As promised, the 2nd batch of devotionals in this list. This section has #16-31.
16.
“Hide this for me.”
Sander looked strangely at Bruce. “Why do you want me to hide your cell phone?”
Bruce was a little embarrassed. “Well, our term paper in history is due soon, and I can’t stop thinking about this game.”
Sander smiled. He remembered that the Bible said “confess your faults one to another.” Bruce was having trouble with putting that game ahead of his schoolwork. And, sometimes, ahead of God.
Even if it was a sin, Sander couldn’t offer forgiveness like Jesus could. This wasn’t the purpose of this verse, though. Confessing faults meant admitting struggles so another person can help by praying or being an accountability partner. Or, even doing something like this.
“Sure, man. I’ll be glad to; If you need me to proofread what you wrote or anything, let me know, okay?”
“Thanks, man. You’re a great friend.”
---------------------
17.
“This has to be a world record. And not a good one!”
Mitchell said this because he’d gotten a gift from his uncle – who lived in another country. He’d put the toy he’d gotten together right away. And, his two-year-old brother had broken it to pieces only seven hours later. “Nothing gets broken seven hours after you get it,” he declared.
His parents even said this brother was the wildest of any of the kids. Still, he realized that he still loved him the same, even as mad as he had just made him. He forgave all his siblings when they did something he didn’t like.
“Where sin abounded, grace abounded more,” he recalled reading in the Bible. He had to chuckle. Yes, sin seemed to abound in that kid. But, he still loved him the same. He just kept giving more and more grace.
---------------------
18.
I can’t be friends with someone like that.”
Roy used to think Joe was a close friend – maybe even his best friend. He didn’t always make friends easily.
Yet, Joe had begun talking behind his back and being a bully. Roy had tried to talk to Joe about his behavior, but he wouldn’t listen.
It was hard to stop being friends. But, Jesus said in Matthew 5:29, “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out.” As close a friend as Joe had seemed, it did feel like he was, in a sense, plucking his eye out. On the other hand, it was better for him to follow the Lord instead of being around someone who could drag him down.
---------------------
19.
Allie sighed. She still couldn’t find any way to get to church.
She loved God, and enjoyed being with her friends at church. They treated her with respect, they cared about her, they prayed with her. They weren’t like some other kids.
She started to read her Bible. She saw John 4:24, where Jesus said believers would soon worship Him in spirit and in truth. She recalled that was the most important part – knowing Jesus meant that wherever she was, she could worship Him. Indeed, that’s why she felt such a connection to those in her youth group – they all had God living inside them through the Holy Spirit.
She could do plenty on her own worshipping God, praying, reading the Bible, and seeking out other Christian friends at school. But, she still couldn’t wait to get back to her church.
-------------------
20.
Jenny smiled. She was old – over 90, in fact – but she liked to say she had lots of time to pray.
“Im glad you called. I’ve been praying about those requests you gave me.”
Her grandmother had taught her about God when she was little. Though her grandma couldn’t walk, Jenny saw the power of prayer as her grandma did so much. Now an older woman herself, she told that story again, and reminded her friend to have faith.
“I’m always talking to Jesus. And when we pray together and agree on something, wherever we are, He promises “When two or three are gathered together, I am in the midst of them.” I might not be able to get to church anymore. But we can gather in spirit and God will work as we pray.
The caller hung up feeling refreshed. He knew with praying friends like her helping, God would work in all the things they prayed about
---------------------
21.
“No thanks are necessary; my thanks is knowing I helped someone.”
Larry turned to his grandfather. “This Is really cool. What kind of computer did you watch this Lone Ranger on when you were little?”
Larry’s grandfather laughed a little as he said, “Larry, I have the DVDs now for myself to enjoy and for you when you come over. But, I watched that on TV – and it was black and white. And when my daddy was little, it was only on the radio.”
Larry’s eyes grew wide with wonder.
“You know, there’s a great lesson in that. Now, the show never said if he knew Jesus as Saviour, though he easily could have. My point is, it’s just like God wants us to be.”
“How’s that, Grandpa?”
“See, we’re supposed to build our treasures in Heaven. Nothing can happen to them there. He got recognized more because he focused on the right thing. He wanted to help people. He didn’t go around bragging.
“That’s how we should be. Not worried about getting the credit. Just focused on doing what the Bible says. Our hearts should be focused on doing God’s work. He’ll reward us with treasure that lasts forever.”
---------------------
22.
“How do you like the decorations?” Rick asked.
Mike was stunned at Rick’s room. The carpet was green, and the ceiling was painted green, too. The walls were gold, and there were Green Bay Packers things everywhere.
Pablo was amazed, too. Unlike Rick and Mike, his family didn’t go to church. He had met Rick at school. Pablo was also a huge Packer fan. “This is so cool,” Pablo said as he kept picking things up. “How long did it take you and your dad to do this?”
“A long time. And, we’re not finished.” Rick said. He smiled as Pablo saw his Bible – of course with a green cover.
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Rick loved Jesus even more than the Packers. He knew if Pablo’s family never came to church with them, he could share Jesus with Pablo.
Rick had given God what he loved so God could use it to bring people to Him. He shared Jesus with many people he met through his favorite team. Not all would go to church. But, some did trust Jesus to save them from their sin and get them to Heaven. By keeping Jesus first in his heart, Rick built treasure in Heaven that could never grow old.
----------------------------
23.
“Mommy,” Kathy asked out of the blue, “Did you always want me?”
Chloe stopped what she was doing, knelt, and hugged Kathy. “Of course.”
They talked about why Kathy had asked. Kathy compared herself to others sometimes. Other times, people said mean things, or only thought of their own plans, or what they could be doing. That was sin because it focused on one’s self and not God.
When people did that, it tore kids like Kathy down. Kathy had to think about how God loved her and wanted her, no matter what.
“Honey,” Chloe continued as she opened her Bible, “you are God’s miracle. Let’s read
Psalm 139:14.”
They read, in part, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” They read the rest of the Psalm and talked about it, too.
“God loves you no matter what. You don’t have to be perfect or worry about your looks. And, even if people could – or even should - have done things differently, it doesn’t change the fact God wanted you to live. That means once I knew you were coming, I wanted you and I always have since. I’m being responsible and trying to be a Godly mother because I love you with all my heart. And, I always will,” she said tenderly as they hugged again.
---------------------
24.
“What happened to your date?”
“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it,” Lottie fretted toward her younger brother.
Her brother, Tommy, knew something was wrong. Especially because, “Lottie, your date picked you up in a car, but I saw you walking home.”
Lottie couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, I guess that shows something went wrong.” She glanced back and saw their parents. She smiled at them and turned back to Tommy. “Let’s just say… you know where the Bible says ‘flee also youthful lusts?’ Well, my date tried to control everything, and then he wanted to kiss me and I didn’t want that, so I walked home.”
“We’re proud of you,” her parents said.
“Thanks. I don’t want a boyfriend like that. And, I hope you don’t want to act like that, Tommy.” Lottie explained further, “I want someone who wants to follow Jesus with all their heart. My date talked nice, but he clearly had himself on the throne room of his heart. To flee youthful lusts, it means to avoid doing only what feels good and instead treating others – and your own body -w with love and respect. Because God made us for something so much better.”
---------------------
25.
Diana finally felt like she could breathe again.
“We said you were fastened in really well.”
Diana smiled at her camp counselor. “Yeah. I can’t believe I let go of the swing.”
“Well, we knew there’d probably be a kid or two who did that,” her counselor, Mandy, said with a chuckle. “With a 37-foot high swing, you better have a really good harness. You know, the Bible says God is like that, too,” she continued as they walked back to get in line again. As scary as that was, Diana wanted to try again.
“What do you mean?”
“The Bible says God is able to keep us from falling. Whenever you sin, no matter how bad it gets, if you know Jesus as your Saviour, you can never lose your salvation.”
“I sure don’t want to let go of Him like that,” Diana exclaimed.
“That’s good. You should want to always walk close beside Him and obey Him. But if you ever slip up, remember that swing. If you meant it when you called on Jesus to save you, your soul is as secure as you were in that swing.”
------------------
26.
“What is your dog doing?!” Mitch asked as he stared at the dog.
“Her dog food has two types. She’s separating them and eating all of one type first, then all of the other,” Doug said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Mitch thought it looked weird, but Howard pointed something out. “God’s Word says we should rightly divide the word of truth.”
“But, God’s Word is all true; we shouldn’t divide it,” Mitch insisted.
“I don’t mean divide like take stuff out; you’re right we should never take anything out of God’s Word. What I mean is, we should know how to separate concepts. Like, grace and works. Grace is a free gift, so anything that involves works can’t’ be for salvation,” Howard explained.
“I guess Muffy does eat kind of weird,” Doug admitted as he watched his dog finish the one part and then start on the other. “But, that’s true. It’s very important to study God’s Word and really understand what each verse is about.”
---------------------
27.
Grace giggled after she reared back to throw the baseball for her puppy. She giggled so hard because pepper came out of it.
“Wait,” her dad said while grabbing the ball and laughing. “The dog brought you our pepper shaker that looks like a baseball.”
“He must have gotten on his back legs,” she said once she was done laughing. She had followed him into the kitchen, where he put the salt shaker back.
Once her dad corrected the puppy and gave him a real tennis ball, he sat and she sat on his lap. “He is tall. I put it up higher now. You know, that reminds me of First Samuel 16:7. ‘Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ We all have times when the outside of something looks pretty.”
“Or like a baseball.”
“Well, that’s something our dog loves. But, the inside wasn’t what he wanted, was it?” She shook her head. “It might be a toy that isn’t as fun as you thought. Years from now it might be a boy who looks nice but isn’t. Whatever it is, always remember to look at the inside. And trust God to show you what’s right. He always knows best.”
---------------------
28.
“Come on, I said one of the speckles on your dress,” Barry complained.
His younger sister, Brenna, smiled mischievously. “You have to guess which one.”
Their mom looked back from the passenger’s seat of the car. She hoped to distract them so their game of “I Spy” didn’t turn into an argument.
“Hey, who remembers what the definition of sin is?”
“Missing the mark,” Brenna spouted.
“Right, it’s missing God’s mark of perfection. It’s like trying to hit a bull’s eye the size of one of those speckles from a million miles away. Now, Barry could guess the right speckle.”
“Yeah, in a million years,” he exaggerated.
“Sure. Romans 3:23 says ‘all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,’” their mom said. “Since we all fell short, Jesus paid a price none of us could pay on our own when He died for our sins and rose again. Knowing Him gives you the freedom to be silly like that and laugh and have fun without worry about having to pay the penalty for sin.”
------------------
29.
Brian honked his bicycle horn as he pulled up to Bob’s house. “Hey, guys,” he said to his friends Bob, Doug, and Jeff.
They weren’t sure how or what to say about yesterday. It had been the first Father’s Day since Brian’s dad died.
After they talked and got on their bikes to ride, Jeff finally asked, “How are things going?”
“Okay. It’s been a few months. I still think about my dad. But, no mand can take my joy from me,” Brain replied.
As they rode the boys talked about other things. Brain felt like sharing more all of a sudden; after such thoughts came out of the blue sometimes.
“It’s still sad. But, joy is different than happiness. I really miss him. But, I still have joy because of the great memories, but most importantly because I know he’s in Heaven. I’ll see him again. And, I’ll always have my relationship with God. He gives me peace and comfort whenever I trust Him.” He seemed to be reminding himself – which was normal at a time like this. But, he knew God always kept His promises.
---------------------
30.
Betty made a face and removed her bubble gum. “Chocolate bubble gum is yucky.”
“I thought it would be,” Betty’s friend Carol said. “Why did you even try?” she asked as she made a face, too.
“Well, I like both. I thought it might be nice to put chocolate syrup on. The watermelon flavor made it even worse…” She giggled at her strange plan.
“Yeah, you can’t even eat bubble gum,” Carol’s dad said simply as he helped his wife with supper.
“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways,” Carol quoted with a laugh. “I love to cook, so I put cheese on ice cream once.”
Carol’s mother chimed in. “Some people are like Jesus in youth group, yet act so worldly the rest of the time. It’s as yucky to people as chocolate bubble gum.”
“Especially to Jesus. His harshest criticism was against hypocrites,” Carols dad said.
Betty agreed as she threw her bubble gum away. “That yucky part takes all the fun out of the good part. Just like if we follow Jesus, bad behavior means people can’t see the good in us.”
---------------------
31.
Tim stifled a laugh as his older sister, Ann, dipped butter in butter. Finally, he couldn’t hold it in as she put it in her mouth and made a grossed-out face.
“This fish tastes awful,” Ann declared.
“That’s because you put your fork in the butter,” their mom said with a smile.
“The restaurant’s dark enough, I’m just glad you didn’t catch a napkin and try to dip it,” their dad quipped.
Ann finally nabbed a piece of fish and dipped it. “That tastes a lot better.”
“As opposed to a lot butter,” Tim kidded her.
They remembered that the Bible says Jesus is the light of the world and that people who don’t walk in Him walk in darkness.
“It’s as hard for people to cope without Jesus as it was for you to see what was fish and what wasn’t,” their dad said. He was glad they walked in Jesus, so they could see right and wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment