answered his question truthfully. "I ask Jesus to forgive me all the time."

 

"Have you ever asked him to save you?" Was her cousin’s next question

 

"No."

 

Her cousin explained that we ask Jesus to forgive us after we are saved because we will still sin due to our sin nature. However, we must have a relationship with Him and the only way to do that is to ask Him to save you from your sin because sin has a penalty.

 

The wages of sin is death. That is the penalty: Separation forever from God's perfect love and Heaven.

 

But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God gave us that gift and all we have to do is receive it by Faith by calling on Him to save us.

 

Lily received Jesus as her Saviour that day when she was seven. She is certain now that she has a relationship with God and will go to Heaven someday. Because she has received that free gift.

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13.

Brandon’s eyes grew wide with amazement. “Me?!” the second grader asked.

 

“Yes, you trusted Jesus to forgive you, you called on Him to save you from your sins, right?”

 

Brandon nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

 

“Then this verse shows the Bible was written to you. That you have this power.”

 

Brandon thought about what the teacher had said “To as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them which believe on His name.” John 1:12. He was a child of God.

 

And, more importantly, it showed just how much God cared. Because as a believer, he realized the Bible was God’s love letter to him.

 

What an amazing thought, he told himself. God called him His child. He would never forget the love that God had shown Him by doing that.

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14.

Chris, 15, sighed heavily as he slowly hung up the phone. He knew this moment would be coming, but it was still so sad.

 

He remembered so many fun times with his grandpa. Emotions flooded his brain as he walked outside. He had to tell his parents and siblings the bad news. His grandpa was dead.

 

“Why did it have to happen when I was the only one inside?” he muttered. Just ten minutes earlier, his little sister, 7, had been on the phone so their grandpa could say goodbye to her after telling the others.

 

He smiled sadly as he found everyone to tell them Grandpa was home in Heaven now. He’d always thought of physical feats when he heard Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” However, he saw it was even more about emotionally draining tasks like this. It was about being able to lead, to deal with any task, not on his own power, but by trusting in God’s power in him.

 

When the Bible says “be strong,” it means a continued strengthening which comes from outside – it’s a command to let God be your strength. Chris realized what that meant to let God be the strength he needed when he couldn’t do it on his own.

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15.

“It’s never going to be the same,” Matthew cried.

 

His older cousin understood. Matthew, who was 12, never cried; even when younger. Yet, with the death of their beloved grandpa, he couldn’t stop. Comments about their grandfather serving him ice cream when they got to Heaven brought a small smile, but that’s all.

 

“I know it won’t be the same here,” his cousin consoled him. “Jesus knows how you feel. He wept when he lost loved ones, too. But, remember, this world isn’t all there is. Grandpa had called on Jesus to save him from his sins, and you have, too, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Matthew sniffled. “But how does that help me here?”

 

“Well, we’re going to miss him here. That’s normal, and it’s important to grieve and talk about our feelings and work through them when we lose someone we love or if anything bad happens.

 

“But, we can ask God for help with coping when things like this happen. We know we’ll see Grandpa again. That’s one of the ways the peace of God passes understanding, like Philippians 4:7 says. The world can’t promise that apart from Christ. And, we can move forward knowing when we do see him again, we’ll have forever with him.”

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