There are many problems in the world today. Parents are worried about their children. They want their children to love and obey God. But there are so many things in the world to distract them from following Jesus.
Children need to know and obey God’s Word. They need to learn Bible verses and remember them. Then, when they are tempted to follow the world, these verses will encourage them and help them stay close to God.
Paul wrote about God’s Word in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. “All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.”
The best thing you can do for children is to help them explore and learn from God’s Word. Share the Bible with your children at bedtime. Tell your grandchildren how the
Bible has helped you in life. Teach a children’s Bible study or Sunday School class. Find a way to help the younger generation become strong and effective Christians!
Live Wisely
Donna Howard
The writer of Psalm 90 talks about time and the shortness of our life on earth. Psalm 90:10 gives a summary of life. “We live about 70 years or, if we are strong, 80 years. But most of them are filled with hard work and pain. Then, suddenly, the years are gone, and we fly away.”
Some people are able to enjoy their families and serve God for many years. But often they look back over their lives and wonder if they have used their time wisely for God. In the New Testament, Paul warned Christians to not be foolish with their lives. Instead, he encouraged them to obey God and live wisely.
If we live wisely, we need to do what God wants us to do. What does God want us to do? He wants us to spend time with our family and friends — loving them, sharing with them and encouraging them. God also wants us to work hard at our jobs and to reach out to the people we work with. But most of all, God wants us to spend time with Him — loving Him, praising Him, praying to Him, reading His Word and obeying Him. If we do those things, we will be living wisely.
Think about your life today. Are you spending time with God? Are you living wisely for Him?
Thunder
Jo Krueger
Thunder is an amazing thing. We can experience thunder by feeling its vibrations or hearing its rumble. For many years thunder has been a symbol of great power and authority.
God told Moses that He wanted to meet with the people of Israel. Moses helped the people prepare themselves for this special meeting with God for two days. Then on the third day, God came down to Mount Sinai. Exodus 19:16 describes this event. “On the morning of the third day, a thick cloud came down onto the mountain. There was thunder and lightning and a very loud sound from the trumpet. All the people in the camp were frightened.”
Wow! The mountain was covered with smoke, the trumpet sound became louder and louder and God’s voice was like thunder. That must have been an awesome display of God’s power. God’s power was so great that He told Moses to warn the people to not come too close to the mountain. If they came too close, they would die.
God is very loving and kind. But He is also great and powerful. We can read about God’s power all throughout the Bible. And we can see God’s power today through creation. Take time today to look around you. Think about God’s power and thank Him for everything He has made.
Jethro
Matt Keller
Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law. After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Jethro came to meet Moses. Jethro watched Moses judge the Israelites and make decisions for them. He saw that the work was very hard for Moses to do alone.
So Jethro gave Moses some advice. We can find Jethro’s advice in Exodus 18:17-18. “But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘This isn’t the right way to do this. It is too much work for you to do alone. You cannot do this job by yourself. It wears you out. And it makes the people tired, too.’” Jethro told Moses to find good men and make them rulers over the people. These rulers would judge the people. Then Moses would only need to decide the most important cases.
Jethro was a wise man. He used his wisdom to help Moses do what God wanted. He did not tell Moses to change God’s plan. Instead, he told Moses the best way to do the work God wanted him to do.
There are certain things that God wants us to do for Him. So He gives us His wisdom to find the best way to do what He wants. And sometimes God sends someone else with wisdom who can give us good advice.
Think about the ways you can serve God today. Try to find the best way to do those things for God.
Moses' Hands
Chad Entinger
The Israelites were being attacked by the Amalekites. Moses stood on top of a hill, holding the walking stick that God had given to him. While Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning the battle against the Amalekites. But when Moses lowered his hands, the Israelites started losing the battle.
Why did Moses lower his arms? Because his arms were tired! Exodus 17:12-13 describes what Aaron and Hur did to help Moses. “After some time, Moses’ arms became tired. So they put a large rock under Moses for him to sit on. Then Aaron and Hur held Moses’ hands in the air. Aaron was on one side of Moses and Hur was on the other side. They held his hands up like this until the sun went down. So Joshua and his men defeated the Amalekites in this battle.”
God chose Moses to be the leader of His people. But Moses needed help. So Aaron and Hur supported and helped Moses win the battle against the Amalekites. Aaron and Hur willingly served Moses.
Be like Aaron and Hur. Support and encourage your preacher. Pay attention to your Bible teacher. Share your possessions with other Christians. Always be ready and willing to serve God and His leaders.
No Water
Jo Krueger
The Bible tells us that God did many more miracles for the Israelites as they traveled in the desert. One miracle happened when they were camped at Rephidim. There was no water for the people and animals to drink. So what did the people do? Did they remember how God had taken care of them in the past? No! The Israelites started complaining again. Then they argued with Moses.
Moses was afraid that the Israelites might kill him, so he asked God what he should do. In Exodus 17:5-6 we read what God said to Moses. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go before the Israelites. Take some of the elders of the people with you. Carry your walking stick with you. This is the stick that you used when you hit the Nile River. I will stand before you on a rock at Horeb. Hit that rock with the walking stick and water will come out of it. Then the people can drink.’”
Today we can read the Bible and learn that God will take care of us. But when troubles come, we often complain — just like the Israelites. Instead of depending on God to help us through bad times, we complain and whine about what is happening to us.
Maybe you will face some bad times today. Instead of complaining, remember to thank God and depend on Him.
Manna
Joel Burkum
Yesterday we learned that the Israelites complained to God because they did not have enough food. God heard their complaints and sent them a very special kind of food. Exodus 16:31 tells us about this food. “The people called the special food ‘manna.’ It was like small white coriander seeds and tasted like thin cakes made with honey.”
Manna was a miracle that God sent to the Israelites to show that He was with them. Every night, except Friday night, God sent manna to cover the ground where the Israelites were camped. He told them to gather the manna each morning, but only enough for that day. On Friday mornings, they were to gather enough manna for Friday and Saturday, their special day of rest.
But some of the Israelites did not obey God. They gathered more manna than they needed. The next day there were worms in the manna, and it began to stink. God continued to provide manna for the Israelites for 40 years as they traveled to their new home!
God truly blessed the Israelites with this special food. He promised to take care of them, and He did! God blesses us each day, too. We have food, clothing, a place to live, and family and friends. Think about your blessings today and thank God for each one!
Don't Doubt God
Lynette Denton
It’s fun to watch a kite as it sails through the sky. If someone on the ground is holding tightly onto the kite, it will not fly away when a strong wind comes. But if the kite is not anchored below, the wind will carry it up and down and finally crash it to the ground below.
As Christians, our faith should be anchored in God and His Word. We should believe what God says and obey it. James 1:6 reminds us that we must not doubt God. “But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind.”
If our faith is based on people’s opinions and things in the world, we will be filled with doubts and confusion. But if our faith is based on God, we can stand strong. Sometimes we may have questions, but we should always search God’s Word for the right answers.
Maybe you have some doubts about who God is. Or maybe you have doubts about God’s plan of salvation for you. Share these doubts with God. Ask Him to help you trust Him and His Word. God will encourage you and show you proof of His love and power. Don’t doubt God. Trust Him today!
Complaining
Vicki Drummond
The Israelites saw the ten plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians. Finally, the Israelites were allowed to leave Egypt. The Israelites also saw God open the water of the Red Sea so they could walk across on dry land.
But as the Israelites traveled in the desert, they had a problem. They did not have enough to eat. So they started complaining. They thought about the food that they had to eat in Egypt. They said it would have been better if God had just killed them in Egypt instead of leading them into the desert to die.
God heard the complaints of the Israelites. He told Moses that He would make food fall from the sky to feed the people. Exodus 16:6 tells us what Moses and Aaron said to the Israelites. “So Moses and Aaron said to the Israelites, ‘Tonight you will see the power of the Lord. You will know that he is the one who brought you out of Egypt.’”
Maybe you have grumbled and complained about something that happened at church. Or maybe you have complained about your Christian friends. God does not want you to grumble and complain. Instead, He wants you to be thankful and encouraging. Ask God to help you stop complaining and to show comfort and kindness to others today.
Miriam
Matt Keller
Moses had an older brother, Aaron, and an older sister. His sister’s name was Miriam. When Moses was a baby, his mother hid him from the Egyptians by putting him in a basket and floating the basket on the Nile River. Miriam was a little girl then. She watched the basket until Pharaoh’s daughter pulled it from the water. Then Miriam told Pharaoh’s daughter she would find someone to help with the baby. Miriam went and got her mother to help take care of baby Moses.
Later, we learn that Miriam was with Moses and Aaron when they led the Israelites out of Egypt. The Bible says that she was a woman prophet. Exodus 15:20-21 tells us that when the Israelites praised God for leading them through the Red Sea, Miriam was there. “Then Aaron’s sister, the woman prophet Miriam, took a tambourine. She and the women began singing and dancing. Miriam repeated the words, ‘Sing to the Lord! He has done great things. He threw horse and rider into the sea...’”
The Bible does not tell us much about the ways God spoke through Miriam, but we know that He used her to share His Word. God can use us, too, if we are willing to serve Him. Ask God to show you how you can serve Him today!
Think Like Jesus
Gayle Thorn
Everything we experience enters our minds. The things we see or read are the things we think about. When we think about bad things, God is not happy with us. But when we think about good things, God is pleased with us.
As Christians, we should only think about things that please God. In Philippians, chapter 2, Paul teaches us to think about things like encouragement, love, comfort, mercy and kindness. We should not be selfish and only want to please ourselves. Paul sums up what we should do in Philippians 2:5. “In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought.”
What does that verse mean? How did Jesus think? Jesus thought about what God wanted Him to do. Jesus thought about serving God instead of serving Himself. Jesus was always thinking about other people. The things Jesus thought about pleased God.
What will your thoughts be like today? Will they make God happy or sad? Try to think about things that are good and right and pure. Then God will be pleased with you.
God Sees
Pam Davis
Most children love to hide. When a child is very young their mother or father will hide their face by covering it with their hands. When they take their hands away, the baby laughs. When children learn to walk, they start hiding behind furniture or out in the backyard. Children love to play hiding games.
But as adults, we need to realize that we cannot hide anything from God. He sees everything and knows everything. God also knows what we think and do. We cannot hide our sins from Him. The writer of Hebrews talks about this in Hebrews 4:13. “Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. He can clearly see all things. Everything is open before him. And to him we must explain the way we have lived.”
Knowing that God sees everything should not make us afraid. He love us and wants us to confess our sins. Then He will forgive us. We should be comforted to know that God watches over us and takes care of us.
Whatever you do today, remember that God is watching you. Thank Him and praise Him and do things that bring honor and glory to His name!
Bitter Water
Joel Burkum
Moses led the Israelites away from the Red Sea. They were happy that God had taken care of them. But soon those same people became angry and started complaining. Why? Because they were thirsty. The Israelites found water, but it was bitter and not good to drink. They thought that God was not taking care of them any more. So the Israelites became angry and complained to God.
Moses prayed and asked God to help them. God showed Moses a large piece of wood and told him to put the wood in the water. Moses obeyed God, and the water became sweet and good to drink.
Then in Exodus 15:26, God gave Moses and the Israelites a command and a promise. “He said to him, ‘I am the Lord your God. If you listen to me and do what I say is right, and if you obey all my commands and laws, then I will not give you any of the sicknesses that I gave the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you.’” God wanted the Israelites to continue to obey Him. Then He would take care of them.
We must always obey God, too. We must allow God to help us make decisions. Sometimes life is filled with problems. But if we let God lead us, He will help us and give us His blessings and peace.
Amazing God
Jody Bethards
Just imagine that you were with the Israelites as they walked on dry ground through the Red Sea. Do you see the great wall of water on either side of you? Do you see the fish and other sea creatures swimming in the water around you? That must have been an awesome and terrifying experience for the Israelites!
When the Israelites reached the other side of the Red Sea, they must have been frightened to see the Egyptian army chasing after them. Then they must have been amazed to watch as God caused the Red Sea to flow back and cover the entire Egyptian army.
The Israelites were safe on dry land, and the Egyptians were drowned. Then the Israelites began to sing a song of praise to God. Exodus 15:2 is part of this song. “The Lord is my strength. He saves me, and I sing songs of praise to him. He is my God, and I praise him. He is the God of my ancestors, and I honor him.”
We must never forget how powerful and amazing God is! We may not see miracles like the Israelites saw. But we can see God working in our lives every day. Take time to praise God today. Thank Him for being so amazing!
Red Sea Miracle
Joel Burkum
The Israelites went through the Red Sea on dry land. But the Egyptian army was close behind them. They started following the Israelites on the path through the Red Sea. God made the Egyptians panic. Then their chariot wheels became stuck, and they couldn’t control their chariots.
Then God told Moses to raise his hand over the sea. The water came back to its normal level and covered the chariots and the soldiers. The entire army was destroyed. None of them survived! Exodus 14:31 tells us the result of this great miracle. “The Israelites saw the great power of the Lord when he defeated the Egyptians. So the people feared and respected the Lord, and they began to trust the Lord and his servant Moses.”
Some people say that this event was not a miracle. They say that the Red Sea w
as really only about 18 inches deep and that a strong wind blew the water apart. If that is true, I wonder how the entire Egyptian army could be drowned in only 18 inches of water!!
Many people in the world want to stop us from believing in God. They will make up stories and say that the Bible is not true. We need to stay strong and defend God’s Word. Always trust God, and always believe His Word!
