Verse: Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Passages: Job 2:11-13, 22:5-11

When three of Job’s friends heard how he was suffering, they decided to go and comfort him. Job’s children had died, all his animals had been stolen, and now his body was covered with sores.

At first, Job’s friends didn’t even recognize him, but when they did, they tore their clothes to show how upset they were. They sat in silence with him for seven days. Then, one by one, each of them started telling Job why all this had happened to him. One said that Job had sinned against God and that he should repent while another said that he was being punished for something his children had done. However, Job could not think of any wrong he, or his children, had done.

How can I encourage someone who is feeling down?

We all go through times when almost everything seems to go wrong. Perhaps you have noticed your mom or dad looking upset, or a friend who seems down in the dumps.

Have you been discouraged or worried lately? If you have, you can feel and understand what the other person is going through. That makes it easier to say the right thing to them because you can say what you would have like to hear when you were down. “The God of all comfort, comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” 2 Corinthians 1:4.

Rather than trying to point out possible reasons for what happened, like Job’s friends did, ask your friend to tell you how they feel. If your friend seems to become more upset as they talk to you, it is only because you are listening and allowing them to get rid of their frustration and anger.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

- 1 Corinthians 2:16

Passages: Job 38:1-15, 40:3-4

After Job and his friends had long discussions about the likely cause of his problems, the Lord Himself spoke to Job out of a storm.

God said to him, “Who are you to question what I do? Where were you when I made the world? Who waters the dry land, and who hung the planets in space? The Lord asked Job many such questions and then gave him a chance to speak.

But Job said, “I have said foolish things. What can I answer? I will not say anything else because I have already said more than I should.”

Can we ever really know God?

If it were possible for you to talk to an ant, think of some questions you would ask the ant. “Do you know how to tie a shoelace? Are you able to take the dog for a walk? Do you know how to add and subtract?”

Maybe God smiled as He looked around at His creation and asked Job about things that are so obvious and easy for Him to do.

As humans, we sometimes think we are very clever and very powerful. We can work out how far the moon is from the earth, and we can make powerful bombs to destroy big cities. But who keeps the planets spinning at the right speed and in their right paths? And who keeps the sun shining with the heat of a million atom bombs?

We will never be able to know and understand God fully. Paul puts it like this: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” Romans 11:33.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

- 2 Corinthians 4:17

Passages: Job 42:10-17

After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, He said to Job’s friends; “I am angry with you because you did not speak the truth about Me. Now go make a sacrifice to Me! Job will pray for you and I will answer his prayer.”

The three friends did what the Lord told them to do, and after Job had prayed for them the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job had children again; seven sons and three beautiful daughters. Once again he owned thousands of camels, sheep, donkeys and cattle. He lived to a very old age—long enough to see his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.

Will my problems ever come to an end?

As surely as spring follows winter, and morning follows a dark and lonely night, so God will bring you through your time of trouble. David said this in one of his psalms: “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” Psalm 30:5.

God had not left Job, even though it seemed—for a while—as though he had been abandoned. Little by little, God started putting Job’s life together again. Job could not have done this by himself because he had absolutely nothing left.

God rewards faithfulness! God had kept a record of everything the devil had taken away. The devil had used his chance to turn Job’s heart against God, but Job had passed the test! God was so pleased with Job that it seemed as though He couldn’t wait to give Job back all that had been taken from him. In fact, the Lord gave Job a lot more than he had before!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse:Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this. - (Jeremiah 14:22)

Passages: 1 Kings 17:1-7

After the death of King Solomon, his kingdom was divided and ruled by two kings. Jeroboam ruled the ten tribes of Israel in the North, while Rehoboam the son of Solomon, ruled Judah’s two tribes in the South.

After a number of kings had come and gone, Ahab became king of Israel. He sinned even more than the kings before him and married a wicked woman named Jezebel. Ahab and Jezebel worshipped the heathen god Baal.

Elijah, a prophet of God, said to King Ahab, “In the name of the living God of Israel, I tell you that there will be no dew or rain for the next few years.”

Then the Lord told Elijah to go east and hide near the brook Kerith. “You can drink from this brook,” the Lord said, “and I have commanded ravens to bring you food.”

Elijah obeyed the Lord and went to the brook. There, the ravens brought Elijah bread and meat every morning and every evening.

Can one leader cause everyone to suffer?

We have many examples of how one person—a powerful leader—can cause much suffering and hardship in a country. Many of the great wars have been started by the decision of a single person, and thousands of people have been killed because of the stubbornness and greed of one person. King Ahab’s sin caused many to follow his bad example of idolatry and this brought on a drought and much suffering.

In some cases, the people themselves chose their leader—not knowing how he would turn out. We should remember to pray for our leaders so that they will let God lead them (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse:In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. - (1 Corinthians 9:14)

Passages: 1 Kings 17:7-16

The stream where Elijah had been getting water had dried up because it hadn’t rained for a long time. So the Lord told Elijah to go to a certain town. When Elijah got to the town, he saw a widow gathering firewood and said to her; “Please give me a drink of water, and could you give me some bread as well?“

The woman answered, “Believe me, I don’t have any bread. All I have left is a handful of flour in a bowl and a drop of olive oil in a jar. I am gathering firewood to make one last meal for myself and my son before we die.”

“Don’t worry,” Elijah replied. “The bowl will not run out of flour, neither will the jar run out of oil until the Lord sends rain again.” So the widow went to prepare a meal for Elijah; and for as long as the drought lasted, the flour and the oil did not run out.

Who looks after missionaries and evangelists?

Most adults either work for somebody or they have their own business. They are paid by the firm they work for or live off the money they make from their business.

Missionaries and evangelists work for the Lord, so who pays them? Although the Lord does reward them they still have the everyday expenses of food, clothes and other things. Elijah had no money to buy food, yet God had a plan in place.

God uses those who have money (or food) to give to those who spend their lives telling others about Him. You too could be part of God’s plan to help missionaries! You could give some of your pocket money to missions or donate used books and other things to missionary kids.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. - (1 Corinthians 9:14)

Passages: 1 Kings 17:17-24

The widow and her son now had enough food for themselves and for Elijah. God was taking care of them in a special way. One day, the son of the widow became very ill. He got worse and worse, and finally died. The widow said to Elijah, “Did you come here to remind God of my sin and cause my son to die?”

“Give me the boy,” Elijah said. He took the boy upstairs and laid him on his bed. He asked the Lord why He had done this to the widow who had been so kind to him. Then he prayed, “Lord, bring this child back to life again.”

So the Lord answered Elijah’s prayer and the boy started breathing again! Then Elijah took the boy downstairs to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”

Where do small children go when they die?

It is especially sad when a baby or a young child dies. It seems as if he or she has missed out and didn’t get the chance to live life fully. Death is very sad for those left behind. We miss the joy of showing our love and care, and we miss the closeness of that special relationship. Happy relationships bring joy to our lives, and when someone is taken from us, it feels as though a chunk has been ripped from inside us.

Although life feels like a very long journey, we are actually on earth for just a short while compared to the time we’ll be together in Heaven. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” Matthew 19:14. All those who have a heart (an attitude) like a child will go to Heaven to be with their Heavenly Father, and Jesus will be there to welcome them and spend time with each one as He did on earth (Mark 10:16).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. - (Joshua 24:15 )

Passages: 1 Kings 18:18-39

It had not rained for three years, just as Elijah had said. Then Elijah went to King Ahab and told him to get the prophets of Baal and everyone else together on Mount Carmel. Elijah told them, “Take a bull and put it on an altar with wood. But do not light a fire. I will do the same. The God who answers by sending fire is the true God.”

The prophets of Baal spent all day praying to their god. By the end of the day, when Baal had not answered their prayers, Elijah said, “Come, gather around.” He built an altar and dug a trench around it. Then he prepared the bull, laid it on the altar, and told the men to pour water all over it. So they drenched the altar until the water filled the trench.

Elijah prayed, “Answer me, Lord, so that these people will know that You alone are God.” When he had finished praying, God sent down a fire that burnt up the sacrifice, the wood and the stones, and it even dried up the water.

How should our lives be different from those of unbelievers?

Imagine if players from two opposing teams wore the same colors. That would be confusing for the team players and the spectators.

God wanted to make it clear that His people could not serve two gods. They needed to make up their minds, once and for all, whose side they were on.

Our thinking should not be shaped by the popular ideas of the world that go against God’s Word. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). In other words, don’t become like the ungodly people of the world by fitting in so perfectly that no one would even know you are a Christian. Remember that you can’t be on both sides.

The Lord has chosen you to be on the winning side, so let your colors show!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: “…How faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?“ - (Job 26:14)

Passages: 1 Kings 19:1-14

King Ahab went back and told his wife Jezebel about how Elijah’s God had sent fire that burned up the whole altar; and how that Elijah had ordered the prophets of Baal to be killed. Jezebel was furious! She sent a message to Elijah; “May the gods strike me dead if I don’t do to you what you did to the prophets of Baal!”

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He found a cave where he could spend the night. Suddenly, the Lord spoke to him and said, “Go out and stand on the mountain, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

First, the Lord sent a furious wind that shattered the rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face and went and stood at the entrance of the cave and God spoke to Him.

Does God speak with a voice of thunder?

God spoke—and all of creation came into being. By His words the earth was formed and every creature was given life. To do that, God’s voice must be very powerful!

When we hear a loud clap of thunder roll across the dark sky, we get an idea of how it would sound if God were to speak (see Joel 3:16).

However, God does not want to scare us by using His loud voice when he speaks to us. Elijah may have expected God to speak through the powerful wind or the earthquake, but instead, God spoke in a gentle whisper.

When God speaks to us, He doesn’t shout at us from heaven. He uses the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to speak to us, just like the gentle whisper Elijah heard. In fact, if we don’t get away from the noise of life and quietly spend time with Him, we may not even hear His voice.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age … and in the age to come, eternal life.”

- (Mark 10:29-30 )

Passages: 1 Kings 19:19-21

The Lord had appeared to Elijah. He told him to anoint Elisha as the prophet who would take over from him. So Elijah went from there and found Elisha plowing with oxen. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha as a sign of God’s Spirit of power on him.

Elisha asked if he could first say goodbye to his father and mother. Elijah replied, “All right, go.”

So Elisha went to say goodbye to everyone. He killed his oxen and used the wood from the plow to make a fire to cook the meat. After giving the meat to the people, he went off to become Elijah’s helper.

Will I have to leave home to follow Jesus?

“Come and follow me!” Jesus said, as He called the men who would make up His team of disciples (see Mark 1:17-20 and Mark 2:14). The call was so strong that none of those chosen for the team asked Jesus how long they would be away or where they were going. God had been preparing their hearts, and when Jesus called them, they just left everything and followed Him.

God had been watching Elisha and saw that he was the right person to take over from Elijah. Elisha did not seem surprised or confused, almost as though he had been expecting God to do something big in his life.

When you hear people talk about following Jesus, it doesn’t mean that you must wait outside for Him with your suitcase packed. What it means is that you must follow the example of Jesus, living the way He did. And as the Lord prepares your heart, you too will be ready to serve Him if He needs you for a special task somewhere.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. - (Mark 10:29-30 )

Passages: 2 Kings 2:7-14

Elijah knew that his time on earth was almost up. God had told him to coach Elisha to take over his task as a prophet. As they stood at the edge of the River Jordan, Elijah took off his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the river with it. The river parted and they crossed over on dry ground. As they walked together, Elijah asked Elisha, “What can I do for you before I am taken away from you?”

“Let me have even more of the Spirit’s power than you had,” Elisha replied.

Elijah said, “You have asked a hard thing, but if you see me when I am taken from you, God will give you what you have asked for.”

As they walked together, a chariot of fire pulled by horses suddenly appeared. Elijah was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind and Elisha saw him go up.

Is it possible to get to heaven without dying?

Most people want to go to heaven, but few think about how they would get there. To get to heaven, our bodies have to be changed. God must give us new heavenly bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53), and for this to happen, our old bodies must die. Elijah went to heaven without actually dying. What a way to go! If you had a choice, you would probably like to go that way too!

For believers, this will actually happen when Jesus comes for us. Jesus said that He is coming back in the clouds to take us up to heaven. He will come at a time no one expects, and all those who love Jesus will meet Him in the air. We will be changed in an instant and be with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). So, be ready at all times because you may be one of those who will go straight to heaven without actually dying.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: (Jesus said); “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. … You know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” - (Mark 10:29-30 )

Passages: 2 Kings 2:19-22

Elijah had been taken up to heaven and now Elisha was on his own. Because Elisha had seen Elijah as he was taken, he knew he had been given an extra portion of the Spirit’s power. But now everyone wanted to find out whether he was really a prophet. The people from Jericho came to him and said, “This is a wonderful city, but the water makes people sick.”

So Elisha said, “Get me some salt in a bowl.” Then he took the salt and threw it in the spring, saying, “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have made this water pure and it will no longer cause people to die.’” And the water was pure from that day on.

How can I know that the Spirit of God lives in me?

One way a prophet could show that his message was truly from God was by doing miracles. When God works in amazing ways through His servants, it gives them the authority to speak as though God is speaking.

The people of Jericho had this problem with their water for some time. Now they had a chance to get their water problem sorted out, and to find out whether Elisha was for real.

How do your friends know that your belief in God is for real? The only way someone can tell that the Spirit of God lives in you is by seeing your fruit. Just as you can tell a fruit tree by its fruit, people can tell what is in your heart by the fruit in your life. The Spirit lets fruit appear as you live out the goodness that God has put in your heart. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” Galatians 5:22-23.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. - (Malachi 4:20)

Passages: 2 Kings 3:14-25

When King Ahab of Israel died, the king of Moab rebelled against Ahab’s son Joram, the new king.

King Joram was being threatened, so he together with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, went to see Elisha the prophet. Elisha told him; “Dig ditches all over the valley, and even though you will not see any rain, the valley will be filled with water for you and your animals to drink.”

When the Moabites heard that the three kings had come to fight against them, they got up early the next morning to prepare for battle. As the sun was rising, the pools of water looked red in the morning light and the Moabites thought it was blood. “The kings must have fought against each other,” they said. “Let’s go and raid their camp!” So they did; but the armies of the three kings defeated the Moabites and then destroyed their fields and towns.

How should I deal with nasty comments?

Are you being attacked with nasty comments that make you feel embarrassed, worthless and unwanted?

If God could use the glow of the morning sun to give the Israelite's victory against attacks, He can shine His love into your situation too! If other kids are trying to make you miserable, the Lord can change your situation as He did for the Israelite's. Pray until you feel the warmth of Jesus’ love shine into your life and bring healing to your hurting heart.

Jesus is the best friend anybody could wish for. He will never leave you, no matter what! Remember that Jesus made you special and that is what you are. So enjoy being the person you were made to be!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
- (Malachi 4:20)

Passages: 2 Kings 4:1-7

One day, a prophet died before he could pay back the money he owed a man who had lent him the money. The man told the widow that if she didn’t pay back the money, he would sell her two sons as slaves to get his money.

When she told Elisha what had happened, he said, “How can I help you? What do you have in your house?”

“I have nothing except a little oil,” she replied.

“Go ask all your neighbors for empty jars, as many as you can get,” Elisha said. “Then go inside, shut the door, and start pouring the oil into the jars.”

The woman did as Elisha had told her, and as she poured the oil into the jars, it just kept flowing. She filled one jar after another until all the jars were full to the brim. The woman went back to Elisha and told him what had happened. So Elisha said, “Now go sell the oil, and with the money you make you can settle your debt and then live on the money that is left over.”

Can I be joyful all the time?

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Is that actually possible? Is it possible to be happy all the time?

Usually we think of happiness as the pleasant emotion we have when everything goes our way. Paul, who told the Philippians to rejoice, was not having an easy time at all! He spent a lot of time in prison. Of course he wasn’t happy about being tied up and beaten, yet he sang songs of joy to God.

Joy comes from inside us! Joy does not depend on the way others treat us, or what is happening around us. It comes from knowing that Jesus loves us and that He is with us in every situation. The widow’s situation seemed hopeless, yet God saw her need and cared for her.

Whatever problem you may have, remember that God knows about it and He cares. Let that thought fill you with joy, and may that joy flow from inside you just as the oil kept on flowing from the small jar until it filled all the others.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. - (Malachi 4:20)

Passages: 2 Kings 4:8-17

One day Elisha went to a town called Shumen. A woman who lived there with her husband invited Elisha to stay for a meal. She told Elisha that he should come and have a meal with them whenever he passed through their town.

One day the woman said to her husband, “I know that this is a holy man of God. Let’s build a small room on the roof of the house, and put in a bed, a table and chair, and a lamp. Then he can stay with us whenever he comes this way.”

One day, while Elisha was in his new room, he called the woman and said to her, “About this time next year, you will have a son.” And the woman became pregnant and had a son the following year, just as Elisha had said.

What is hospitality?

Have your parents invited someone to stay in your home for a few days or even months? It may have been your grandparents, or a friend who needed a place to stay.

The Holy Spirit has given some people the gift of hospitality. People with this gift are really good at making others feel welcome in their home—be it for a meal or to stay for a while. Whether you have the gift of hospitality or not, you too can make others feel welcome. The Bible says, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms” 1 Peter 4:9-10.

Although the woman and her husband did not have enough space at first, they made a plan and did what they could. You might not be able to invite others to your home now, but you can share what you have.

For example, you could show a new person at school where everything is, and introduce them to your friends. You can also be friendly to new kids at church so that they will look forward to coming again. Simply share what you have with others—even if it is your big smile!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Jesus replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.” - (Luke 17:6)

Passages: 2 Kings 5:1-5

Naaman was a commander in the Syrian army and was respected by the king because he had won many battles. But Naaman had a problem: he had a terrible skin disease which causes a slow and horrible death.

In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrian army had captured and brought back Israelites slaves. Among them was a little girl who ended up as a servant of Naaman’s wife. One day she said to her mistress, “If only my master could go to the prophet in Israel he would be cured of his disease.”

When Naaman heard about the prophet in Israel, he went to the king and told him what the girl had said. The king of Aram immediately wrote a letter to the king of Israel and said to Naaman, “Go to Israel, and take this letter with you.”

Can my faith be strong even though I’m young?

Would you have dared to be as brave as the young servant girl? Naaman was a commander of a big army, and he didn’t become commander by being nice! The girl probably didn’t even know the name of the prophet in Israel or whether he would heal someone from Syria. She simply trusted God.

The girl knew that it is easy for God to do those things that seem impossible to do—she had faith! God gave her the confident assurance to tell her mistress about the prophet. Although she knew that she would be in big trouble if her master came back unhealed, she was obedient to God’s voice in her heart. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that God could heal her master! Faith is simply trusting God.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: … People brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. - (Luke 17:6)

Passages: 2 Kings 5:5-8

Naaman set out on a journey from Syria to Israel to find the prophet who could cure him of his skin disease. He took with some silver and gold, beautiful clothes and a letter that his king had written.

After a long journey, he arrived in the city of the king of Israel and handed him the letter which said: “This is my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his skin disease.”

When the king read the letter, he was very upset and tore his clothes. “How can your king expect me to cure you? Does he think I am God? He just wants to pick a fight with me!”

When Elisha heard what had happened he sent a message to the king: “Why are you so upset? Send the man to me and I will show him that there is a prophet here who serves the living God.”

Should I go to a doctor or pray for healing?

When you feel sick, your mom probably tucks you up in bed and gives you some horrible tasting stuff that makes you better. Some sicknesses are so bad that we need to see a doctor or even a specialist. God will not be upset when your mom takes you to the doctor even when you have prayed and asked Him to make you better.

Think of what you do when you have toothache. Do you ask God to fill your cavity or do you let a dentist fill it?

In most cases, God uses doctors and medicines to make us better. And when doctors don’t have a cure for an illness, God still has the same power to heal in miraculous ways! So even if you go to a doctor, you can still trust God to help you feel better and make your body strong again.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
- (Romans 10:17)

Passages: 2 Kings 5:9-14

Naaman went with his horses and chariots to the house where Elisha the prophet was staying. When he arrived at the house, Elisha told his servant to give Naaman this message; “Go to the Jordan River and wash yourself in the water seven times and you will be cured.”

Naaman was upset because Elisha had not even come out to speak to him and cure him right there on the spot. Then Naaman added, “Besides, aren’t the rivers back home good enough? I could have washed in them and be cured.”

But Naaman’s servants said. “Sir, surely if the prophet had told you to do something difficult you would have done it. Why don’t you just go down into the river and do what the prophet told you.”

So Naaman went down to the Jordan River, and when he gone in and dipped in it seven times, he was completely cured and his skin became like that of a young boy.

How can I overcome my doubt?

From birth, children trust their parents completely, and as they get older, they slowly learn to trust others around them. But because we are human, we sometimes forget or cannot do what we have promised. As you have probably discovered, sooner or later, someone will let you down.

Because we think of God in a human way, we may wonder if He will also let us down—especially if He has not answered our prayers in the way we expected. But we should keep trusting God and know that He will never let us down; that He answers our prayers in the very best way. Naaman expected to be healed in a certain way but, when things worked out differently, he almost gave up. If he had gone home right then, he would have missed out on God’s answer.

One way in which you can grow in your faith and learn to trust God more is to read the Bible. By reading about His faithfulness over thousands of years we are encouraged to trust Him completely. Remember, God has not changed and He will never change. He is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. - (Luke 16:10)

Passages: 2 Kings 5:15-27

Naaman was so grateful that he had been healed, he went back to Elisha and said, “Now I know that your God is the only God. Please take this gift as a sign of my gratitude.”

But Elisha replied, “I will not accept the gift.” And even though Naaman tried to persuade him to take it, Elisha refused. So Naaman went on his way. But Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, heard them speaking and decided to get something out of Naaman for himself. Naaman had not gone far when Gehazi caught up with him. “My master sent me to tell you that two prophets have just arrived, and that he could use the gifts you wanted to give him,” he said.

Naaman gladly gave Gehazi what he had asked for. When Gehazi got back, Elisha asked him where he had been. “I didn’t go anywhere!” Gehazi lied.

Elisha said to him, “Is this the time to take money and clothes for yourself? Because you have done this, you will get the skin disease that Naaman had.”

Does a little dishonesty really matter?

Gehazi may have thought to himself; “Seeing that Naaman really wants to show his gratitude and Elisha doesn’t want the gift, I will take the gift and everyone will be happy.” It seemed a sensible thing to do—and no one would know!

Dishonesty in ‘little’ things leads to dishonesty in ‘bigger’ things. When someone is dishonest, others lose their respect for that person and find it harder to trust them with other things. The testing ground for honesty is what you do when there’s no one around. Let your heart and mind stay pure so that your Heavenly Father (who sees everything) can trust you with bigger things.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - (Romans 8:28)

Passages: 2 Kings 6:1-7

One day, a group of prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we meet is too small for us. Let’s go to the Jordan River and cut logs for a new building.” Elisha was happy with the idea and went along with them.

As they were chopping down trees, one of the ax heads came off the handle and fell into the water. “Oh sir,” the man cried, “it was borrowed!”

“Where did it fall?” Elisha asked. So the man showed him the place. Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water. As he did, the ax head floated to the surface and the man was able to lift it out of the water.

Why do things go wrong—even when we work for God?

Imagine being part of a team of workers building something for God’s Kingdom. Surely God wouldn’t allow anything to go wrong when you are doing your best for Him. Yet, even when a group of prophets were building a bigger place in which to meet, something happened to frustrate them and slow them down. What made matters worse was that the ax had been borrowed.

There are different reasons why things go wrong when we are serving God. The devil isn’t going to sit with his arms folded watching people get excited about serving God. Although his power is limited, he will try his best to disrupt the work.

God also has reasons for allowing things to go wrong, even when we are doing something for Him. When we do things for the Lord, we may be tempted to become proud of what we are doing. God lets things go wrong to remind us to rely on Him. He wants us to follow His plans and do things in His strength. And sometimes, He just wants to slow down our busyness and remind us about Himself.

So, when things go wrong you can be sure there is a reason, even though you may not be able to see the good that will come from the situation.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” - (Romans 8:28)

Passages: 2 Kings 6:8-17

The king of Syria was at war with Israel. Elisha was able to warn the Israelites about where the Syrians were making their camp. When the king of Syria found out that it was Elisha who was telling the Israelites about their movements, he sent his army with horses and chariots to surround the city where Elisha was staying.

Early the next morning, when Elisha’s servant got up and saw that the enemy had surrounded the city, he cried out, “My master, what shall we do now?”

“Don’t be afraid,“ the prophet replied. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed; “Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” Immediately, Elisha’s servant was able to see horses and chariots of fire all around them and covering the hillside.

Do angels really protect us?

Have you heard people talk about a guardian angel? How would you like to have your own invisible bodyguard? The Bible says, “For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” Psalm 91:11. Doesn’t it make you feel special that angels have been given the responsibility of looking after you and keeping you from harm!

When you face danger or feel alone, you may not be aware of your helpers in the unseen world. Elisha’s servant was not aware of the army of angels protecting them. He only realized how safe they actually were when the Lord allowed him to see the spiritual forces around them. Can you think of someone else in the Bible who was looked after by an angel? (Clue: D…n…el 6:21-22).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
- (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Passages: 2 Kings 7:1-11

The king of Syria led his whole army against Israel and surrounded the city of Samaria. No one could go in or out! People inside the city became very hungry because there was no food, but Elisha told the king, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By tomorrow there will be plenty of food again.’”

There were four men outside the city wall who had a sickness called leprosy. They said to each other, “We have nothing to lose. We are going to die anyway so let’s go to the Syrian camp.” They didn’t know that the Lord had made the enemy troops hear the sound of a large army of horses and chariots, which made them run for their lives.

When the four men reached the camp, nobody was there. As they went into one tent after another they found gold, silver, clothing, and food. Then they said to each other, ”Come, let’s go tell everyone!” So they rushed back to the city to give the other Israelites the good news.

Is there really a treasure inside me?

Don’t you love those stories where the most unlikely character becomes the hero? Well, the four beggars lived outside the city for a reason—no one wanted them! They had an ugly skin disease and so they were thrown out of the city.

However, when they found the enemy camp empty with lots of treasure and food left behind, they were far better off than those starving inside the city. The beggars could have been spiteful and kept it a secret, but they went back to share the good news. The way they looked on the outside was no longer important—the message they had, was!

Our bodies, which are like fragile jars of clay, are not perfect. It doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside, we have a precious treasure inside us—the good news of Jesus. Share it with others!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.“ - (Luke 5:31-32)

Passages: Jonah 1:1-10

One day, the Lord spoke to the prophet Jonah and said, “Go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people that I know all about their wicked deeds.”

But Jonah didn’t want to listen. Instead of going to Nineveh, he went to a coastal town called Joppa and boarded a ship going to Spain. When the ship was far out at sea, the Lord sent a great storm. The ship was in danger of sinking and the sailors were terrified. They started throwing the cargo over the side and praying to their gods for help.

Earlier on, Jonah had gone to his cabin and fallen fast asleep. When the captain of the ship found him there, he said, “How can you be sleeping? Get up and pray to your God to save us!”

Meanwhile the sailors were drawing lots to find out who was responsible for the storm. When it became obvious that Jonah was the guilty one, the sailors asked, “Is all this your fault? What are you doing here? Where do you come from?”

Then Jonah told them that he worships the Lord of Heaven, the Creator of land and sea, and that he was running away from the Lord.

Does God care about wicked people too?

God loves us because it is in His nature to love—not because we are good. God is love (1 John 4:16) so we do not need to do things to get Him to love us!

God loves every person on earth so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins so that anyone who believes on Him will not die in sin, but live forever with Him (John 3:16). Romans 5:8 tells us that God loves people even before they believe.

We don’t have to do good deeds for God to love and accept us; all we need to do is believe in Jesus and ask Him to make us clean.

God loves sinful people, but He does not love the bad things they do. That is why He sent people like Jonah to tell them about His Way.

Before Jesus went back to heaven, He told His followers to go all over and tell everyone about God and about the way to heaven (Matthew 28:19-20).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? - (Psalm 139:7)

Passages: Jonah 1:11-2:10

Now that the sailors knew that the storm at sea was Jonah’s fault, they asked him what they should do for the storm to stop.

“Throw me into the sea,” he said, “and it will be calm.”

At first, the sailors did not want to throw Jonah overboard, but when the storm grew worse, they picked him up and threw him into the sea.

At once, the sea became calm and the sailors offered a sacrifice to the Lord.

The Lord had planned for a huge fish to swallow Jonah—and from deep inside the fish, he prayed to God.

For three days and nights, Jonah was trapped inside the dark stomach of the fish. Then the Lord heard Jonah’s prayer and made the fish spit him out onto a beach.

Once again, the Lord told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to preach to the people; so Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh.

Can we actually run away or hide from God?

What made Jonah decide to run away? As a prophet, he should have known better. So why did he not want go to Nineveh and preach there as God had told him to?

In Jonah’s mind, the people of Nineveh were enemies—they were heathens that did not deserve God’s forgiveness. Jonah thought that if he took a ship going in the opposite direction that nothing, and no one, could get him to Nineveh. Soon it would be ‘impossible’ for him to get to Nineveh, and he would be so far away that his conscience wouldn’t even bother him.

When Adam disobeyed God he also thought he could go and hide so that God wouldn’t find him. It is foolish to hide or run from God: He knows exactly where we are anyway. When we decide to run from God’s loving arms we are sure to run into BIG trouble!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. - (Ezekiel 11:19)

Passages: Jonah 3:1-10

The city of Nineveh was so big that it would have taken three days to walk around it. Jonah started telling everyone the message God had given him: in forty days Nineveh would be destroyed.

The people of Nineveh believed the message from God and decided to put on rags and go without food to show how sorry they were.

When the king heard the message, even he stepped down from his throne, took off his royal robe, and put on scratchy cloth. The king even went to sit in a pile of ashes. He sent out an order that no one was to eat or drink anything, and that everyone was to pray to God and ask for forgiveness.

The king thought, “Maybe if we stop our evil ways, God will change His mind and not be angry with us anymore.”

How can the heart of a wicked sinner be changed?

God had warned His own people the Israelites many times about their pride and their worship of heathen gods. But their hearts did not change towards Him. (Not even the prophet Jonah had a humble, obedient spirit). Yet God gave this heathen nation just one chance to change—and that was all they needed. They immediately humbled themselves and asked for forgiveness. After hearing Jonah’s warning, they stopped their evil deeds straight away.

If you push something hard enough, it will move. If you make something hot enough, it will melt. But how can you change the heart of a person? What can make a wicked person want to be good? Only the Spirit of God can change a person. “It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord. No human force can change a person’s spiritual attitude. Only the Holy Spirit can change a person’s heart towards God.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: God said, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.“ - (Romans 9:15)

Passages: Jonah 4:1-11

God was merciful towards the people of Nineveh. He changed His mind about destroying the city when the people showed that they were truly sorry for their sin.

Instead of being happy that the people actually listened to his warning, Jonah was upset that God might not destroy the city after all. “I knew you are a loving and merciful God; always patient and kind, and willing to forgive,” Jonah complained.

Then Jonah went to sit and sulk outside the city where he could see whether God would destroy the city after all.

But when the forty days had passed, the Lord did not destroy the city. Instead He showed Jonah how selfish he was for thinking about himself, and not about the thousands of people who would have died without knowing the true and loving God.

Why was Jonah so upset when God was merciful?

Suppose there is a very special club at your school that only certain kids are allowed to join. After a very long time you are finally allowed to join this group. A few months go by and someone suggest that two younger kids (who annoy you) be allowed to join. How would you feel about letting them join?

Jonah didn’t mind being part of a nation that God had chosen to bless. He may have thought that God’s special favor was not only a privilege—it was his right. He felt that Israel was better than the heathen nations around them and that they deserved God’s blessing.

When Jonah saw how merciful God was to others, he became jealous and angry. Jonah had the same selfish attitude as the brother of the young man who returned home after spending all his money on friends and parties (see Luke 15:25-32).

Be happy when you see God being kind to others, remembering that next time you could be the one needing His mercy and forgiveness.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. - (Luke 6:35)

Passages: Amos 2:6-7, 3:1-2

The kingdom of Israel had split: there was a Northern kingdom (still called Israel), and a Southern kingdom (now called Judah). God spoke through different prophets who preached to the people in Israel and in Judah. Amos was a prophet who preached to the people in the Northern Kingdom, where some had become very rich while others lived in poverty.

God told Amos to say this to the rich; “You sell honest men as slaves and poor men for a pair of sandals. You trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor aside. Of all the nations on earth, you are the ones I have cared for. This is why your sin is so terrible, and for that I will punish you.”

What should I do when someone can’t pay me back?

Jesus told a story about a servant who owed his master a lot of money. When he couldn’t pay it back, the king ordered him to be sold as a slave to pay his debt. The servant begged the king to be patient with him. The king felt sorry for the servant and forgave him his debt. But later on, when this same servant met someone else who owed him money, he was not willing to forgive the other person his small debt (Matthew 18:23-35).

God was angry because the rich Israelites demanded their money back from the poor—even though they themselves had more than enough to live on. What made God even more angry was that they sold others into slavery, forgetting that they themselves had been rescued from slavery in Egypt.

If someone owes you something that they cannot give back, remember that things should never become more important than people. If you are kind to others, God will be kind to you!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. - (Romans 14:5)

Passages: Amos 5:14-15, 21-24

Amos the prophet said to the people of Israel, “God will be your helper if you hate evil and love what is good.”

Amos also told them, “This is what the Lord says; ‘I hate your religious feasts. When you bring Me your sacrifices and offerings, I will not accept them. I cannot stand the noise of your songs and the sound of your harps. What I want from you is a flood of justice and streams of goodness.’ "

What does God think about our religious celebrations?

Why would God tell the Israelites that He hated their religious celebrations when He had told them to have these feasts?

God does not tell us to do things without a reason. The reason for the celebrations was to get everyone to take a break from their busy lives and think about their faith. One of the feasts was to give thanks by bringing the first part of their harvest. Another was to sacrifice an animal for the forgiveness of their sins. Then there was a feast to remind them of how God had brought them out of Egypt.

But instead of remembering how good God had been to them, they used the celebration as an excuse to have a big party. And so, a festival that was meant to make people think about God and rejoice in His goodness turned into a noisy party where everyone forgot about real reason for the celebration.

Paul says that each person should decide which days have a special meaning, and which are just ordinary days. It is up to you to decide which occasions are important to you. If they are meant to remind you about the Lord, let them be meaningful by making the Lord welcome at the celebrations—and in your heart!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. - (Revelation 19:7)

Passages: Hosea 2:14-23

After the ministry of Amos, God called Hosea to carry on preaching to the people of Israel. His message to the people was to stop their idol-worship and turn to God.

The Lord spoke to Hosea and told him to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him.

God was showing Hosea (and Israel) how He felt about their unfaithfulness towards Him. Hosea’s wife was unfaithful by choosing to love other men, just as Israel had chosen to worship heathen idols instead of being loyal to their Lord.

Even though Hosea’s wife ran away from him to go live with other men, he loved her so much that he went out and looked for her. When he found her, he paid silver to buy her back so that she could stay with him once again.

Is there going to be a real wedding in Heaven?

When a man and a woman get married, they promise to love each other and be faithful to one another. God had kept His promise of love and faithfulness—His people had not!

God compares His relationship with Israel to the relationship between a husband and wife. We, the Church, have now become the bride of Jesus Christ!

As Hosea showed his love for his wife by paying the price to get her back, so Jesus came to the world to look for us, to save us and to bring us back to God (Ephesians 5:25). But Jesus did not buy us back with silver—He bought us with His precious blood by dying for us (1 Peter 1:18-19).

As the bride of Jesus, we must stay pure and be ready for Him. We do not know when He is coming to take us to be with Him. When He does, there is going to be a great feast in Heaven—a wedding—when we go to live with Jesus forever!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret... - (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Passages: Hosea 6:1-6

Hosea the prophet pleaded with the people who had turned from God, saying; “Come let us return to the Lord who has hurt us, for He will be sure to heal us again. He has wounded us, but He will bandage our wounds. Let us try to know Him better and He will come as surely as the sun rises and as surely as the rain that falls in early spring.”

The Lord said, “Your love disappears like the morning mist or like the dew when the sun comes up. I don’t want your sacrifices, but rather, that you show mercy to others. Give me your honor and worship instead of your animal sacrifices.”

What does ‘repent’ mean?

How would you feel if someone hurt you on purpose, then laughed and said, ”Oops! Sorry!” and hurt you again. Do you think such a person is really sorry for what he or she did to you? No, of course not! Well this is exactly the way God felt about His people. They were pretending to be sorry by offering sacrifices, but in their hearts they had chosen to love their money and idols instead of loving God.

To repent means that you are truly sorry for what you have done. A prayer of repentance could be like this: “Dear Father, once again I have messed up and disappointed You by what I did. I am really sorry that I did something I knew was wrong. Please forgive me and make my heart clean. Lord, I don’t want to make the same mistake again, so please help me to stay close to You and rely on Your strength when I am tempted.”

God’s grace is big enough to forgive you every time—no matter how often you sin or how ‘big’ the sin. All God wants from you is to see that you are truly sorry and that you are willing to change and become more like Him.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
- (Ephesians 2:8)

Passages: Hosea 14:4-9

Once again, the Lord spoke to His people through Hosea, telling them what He was going to do for them one day. “I will bring My people back to Myself. I will love them with all My heart, and I will no longer be angry with them. I will come to them like rain on the dry land and they will blossom like flowers. They will be alive again with new growth and have the sweet smell of cedar trees.

Once again I will protect them and they will flourish like a garden and be fruitful like a vineyard.

They will have nothing more to do with idols and I will answer their prayers and take care of them. It is from Me that all their blessings will come.”

What is grace?

Have you done something really bad that made you feel ashamed and guilty? You were probably afraid that someone would find out what you had done, and that you would be punished. Perhaps you tried to be extra helpful or do something good to cover up your guilt.

What if someone came to you and said, “I will take the blame for what you did; in fact, I will take your punishment as well. I will even take away your guilt so that you no longer have that awful guilty feeling. It will be as if you hadn’t sinned at all!”

What a relief to know that there is someone who has taken the blame for all the wrong things we have done—Jesus. He has taken the sin and guilt of the whole world on Him.

But Jesus does not only forgive us; He accepts us as His sons and daughters. And on top of that He blesses us with every good thing. That is grace!

Forgiveness – Isaiah 53:6

Acceptance – Luke 15:11-24

Blessing – Ephesians 1:3

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. … Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” - (John 15:1-2)

Passages: Isaiah 5:1-7

God called Isaiah to tell the people that He loved them and that He would send a Savior—someone who would save the world from sin. The Lord spoke through Isaiah, the first prophet to the people of Judah, saying, “Listen as I sing you a song about my friend and his vineyard:

My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hill;

He built a winepress and tower.

He planted and pruned the vines with skill,

But every last grape was sour!”

Israel was the vineyard of the Lord and the people were the vines He had planted. The Lord of the vineyard expected the very best because He had done everything He could, but the sin of the people made the grapes sour.

How can I keep from turning sour?

Do you like eating lemons? If you do, then you would probably like sour grapes too! However, most people plant a vine to get tasty, sweet grapes; and if they do want something sour, they may plant a lemon tree as well. But imagine if you wanted to enjoy a glass of sweet grape juice and it tasted awfully sour. Pull a face to show how disgusted you would be.

We can become sour by having a wrong attitude (like not forgiving someone). But sour people are not friendly, happy people. If you are struggling to be sweet, ask Jesus to prune away those things in your life that keep you from bearing good fruit. As you live in the sunshine of God’s love and let the Holy Spirit’s goodness flow into you, you will please Jesus—the Gardener of your life—and be a blessing to many as well.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. - (Colossians 1:28)

Passages: Isaiah 6:1-8

Uzziah, the king of Judah, had died. In that same year, Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne. Around Him were flaming creatures, each with six wings. They called out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy! The Lord Almighty is holy, and His glory fills the whole earth.”

Isaiah said to himself, “There is no hope for me! I am doomed because the words I speak are sinful—and now I have seen the Lord Almighty!”

Then one of the creatures flew down and touched his lips with a glowing coal from the altar, saying, “This has touched your lips, and now your sin and guilt has been taken away.”

Then Isaiah heard the Lord say, “Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?”

Isaiah immediately answered, “Here am I. Send me.”

Does God still have prophets?

God mainly used prophets to bring His message to the people living in Old Testament times. Today, we have preachers, pastors and evangelists who bring God’s message to us from the Bible.

During the time of the prophets, God spoke directly to them, telling them exactly what to say. The prophets did not have the complete Bible from which to preach. In fact, much of what they said now forms part of the Old Testament. At that time the New Testament had not yet been written.

Today, we have the complete Bible as God wanted it to be. It is God’s message written by people who were guided by the Holy Spirit. Now God uses this message in the Bible to speak to us.

As in the time of the prophets, God is still looking for messengers to spread the good news of His love and forgiveness. Would you, like Isaiah, be willing to say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me”?

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: (Jesus said), “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” - (Revelation 22:12)

Passages: Isaiah 39:5, 40:1-11

Isaiah told King Hezekiah that the Babylonians would attack and raid Jerusalem, carrying off everything the people owned and taking them to Babylon as slaves.

But there was hope! Isaiah encouraged the people that a time would come when the Lord would bring them back and God’s glory would be seen by the whole world.

This is what the Lord said: “All people are like the grass of the field. They don’t live much longer than wild flowers, which bloom for only a short while. Yet, even though the grass withers and the flowers fade, the Word of God stands forever. The Lord is coming to rule with power, bringing with Him a reward for His people. He will care for His flock like a shepherd and carry the young ones in His arms. He will gently lead the mothers and carry the little lambs close to His heart.”

Is there hope for people living in this messed-up world?

Isaiah told the people living in Judah that things would go from bad to worse. In spite of many, many warnings, the people no longer followed the Lord’s commands. God would let the enemy take them as captives to a far-away place so that their hearts would return to Him. But God did not want them to lose hope. He knew that the years of slavery in Babylon would set their hearts free from wanting to worship idols. God would come to rule, bringing with Him a reward for each one that had been faithful.

As in Isaiah’s day, godless people today are making our world an unsafe and unfriendly place; but we should not become discouraged by the evil around us. All this will change when Jesus comes again. He will lead us like a gentle shepherd and keep us safe forever. Be encouraged: Jesus said that He is coming back soon, bringing with Him a reward for His faithful ones!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. - (Philippians 3:13)

Passages: Isaiah 43:16-21

The Lord told His people through the prophet Isaiah that He would rescue them from the Babylonians.

He said to them, “I am the Lord, your King. I am the One who made a way for you through the sea and who led the Egyptian army to destruction. But don’t hold onto the past and keep thinking about what happened. Look! I want to do something new, and it has already started to happen: I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water in the desert.”

What if I mess up God’s plan for my life?

The Lord had rescued His people from the Egyptians and made a way for them through the sea and the desert. Maybe they were starting to wonder whether God would ever do miracles like that again. Were those days over?

Bringing them out of Egypt was only the first part of God’s plan. That is why He said; “Do not hold onto the things that happened long ago—watch for the new thing I am going to do!”

Do you think about your failures and wonder whether God still has a plan for your life?

Although God may not take you out of your difficulties straight away, He can do a miracle in your life right where you are. Like the streams in the desert that Isaiah wrote about (verse 20), the Living Water of God’s Spirit can flow into your life, and from your life (John 7:38-39).

God will also make a highway for Jesus to come right into your situation (Read Isaiah 40:3 and Mark 1:1-3). This highway goes through the wilderness, which means that there is a way out! So, even when you do mess up, God has a new plan. He wants to do a new thing in your life. Isn’t that exciting!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! - (Philippians 3:13)

Passages: Isaiah 52:13, 53:1-9

God loved His people, and although they had been taken as slaves to a distant land, God would go with them wherever they went. The Lord promised that He would bring them back to their land, and back to Himself.

There was only one way for God to rescue His people from their slavery to sin: He would send His loving Servant to earth where He would suffer and die to conquer sin. God’s Servant would be beaten and bruised so badly that people would not recognize Him.

Jesus took the suffering that should have been ours, and He was wounded to take away our sins. Even though He was treated harshly and beaten for the wrong things we have done, He did not complain once.

Why did Jesus have to suffer?

It is hard for us to understand why Jesus had to die to make it possible for God to forgive us. But it is even harder to understand why Jesus had to suffer so much pain by being beaten and nailed to a cross in such a cruel way.

While Jesus was praying in the garden the night before He was crucified, He knew that He would have to suffer. He said to His Father, “If at all possible, may I not have to go through with this, but I do not want My way; I want to do what You want.”

Although we cannot fully understand why God the Father allowed people to hurt Jesus, the Bible does tell us some of the reasons. God allowed

Jesus to suffer:

• to show His complete obedience (Philippians 2:8);

• to show His great love for us (1 Peter 1:18-19);

• to become a sacrifice for our sin (Hebrews 9:22);

• to feel and understand our suffering (Isaiah 53:3);

• to heal us (Isaiah 53:6, Matthew 8:16-17).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: The shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” - (Luke 2:15)

Passages: Micah 5:2-5

During the time of Isaiah, Micah the prophet also preached to the people of Judah. Though he had warned them of judgment, his message was filled with hope for the future—hope that only one person could bring to a sinful world. This is what the Lord said through the prophet Micah; “Oh Bethlehem, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you will come a great King who has been alive from before time began.”

God would allow His people to be ruled by their enemies until the time when the mother gives birth to her child, and the rest of the Lord’s people join the Israelites.

When the Lord comes, He will be the Shepherd of His flock. And they will live in safety, for His greatness will reach every part of the earth—and there will be peace!”

Did the Old Testament prophets know about Jesus?

During the time of the prophets, people were not able to see the whole picture of God’s plan to save us from sin. They did not know that God would send His Son Jesus to the earth hundreds of years later. Although the prophets spoke of a Savior who was to come—and Micah even prophesied where He would be born—they did not know that it would be Jesus. God’s plan was a mystery to them (Romans 16:25-26).

After many years, when Jesus was born on earth as Micah had prophesied, Herod who was king at that time asked the religious leaders to find out if the prophets had said anything about a great king that was to be born. They searched the Scriptures and found this exact prophecy where Micah said that a ruler would be born in Bethlehem (read Matthew 2:5-6).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
- (Hebrews 13:16)

Passages: Micah 6:3-8

Through Micah’s preaching, the Lord reminded the Israelites living in Judah how He had brought them out of Egypt and rescued them from slavery.

Then Micah asked the people some questions they should have been asking themselves: “What should I bring to the Lord when I come to worship Him? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of sheep or rivers of olive oil?”

“No, of course not,” Micah said. “What the Lord wants from you is this: to do what is right, to show mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

What does God expect of me?

Do you want to please God by the way you live? What do you think pleases God most? Some people do good (religious) deeds to show how good they are. But that doesn’t impress God at all!

Jesus lived a perfect example of someone that pleases God. Jesus showed fairness by defending a woman who had sinned and was about to be punished by men who were just as guilty of sin (John 8:3-11). He showed mercy by healing the ear of a man who had come to arrest Him (Luke 22:50-51). And Jesus showed humility by getting down on His knees and washing His disciples’ dirty feet (John 13:3-5).

What God expects of you is not hard to do. This is what He wants from you:

• to be just and fair (Proverbs 31:9);

• to be merciful and loving (Luke 6:36);

• to submit to God in a humble way (1 Peter 5:6).

If you forget these three things, don’t worry; you will always please God by doing what this verse says: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: In everything set them an example by doing what is good. - (Titus 2:7)

Passages: Zephaniah 1:1, 2 Chronicles 34:1-7

During the reign of King Josiah, God chose Zephaniah as a prophet to speak to the people of Judah. King Josiah was only eight years old when he became king after his father Amon was murdered. King Josiah pleased the Lord—as King David had done—and obeyed all the laws of God.

When he was a few years older, he started destroying the places where people worshiped the heathen gods. He smashed the altars of the god Baal and tore down the incense-altars. He went around from place to place getting rid of heathen altars and idols until he had cleared the whole country of idols.

How can I be a good leader?

Maybe you have never thought of yourself as a leader, yet others may be following your example without you even knowing it. That makes you a leader! A leader is not someone who just bosses others around. Here are a few things that will make you a good—or a better—leader:

• Be courageous: Being a good leader takes courage. People respect leaders who know what is truly important and who stand up for what t they believe in.

• Be an example: Do what is right and change what is wrong. Josiah found out all he could about living a life that is pleasing to God. Then as he grew older and saw all the wrong, sinful things around him, he did what he could to stop the evil.

• Be loyal to God: Serving God and doing what is right could make you unpopular with certain people. Josiah was not concerned about what people thought of him. Unlike his father, he chose to please God rather than people.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding. - (Isaiah 5:13)

Passages: Zephaniah 1:4, 2 Chronicles 34:14-28

While the Temple of the Lord was being cleaned up and repaired, Hilkiah the High Priest found the written instructions that God had given to Moses. “I have found the book of the Law!” he exclaimed, and he gave it to Shaphan who took it to the King Josiah.

When the book was read aloud, Josiah ripped his clothes in despair and said, “Go find out from the Lord about what is written in the book. God is angry with us because our fathers have not been doing what the book says.”

Then the Lord gave Josiah this message: “Because you humbled yourself, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, My judgment against Jerusalem will not come until after you have died.”

Has the Bible become outdated?

Have you ever skipped a meal or gone without food for a whole day? If you have, you obviously survived. But if you don’t eat for days and days, you will run out of energy and become weak. In the same way, if we don’t get our spiritual food by reading the Bible every day, we won’t have the strength to face our daily struggles and resist temptation.

Without the written Word of God to guide them, God’s people had wandered off the path and lost their way. They had thrown away the map of life, thinking that they no longer needed the law that Moses gave them hundreds of years before. It just seemed so out-of-date! Idols were in fashion now—and God’s rules told them that idol-worship is wrong. The people didn’t realize that the Word of God is actually so up to date that it even tells us what will happen in the future. If only they had read it and listened to the prophets, they would have known what was going to happen to them (2 Chronicles 34:24-26).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. - (Psalm 149:4)

Passages: Zephaniah 3:14-20

The Lord allowed Zephaniah to see His plan for Jerusalem and Judah. Although the people would be taken to a distant country as slaves, eventually when the time came for them to return, they would be humble and obey the Lord once again. Their hearts would rejoice because God’s punishment had ended and they were free again.

“The Lord will be joyful too!” Zephaniah told them. “He will be delighted in His people and sing about them with great joy. He will gather those who long for the feasts and celebrations of the Lord, and take away their shame.”

“The time is coming!” says the Lord, “I will bring the scattered people home and honor them in every land where they were put to shame.”

Does the Lord get excited about me too?

Sometimes I feel like such a bore. I don’t do anything exciting and I don’t have exciting things to talk about. I’m not even excited about myself, how could anyone else get excited about me? If that is how you feel about yourself, there is great news for you!

It doesn’t matter how you feel about yourself on a Monday morning, or when you look into the mirror. It doesn’t matter if you are not a top performer in class or a star on the sports field. God gets so excited about you that He actually sings about you!

You may think that God has so many people to look after that He doesn’t have much time for you. Well, think about this: does it really matter to you how many hairs are on your head? God thinks it does! And if the hairs on your head are important to Him, think how much more important it is for Him to be there when you are playing a match, performing on a stage, or writing a test. He loves to watch everything you do, and He looks forward to the times you talk to Him.

If God has enough time to count every hair on your head (Luke 12:7) it shows how interested He is in the smallest detail of your life (Psalm 139:1-3).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Jesus said to the Church at Ephesus, “You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” - (Revelation 2:4-5)

Passages: Jeremiah 1:4-10, 2:1-3

Jeremiah lived during the reign of King Josiah and the kings after him. One day the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said, “I chose you before you were born. I have a special purpose for your life: to be a prophet to the nations.”

Then Jeremiah answered the Lord, “Almighty Lord, I am too young. I don’t know how to speak.”

But the Lord said, “Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I am sending you to. Do not be afraid of them for I will be with you and will protect you.” Then the Lord told Jeremiah to give the people of Judah this message; “I remember how faithful you were when you were young, how you loved Me as a bride loves her husband; how you followed Me through the desert. You belonged to Me alone; you were My special possession.”

How can I keep my love for God from growing cold?

What does someone have to do to become lazy and unfit? Nothing! How does a friendship fizzle out? By doing nothing!

Over time, the Israelites had stopped praying to God because they believed that other gods could help them. They had stopped reading God’s Law because they had lost it and forgotten to teach it to their children. They had stopped going to the Temple to worship God because they worshiped gods in other places. It was obvious that their love for the Lord was no longer important.

Jesus said that in the last days (before He comes again), most people won’t care about loving Him: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13).

Don’t let your love for the Lord grow cold. Stay close to others who love Him; read His Word, and talk to Him about everything. That is how the warmth of His love will keep you faithful and strong to the end.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. - (Galatians 6:14)

Passages: Jeremiah 9:23-24

This is what the Lord said through his prophet Jeremiah. “The wise should not be proud of their wisdom, nor the strong show off their strength, neither should the rich boast about their wealth. If someone wants to boast, it should be about knowing and understanding Me, because My love does not change from day to day, and I do what is fair and right. These are the things that please Me.

I, the Lord, have told you this!”

Why is pride such a problem?

The Bible says that we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3).

On the one hand we should never think of ourselves as worthless, ugly, or good-for-nothing. We are made in the likeness of God, which means that we are His beautiful, precious children with special abilities He has given each of us. God wants us to feel good about ourselves—to love and accept ourselves (Galatians 5:14) because when we do, others can see the beauty of Jesus in us.

On the other hand, if there is one thing God hates, it is pride—the sin of believing that what we are and what we have comes by our own strength, ability and cleverness (Proverbs 16:5). Proud thoughts will grow in your mind if you allow a proud attitude to take root in your heart.

• Do not boast by what you say (words): Boastful words are a sure way to chase away friends and make a fool of yourself!

• Do not boast by what you do (actions): Boastful actions lead to foolish bravery that can cause harm and injury.

• Do not boast by what you think (attitude): A boastful attitude is the worst kind of pride because it is a way of telling God that you don’t need Him.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
- (Galatians 6:14)

Passages: Jeremiah 18:1-6

One day, the Lord told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house. Jeremiah went there and found the potter making clay pots on his spinning wheel. Jeremiah noticed that whenever the pot that the potter was making did not turn out exactly right, he would take the clay and form it into something else.

Then the Lord said to Jeremiah, “Do I not have the right to do with the Israelites what this potter has done with his clay? You are in My hands like the clay in the potter’s hands.”

How does God mold me?

Have you ever shaped things with modeling clay? What do you do when something doesn’t look right? You squeeze the clay into a ball and start over; perhaps trying something new. The clay that potters use is like sticky mud. If the clay is soft, it can be molded easily; if it is hard or lumpy, the pot is ruined.

We were formed out of the dust (or clay) of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Just as a potter keeps his eyes on the spinning lump of clay he is shaping, God keeps His eyes on us as He forms and molds us into His likeness. By using both hands to gently shape the vessel, the potter feels the clay all the time and knows just how hard to press it. Our lives are in God’s loving hands as He gently works with us; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:13-14).

God may use circumstances and relationships (people) in your life to smooth out rough places and make you ready for a special purpose. But God also knows that we are fragile and weak, so He carefully works on us to shape us into the vessel He wants us to be (Romans 9:21).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

- (Proverbs 1:7)

Passages: 2 Chronicles 36:13-18, Jeremiah 29:11

King Josiah died, and after a time, Zedekiah became king of Judah. He did not follow the Lord as King Josiah had done. The Lord had promised Josiah that He would not bring disaster on Jerusalem as long as he was alive. But now, the destruction of Jerusalem was about to happen. Yet, even at this time, Jeremiah still pleaded with the people to leave their idols and turn back to the Lord.

Then, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked the Israelites in Judah, raided the Temple of the Lord and took many men, women and children back to Babylon as slaves—just as the Lord had said.

Jeremiah, who was still in Judah, wrote a letter to those who had been taken to Babylon, telling them of the Lord’s promise: “When your seventy years in Babylon are over, I will show you mercy and bring you back home. For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

What is the difference between discipline and punishment?

Discipline could be illustrated by a motorist who is fined for speeding and gets another chance to drive within the speed limit.

Punishment could be illustrated by a motorist who has been caught speeding many times, but, because he refuses to slow down, has his driver’s license taken away.

The Lord uses discipline to stop us from doing something that is wrong (sinful). It is His way of correcting and training us. The Lord wants us to accept His discipline; not stubbornly rebel against it. Discipline is the loving action of our heavenly Father to keep us within His plan for our lives and to give us hope.

Punishment only comes to those who keep ignoring God’s warnings and refuse to obey Him.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me…no one can snatch them out of my hand.” - (John 10:27-28)

Passages: Jeremiah 38:5-13

Jeremiah told those who were still in Jerusalem that they would not be killed in battle or die of starvation if they surrendered to the Babylonians. But when the leaders heard Jeremiah’s message, they went to tell King Zedekiah and asked that he be killed.

The king answered, “Do whatever you want to do with him.” So the men took Jeremiah and threw him into a deep, muddy pit, thinking that he would soon die.

However, when two of the men working in the palace heard what the others had done, they went and told the king, who ordered them to go pull Jeremiah out.

The men went to the storeroom where they got old clothes for Jeremiah to put under his armpits. Then they let down a rope and pulled him out.

Can people change God’s plan for my life?

Nothing and no one can take you out of God’s will or change His plan for your life! God already knew about every part of your life before you were born. He has a wonderful and perfect plan worked out for you.

There were three kinds of people who changed things for Jeremiah: those who were against Jeremiah because of his message; the king who didn’t really care what happened to Jeremiah; and Jeremiah’s friends who risked their lives to help him by speaking to the king.

When Jesus was on earth, there were people who wanted to crucify Him; there was Pilot the governor who didn’t want to get involved; and then there were the disciples who were friends of Jesus. God allowed people to bring trouble and change in the lives of Jeremiah and Jesus; and through people, His will was done—just as Jesus prayed that it would (Luke 22:42).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial. - (1 Corinthians 10:23)

Passages: Daniel 1:1-2, 18-19

As Jeremiah had prophesied, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked the city of Jerusalem, taking many Israelites to Babylon as slaves.

Daniel was one of those who were captured. Soon after he arrived in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief official to choose the cleverest and best looking men from Israel to serve in his royal court. Ashpenaz, the chief official, selected Daniel and his three friends for a training program to teach them the Babylonian language and way of life. They were offered the best food and wine—straight from the king’s kitchen.

Daniel made up his mind not to eat the rich, royal food or drink the wine offered to him. He said to the guard, “Test us for ten days. Give us only vegetables and water. Then compare us to the others who eat the royal food.”

The guard agreed, and after ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier and stronger than the others who had been eating the king’s special food. So from then on, the guard allowed them to eat only healthy food, and God blessed them.

Do I have to eat my vegetables?

Daniel and his friends were used to eating plain, healthy food. It is not surprising that they were so bright and healthy. Daniel knew that God, who created us, also provides us with all the natural food our bodies need. Daniel was determined to honor God by looking after his body. He also did not want to live a life of luxury while his fellow Israelites were suffering as slaves. Although Daniel’s diet of vegetables was a personal decision, we can see that God was pleased with Daniel and blessed him.

Yes, you do need to eat vegetables to be healthy. Look after your body and you will feel great. Also remember that your body is the Temple of the Lord—the place where His Spirit lives (1 Corinthians 6:16).

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - (Philippians 2:10)

Passages: Daniel 3:1-7

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon decided to have a huge golden statue put up. He ordered his workers to make it, and when it was ready, he invited officials from all over the country to come and see it.

When everyone had gathered—including Daniel’s three friends—there was a loud announcement: “People of all nations, races and languages; when you hear the sound of the trumpets followed by the music from the other instruments, you are to bow down and worship the golden statue. Anyone who does not bow to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up will be thrown into the blazing furnace.”

And so, as soon as the people heard the sound of the instruments, they bowed down and worshipped the golden statue.

Is it wrong to admire a hero or superstar?

If you could get a huge autographed poster of the person you admire most, who would you choose? People may admire someone for their courage, their ability to lead, their physical strength, or for some other reason.

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a statue (see Daniel 2:37). Maybe that gave him an idea to get the people to worship him like an idol. So, he made them bow down to the statue as if they were bowing down to him.

It is not wrong to look up to someone who is great or famous; but it is wrong to admire someone who is ungodly and then do the wrong things he or she does.

However, to follow the role model of a godly person is a good thing. Paul even told others to follow his example (Philippians 3:17). But remember, even good people are human. Jesus alone deserves our worship and adoration!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - (Matthew 5:10)

Passages: Daniel 3:12-18

King Nebuchadnezzar instructed everyone to bow down to the golden statue he had set up. So, when the music started playing, everyone bowed down to the statue—everyone, except Daniel’s three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!

The king was furious and thought that they had not understood his instruction, so he decided to give them another chance. He told them that they would be thrown into the fire if they did not bow down. But the three men said to the king, “Our God is able to rescue us from the blazing furnace; but even if He does not, we will not bow down to your golden statue!”

Will God keep me from being bullied for my faith?

When King Nebuchadnezzar threatened Daniel’s three friends with death, they knew that God would never leave them—in freedom or in slavery, in life or in death. They remembered the commandment: “You shall not have any other gods; and you shall not bow down to worship them” (Exodus 20:3-5).

In Psalm 91:14-15 it says, “God will save those who love Him and protect those who acknowledge Him as Lord. When they are in trouble and call on Him, He will answer them and rescue them.” This Psalm assures us that God will rescue us from trouble when we pray to Him.

Does that mean we will never be harmed in any way? Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, suffered many beatings for preaching about Jesus. He was stoned and put in prison, yet even he was able to say, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18). What Paul said helps us to realize that God will rescue us in times of trouble, even though we may be insulted or teased for loving Jesus; and with all the hardships and insults, comes a lasting reward in Heaven.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. - (Isaiah 43:2)

Passages: Daniel 3:19-28

Daniel’s friends had refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue and so they were thrown into a very hot furnace. It was so hot that even the guards, who threw the three men in, were burned to death.

Yet, as the king looked into the fiery furnace, he saw four men standing there. He got such a fright; he went up to the furnace and called them out. When they came out not a single hair on their bodies had been burnt and their clothes did not even smell of smoke. Then the king praised their God, the true God, and made the men officials in his kingdom.

Why does God feel so far away when I am in trouble?

If you have gone on a long car trip, you may have closed your eyes and dozed off on the back seat with a soft pillow and blanket. You wouldn’t be able to see your father driving, yet you would have peace knowing that he is in control and that he would get you safely to your destination.

We don’t have to see or feel God for Him to be close to us and in complete control. Some situations can be quite stressful, and it is natural for our emotions to get caught up in a crisis situation. However, it is obvious that at times like these. we cannot expect our emotions to feed our faith with good feelings.

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God had told the Israelites that He would be with them. He said, “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands” (Jeremiah 42:11).

One of the last things Jesus said to his disciples before He went back to Heaven was, “… and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” Matthew 28:20. Jesus won’t ever break His promise. He is with you all the time, even when it doesn’t feel like it!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. - (James 4:10)

Passages: Daniel 4:18, 24-34

King Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream that even his wisest advisors could not figure out. Eventually, the king called Daniel and told him the dream. When Daniel heard what the king had dreamt, he was afraid to tell him what it meant, but the king insisted that Daniel tell him the meaning of his dream.

“You will be driven away from people to go and live with wild animals,” Daniel said. “For seven years you will eat grass out in the field and have no shelter. Then you will realize that God controls all the kingdoms of the world.”

Daniel’s words came true immediately. King Nebuchadnezzar was driven out from among his people. After seven long years, the king’s mind became normal again and he started praising God and giving Him glory.

How can a bad experience lead us to God?

Imagine eating dry grass! You would have to be very hungry before grass starts looking tasty. People aren’t meant to eat grass! Grass is for cattle and sheep—unless of course, like Nebuchadnezzar, you need to become as humble as a cow or as dependent as a sheep.

Jesus told the story of the son who rebelled against his father and left home to have a good life. He spent all the money on wild parties and sinful living. But when his money ran out, he needed to work and ended up feeding pigs. Eventually, he was so hungry that even the pigs’ food started looking good (see Luke 15:11-20).

King Nebuchadnezzar, and the son who left home, rebelled against their father. They wanted to do their own thing and not rely on God. They wanted to run their lives in their own way and make their own decisions.

When we run from God our Father, He still loves us very much and longs to have us back home as part of His family. That is why He sometimes makes bad things happen—to bring us to our senses.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, … and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. - (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Passages: Daniel 5:1-8, 25-27

King Nebuchadnezzar’s son Belshazzar was the next king of Babylon. One night he invited a thousand special guests to a big party. While they were drinking wine, Belshazzar gave an order to bring out the gold cups and bowls, which his father had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. Then he and his friends drank from the special cups that were made especially for the Holy Temple of the Lord.

Suddenly, a hand appeared and started writing on the wall where the light from the lamps shone brightly. The king turned as pale as a sheet and asked if anyone could read the writing, but no one could understand it.

In the end, Daniel was called in. He told the king exactly what his dream meant: “God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. You have been weighed and have failed the test. Your kingdom will be divided up and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Why did God write a message the king couldn’t read?

Can you read Greek, French or Chinese? Next time you find a paper with instructions in a foreign language, try reading it. It is pretty frustrating when you can’t make any sense of what is written. King Belshazzar must have felt this way: he knew that the message on the wall was important.

Why would God write a message that the king couldn’t understand? God didn’t want the king just to read the words; He wanted a spiritual person to explain the deeper meaning to him.

Some parts of the Bible are hard for us to understand and only the Holy Spirit can help us grasp the full meaning of what God is saying. God wants us to know and understand the Bible and so He has given us teachers, pastors and parents to explain the meaning of His special message.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. - (Matthew 5:14)

Passages: Daniel 6:1-13

On the same night that Belshazzar saw the writing on the palace wall, his kingdom was conquered by Darius—as Daniel had told him when he explained the message from God.

Darius chose Daniel, together with others, to look after the daily affairs of his kingdom. Daniel did everything so well that Darius wanted to put him in charge of the whole kingdom.

However, the other governors were jealous and tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel did things. But they couldn’t find a single thing because Daniel was so honest and reliable. So they persuaded the king to give a strict order that no one was to be allowed to pray to any god or person for thirty days, except to the king. Anyone disobeying the new law would be thrown into the den of lions.

The king signed the law—not realizing that this was a trap to get Daniel killed. When Daniel heard about the new law he went home. Then he went upstairs and knelt down in front of a window that faced Jerusalem. There he prayed to God—just as he had done every day.

Why did Daniel let everyone see he was praying?

After hearing about the king’s law about praying, Daniel could have still prayed three times a day—but in a small room where no one would see him. He didn’t even have to kneel for God to hear his prayers. He could have just thought the words of his prayer. So why did Daniel pray where everyone could see him?

Even before Darius brought out a law to stop people praying, Daniel had decided in his heart that he was going to pray at his window every day. Daniel was not going to pray in secret and let others think that he had stopped praying. Even the threat of death could not put out his light that was shining in a dark, sinful world.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. - (Psalm 22:21)

Passages: Daniel 6:13-24

King Darius had been talked into signing a law which said that anyone caught praying would be thrown to the lions.

However, Daniel still prayed three times a day—as he had done before. When Daniel’s enemies saw him praying, they immediately went to tell King Darius. The king was very upset because he liked Daniel and because he couldn’t change the law he had signed. So Daniel was arrested and thrown into a den of hungry lions. The king said to Daniel, “May the God you serve so faithfully keep you safe from the lions.” Then the den was sealed with a huge stone.

King Darius went back to his palace, but he couldn’t eat or sleep the whole night. Very early the next morning, he hurried to the den and called, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God been able to keep you safe?”

To the king’s great relief, Daniel answered; “O king! My God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions so they wouldn’t hurt me because I had done no wrong.”

Was Daniel afraid of the lions?

God has made us with emotions, which include the feeling of joy, love, anger… and fear! If God let us have these emotions, they cannot be bad. Each emotion has a purpose. Yet, we must be careful that our feelings don’t keep us from honouring and obeying God.

Fear becomes a problem when it keeps us from doing what is right. However, the Bible tells us that love drives out fear. When we love God, we trust Him, and when we trust Him, we are sure of His protection (see 1 John 4:18). Yes, Daniel may have been afraid of the lions, and if he was, his fear made his faith in God stronger than ever! Even David, who seemed fearless, wrote in a psalm, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you” Psalm 56:3.

What makes us brave is not the danger we face, but the choice we make not to run and hide.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. - (Luke 6:49)

Passages: Ezekiel 33:30-33

The Lord told Ezekiel that the people to whom he was preaching were only pretending to be interested.

“They are talking behind your back saying, ‘Come let’s go hear what the Lord has to say to us today.’ Then they come and listen to you as though they really want to hear, but they don’t do what you tell them. They talk about the Me as though they really love Me, but their hearts are greedy and they only think about money and wealth. You entertain them like one who sings love songs, or one who plays a musical instrument.

They hear your words but they don’t put them into practice. But when I punish the people for their sins, they will know that a prophet was here among them.”

How can I make a Bible lesson more meaningful to me?

Some people go to church every Sunday, yet they show little spiritual growth. There are no exciting changes in their lives because they don’t put into practice what they hear.

Here are some things you can do to keep growing in your faith:

1. Pray that God will help you learn something new.

2. Respect your teacher and listen carefully.

3. Take part by looking up Bible verses.

4. Write down words that will help you remember the main points of the lesson.

5. Ask questions to find out how this lesson fits in with other parts of the Bible.

6. Think about how your life is similar to that of the Bible characters.

7. Ask God to help you practice what you have learned. Then look for the opportunities He sends—which may come in the most unexpected ways.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. - (2 Timothy 4:2)

Passages: Ezekiel 2:4-7

Ezekiel was God’s prophet to the Jews, who had been taken captive by the Babylonians. God had allowed them to be taken as slaves to a distant country so that their sinful hearts would turn back to Him.

However, the hearts of the people were hard, and it would take years for the people to turn back to God.

So, God encouraged Ezekiel and told him, “Do not be afraid of the people, though their threats surround you like thorns and their taunts sting like scorpions. Just keep telling the people whatever I tell you,” God said, “whether they listen, or not.”

What if my friends won’t listen when I tell them about Jesus?

The Lord does not expect you to convince your unbelieving friends about the truth of the Bible, but simply to tell them that Jesus loves them and wants to be their Savior and friend.

Avoid getting into an argument with friends who don’t believe what the Bible says. Instead, tell them what you know about God—His love and forgiveness, and about our sinfulness. But be careful that your friends don’t feel judged. Tell them that everyone has sinned and needs Jesus to save them from sin. Also, let your life be an example they will want to follow as they see your love in action.

Pray for your friends before you speak to them and keep praying for them afterwards. By doing that, you will be planting the seed of God’s Word in their hearts and watering it with prayer. The Holy Spirit will carry on working in the hearts of your friends to make the seed grow.

You should never feel guilty if someone doesn’t listen to you. You are not responsible for someone else’s decision. Remember, your friend may need time to think about what you said. So be patient—you may not see a change straight away.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. - (Luke 6:49)

Passages: Ezekiel 33:30-33

The Lord told Ezekiel that the people to whom he was preaching were only pretending to be interested.

“They are talking behind your back saying, ‘Come let’s go hear what the Lord has to say to us today.’ Then they come and listen to you as though they really want to hear, but they don’t do what you tell them. They talk about the Me as though they really love Me, but their hearts are greedy and they only think about money and wealth. You entertain them like one who sings love songs, or one who plays a musical instrument.

They hear your words but they don’t put them into practice. But when I punish the people for their sins, they will know that a prophet was here among them.”

How can I make a Bible lesson more meaningful to me?

Some people go to church every Sunday, yet they show little spiritual growth. There are no exciting changes in their lives because they don’t put into practice what they hear.

Here are some things you can do to keep growing in your faith:

1. Pray that God will help you learn something new.

2. Respect your teacher and listen carefully.

3. Take part by looking up Bible verses.

4. Write down words that will help you remember the main points of the lesson.

5. Ask questions to find out how this lesson fits in with other parts of the Bible.

6. Think about how your life is similar to that of the Bible characters.

7. Ask God to help you practice what you have learned. Then look for the opportunities He sends—which may come in the most unexpected ways.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. - (Matthew 7:19-20)

Passages: Ezekiel 15:1-5

One day, the Lord asked Ezekiel, “What use is there for the wood of a dead vine? It can’t be used for carving something useful, and it doesn’t even make good firewood! Trees of the forest are much better for that.

When you do use it for firewood and the wood becomes charred, it is even more useless than before.

Just as a vine that does not bear fruit is cut up and burnt, so I will remove Jerusalem and punish the people because they have chosen to be unfaithful to me. I will turn their country into a desert.”

Am I bearing fruit?

We face many choices each day. Some choices are important, some are not. Some choices can be made for us; others can only be made by us. Some decisions can be changed, some cannot.

God’s people had made their choice—and it was an important choice. Unfortunately, it was the wrong choice. They had chosen to be unfaithful to God. They had not slipped up in a moment of weakness or temptation; they were stubbornly holding onto a sinful way of life. They had decided to worship idols, and their hearts were filled with greed instead of love for God.

A vine is not grown for its wood like a pine tree in the forest. A vine is grown to keep blessing people with its fruit year after year, while a tree is eventually chopped down for its wood.

Jesus said that God is the Gardener who cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He cuts back so that it becomes even more fruitful (John 15:2). We have been chosen to bear fruit—not to end up as firewood!

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: Come near to God and he will come near to you. - (James 4:8)

Passages: Haggai 1:1-11

After seventy years in Babylon, many Jews who had been slaves there started returning to Jerusalem. God was bringing His people back to their own land as He had promised.

Yet as the people settled in their home country, their main concern was to build beautiful houses for themselves while no one paid attention to the Temple of the Lord, which still lay in ruins. “It is not the right time to start building the House of the Lord,” they said.

But the Lord spoke through Haggai the prophet, saying, “Think about what is happening. You have sown much, but harvested little. You have food, but not enough to fill you; you have clothes, but not enough to keep you warm. Can’t you see why this is happening?

Now go up to the hills and get wood to rebuild the Temple and I will be pleased.”

Can one become too busy?

The Bible has quite a lot to say to those who are lazy (see Hebrews 6:12 and Ecclesiastes 10:18). God does not want us to be like a lazybones who never tries anything, does anything or achieves anything.

Yet, rushing from one activity to another and working like crazy is not what God had in mind for us either. One of the sins that the Israelites had struggled with before they were taken to Babylon was their constant longing for more money and things. Now that they had returned to Jerusalem, they again became so busy with their own things that they started leaving God out of their lives. They must have looked like ants rushing around; gathering and carrying, weaving and building.

So this is what God said to them; “Go and get building material and start rebuilding the Temple so that I can meet with you again.”

In the same way, God does not want our lives to be filled with so many things that there is no time left for Him! With all the things going on, it is important to set aside a special time to spend with the Lord each day; whether it works best for you in the morning, the afternoon or the evening.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. - (Ezekiel 34:26)

Passages: Haggai 1:12-14, 2:15-19

When Haggai told the Jews who had returned from Babylon that God wanted them to rebuild the Temple, they obeyed straight away. And as they began working on the Temple, the Lord encouraged them.

The Lord said, “Before you started working on the Temple you would expect a big harvest, but there would be very little. I sent winds and hail to ruin everything you tried to grow. Today you have finished laying the foundation of the Temple. See what will happen now!

Although there is no grain left, and the grapevines and fig trees and olive trees have no fruit, I will bless you from this day on.”

Do I have to do things to be blessed?

It is only as the people started rebuilding the Temple that the Lord promised to bless them. At this stage they had only laid the foundations and already God was just waiting to pour out His blessing on them. He had wanted to bless them for so many years, but their disobedience had kept His blessing away. Now the trees would start bearing fruit again and the crops would grow tall. God’s blessings would fall on them like showers of rain.

Does that mean we have to do things to be blessed? God was not rewarding the people for what they did—but for being obedient! God had kept back His blessing so that the people would turn away from sin. Now that they were obedient and walking in His ways, the blessing He had been holding back could flow again.

It is your obedience that is important—whether it is to stop doing something wrong, or to start doing something that God has been telling you to do.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Verse: For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
- (1 Corinthians 3:11)

Passages: Ezra 1:1-3, 3:6-13

In the first year that King Cyrus became Emperor of Persia, he encouraged the Jews still living in Babylon to go back to Jerusalem and help rebuild the Temple.

The Jews who went back were very excited about rebuilding the Temple. They gave money to pay the stonemasons who cut blocks of stone and laid them in place, and also for the carpenters who did the woodwork.

They had dug deep trenches and laid a strong foundation. However, when some of the older priests saw the foundation of the new Temple, they were really disappointed because they remembered how much bigger the first Temple had been. But there were others who shouted and sang for joy because the foundation was the start of their return to worship.

Why are foundations so important?

Have you ever watched concrete being poured into a deep trench and thought, what a waste to dig a deep hole only to fill it again. Even though a foundation cannot be seen once the building is built, it has a very important purpose because the whole building rests on it. Without a foundation the building would crumble into a heap of rubble.

When our lives go through troubled times, we also need a solid foundation to hold us up and keep us strong. If our faith rests on Jesus, the Rock, we have a sure foundation. Those who do not know what they believe are on shaky ground. When trouble comes, they don’t know what to believe or what to do. They suddenly feel weak and helpless—and their lives fall apart (Matthew 7:26-27). It is scary not to have someone mighty to depend on in times of trouble. Rely completely on Jesus. He is the Rock that will keep you standing firm in times of trouble.

Go in peace my little brothers and sisters in Christ.

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