Free Devotionals for Kids

Come Visit Me at My New Home

2008-06-12T10:29:00.001-07:00

Thank you for coming by and reading my devotionals. I’ve recently moved to a new home and you can read all my new devotionals for kids and parents at http://ruthwillms.com/devotionals. See you there!

What does it mean to “repent”?

2008-06-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to “repent”?

Memory Verse

“Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin!” John 1:29 [The Living Bible]

While Jesus was growing up in Nazareth, his cousin John was growing up in the desert country of Judea. John spent a lot of time listening to God. God had chosen him to prepare the people for what Jesus would soon be teaching.

John preached, “Repent and be baptized”. The Jews then and all of us now, need to repent before we can do what Jesus teaches us to do. Repent simply means to stop doing wrong and begin to do right. People were baptized by John to show that they were sorry for their sins and chose to obey God from now on; that’s why he was called ‘John the Baptist’.

If we had seen John the Baptist we would have probably thought he was weird. He didn’t wear ordinary long flowing clothes like the custom of the day required. He wore an outfit made from camel’s hair. The Bible says he ate locusts and wild honey. Locusts are grasshoppers.

We lived in Lethbridge, Alberta for years. One of the things that Lethbridge is known for is its many windy days and dryness. We lived at the edge of the city and our back yard skirted a farmer’s field. One summer we had a huge infestation of grasshoppers. They were everywhere. I couldn’t walk across the back yard without grasshoppers jumping all over me. The back of our house was covered with grasshoppers. I was thinking: too bad we didn’t have John the Baptist’s craving for locusts. We could have had a feast.

When people were baptized by John, that didn’t mean their sins were forgiven. Jesus still had to do that. But they were showing that they were sorry for their sins and wanted to obey God.

John the Baptist told the people that if they wanted to please God they should be unselfish and help the poor people. He taught the soldiers to not hurt people and to be contented with the money they earned. He was teaching them the way to live is to practice love and peace; just what Jesus would soon teach.

This year you saw the running of the global torch relay on TV. Just as the torch relay got people ready for the 2008 Olympic Games this year in Beijing, John the Baptist was making people aware that Jesus was coming.

John the Baptist didn’t only have the honor of preparing the way for Jesus; he also had the honor of baptizing Jesus. Jesus didn’t have to be baptized for repentance of His sins, because He never sinned. He is God. Jesus was baptized to show people it was the right thing to do and also it prepared the people to accept Him. When He was coming out of the water, the Spirit of God came down from heaven in the form of a dove and God the Father’s voice from heaven spoke: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This proved to John and the people that this man was Jesus, God’s Son.

So when the Bible says that we need to repent it means we need to be sorry for our sins, the wrong things we do, and stop doing them. Then we turn to Jesus and say we want to do things His way. We live the way the Bible, His Word, teaches.

Going Deeper for Parents:

According to the Nelson NKJV Study Bible, the Greek verb ‘repent’ means a change of attitude and outlook which may result in sorrow for one’s sins. True repentance is more than regret. True repentance always brings a change in one’s life. One turns from wrong doing to doing right.

People in John the Baptist’s time were just as hypocritical as we sometimes are today. John saw the multitudes come to be baptized with the baptism of repentance but he also saw that not everyone truly repented. They were there to impress others or to follow the crowd.

It’s easy to say “I’m sorry, forgive me” to God or to a person we have offended. Change only happens if this is our inward attitude.

I remember when my son was very young and saying ‘sorry’ came so easily to him. After supper I would remind him that he forgot to take the garbage out before he went out to play. He would say, what I thought was a glib ‘I’m sorry’ but the next day he still failed to oblige me. Obviously he wasn’t too interested in turning from his neglect or in pleasing me. He only wanted to be left alone and only said ‘sorry’ because he thought that would put him on my good side.

Often we treat God the same way. We say ‘sorry’ because we know we are in the wrong but we are not ready to change our ways.

We often struggle before we repent. First God shows us what we need to change in our life. We ignore His voice. After awhile He nudges us again.

We tell Him it’s too hard, we can’t do it. What we are really thinking, is we don’t want to deal with it. Then He reminds us how much He loves us and He wants us to deal with that issue because He wants to grow us.

Even in our struggle to repent, God has His time frame. He has to start somewhere with us so we start to surrender to Him. You, like I, can find consolation in God’s mercy as He continues to chip away at our stubbornness.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

Do you want to be smart?

2008-05-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

Memory Verse:

“If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.” James 1:5 [The Living Bible]

Do you ever wish that you could be the smartest kid in your class or maybe in the whole world? Do you think it would give you a sense of power?

I love to watch the show “Jeopardy”. I am amazed at the knowledge the contestants have and the ability they have to retain all that knowledge. They can pull the right answer out of their brain in a split second. I admire them for that because I can’t do that.

The Bible tells us that the smartest man that ever lived was King Solomon. Of course, Jesus was wiser but He wasn’t just a man, He was also God.

As a young boy, Jesus lived in Nazareth with his mother, Mary, and His father, Joseph, and His brothers and sisters. The Bible says He grew and became strong in spirit; He was filled with wisdom and God’s grace was upon Him.

Nazareth was almost seventy miles from Jerusalem where the temple was. The families in Nazareth couldn’t travel to Jerusalem every week to worship so they built a synagogue. Here Jesus and the other boys went to school to learn to read and write. Here they also learned the teachings of Moses and the other prophets.

When Jesus turned twelve, He joined His parents in going to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. Other people, along with their relatives, travelled with them. It took days because they had to walk; some probably rode their donkeys.

The feast was held in the beautiful temple with its wide porches and huge pillars of stone. The Jews from all over Asia Minor came to this feast so huge crowds filled the courts and the temple.

After the feast was ended, Mary and Joseph travelled toward home. At the end of the first day they looked for Jesus. The group they travelled with was big and they hadn’t seen Jesus. They thought He must be in the group somewhere, hanging out with his friends or his cousins.

But they couldn’t find Him and no one had seen Him. They made their way back to Jerusalem. They were worried. They couldn’t imagine what had happened to Him. Jesus was a good child and never gave them any trouble.

Finally, after searching for three days, they found Him. He was in the temple, sitting among the wise teachers of the day, the Scribes and Pharisees. He was having deep spiritual discussions with them about the things of God and the prophets. They were amazed at His answers and that He understood everything. They did not yet realize that Jesus knew everything because He is the Son of God.

Do you know that God wants to share His wisdom with you also? It’s true. God says if we want wisdom all we need to do is ask Him for it. The only thing He asks of us is faith that He will give it to us. The kind of wisdom He gives us is not necessarily just any kind of information but understanding to learn from your difficulties. Don’t we all want that kind of knowledge?

Godly wisdom begins with a reverence for God. We need to spend a lot of time with Him. It’s the same as spending time with your older brother or sister or a good friend. The more time you spend with that person the better you get to know him and to become like him.

The more time you spend with God in prayer and reading His Word, the more you become like Him and begin to think like Him. God says that all the knowledge we need to handle everything in life well is in His Word; we need to read it, ask for understanding and do it.

Going Deeper for Parents:

God’s wisdom leads to freedom. Our obedience to the wisdom He gives us leads to freedom from our sinful nature. God gives us wisdom but we still need to choose to live it.

I think of King Solomon. He was so wise. He was a man of vast knowledge which touched every area of his life. Then I wonder- why was he so foolish to set up hills of worship for his ungodly wives? Why did he even choose ungodly wives?

God gives us His wisdom and reveals Himself to us but it is still our choice to act upon it. We can be like King Solomon whose son lost most of his kingdom because of Solomon’s sin. Or we can be like Jesus, who chose obedience to the wisdom He had and surrendered to God’s way, going the way of the cross.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

God Gave His Best

2008-05-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Memory Verse:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 [The Living Bible]

Did you ever receive a gift even better than you ever expected: something you really wanted but didn’t think was possible so you just never thought of asking for it?

A friend told me of such a gift. It happened years ago before you could readily buy special baseball equipment. Even if it was available, it wasn’t always affordable. Now, this boy’s family had very limited income and could only afford the necessary things of life.

My friend was a great baseball player but he had a handicap. He was left-handed and at that time only right-handed baseball gloves were available. He knew he would play a lot better if he had a left handed glove,

His team mates had acquired a new kind of baseball shoes with cleats. He really wanted a pair but he also knew his parents had other things to buy. Yet, for Christmas he dared to ask them for a pair.

Anxiously he waited for Christmas Eve. After the Christmas Eve service his family gathered around the Christmas tree. My friend noticed that the gift wrapped box in the corner did not seem to be the size for a pair of baseball shoes. But he kept hoping anyway.

Then the moment arrived. As his mom handed him the gift, my friend’s father winked at him. His mom couldn’t stop smiling. Now my friend was very hopeful.

Not being able to wait a second longer, he whipped the glossy wrapping paper off. He stopped. The box did not seem heavy enough for baseball shoes with cleats. He decided that whatever he found in the box he would be grateful and smile at them and graciously say thank you. He knew that whatever it was his parents had sacrificed some of their own needs.

He lifted the lid and pulled at the paper covering the gift. For a moment he just sat there, spellbound. He couldn’t believe his eyes but there on his lap lay a southpaw baseball glove. His whole body began to shake as he tried on the left handed glove. Of course, it fit perfectly.

Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would get such a glove. When he learned that his parents had scrimped and saved and searched for a company to make such a glove and then sent away for it because they knew how much it would mean to him, he jumped up and down, shouting with joy.

We all have many needs. We bombard God to please give us this and to please give us that. And we are very grateful when he gives us spiritual blessings plus material blessings. But sometimes we neglect the best gift He gave us, Jesus.

Jesus is God’s only Son. He loved Him more than anything but He also loved us. He knew that if He didn’t make a way for us to be cleansed from sin we could never know Him. The only way possible was through Jesus.

Jesus became man but was also God. He was sinless and so was able to die for our sins so we can have a relationship with God. When Jesus was born of Mary, God gave us His very best.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

God Knows Your Name

2008-05-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Devotionals for Kids

Memory verse:

“But now the Lord who created you, O Israel, says, Don’t be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43: 1 [The Living Bible]

We all like to be called by our name. Our name is important to us because it identifies us. None of us like to be called, “hey, you”. When someone calls us that it makes us feel that they don’t even care enough about us to bother to find out what our name is. Although, when we get into trouble we might sometimes wish they would forget our name so they can’t tell the teacher or our parents who did the mischievous deed.

I grew up in a large family. I have 7 sisters and 6 brothers; I am the thirteenth child. We lived in the country and we younger five kids spent a lot of time playing with our neighbor’s kids. If something was amiss the adults might not always know all of our names. But if they thought I was to blame they would just tell my dad or mom or older siblings, “Oh, it was the tall girl.” My sisters were of average height. Of course, because I was a quiet kid I didn’t get into trouble very often; I think.

People might not remember our name or care enough about us to use it, but God calls us by name. Do you know He even calls each star by name? In the Bible, Psalm 147:4 says, “He counts the stars and calls them all by name.” [The Living Bible]

During Bible times God sometimes told the parents what to name their child. God told Hagar to call her son Ishmael. He told Mary, the mother of Jesus, to call her baby boy, Jesus.

Often in Bible times and in a lot of cultures today, the meaning of the name is very important. Or, people change their name because after a meaningful experience they have changed; such as Saul, who persecuted the Christians. After Jesus appeared to him in a vision, on the road to Damascus, his name became Paul.

The Bible tells us of a priest, Zacharias. Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth, had grown old and they had no children. Zacharias served in the temple.
It was his turn to burn the incense on the golden altar, in the holy place, where only the priests could enter. He was shocked to see an angel standing beside the altar.

The angel said, “Do no be afraid, Zacharias! For I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son! You are to name him John.”

But Zacharias didn’t believe the angel. He claimed that he was too old to have a child. Then the angel told him that he wouldn’t be able to speak again until the child was born because he wouldn’t believe. So Zacharias lost his voice until his son was born. It was only after he wrote, “His name is John,” that he could speak again.

When God names a child, greatness usually follows. So it was with John. He became John the Baptist, who prepared the way, telling people that Jesus was coming.

I hope you like your name. But one day God will give you a new name. All of God’s children will one day receive a new name in heaven.

You are each special to God. Although there are billions of people you are important to God. Important enough that He calls you by name.

Going Deeper for Parents:

Sometimes we change our names like Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law did. When she returned to Bethlehem her friends welcomed her, calling her Naomi. But she said, “Don’t call me Naomi for God has dealt bitterly with me.” She had left with a husband and two sons. Both had died while she was in Moab. Now she felt empty and wanted to be called ‘Mara’ which means ‘bitter’.

When Abraham was 99 years old and God told him he and Sarah would now have a son, God renamed him. At that time his name was ‘Abram’ which means ‘exalted Father’. God changed his name to ‘Abraham’ which means ‘Father of many’. God did the same thing for Abraham’s wife at the same event. He changed her name ‘Sarai’ to ‘Sarah’. Both of her names mean ‘princess’. The name changes reflected a new relationship for Abraham and Sarah with God.

When we become God’s children we become new creatures in Christ. I have read that some people even chose a new name at this time.

I enjoy my given name Ruth but I am looking forward to my new name in heaven chosen by God, as I hope you are too. We will begin a new relationship with God for all eternity.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

The Accuser

2008-05-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Memory verse:

“He is able to save completely all who come to God through him.” Hebrews 8:25a [The Living Bible]

Do you know there is something out there much worse than a wild animal or a dragon trying to give us a bad day; worse than that, he is trying to give us a bad life and a terrible eternal life?

The Bible says, “Be careful – watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.” 2 Peter 5:8 [The Living Bible]

Job experienced an attack from Satan first hand. Job lived way back in the Iron Age in the land of Uz. That sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale but it isn’t. Everything in the Bible really happened.

The Bible says that Job was a good man who obeyed God and stayed away from evil. So how did he get into trouble?

One day Satan confronted God. God asked him if he had noticed Job. God said that Job was the best man in the entire world who would do nothing wrong.

“Well, yeah,” replied Satan. “You have always prospered and blessed him. You always protect him and You have made him rich. But just take Your blessings away from him and he will turn away from You.”

God knew Job’s heart and so He knew that this was a lie. He allowed Satan to test Job.

Job was very rich. He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, plus five hundred female donkeys and many servants. He also had a large family: seven sons and three daughters. And, of course, he had a wife.

Satan sent nomadic raiders to steal all of Job’s oxen and donkeys. They even killed his servants. After that he sent fire to burn up his sheep and all the herdsmen taking care of them. Then more bad things happened. Satan sent three bands of marauding tribes to drive off his camels. Job was devastated. He couldn’t believe all these bad things were happening to him at once.

What did Job have left? His wife and children. Then one day Job’s sons and daughters were having a party in their oldest brother’s house. Satan sent a great storm which destroyed the house and killed all of Job’s children.

Job was very, very sad. He loved his children very much. Even though all these awful things happened to him he still loved and worshipped God. He had no idea that God was allowing Satan to test him.

Then Satan struck Job with the very worst case of painful boils ever seen. His whole body was covered with great ugly sores from his head to his feet. He sat in the ashes and scraped his sores.

His wife told him to curse God and die. She didn’t think he should love a God who allowed all this to happen to him. But Job stayed true to God.

Job had three good friends. Their names were Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They all accused Job of sinning. They said that was why God was punishing him. This made Job even sadder. He knew that he had not sinned. Friends should comfort one another and not put each other down.

Finally God spoke to Job out of a whirlwind and Job bowed to God and worshipped Him. God told Job He was very pleased with him.

After this, Job’s sores healed and he became well. God blessed him with twice as many riches as He had before. He also blessed Job with seven sons and three daughters. The Bible says these three daughters were the most beautiful women in that country. Job lived to be an old, old man.

The Bible says that Satan accuses us, His children, too. But God has put His hedge of protection around us so Satan can’t harm us unless God allows him to.

We are so blessed. We don’t have to worry. We have Someone much stronger on our side. Let’s say I sin. Then Satan says to God, “Look at Ruth. Everybody thinks she’s so good but she sinned today. She got mad at her neighbor because of their dog who barks all day long. She doesn’t deserve to get to heaven.”

And then Jesus, who is sitting at the right hand of God the Father, turns to Him and says,” Just a minute here. I died on the cross for everyone’s sins. Ruth has accepted me as her Savior. Her sins are covered by my blood.”

Jesus will always be there for us His children. “He is able to save completely all who come to God through him. Since he will live forever, he will always be there to remind God that he has paid for their sins with his blood.” Hebrews 8:25 [The Living Bible]

Going Deeper for Parents:

We learn a lot about human suffering in the book of Job. In Job God also opens a window for us to learn of Satan and his relationship to God. The first two chapters confirm to us that even though Satan is in rebellion to God he is still accountable to Him.

We can rest assured that Satan’s power is not as great as God’s. He tries to hamper God’s work but he is limited by what God allows him to do. He is not all powerful like God and he can only be in one place at a time while God is omnipotent and omnipresent. That is why his fellow fallen angels must help him.

God is also omniscient. Satan is not. He can’t know our minds nor our future but God can.

God uses all of our hardships for good just as He used Job’s trials for good. Through them He tested Job’s love for Him and it grew stronger than before. And all could see that God was sovereign and compassionate.

God promises He will not allow us to be tempted more than we are able to bear. He also promises us strength to go through whatever He allows to come our way and He promises to deliver us.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

Returning Good for Evil

2008-04-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

Memory Verse
“Don’t let evil get the upper hand but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:21 [The Living Bible]

Have you ever tried to do something and nothing seems to come together but you know this is the right thing for you to do? Let’s say you want to join a certain team or activity in school or in church. But as it turns out, the scheduled time doesn’t work for you or for your parents to take you there. Or maybe you don’t make the team and the coach tells you to try again next year.

You keep trying and eventually you make it; you’re accepted in the team. Usually the delay occurs because the timing just isn’t right for you at the time. Maybe you have to practice more and improve your skills or maybe a position has to become available to accommodate you. A lot of things have to come together for it to happen but at the time you can’t understand why it doesn’t work. Suddenly everything falls into place.

That’s how it was for Joseph and his brothers. Joseph couldn’t understand why God would let him be sold as a slave and then be put into prison. Jacob couldn’t understand why God would let a wild animal attack his favorite son. He didn’t know it was all a terrible lie. Joseph didn’t know it would end with him saving his family from starvation and poverty.

Joseph’s brothers did bring Benjamin with him when they returned for more grain. Joseph was so glad to see his brother but he didn’t let on who he really was. He wanted to test his brothers to see if they would protect Benjamin or desert him also, as they had him.

First he invited them to a meal in his home. He saw to it that they were seated in order of their ages, from oldest to youngest. He sent food from his table to each of his brothers, but to Benjamin he sent five times as much. Maybe he was testing his brothers to see if they would be jealous.

After the meal his steward filled the brothers’ sacks with grain and put Joseph’s silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. In the morning the brothers left for home. They hadn’t gone far when Joseph sent his steward after them to retrieve his silver cup.

When the steward finally caught up to them he demanded to know why they had stolen the ruler’s silver cup. Of course, they denied taking it because they had no idea that it was in one of their sacks.

They assured the steward that they were honest men and if he found the cup in one of their sacks that brother must die and the rest of them would be the steward’s slaves for ever.

“No,” said the steward. “I will take the brother for my servant in whose sack I find the cup and the rest of you can go free.”

How surprised they were when the steward found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. They didn’t know what to do. They had promised that he would be the steward’s slave. But they couldn’t go through with that. They all accompanied the steward back to the ruler with Benjamin.

When they arrived at the ruler’s house, Joseph was waiting for them. He asked them why they had taken his silver cup. It was a very special cup. He demanded that only Benjamin stay and he would punish him but the rest could return home.

“No!” said Judah. “Our father will die of grief if Benjamin doesn’t return. I will stay in Benjamin’s place and be your servant. I promised our father that nothing bad would happen to Benjamin.”

Finally Joseph was satisfied. He saw that his brothers had changed. They weren’t jealous that Benjamin was now their father’s favorite. He knew they were better men now and he longed to tell them who he was.

So he sent all the Egyptians out of the room and then he talked to his brothers in their language. “I am your brother, Joseph, who you sold into Egypt; is my father still alive?”

The brothers stood there in amazement and fear. They probably had a hard time believing Joseph. Also they must have been afraid of what he would do to them to repay them for their mean deed.

But Joseph assured them that he really was their brother. He cried because he was so overcome with deep feelings for his brothers. He told them to come close to him and then he told them why they shouldn’t be afraid.

“It was God who sent me to Egypt,” he said. “He sent me here to save your lives. The famine will last for five more years. I want you to bring your families and everything you have to Egypt.”

They hugged each other and with joy and relief they cried on each others’ shoulders. Joseph was generous in returning good for evil. He urged them to hurry home and come back quickly, bringing his father with them.

Even Pharaoh was glad to hear that Joseph’s brothers had come. He too invited them to come live in Egypt. So the jealous feelings that the brothers had acted on years ago brought good things to Joseph and his father, Jacob, and to his brothers.

That’s what God can do in our lives too. If we give Him our problems, even if we don’t know what to do, and wait for Him to act, He pulls everything together in His time. He can use our failures and even our sins to bring glory to Him in the end.

Sometimes we have to go through a lot of pain and misunderstanding. Sometimes it takes years for us to know why something happened or didn’t happen after we prayed and waited so long. We might never know the reason why God allowed certain hard things to happen to us or our family until we see Jesus in heaven. But as we wait we can know that God loves us very much. He says we are the apple of His eye. And He is planning beautiful things for us.

Going Deeper for parents:

As adults we have lived long enough to see the cycle of returning good for evil work out. Possibly you have also observed the vicious circle of returning evil for evil take its toll on people. And maybe you, like me, have sometimes shivered as you even saw people return evil for good.

The Bible it's easy to love someone who loves us, but God requires that we love those who don't love us nor show love to us. I think returning good for evil is forgiving in progress. As you do good, forgiving begins to spring up in your heart. That’s what returning good for evil is all about: forgiveness.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

God Never Breaks His Promise

2008-04-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

Memory Verse:

“Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words remain forever.” Matthew 24:35 [The Living Bible]

Did someone ever make a promise to you and then not keep it? How disappointing that was! And if the promise was very special to you, it probably made you mad or broke your heart.

I know that as a mom and grandma I have made promises that I broke. Sometimes I just got so busy that I couldn’t carry through; other times the circumstances changed and the promise didn’t work. I know my kids and grandkids suffered because of it even though I really tried to make it up to them.

So knowing how easily breaking promises happens I am so glad that God never, ever breaks His promise. Also, He never has to take back what He said. He always speaks the truth.

We sometimes hear someone say, “You’re going to have to eat your words. Just wait and see.” But Jesus never has to eat His words; not even when we don’t take what He says seriously. His words always come true.

Joseph’s brothers must have thought that Joseph would have to eat his words. He told them of his dream where the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him.

His brothers knew what he was implying; that some day they would bow down to him. And they said, “No way, Joseph. This time you went too far. You are way out of line.” Only they forgot the most important thing. This dream was from God; not just any dream or Joseph’s desire to lord it over his brothers.

Now there was a famine in all the countries. There came a day when Jacob and his eleven sons ran out of food also. But Jacob heard that there was food available to buy in Egypt. So he sent the ten brothers to buy grain there. He kept Benjamin with him. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to Benjamin like it happened to Joseph.

I wonder how the brothers felt as they travelled to Egypt. As they travelled this road and then that one, did they think of the day when Joseph must have travelled that same road? Did they wonder what ever happened to their brother? Where he was? If he had perhaps died? The Bible doesn’t mention that, but I like to think so.

Pharaoh had made Joseph governor of Egypt and he was in charge of selling the grain. When the ten brothers came to him and bowed down before him they had no idea that they were bowing down to Joseph. They didn’t even know that Joseph’s dream was coming true and yet they were making it happen.

Joseph was now an Egyptian and he dressed like them and he spoke their language. The brothers spoke to him through an interpreter. Besides, they wouldn’t have recognized him because when they sold him as a slave to the merchants from Egypt he was only seventeen. That was twenty years ago. They probably thought that he was dead by now. Most slaves didn’t get very old because they had to work so hard and they were often beaten.

Joseph recognized his brothers though. Joseph also realized that his dream was coming true. But he didn’t let on. He wanted to test his brothers to see if they had changed for the better. He wanted to find out if they would betray or maybe even sell another of their brothers.

When they admitted that they had another brother at home, Joseph knew that they were talking about his little brother, Benjamin. Joseph then accused them of being spies and threw them into prison to test them further.

After three days he had his men fill their sacks with grain and demanded that they go home and bring back their other brother. To make sure they would do as he said Joseph kept one of the brothers, Simeon, hostage in prison till their return.

The brothers must have been very afraid. They knew that this governor had all power in Egypt. He could even have them beheaded. It happened a lot in those days.

They talked among themselves that these bad things were happening to them because they had sold Joseph and deceived their dad by bringing Joseph’s coat home, dipped in blood. Jacob, Joseph’s dad, thought a wild animal had attacked and eaten Joseph. Now his brothers were sorry for what they had done.

They didn’t know that Joseph understood every word they said. How hard it must have been for Joseph to not let on that he was their brother. It was important to him to test them. He wanted to see how they would treat Benjamin too. By the way they talked he knew that they would try their best to protect him.

When Joseph’s brothers said that Joseph’s dream would never come true, they made a mistake. They made that mistake because they didn’t take into consideration who gave Joseph that dream. It was God who gave him the dream and God never lies.

Because in their way of thinking the dream was so far out, beyond their wildest imagination, they thought it just couldn’t be from God. Also, it was pretty humiliating to them to think that they, the big brothers, would bow to or serve their younger brother. In those days the oldest sons were always given the highest honors.

So we need to realize that we are not to judge God’s promises; if they seem possible or not. We need to accept them as His word; truth.

When you read of a promise from God to you in the Bible you know He will do it. And as His child He gives you many promises.

One of His best promises to us is that if we are obedient and loyal to Him He will help us and take care of us. Another one is that He will never leave us or forsake us. My favorite one is that He promised one day He will come back and take us to heaven to be with Him for ever and ever and ever and ever.

Going Deeper as Parents:

As much as we trust in God’s promises, we also realize that they are conditional. If we do this He will do that; as when the Bible says if we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart.

One promise I stand on a lot because I tend to run out of energy some days, is Isaiah 40: 31 [NKJV]
”But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”

The other day I drove to Lethbridge for my twin grandsons’ third birthday. Since it’s a good two and half hour drive I usually stay overnight. But this time I took my niece and her two preschoolers with me so I was committed to drive back home the same day.

Still, I mused, I could easily start out at eight in the morning and be back at six to accommodate my niece’s commitment that evening. As usual, that morning I asked God for energy for the day’s activities because driving for five hours and spending time with my active grandsons would tax my limit.

As I spent time with God that morning, reading the Bible and praying, I reminded God of Isaiah 40: 31. Since I spent time with Him, asking Him to strengthen me, I trusted Him to give me energy for my day.

I usually travel alone or with my husband so I had forgotten the unexpected that happens when travelling with little ones. There was a clean up after car sickness to contend with plus a stop at the drugstore. We arrived almost an hour late but decided we would just shorten our visit and still leave at the agreed time.

But I had given God my day and He orchestrates according to His plan. The birthday celebrations were fun and going well until after lunch, when the unexpected [unexpected to us but not to God] happened and our well planned day changed.

A lid slammed down on one of the children’s fingers and fearing the finger was broken we sped to the hospital. The three hour wait delayed us once again. We were glad the finger wasn't broken. By then it was supper time so we decided to stay a bit longer to visit over meal time.

By the time we left, a heavy snow storm blew in which slowed us down. Further down the road we ran into blizzard conditions. It was way past our allotted time by the time we reached home in Calgary.

Inspite of the extra emotional strain and the lateness of the hour I could still say I wasn’t tired. I thanked God for His promise in giving me energy as my day.

When we practice trusting God’s promises in our daily affairs of life, it increases our faith in Him and enables us to trust God’s promises for the future also, especially concerning eternal life.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

When God Finally Answers Our Prayer

2008-04-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Devotionals for Kids

“And let us not get tired of doing right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.” Galatians 6:9 [The Living Bible]

Sometimes we pray and pray for God to help us in our problem and nothing changes. Does that ever happen to you? It happens to all of God’s children

Maybe you’re praying for a special friend to come to Jesus. Maybe you have been praying for a long, long time for God to heal you. Maybe you have been praying that God would give you a special friend or that God would remove that bully from your life. Inspite of you praying, nothing happens. In fact, the situation looks more hopeless than ever.

Joseph, the slave in Egypt must have felt that way. First he was a slave and then he became a prisoner. He saw God restore the king’s butler to his palace but God didn’t seem to be helping him. It had been two long years since the butler was gone. He hoped the butler was telling the king about how he had been wronged. Perhaps the king would pity him and help him.

Then at the end of two years Pharaoh had two unusual dreams. None of his wise men could tell him what they meant. Suddenly the butler remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh about the dreams he and the baker had in prison and how Joseph told them what they meant. So Pharaoh, the king, sent for Joseph.

How surprised Joseph must have been. Here he thought God had forgotten about him and now Pharaoh wanted to see him. The Bible says he shaved quickly and changed his clothing and came straight to Pharaoh.

“I have heard that you can interpret dreams,” Pharaoh challenged him.

Joseph was very wise. Now that God had remembered him and helped him by bringing him to the attention of the highest authority in Egypt, Joseph gave God the glory. He said, “It is not me, but God who will give you an answer.”
Then Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams.

“In my dream I was standing by the river. Seven cows came up on the bank from the river. They were healthy and fat and began eating the grass in the field.

“As I was standing there, watching them, suddenly seven more cows appeared, coming up from the river. They were ugly and skinny. To my amazement the seven skinny cows ate up the fat, healthy cows. But after they ate them they were just as ugly and skinny as before. Then I woke up.

“After that I had another strange dream. In my dream seven ears of corn grew out of a stalk. They were full, good ears. Then, again, as I was watching, seven more ears of corn appeared on the stalk but they were thin; shriveled and withered by the east wind. These thin ears swallowed up the plump ears. I told my dreams to my magicians but they couldn’t tell me the meaning.”

Right away Joseph knew what the dreams meant. God revealed their meaning to him.

“Your dreams are wonderful. They both mean the same thing. God is telling you what He is about to do.

“The seven fat cows and the full ears of corn are the same thing. They represent seven good years of plenty throughout Egypt. The seven lean cows and the seven thin ears are also the same thing. They are seven years of famine. The years of famine will be so bad that the seven years of plenty will be forgotten. Everything will be eaten up in all of Egypt.

“God gave you two dreams to prove that this will really happen. He is telling you to prepare for the time of famine. You must appoint a wise man to look after the harvest of the years of plenty to save up extra food for the years of famine.”

Pharaoh was so relieved to hear the explanation of his dreams. He decided that Joseph was the wisest man in his kingdom to do this great job. He then appointed him ruler over all of Egypt. He gave him royal robes and a gold chain to wear around his neck. He even gave Joseph his special signet ring. Now Joseph was next only to the king himself in his position of power.

Joseph had been faithful to God all those years. He kept serving God by doing his job the best he good. He was as obedient and helpful to the jailer as he had been to Potiphar. He interpreted the butler and baker’s dreams and the king’s dreams even not knowing what was in it for him.

That’s something that we need to do too. In our hearts and actions we still need to honor God and do what’s right, in helping others and doing the good things God teaches us in the Bible, even if we can’t see God working. In the end, even if God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we thing He should, He will reward us in heaven.

Memory Verse for the week:

“And let us not get tired of doing right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.” Galatians 6:9 [The Living Bible]

Going deeper as parents:

Joseph is one of my heroes that stuck with God no matter what. He was sold by his brothers, became a slave, and then a prisoner. He stayed faithful to what he had been taught about God.

You might say to me; but he had no choice. I think he did. He could have thought, OK, I’ll adjust to the Egyptian’s culture and gods and work my way up somehow. I’ll think about “me”.

He kept himself free from sin in Potiphar’s house, even if it meant going to jail. He was helpful in prison and thought about others; that’s why the jailer promoted him. Obviously he stayed closed to God, or God wouldn’t have been able to show him the meaning of all four dreams.

When I think of Joseph, I also think of Job. Job was tested beyond what most humans can endure. Yet he stayed true to God inspite of his questions. He even said that though God slay him he would still serve Him. He then acknowledged that after God tested him, he would come forth as gold.

Like me you’re probably thinking, that’s fine for these men of the Bible but I hope I’m never tested to that degree. I think my faith would hold out and I think I would still find God at the end of my rope. It’s my flesh that gets in the way; the pain I would have to go through.

God has made us. He knows our limitations. He promises He does not break a bruised reed. God bless!

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

When Things Get Worse

2008-04-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 [The Living Bible]

Sometimes when things start to go wrong in our life we kind of sit back and wait for the good things to start happening again. That’s how I feel sometimes. I think, well, everyone has to have some problems so I’ll deal with this one and pretty soon things will turn around. That’s usually what happens then.

But sometimes things don’t turn around that fast. That’s how it was for Joseph. He thought the worst part was over. The Ishmaelites had bought him to sell him as a slave. When they arrived in the city where the king of Egypt lived, they sold him to an officer in the king’s army.

Joseph was very sensible about it. He must have been horrified that his own brothers would sell him. But he realized he was a slave now and there was nothing he could do about it. He decided to be obedient to his master and to be the best slave he could be.

His master, Potiphar, liked him. He was a very rich man and had a lot of servants. Joseph soon learned the language of the Egyptians and worked hard. God was with Joseph, caring for him, protecting him and blessing him. He could have been sold as a laborer doing heavy construction work. Usually those slaves didn’t live long because the work was so hard. But God took care of Joseph and Potiphar put him in charge of his household. He was even the caretaker of his master’s money.

So Joseph thought the worst was over. Then something even worse happened. Potiphar’s wife lied about him and told his master Joseph had done wrong. Potiphar believed her and had Joseph thrown into prison.

Joseph must have been frustrated that God allowed this to happen to him because he loved and served God. In prison the jailer noticed Joseph was a pleasant, obedient prisoner and decided to put him in charge of all the other prisoners. God was preparing him for a big job in the near future.

Remember the dreams Joseph had while he lived at home? Well, one day two of Pharaoh’s servants were thrown into prison with Joseph. They each had a dream during the same night. They were very upset because the dreams were so real and they didn’t know what they meant. Joseph asked them to tell him their dreams and told them that God would tell him what they meant.

The chief butler proceeded to tell Joseph his dream. “I saw a grape-vine that had three branches. The buds shot forth and became blossoms. The blossoms became clusters of grapes. I squeezed juice out of the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup like I used to do.”

God gave Joseph the meaning of his dream. So Joseph told the butler. He said that the three branches were three days. In three days the king would ask the butler to come back and work for him again. Then Joseph begged the butler to remember him and tell Pharaoh how Joseph had been wronged.

Now, the other servant, the baker, was encouraged. He had heard that good things were going to happen to the butler. So he told Joseph his dream too.

“In my dream, there were three baskets on my head. In the top one there were baked goods for the king. But while I held them, the birds came and ate all the baked goods.” The chief baker waited to hear what Joseph would say.

God also told Joseph what that dream meant. He felt sorry for the baker but he had to tell him.

“Three baskets mean three days. In three days the king will take you from prison and hang you and the birds will eat your flesh.”

In three days it happened exactly as God had told Joseph it would. Pharaoh had a big party for his birthday. He restored the chief butler to his position in the palace and he disposed of the baker just like Joseph said.

Do you think the butler remembered to tell Pharaoh Joseph’s story? No, he didn’t. You would think that the butler would be so appreciative that Joseph told him the meaning of his dream that he would remember to help Joseph too. But the Bible says he forgot. He just got so busy, he forgot.

God didn’t forget about Joseph though. God was planning something very big for Joseph. Only Joseph didn’t know that. I’m sure he must have wondered, “But, God, what about me? Why do you help that butler, but not me?”

Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel that all the wonderful things are happening to people around you but you’re missing out?

God is preparing some very special good plans for you too. God loves you. The Bible says we, His children, are the apple of His eye. That means He wants the very best for us. Maybe there are some things we need to learn first and things have to fall into place. Like Joseph, we just need to keep obeying and trusting Him.

Memory verse for this week:

“And this is what God says we must do; Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” 1 John 3: 23 [The Living Bible]

Going Deeper as Parents:

This reminds me of the time there was a famine during King David’s reign. This story is recorded in 2 Samuel 21. After three years of famine David finally asked the Lord what was going on. And God told him. He said the famine had come because Saul and his family had broken their agreement with the Gibeonites and killed them.

King David worked out an agreement with the Gibeonites and God heard their prayers, and ended the famine.

I wonder why David took so long to inquire of God. But do we do that too?
We think, oh well, bad things happen to everyone. I’ll wait it out.

Maybe we need to examine the situation. Maybe we need to examine our lives. Like David, and like Joseph, God has the answer for us. Maybe God doesn’t bless us to the extent he blessed Joseph and David, but God loves us and we can hope in His goodness.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

Shattered Dreams

2008-04-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

“And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” Romans 8:28 [The Living Bible]

Did someone ever shatter all your dreams? You had some great plans to do something special, something you’ve always wanted to do, and someone came along and messed them up.

Maybe your best friend moved away and now you’re feeling so lonely. You think no one can ever replace that special friendship.

Hockey’s big in Calgary. Maybe you were all set to play hockey and something happened in your family so you couldn’t play after all.

Maybe something really big went wrong in your life. Maybe your parents divorced. Maybe your parent remarried and you just don’t like your new step parent and step family.

All kinds of things go wrong in our lives at times. It happens to everyone. God gives us hope in these rough times. He says He can use even the bad things in our lives, even the hurting, disappointing things, to make good things happen in our lives. He says He makes the bitter things sweet, and turns curses into blessings. He really did that in a big way in Joseph’s life. But first Joseph had to go through the awful bad time, like we have to sometimes.

Joseph’s dad, Jacob, sent him to find out how his brothers were doing. They had taken the family’s cattle and sheep to Shechem because there wasn’t enough grass for them to feed close to home. So Joseph went to find them. Eventually he found them at Dothan.

His brothers saw him coming. They were jealous of him because he was their father’s favorite. Their father had given him a special coat of many colors but he hadn’t given any of them something that special. They thought Joseph thought he was better than them. And last time Joseph came to check on them for their dad, he had given their dad a bad report of them. So they envied him and they hated him.

They planned a conspiracy. They said: ”Look, there comes the dreamer. Let’s kill him and see what becomes of his dreams.”

But Reuben, the oldest brother, felt responsible for his younger brother. He didn’t want the others to hurt him.

He said. “Let’s not kill him. We could just throw him into a pit in this wilderness.” And his brothers agreed with him. Reuben planned on releasing Joseph later and sending him home safely.

When Joseph caught up with them, the brothers grabbed him. They tore off his tunic of many colors and threw him into a pit. Then they sat down to eat.

While they were eating they saw a caravan of camels passing by. The caravan consisted of a company of Ishmaelites, who were taking spices, balm and myrrh to Egypt to sell. Now, Reuben was not with his brothers. Maybe he was further off looking after the herds and flocks.

Judah, one of the brothers, said, “Come on, let’s sell our brother Joseph to these Ishmaelites.” And his brothers agreed. So they pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to these strangers as a slave. Joseph begged his brothers not to do this awful thing to him. But they didn’t listen. They probably just laughed at him. The brothers considered Joseph as good as dead and knew he would never return from Egyptian slavery.

Then Reuben returned. He looked into the pit to check on his younger brother. But he wasn’t there. Reuben was very upset. As the oldest brother he would be held responsible for Joseph, but he also really cared what happened to him.

The Bible says Reuben tore his clothes. People did that in those days to show their grief.

The brothers killed a kid, a young goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. They took the tunic to their father and said: “Look what we found. Do you think this is Joseph’s tunic?”

Jacob recognized it at once. “It is Joseph’s,” he said. “A wild animal must have devoured him.”

Jacob was very, very sad. The brothers tried to comfort him but they couldn’t. Maybe they thought now that Joseph was gone their father would treat them like favorites. But he didn’t. Jacob really missed Joseph and insisted he would mourn for him all his life.

The brothers thought they had everything under control. They had gotten rid of Joseph. They had fooled their father and he would never know what they did. But were they in for a big surprise.

God had a plan for Joseph. God had allowed the brothers to sell Joseph but He was going to use this betrayal to save them all. He helped Joseph, the slave, become an important person in Egypt. He used this awful deed that the brothers did to bring about a wonderful thing. Keep reading the devotionals this week and you’ll find out what God did.

He does that in our lives too. Yes, even in your life. When you think someone really messed up your plans, you can go to God. Just tell Him how you feel and give Him the mess. Ask Him to make something good from it; something to honor Him. Then watch the miracle He does for you too to make something good and beautiful happen to you.

Memory verse for this week:

“And this is what God says we must do; Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” 1 John 3: 23 [The Living Bible]

Going Deeper as parents:

Looking back on my life now I can see many things that I thought were out of control that God used for good. He had everything under control all the time. All that time when I fussed and fumed and worried.

Like most mothers I worried a lot about my kids. I wanted to be God to them. I wanted to make everything right in their lives and protect them from all that could hurt them. But it was only when I gave them to God and asked Him to be in charge that I could stop worrying. And it was when they made God their God that I saw beautiful things happen.

That has helped me trust God with current issues in my life; like starting my writing career. I returned to college when I was in my forties and studied Early Childhood Education. Even though I was a late bloomer as a teacher, God blessed me tremendously, and it turned out to be a successful experience. I think of all the people who touched my life and whose lives I could touch for God as I taught in a Christian preschool and later in my Christian dayhome. God brought me kids and parents who might never hear about Jesus any other way.

So now when I face change, God’s help in the past reminds me that He will also turn my new apprehensions into good things, as long as I obey Him and am loyal to Him.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, The Rubik's Cube, at http://ruthwillms.com

Joseph, the favorite

2008-03-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

Devotional for Kids

“Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.” 1 Corinthians 13: 4 and 5 [The Living Bible]

If you are at all like the other millions of kids in the world, there are many times when you do not feel like loving your brothers or sisters. There are different reasons for this. Often wrong feelings of envy or jealousy come over us because we think our siblings are treated better than us. Sometimes they block our way of getting what we want most. When we envy our brothers or sisters we do not feel like loving them.

Joseph’s brothers had this problem. Joseph grew up in a large family. He had ten older brothers and one younger one, plus a sister.

Joseph was his dad’s favorite child. Joseph was so special to his father, Jacob, that he made him a tunic of many colors. His brothers hated Joseph because he was Dad’s favorite.

When Joseph was seventeen and caring for his father’s sheep alongside his brothers, he came home and gave a bad report to his dad about his siblings. Of course the brothers resented Joseph for this. Whatever he said was probably true because the Bible shows Joseph as a man of integrity. But his brothers thought of him as telling tattletales. They thought he was making himself look better than them. The Bible says the brothers hated Joseph for this.

Then to make matters even worse for the brothers, Joseph had two special dreams. In the first dream he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field. That was part of their harvesting grain in those days before they had all our machinery. In Joseph’s dream his sheaf stood upright and his brothers’ sheaves bowed down to his.

In the morning when he told his brothers his dream they were outraged. “Who do you think you are?” they said. “Do you think you are going to rule over us?” Now they hated him even more.

Then he had the second dream. This time the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him. Again he told his brothers. This time the Bible says that his brothers envied him.

Bad things follow when we begin to envy others. People do just about anything when they want what someone else has. That’s why God tells us not to envy. He wants us to be happy for our siblings when He blesses them. And we can trust God to bless us just as much or even more when it’s our turn, as long as we are loyal to Him.

Joseph’s brothers did something awful to him. I will tell you about it in my devotional tomorrow.

I too grew up in a large family. I had six brothers and seven sisters. There was a lot of sibling rivalry in our family, too. Everyone wants to be important.

We had our share of arguments and disagreements. I’m sure there were days when I wanted to do to one of my siblings exactly what Joseph’s brothers did to him; especially when I didn’t get my way. I’m sure there were many days also when one of my brothers or sisters wanted to do to me what Joseph’s brothers did to him. But those feelings passed quickly because basically there was a lot of love in our home.

When I was a young teenager my brother, Ervan, had a bad car accident and nearly died. That bad time make me realize how special each of my brothers and sisters were to me inspite of the rivalry we felt at times.

I couldn’t imagine my brothers or sisters going through the awful things that Joseph had to go through because of his brothers’ envy and the terrible thing they did to him.

In the Bible God reminds us again and again to love one another. He talks a lot about loving our brothers; which also means sisters. I think maybe because it’s hard to love someone all the time when you live with them day in and day out and they know all our weakness and we know all their weaknesses.

But there is also another reason. In 1 John 2:9 to 11 God says: “Anyone who says he is walking in the light of Christ but dislikes his fellow man, is still in darkness.
“But whoever loves his fellow man is ‘walking in the light’ and can see his way without stumbling around in darkness and sin.
“For he who dislikes his brother is wandering in spiritual darkness and doesn’t know where he is going, for the darkness had made him blind so that he cannot see the way.” [The Living Bible]

Envy leads to hate and hate leads to worse things. Envy and hate blind us and we begin to do things we would never do if we weren’t obsessed with these emotions. When we choose to love, good actions follow our emotions too.

Memory verse for this week:

“And this is what God says we must do; Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” 1 John 3: 23 [The Living Bible]

Going deeper for parents:

I believe these words for our kids touch us right where it touches them and are as applicable to us as to them. God Bless You!

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

A True Friend

2008-03-19T05:07:00.000-07:00

Devotional for Kids:

“There are ‘friends’ who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 [The Living Bible]

Friends are very important in our lives. They are there for us when everyone else lets us down. We can just be us and they will accept us and love us even when we mess up.

We can share our deep feelings with them about the things in life that are most important to us. They cheer us up when we are down. They spend time with us doing the activities which we like best; like going to the movies, playing Wii games or sports, or just hanging out.

Jesus placed great value on friendships. His disciples were his good friends. They believed in Him and supported Him.

Jesus was visiting at a friend’s house. This friend was Simon. He used to be a leper but Jesus had healed him. While he was there another friend entered; a woman. She carried a bottle of very expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ head as he sat at the table. People did those kinds of things those days. It was an act of devotion. She was a true friend.

That same night another one of Jesus’ friends set out to betray Him. He wasn’t a true friend; he just pretended to be Jesus’ friend.

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ disciples, went to the priests in the temple and set up a deal. He asked the priests how much they would pay him if he delivered Jesus to them.

The priests offered Judas thirty pieces of silver. It was exactly the same amount anyone had to pay to buy a slave. That’s all that Jesus was worth to Judas. He took the money and then began planning how he could hand Jesus over to the priests who wanted to kill Him.

Jesus knew what was going on. He is God. He knew this all had to happen so He could die on the cross for our sins.

While Judas was making his deal with the priests, Jesus taught his eleven disciples, his true friends, how to be a good friend. He even made it a rule, a commandment that He expected them and expects us to keep.

“Love each other just as much as I love you. Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 14: 34 and 35 [The Living Bible]

Jesus also wants to be your friend. It’s up to you to choose. He will be a faithful friend. He will always be there for you.

Memory Verse for this week:
“Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 [The Living Bible]

Going Deeper as Parents:

Perhaps you have had a friend who turned out to be like Judas. This friend didn’t betray you to the extent Judas betrayed Jesus – to death- but nevertheless it was a betrayal. At first you were shocked that your friend whom you trusted and shared deeply with would deceive you. After awhile you might have realized why it happened.

As you contemplated your past relationship with this friend you realize your friend was never as loyal to you as you were to her. You recognize her character flaws which led her to deceive you. Maybe she was a person who always put herself first. Maybe she chose to please another person who was more important in her life than you and in so doing she chose to put you down.

Some friendships have a breaking point. When there is a disagreement we choose to please ourselves instead of our friend. Some friendships last forever. You know this friend is like a soul mate.

Jesus is a forever friend. He never leaves us. He never deceives or betrays us. We can trust Him. He has chosen to be our friend in giving his life for us. It is now up to us to choose to take Him as our friend and give our life to Him.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.ruthwillms.com

What is faith?

2008-03-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Devotional for Kids

“You can get anything – anything you ask for in prayer – if you believe.” Matthew 21:22 [The Living Bible]

The Bible talks a lot about faith. What is faith?

My World Book dictionary says it’s, “a believing without proof; trust; confidence; belief in God or God’s promises.”

And Hebrews chapter 11 tells us what faith is. “It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” Hebrews 11:1 [The Living Bible] In fact, the whole chapter talks all about faith. Read it sometime. It is very interesting.

The morning after Jesus chased the merchants and money changers out of the temple He was walking along the road. He saw a fig tree and realized He was hungry. But the fig tree didn’t have any fruit on it.

Jesus talked to it. He said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Matthew 21:19b [NKJV] And the tree withered away; it died.

His disciples were amazed as I’m sure we would have been if we had been there. Then Jesus told them something very surprising; to them and to us.

He said, “Truly, if you have faith, and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this Mount of Olives, ‘Move over into the ocean,’ and it will. You can get anything – anything you ask for in prayer- if you believe.”

Jesus said this and He never lies. So, does that mean I can make all kinds of things happen like magic by just saying the words?

Faith and receiving isn’t just saying the words and like magic it happens. Our prayer needs to come out of a close relationship with God. We need to spend time with God, in praying to Him and in reading the Bible, which is Him talking to us. We need to be in tune with Him. Then we know what and how to pray and have faith that He will answer.

The closer we get to God the better we know just exactly how to pray. We learn how He thinks and how He does things. Then we learn to know what His will is and what isn’t. We learn what pleases Him and what doesn’t.

It’s just like your relationship with your mom and dad. You know how they think. If you tell them everyone in school has the latest ‘whatever’ they will quiz you. They will say, “OK, tell me exactly who is everyone?” You know they will ask you that because it’s happened before. You know what your parents are like.

It’s the same in knowing God. When you get close to God, He gets close to you and you begin to think like He does.

“And we are sure of this that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us.” 1 John 5:14 [The Living Bible]

Memory Verse for this week:
“Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 [The Living Bible]

Going deeper as parents:

I’m sure that you, just like me, have many unanswered prayers, even when we have honestly put our faith in God to help us move the mountains in our lives. In my over fifty years of walking with God I have definitely learned that just praying in faith is not always the answer. It is a necessity though. We need to pray His will too.

I am a great fan of A.W. Tozer. In The Best of A.W. Tozer, Warren W. Wiersbe has compiled some favorite chapters from his books. These men stress that we need passion. He says that when we look in the Bible we see it was men and women with passion that God heard.

Moses was a man with passion for God and his people. He trembled on the mountain when God spoke with him. He threw himself before God and said ‘blot me out of your book, not the people of Israel.’

Daniel prayed three times a day even when he knew it was against the law and he would have to pay the consequences. It was after his long season of prayer and fasting that Gabriel told him God’s secrets of the centuries.

John, the apostle, exiled on the island of Patmos because of his Christian testimony, wept because no one could be found to open the seven-sealed book. One of the elders then told him that the Lion of the tribe of Judah had prevailed.

The psalmists wrote with deep emotions and the prophets showed their heavyheartedness. Paul cried when he thought of the many who were enemies of the cross of Jesus.

God listens to the man and woman who cares; someone who has a heart, a passion, for what and who he is praying for. When we come to God we also need reverence, a sense of the divine Presence, stillness, solemnity, wonder and a holy fear.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

How do we keep our hearts pure?

2008-03-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Devotional for Kids

“Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 [The Living Bible]

What does it mean to keep our hearts pure? I don’t know anyone who has seen God, so what does it mean;” they shall see God?”

To keep your heart pure means to keep it free from sin. It means, don’t sin. Even when we try hard to do what is right sometimes we still sin. Then we can go to God and ask Him to forgive us because Jesus died for our sins.

You’re probably thinking, “But how can I see God?”

If you have asked God to forgive all of your sins because Jesus died for your sins, you are now God’s child. And when you die you will go to heaven and be with Jesus; you will be with God. You will see Him then.

I think “they shall see God” also means you will understand the Bible. The Bible is God’s letter to you. When you read the Bible you will understand what God is telling you so you can obey Him and be free from sin, like He is.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. We remembered how Jesus came like a king into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey’s colt. The people wanted to make Him king. They waved palm branches, singing:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Matthew 21:9
Hosanna means ‘save now’ but the people were saying it to praise Jesus.

Jesus knew He would be dying on the cross by the end of the week. There were still some jobs He needed to do for God, His Father in heaven. One of them was to clean the temple. The temple was the church they worshipped in. He wasn’t going to be the janitor and clean it. He went to clean it from sin; to make it pure.

So after his triumphant kingly entry into Jerusalem Jesus went into the temple. But this time He didn’t go there to worship. This time he drove out all the merchants who sold doves.

In Old Testament Bible times, before Jesus died for us, the people had to bring doves and other animals for an offering to God. So some merchants [store keepers] had set up tables in the temple and made people buy their doves only for offerings. They charged top prices so they made money on the sale, that they kept for themselves.

There were even money changers in the temple. They made the people exchange their money for money with pagan [which means ungodly] symbols on them. This was the only money they could then use to buy the doves and the other animals that they needed for their offerings.

Jesus said this was wrong. This was sin. He said the temple was to be used to worship God, not as a store; especially not a cheating store. He chased out all the storekeepers and even overturned the tables of the money changers.

He told them that the temple should be a place to pray, to worship, but they had made it a den of thieves. Then the blind and the lame people came to Jesus and He healed them there.

The Bible says that our bodies are the temple of God. That’s because when we become God’s child, the Holy Spirit lives in us. Just like God wanted the people then to keep the temple clean from sin, He wants us to keep ourselves free from sin.

But how can we do that? The Bible says,” For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.” Proverbs 23: 7[NKJV] We become what we think.

So we can keep ourselves free from sin by thinking about good things; by thinking thoughts that please God.

”Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8 and 9 [The Living Bible]

Memory Verse for this week:
“Happy are those whose hearts are pure, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 [The Living Bible]

Going deeper as parents:

Do you find it shocking that the meek and mild Jesus came into the temple and drove out the merchants and money changers? This is not how we usually picture Jesus, is it? The people had not seen this part of Jesus before.

But Jesus saw that the temple was being misused. It was to be a place where God’s people could be free to come and worship God as He instructed. The money changers and merchants had hijacked the way of worship. They made the people buy only their doves and use only their money. Besides that they were charging the people a premium for this service so they could make money on it for themselves. No wonder Jesus was passionate about cleaning the temple.

Jesus does not want us to get distracted in our worship. What are we adding that causes a burden in worship? We need to stay true to the gospel message. We have the message that can change the world: God’s love.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

Why do I have to forgive?

2008-03-13T13:36:00.001-07:00

Devotionals for Kids:

“Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others…..Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3: 12 -13 [The Living Bible]

It happens to all of us; kids and adults. Life is good and everything seems perfect. But then someone hurts us. They might hurt us physically or they might lie about us or deceive or betray us. It might be someone you thought was a friend or it might be someone whom you hardly know and don’t even like.

You tell yourself, “I’m never going to forgive him. I hope something worse happens to him.”

Has something like this ever happened to you? It happens to all of us. Someone suggests to you just forgive and forget. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds.

In the Bible, in Matthew 18: 21 to 35, Jesus tells about a king who wanted to settle his financial accounts. One of his servants owed him $10,000,000. But the servant couldn’t pay his debt. The king ordered him to be sold along with his wife and kids until everything was paid off. That would have been more than a life time.

The servant begged the king to be patient with him and in time he would pay everything back. The king felt sorry for his servant and did even better. To the servant’s surprise he forgave him his debt. He never had to pay another penny back. How happy the servant must have been.

But, after he left the king this servant went to another man who owed him only $2,000. He even grabbed him by the throat and told him he had to pay him this minute. This man also begged for time. He told the servant he would pay every penny back; to just be patient. The servant had no mercy. He had the man arrested and thrown into jail until he could pay his debt.

This poor man’s friends went to the king and told him what the servant had done. So the king called the servant to come see him again. This time he scolded the servant.

“You evil-hearted wretch!” he said. “Here I forgave you all that tremendous debt, just because you asked me to – shouldn’t you have mercy on others, just as I had mercy on you?” [Matthew 19:23 - 35; The Living Bible]

Then the king had his servant thrown into the torture chamber until he paid his whole debt.

What was Jesus saying with this story? He was saying; “I have forgiven you all your sins. Now if someone sins against you, you must forgive them.”

And why has Jesus forgiven us? Because He loves us.

Think about all the sins that God has forgiven you. Not only the sins you committed today and yesterday but all the wrong things you ever did and will do. Isn’t it amazing that He loves you so much that He has forgiven you?

It’s when God’ love fills us to the point where it overflows to others that forgiveness happens. Love leads to forgiveness. We need to make a choice to love this person who hurt us because Jesus loves us more; and then we will be able to forgive.

Memory Verse for this Week:
“And it is he who will supply all your needs from his riches in glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.” Philippians 4: verse 19 [The Living Bible]

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

Can we trust God all the time?

2008-03-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Devotionals for Kids

“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3: 4,5 and 6 [The Living Bible]

A lot of people pay fortune tellers to find out if good things are going to happen in their lives. Some people also read their horoscopes everyday to find out if they are going to have a good day. Does God want us to go to fortune tellers and to read our horoscope to find our direction for the day and for our lives?

Let me tell you about a girl in the Bible that was a fortune teller. In Acts 16 we read about a slave girl whose owners made a living by having her tell others their fortunes. The owners and the people who paid them for their fortunes believed whatever she told them was the truth. Her masters made a lot of money using her for this purpose. But who was telling her what to say? Was it God? Was it an evil spirit?

When Paul and Silas, who were missionaries, came to visit the city where she lived, she followed them around for days. As she followed them, she would cry out: “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” [NKJV] This was true but it bothered Paul that the slave girl was bound to do this all day. He felt sorry for her and wanted to help her.

Finally, one day he turned to her and said to the spirit in her that made her say these things:”I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” [NKJV] And the spirit came out immediately. Her masters were very angry with Paul for doing this because now they couldn’t make money with her anymore.

Paul told the spirit to come out of this girl because people thought whatever she said was the truth and they would do it. It was not God who was telling her what to say but an evil spirit.

It is the same for us if we go to a fortune teller to find out what will happen to us in the future. Sometimes it seems that what they say really happens but it doesn’t always come true. Sometimes we make it happen because that’s what this person told us would happen.

In the Old Testament God chose certain people to be His prophets. He would tell the prophets what to tell the people to do. They were not fortune tellers. They spent a lot of time with God, praying and reading His Word. God would speak to them by His Holy Spirit. In fact, that’s how the Bible was written. The Holy Spirit would tell the authors what to write.

Prophets fore told that Jesus would be born and that He would die for our sins. They foretold that Jesus would also be raised from the dead. All this happened.

So we can know that the rest that they foretold will happen too: that Jesus is now sitting in heaven at the right hand of God; that one day He will come again for us, His children; and that eventually He will rule over the whole earth too. So we know we can believe the Bible and trust in God.

Memory Verse for this Week:
“And it is he who will supply all your needs from his riches in glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.” Philippians 4: verse 19 [The Living Bible]

Going deeper as parents:

God had a rule about prophets. He said that if everything that the prophet said would happen did not happen a hundred percent of the time, then that prophet was not His prophet. He should be put to death.

In Leviticus 19:26 God warned the Israelites that they should not tell fortunes or go to fortune tellers. In Leviticus 20:27 He warns: “A man or woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death.” [NKJV] A medium or someone with familiar spirits means the same as a fortune teller.

There is a reason why He doesn’t want us to know all about what will happen to us tomorrow or many years down the road. Maybe it would be too scary for us, or maybe it would make us lazy so we don’t make it happen but wait for it to happen.

If we go to a fortune teller we are not trusting God. God is in charge of our future. He will bring the best possible things to us. God is all powerful and directs the future and everything in our lives.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

Would you have recognized Jesus as God’s Son?

2008-03-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Devotional for Kids

“Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
That comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!” Mark 11: verses 9 and 10

On the Sunday before Easter, Jesus came riding into Jerusalem as a king. People were rushing out to see Jesus and to honor Him.

These people had heard about the wonderful miracles that Jesus did. They heard how Jesus had even raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. Yes, Lazarus had died and was already buried in a cave-like tomb. He had been dead for four days. But Jesus said to him “come forth” and he became alive and came out of his tomb. You can read about it in John chapter 11. Finally, a lot of people believed that Jesus must be God’s Son, the Messiah, because of what He did.

Jesus’ disciples had borrowed a donkey’s colt and they put their coats on it for Jesus to sit on. Many people threw their outer garments along the road for Jesus to ride over. Some people waved palm leaves and others threw palm leaves on the road for Jesus to ride over. That is why we now call this day, Palm Sunday.

The crowd followed Him all the way to the temple. All the while they were shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hosanna means ‘save now’. Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins.

The leaders of the church, the Pharisees, did not like the people honoring Jesus. They did not believe He was the Son of God. They thought He was an ordinary man pretending to be God’s Son. They wanted the people to honor them instead.

The Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him to tell the people to stop shouting. Jesus told them that if the people would be quiet, God would make the stones shout instead. It was God’s timing for Jesus to be honored.

If the Pharisees had just carefully read the Scriptures, the Old Testament of the Bible, they would have understood that this was Jesus, the Son of God. Because in Zechariah 9:9 God had said a long time ago that just this would happen to the Messiah, God’s Son, when He would come.

“Rejoice greatly, O my people! Shout with joy! For look – your King is coming! He is the Righteous One, the Victor! Yet he is lowly, riding on a donkey’s colt!”

I wonder if we would have recognized Jesus as God’s Son if we had been there that day; or would we have been like the Pharisees and told Jesus to tell the people to be quiet.

We are very fortunate. Today we have the Bible telling us all about Jesus and how He died for our sins and rose again and is in heaven, praying for us.
We can truly believe that Jesus is God’s Son because of all the proof the Bible gives us.

Memory Verse for this Week:
“And it is he who will supply all your needs from his riches in glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.” Philippians 4: verse 19 [The Living Bible]

Going deeper as adults:

Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament that was expected of the Messiah. What further proof do we need that He is God’s Son?

The prophecies He had fulfilled until Palm Sunday:

The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2 [King James Version]
Fulfillment: see Matthew 2:1-6; Luke 2:1-20.

The Messiah was to be born of a virgin
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 [King James Version]
Fulfillment: see Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

The Messiah was to be a prophet like unto Moses
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him, ye shall hearken;
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” Deuteronomy 18: 15, 18, 19 [King James Version]
Fulfillment: see John 7:14-17, 40-46; Acts 3:22-26

The Messiah was to enter Jerusalem in triumph
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation: lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zechariah 9:9 [King James Version]
Fulfillment: see Matthew 21: 1-9; John 12;12-16

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

When I Need a Miracle

2008-03-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Devotional for Kids

“That is what is happening here in this city today! For Herod the king, and Pontius Pilate the governor, and all the Romans – as well as the people of Israel – are united against Jesus, your anointed Son, your holy servant.
“They won’t stop at any thing that you in your wise power will let them do.
“And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and grant to your servants great boldness in their preaching,
“And send your healing power, and may miracles and wonders be done by the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4: verses 27 to 30 [The Living Bible]

Do you ever wish God would just take care of your problem like magic? Let’s say you really want a Nintendo Wii but Mom and Dad say maybe for your birthday. You want it now. You wonder why God can’t just make it appear when you ask for it.

The answer is, He can, but He probably won’t. God is not our puppet. He cares about our needs and even our desires but we don’t go around directing Him what to do for us all day.

God did miracles all the time and He still does today. He wants us to have a relationship with Him so we get to know Him and do what He wants. That’s how we get to grow spiritually and be like Jesus.

Let me tell you about someone who just wanted to have magical powers from God. This man’s name was Simon. You can read about him in Acts chapter 8, starting at verse 9 to verse 25.It was not Simon Peter. It was Simon, the sorcerer, who was called this because he did magic.

People looked up to Simon because he did some amazing things. Some people even thought that he was the Messiah. But then Philip came along and told them about Jesus Christ and that He was the Messiah. The people believed Philip’s message and were baptized.

Even Simon believed and was baptized. He followed Philip wherever he went because he was amazed at the miracles God did through Philip.

Soon Peter and John came to visit these people and Simon. As Peter and John laid their hands on these people’s heads they would receive the Holy Spirit from God.

Simon the sorcerer was jealous of Peter and John. He offered them money to buy this power of laying his hands on people so they received the Holy Spirit.

Peter told him he could not buy God’s power with money. Simon’s heart was not right with God. He only wanted the power so he would be important and powerful.

Peter told him he needed to repent of the jealousy and sin in his heart. Simon now understood that God’s power was not like his magical tricks. He was sorry for his sin and asked Peter to pray for him.

When we choose God’s way and are loyal to Him, God comes into our life. He puts His desires into our minds and hearts so we want what He wants for us. He shows us how to work this out so He gets the honor and glory.

As we spend some time each day praying to him about our life and day, and read the Bible to see what He has to say to us, we develop a relationship with Him. It’s the same as when you spend a lot of time with your special friends. You get to know them and they get to know you and you are there for each other. God is there for you.

God wants us to come to Him with all our needs, even when we want a Wii. The Bible says that God supplies all our needs. God knows we need fun things in our lives also and wants to bless us with good things.

Memory Verse for this Week:
“And it is he who will supply all your needs from his riches in glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.” Philippians 4: verse 19 [The Living Bible]

Going Deeper as Adults:

According to Wesley L. Duewel in his book, Touch the World Through Prayer, we have great power as Christians to touch the world through prayer.

He advocates that we stay close to the Lord so His power can rest upon us. He says that this was the secret of the Apostle Paul’s ministry and we too must let God clothe us daily with His Spirit.

We need to pray as the early church did that Christ will be shown in His miracle power. Our prayers help shake numbers of people and places for Christ. God still performs miracles today especially in the hearts of those we pray for and in the lives of people.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

Honor your father and mother

2008-03-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to do because God has placed them in authority over you.
“Honor your father and mother. This is the first of God’s Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.
“And this is the promise: that if you honor your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing.” Ephesians 6: verses 1, 2 and 3 [The Living Bible]

God doesn’t just suggest that children honor their parents. He commands it. This is one of the Ten Commandments which He gave to the Israelites years ago, but which He still wants us to do.

I’m sure sometimes you do not want to obey your mom or dad. But God has placed them in authority over you. That means they’re the boss. God has placed them in charge of you because it’s their job to teach you. In obeying them you learn respect for others, you learn responsibility; you learn life skills, etc. They teach you how to live.

God also wants us to honor our parents. He wants us to show them respect – to value them. He wants us to have a good attitude toward them. The best time to start developing this right attitude toward your mom and dad is right now.

You can think of your parents as your coach. When you play hockey you listen to your coach very carefully. He knows all the rules and all the plays. You don’t want to mess up and loss the game. Listening to him helps you win the game. It’s the same with your parents. Listening to them helps you win the game of life, especially honoring God.

It’s important that if there are things that really bother you about how your parents treat you that you tell them. Sometimes we parents and grandparents don’t realize how we come across to you. Sometimes it’s not what we ask of you that bug you, but how we ask you. I hope you have a good relationship with your mom and dad so you can talk to them about these things.

The Bible tells us of a son who did not honor his father and the awful price he paid for it. I’m thinking of Prince Absalom, King David’s son.

Prince Absalom really wanted to be king. And he did not want to wait until his father died to become king. He planned to deceive his dad and steal the kingdom away from him.

He began by acting very friendly to the people. He did kind things for them. He was very handsome and people were attracted to him. His father, King David, had no idea what his son was up to.

One day Absalom asked King David for permission to go to Hebron to worship God. Of course, his father was very happy that Absalom wanted to go worship God, so he said yes. But Absalom was not going to Hebron to worship God. He was going to Hebron to meet with the people who supported him and to become their king.

Some of King David’s faithful servants informed him of the rebellion Absalom was starting in Hebron. Then King David had to flee from Jerusalem so Absalom and his men wouldn’t kill him. How sad he must have been that his own son whom he loved so much was coming against him.

Absalom rode with his men to try and capture King David. Many of Absalom’s men were killed. As Absalom was trying to escape, his hair caught on the low boughs of a tree and his mule ran away. He was left hanging there.

King David had given strict orders to his soldiers to not hurt his son in any way. But the captain of his army didn’t listen, and killed him. When King David heard that his son, Prince Absalom was dead, he was very sad. He loved his son even though he was in rebellion to him.

But now King David and his kingdom were safe. God protected King David because God had put him on the throne. You can read about Prince Absalom and King David in 2 Samuel chapters 15 to 19.

Just like God put David in charge of Israel and he was responsible for them, so God has put your dad and mom in charge of you and your siblings. God has entrusted you to their care. They are responsible to God for how they develop you.

The Bible also tells us of another Son. This Son was always obedient to His Father and always honored Him. He was obedient even to going to the cross. And because He did, God His Father honored him. He shared His Kingdom with Jesus. Today Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God.

Memory verse for this week:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: verse 9 [NKJV]

Going deeper as parents:

We’re not off the hook because we are adults. God still commands that we honor our parents. That doesn’t mean they call the shots in our life but we need to venerate them.

Jesus refers to this commandment in Matthew chapter 15 verse 3. He says, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ Jesus is talking about adults here.

He is reprimanding the scribes and Pharisees for encouraging the people to not care for their parents. In verse 5 he goes on to say, “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”- then he need not honor his father or mother.’

Let me quote a footnote from the Nelson Study Bible, NKJV: “Jesus was referring to a practice whereby people would dedicate their possessions to God so that they could use their finances for themselves and not for others. For example, if parents needed money, the children could excuse themselves form helping because their resources were already “dedicated” to God. This ruse kept people from honoring their parents by taking care of them in their old age.”

In our culture we have pensions for our retired parents, but we still need to be there for them and help them in ways we can. God still holds out His promise to us, “And this is the promise: that if you honor your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing.” Ephesians 6: verse 3 [The Living Bible]

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

God Has a Plan for Your LIfe

2008-03-06T05:28:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29: verse 11 [The Living Bible]

Do you know that God has a plan for your life? He created you for a very special reason. He gave you certain abilities and talents fitted just for the very thing He has for you to do.

Moses’ life is a good example of God carrying out His plan for His children’s lives. You can read about Moses’ birth in Exodus chapters one and two.

The story of Moses starts with the Israelites living in Egypt. Moses’ parents were Israelites. The ruler of Egypt, Pharaoh, was very anxious about how fast the Israelite population was growing. He could see that soon the Israelites would outnumber the Egyptians.

Pharaoh thought the Israelites would fight against him and leave Egypt and then he wouldn’t have their free labor as slaves anymore. He thought if he made them work very hard he could make them weak. They had to build cities for him. He made them work very hard and very fast. But that didn’t stop the Israelite nation from growing larger and the people from growing stronger.

Pharaoh then tried a different strategy. He made a very cruel law. He said that every baby boy that was born to the Israelites must be thrown into the Nile River.

It was at this time that Moses was born. His parents hid their baby boy for three months. God was with them and protected Moses from Pharaoh’s horrible law. When he was three months old God gave his mother a great idea on how to keep him safe.

She wove a large basket with bulrushes and then plastered it with pitch so it was water proof. She then laid her baby boy, wrapped in soft blankets, in the basket. She placed the basket among the tall reeds at the river’s edge. Then she went home.

Along came Pharaoh’s daughter, the Egyptian princess. She saw the basket and had her maids fetch it for her. How surprised she must have been to see a baby inside.

Moses’ sister, Miriam, was playing along the riverbank, waiting to see what would happen to her baby brother. She came running up to the Princess and offered to find someone to take care of the baby for her. Who did she get? Moses’ mother, of course.

Pharaoh’s cruel law could not thwart God’s plan for Moses’ life and for the Israelites. When he was a little older, the Princess took Moses to the palace and treated him as her own son, a Prince. Later on, as an adult, Moses delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh, and from Egypt, and took them to the land God gave them, Canaan.

It’s important for you, as His child, to be close to God so He can lead you in His plan for you. In the Bible, God says,” In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” [Proverbs 3: verse 6.

As you spend time getting to know God, praying to Him and reading the Bible, He will direct you and keep you, to do the very thing He has planned.

Memory verse for this week:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: verse 9 [NKJV]

Going deeper for parents:

I marvel at Moses’ mother’s actions. I wonder at her desperation but also her faith. She not only hid her helpless baby in the bulrushes but then she left. Can you imagine doing that?

I believe it was her deep faith in the God of the Israelites; her God. She just entrusted her son to Him. Maybe, because he was a beautiful child, she thought someone would adopt him.

Sometimes God asks hard things of us as He works out His plan in our lives. Sometimes we tell Him we can’t do it. Sometimes we take our time in taking even the first step. Sometimes we wait years to take the second step. Sometimes we’re sure we really messed up His plan for us.

When I read about the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and how they often made decisions that seemed to thwart God’s plan, I’m encouraged that God is able to work even with our mistakes.

My encouragement is in God’s Word, in Philippians 1: verse 6. “And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day, when Jesus Christ returns.” [The Living Bible]

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://ruthwillms.com

Guardian Angels

2008-03-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Devotionals for Kids

“For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go.” Psalm 91: verse 11 [The Living Bible]

I have a picture of an angel in our spare bedroom where our grandchildren sleep when they come to visit. The artist depicts the angel with gold colored long hair and a long floppy white shining dress. Huge white shimmering wings loom up behind his shoulders. They remind me of eagle wings. The angel’s eyes are focused on two young children, a boy and girl, as he escorts them across a rickety bridge. The dilapidated bridge resembles a wooden sidewalk suspended in air. A board is missing just behind the children and a broken pole at its side is all there is for a railing.

Every time I look at this picture I fear for the safety of the children. Just one misstep and they would fall. Then my eyes rest on the huge all encompassing angel and I feel the children are safe

The Bible says God sends “His angels to protect you wherever you go.” Psalm 91: verse 11 [The Living Bible]

We are never to worship angels or to pray to them. They are God’s ministers to help us. We pray to God and He directs His angels to do whatever He wants them to do to help us. God wants us to worship only Him. Matthew 4:10 says to worship and serve only the Lord our God.

Memory verse for this week:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: verse 9 [NKJV]

Going deeper for parents:

It’s great for us to appreciate angels but there are many misconceptions about these heavenly creatures. In our awe of them we have conjured up faulty theories. Where we know barely anything about them we have filled in the gaps with our earthly imagination.

People do not become angels when they die. Not even good people. Not even Christians. Angels were created by God as angels to worship Him and to be His messengers. The Bible doesn’t say exactly when He made the angels but it seems it was before He created the world. In Job 38:4 and 7 the Bible tells us that the angels witnessed the creation of the world.

Lucifer, the head of the angels, led a rebellion against God, and was thrown out of heaven with a third of the angels who sided with him. Lucifer became Satan and the angels cast out with him became demons. Isaiah 14: 12-17 refers to this time.

So people do not become angels after they die but the Bible says that after Christians enter heaven we become even greater than the angels. You see, God will give us and not the angels the right to rule over His creation. We even get to judge the angels. I believe that refers to the fallen angels. You can read about this in Hebrews 2:5 to verse 8 and 1 Corinthians 6:2 and verse 3.

We venerate angels and we should. It is no small event if God sends His angel to speak to us or to give us aid. But, we are not to worship them. God used an angel to show John the apostle what would happen in the future. John was about fall down and worship the angel. Quickly the angel told him not to but to worship only God. You can read about this in Revelation 22:9. God wants us to worship only Him. Matthew 4:10 says to worship and serve only the Lord our God.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.ruthwillms.com

Why do we get jealous?

2008-03-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

Devotional for kids

“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it because there is a whole army of evil desires within you?
“You want what you don’t have, so you kill to get it. You long for what others have, and can’t afford it, so you start a fight to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it.
“And even when you do ask you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.” James 4: verses 1, 2 and 3 The Living Bible

Do you ever get jealous? You know, that feeling that creeps over you when someone else gets exactly what you want but your parents say they can’t afford it right now. Or it’s how you might feel when you work so hard in school but the kid across the aisle gets an A plus and you get a C. You might feel a bit of jealousy when you really wanted to make the team but you weren’t chosen; yet that kid, that you don’t think is that great, got chosen instead.

Jonah felt that way. He was so jealous that he wished he could die.

God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn the people there to repent. They had become so evil that God wanted to destroy them and their city. But first God wanted to give them a second chance. That's why He sent Jonah there to warn them.

When God first asked Jonah to go to Nineveh, he wouldn’t go. He said yes to God but then he took a ship going the other direction. He thought he could run away from God.

God sent a fierce storm that tossed that ship around so much that the sailors thought they were going to die. Jonah confessed that his God sent the storm to get his attention so they threw him overboard. And the storm stopped.

God had mercy on Jonah and prepared a special huge fish to come along and swallow him. Jonah repented right away and told God he would go to Nineveh if only He would rescue him. God always hears us when we repent; when we are sorry for our sin. He rescued Jonah and the fish spat him out on the shore.

This time Jonah went to Nineveh and brought the people there God’s message. He said that if they didn’t repent of their wicked lifestyle, God would destroy them. Jonah was looking forward to God judging and punishing Nineveh. He thought they deserved it because of all the horrible things they did. He was actually hoping that they wouldn’t repent so God would destroy them.

But to Jonah’s surprise they repented and prayed to God. The king told everyone to wear sackcloth and ashes. That’s what people did in Bible times when they wanted to show God they were really sorry for their sins. No one was allowed to eat or drink anything; not even the animals. The king also told everyone to pray to God and stop their evil ways; like robbing and violence.

God heard their prayers and saw that they were truly sorry for their sins. So He decided not to destroy them.

Jonah was angry that God saved the people of Nineveh. He made a shelter of leaves to shade himself from the sun and sat there sulking, feeling sorry for himself.

When the leaves dried up in the heat, God was very good to Jonah. He made a vine to grow right beside Jonah and it grew tall with a lot of leaves to shelter Jonah from the sun. Jonah was so grateful to God.

God wanted to teach Jonah a lesson. He made something else just for Jonah; a worm. The worm ate through the stem and the plant died. Jonah continued sulking in the hot sun and the hot wind, feeling very sorry for himself. He was angry at God for letting the plant die. Now he had no shelter.

Then God came to talk to him. He told Jonah it wasn’t right for him to feel sorry for himself because the plant died, especially because it wasn’t Jonah who made it grow, but God. Then God reminded Jonah that He was a merciful God. Just like He loved Jonah and helped him when he felt faint in the heat, He also loved the people of Nineveh and chose to let them live because they repented.

Jonah had some wrong ideas about God. He wanted God to bless and help him but not the people of Nineveh. Jonah wasn’t willing to forgive the people of Nineveh so he couldn’t understand why God would. God doesn’t pick favorites. He loves all people. After all, he created all the people in the world. He will forgive everyone who comes to Him and repents.

When God blesses someone else in the way that we wish He would bless us, we don’t have to be jealous of that person. We can trust God to bless us too. He loves us just as much as that person He blessed in that special way.

We need to keep on trusting God. He will bless us too; it may be at a different time and in a different way. Look for Him to bless you even in a better way than what you expect. If we understand that God is as merciful to us as He is to others, then we can rejoice with that other person rather than be jealous of him.

Memory verse for this week:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: verse 9 [NKJV]

Going deeper for parents:

As adults we are not immune to jealousy. If anything, if we have not dealt with that green-eyed monster in our younger days, jealousy may be one of those seemingly undefeatable giants we’re still grappling with. We all feel the first pangs of jealousy at times, but jealousy should not be a chronic problem for us. God says we should be concerned about others as much as ourselves.

We may not be in the position at work or the place in our life that we would like to be and so we envy the person that is. God has given us the talents and interests He wants us to use for Him.

The Bible teaches we are not to try to emulate other people but to let the Holy Spirit teach us what God wants of us, and then to do it. That way we will not be seeking popularity but seeking to please God.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.ruthwillms.com

Those Little White Lies

2008-02-29T01:18:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“Don’t tell lies to each other;” Colossians 4: verse 9 [The Living Bible]

There is no such thing as a little white lie. There is no such thing as a little sin. Either it is sin, or it isn’t. Either it is a lie, or it isn’t.

Cheating is a lie. When you copy someone else’s work and let your teacher think it is your work that is cheating. You are deceiving your teacher.

I admit there were times I wanted to cheat in school. The idea started with social studies. I’m terrible at learning and remembering facts; like historical events and geography. I always liked English and math because I could learn the rules and figure out the answer.

The answer to cheating is hard work. Study; ask for help from a mentor if you have a hard time understanding your school work. Make notes. Review them from time to time and especially before an exam.

Make a game of learning. Work with a friend or sibling. Have them quiz you. If you get the answer wrong, look it up. That will help you remember it better.

In the Bible there is a story about two brothers, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the older one. They were twins but they were very different. Esau was hairy while Jacob had smooth skin. Esau was a hunter and Jacob was a quiet man who liked to stay indoors. He became a good cook.

When their father, Isaac, was very old and knew he would die soon he called Esau to his bedside. He asked Esau to go hunt game and prepare it for him. Then Isaac would eat it and give Esau his very special blessing. With this blessing Esau would become the heir to the everlasting covenant between Abraham’s descendents and the Lord Jesus.

Now Isaac was blind. So while Esau went out to hunt food, his mother, Rebekah, helped Jacob deceive his father. Rebekah told Jacob to bring him two young goats and she would cook them for Jacob. She knew how to make them taste like wild meat. She also put the skins of the young goats on Jacob’s hands and neck. Then Jacob went into his father’s room pretending he was Esau.

Isaac was very suspicious and asked Jacob to come close to him so he could feel his hands. So Isaac thought it was Esau because his hands were hairy. He was still suspicious though and said he sounded like Jacob but he felt like Esau.

Then Isaac asked him, if he was Esau. Jacob lied. He said he was.

Isaac gave Jacob the special blessing for the oldest son. And then he ate his food. After he was done and Jacob left him alone, Esau arrived with his wild meat wanting his father to bless him.

So Isaac discovered that Jacob had lied to him but he couldn’t undo the blessing. It now belonged to Jacob.

Jacob paid dearly for his lie. Esau was so angry with him that Jacob had to leave home and flee from his brother. He was afraid that Esau might kill him. He never saw his mother again. You can read about Esau and Jacob in Genesis chapters 25, 26 and 27.

We also pay dearly when we lie; maybe not right away. We might think we got away with it. But somewhere, sometime later in life it comes to cause a problem in our life. The Bible says our sin (our lie) will find us out. When we lie we hurt ourselves

Memory verse for this week:

“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3: verses 4, 5 and 6 [The Living Bible]

Going deeper for adults:
It seems to me that the lies we tell as adults have even deeper repercussions in our lives than the lies our children tell. As parents we have experienced how our mistakes can also negatively affect our families.
Fortunately God doesn’t leave us to our own devices. He says if we have wronged our brother we need to go to him and ask him to forgive us. We get a clean slate with our brother and with God.

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com.

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.ruthwillms.com

Learning about Jesus-His extra-ordinary birth

2008-02-28T01:52:00.000-08:00

Learning about Jesus

His extra-ordinary birth

Devotional for kids

“The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you; so the baby born to you will be utterly holy – the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 The Living Bible

Jesus had a very special birth. Jesus lived in heaven with his Father, God. But Jesus was also God.

God, the Father, decided to send Jesus to earth, to become a human being like us, so He could become our Savior. Because we all have sinned we needed someone to die for our sin; someone who had never sinned. God planned this so we can be with Jesus in heaven when we die.

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit, who is also God, came upon Mary. It’s like He planted the baby Jesus in Mary’s womb. Jesus didn’t have an earthly father like we do. After Mary became pregnant with baby Jesus, Joseph married her. Joseph took care of Jesus like He was his own son.

So Jesus, even as a baby, was God, but also man. That is why He understands us so well when we pray to Him. He knows what it’s like to have the problems we have. That is why He can help us when we pray to Him.

Going deeper for parents:

The reality of Jesus’ virgin birth is what our faith in Jesus Christ hinges on. As adults we might find it harder to believe this truth but it’s only as we embrace it that we truly accept Jesus as God’s Son.

Even Joseph had a hard time believing Mary as she told him. That is why God sent an angel to speak to him in a dream to confirm the virgin birth.

God has enabled us to believe too. As we read this account in the Bible we can ask Jesus to show us if this is really true. As we spend time in reading the Bible and seeking truth, His Holy Spirit gives us spiritual understanding to grasp the truth.

Memory verse for this week:

“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3: verses 4, 5 and 6 [The Living Bible]

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://www.ruthwillms.com

In Search of Love

2008-02-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

Devotional for kids

“I demand that you love each other as much as I love you.
“And here is how to measure it – the greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friends
“And you are my friends if you obey me.” John 15: verses 12, 13 and 14 [The Living Bible]

I felt lonely as a child. I was almost five. I had 13 wonderful sisters and brothers to love me and take care of me. I had wonderful, caring parents who loved Jesus. They met all my needs.

I was never alone. I always had playmates in my sisters and brothers. There was always some excitement going on at our place. In fact, the neighbor kids loved to hang out at our place. It was kid friendly. We had a huge front yard and a thirty acre woods in the back.

At times I was still lonely. I wanted to be special and I felt like I was just one kid of fourteen. Now when I look back I realize I probably didn’t get very much alone time with either mom or dad. After all, they were busy caring for a houseful of kids. When I look back as a mom and grandma now, I don’t know how they kept up. I was lucky that my older brothers and sisters were there for me too. But I still had this lonely feeling deep inside.

All of that changed the week before my fifth birthday. My older sister, Clara, was hot on the revival trail. She had been to a Bible camp and she was determined to share Jesus with someone. Lucky for me, she picked me. I still remember exactly how it happened.

Clara told me a story about a boy Ralph, who had a two year old sister. His little sister’s name was Ruthie. That touched my heart. And Ruthie adored Ralph. Wherever Ralph hung out, and she was allowed, there was Ruthie. Fortunately he doted on her too.

One evening, after tucking his little sister into bed upstairs, Ralph was in the kitchen doing his homework. His parents were out and he was babysitting. It was late and he was getting tired.

Suddenly he smelled smoke. Then he saw the fire was coming from upstairs. His first thought was for Ruthie’s safety.

Now you have to remember that when the story was written not everyone had phones; we didn’t. And there was no 911.

Ralph ran up the stairs. He could hear his little sister call, “Walphie! Walphie!” Being only two, she couldn’t say her “r”.

This only spurred Ralph on and with no thought about himself, only thinking about his beloved sister, he crawled through the fire and smoke to Ruthie’s bed. He soothed her with words of assurance, telling her not to be afraid.

“Ralphie is here and I’ll take good care of you” he promised her.

He heard voices in the front yard below the bedroom window. Then he knew the neighbors had seen the fire and called the fire department.

Quickly he wrapped Ruthie in her blanket and dropped her into loving arms below. She was safe. He felt the searing burns on his arms and face. Mustering all his strength, he jumped, but became unconscious before he was caught below.

Ruthie was safe and had no ill effects from the fire. But in the hospital Ralph fought for his life. He died that night. Everyone said how lucky Ruthie was. She would have died but Ralph saved her. He gave his life for her life.

It wasn’t always perfect in our house with big brothers and little sisters. But I knew that any of my big brothers would do the same for me. Even if there were times they teased me or told me to get lost. They must have got tired of me bugging them or whimpering in their ear many times also.

Then my sister Clara told me that that’s exactly what Jesus did. He gave His life for me when He died on the cross for my sins. My sister explained that if I tell God I want to belong to Him, and ask Him to accept me and forgive me of all my sins, because Jesus died for them, I will become God’s child. He will always be with me and when I die I will go to heaven to be with him forever.

Also, Jesus didn’t stay dead like Ralph did. Jesus rose from the dead and met with his disciples. After a number of days He went to heaven. So we can have a relationship with Him as we pray to Him and read His Word, the Bible. I accepted Jesus that night.

Now I wasn’t lonely anymore. Jesus was always with me. I knew He loved me in a very special way. After all, He gave His life for me. I could talk to Him anytime, anywhere. Today I still have this special relationship with Him and belong to Jesus.

Jesus died for everyone in the whole world, including you. The Bible says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [John 3:16, The Living Bible]

You can ask Him right now to accept you because Jesus died for you too and He will forgive you of all your sins. When you do, tell someone, like your mom and dad. If you go to Sunday school or a Bible club, tell your leader. He or she can encourage you and help you learn more about your new life in Jesus.

Going deeper for adults:

What more can I add? This applies to adults as well as kids.

If you make the decision to accept Jesus, please leave a comment at the end of this devotional to inform me. I won’t display the post but will pray for you.

Memory verse for this week:

“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3: verses 4, 5 and 6 [The Living Bible]

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.ruthwillms.com

Are you bullying others?

2008-02-26T01:17:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to – what I hate.
“I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking.
“But I can’t help myself, because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things.” Romans 7: verses 15, 16 and 17. [The Living Bible]

Wow! These are strong words and you probably don’t want to admit that this describes you sometimes. Do you know that a preacher wrote this about himself? He was an apostle of Jesus who everyone in the Christian church looked up to.

The apostle Paul wrote these words and he wrote a lot of books in the Bible to teach us how to live for God. He admitted that he felt like we all do sometimes; he did wrong things, he sinned, because he couldn’t help himself.

As God’s child we are very lucky or blessed. We have God to help us. When we feel angry, frustrated and neglected we can go to God because we know He loves and understand how we feel. The best thing is that in spending time with God in praying and reading the Bible, His Word, we even feel better after. We can tell Him how we feel and ask Him to change our hearts.

What should we do if we are angry or frustrated? If we are taking our frustrations and anger out on others by calling them names or hitting or hurting them in some way, we are bullying them. We might be doing that because we want to be in control or we just feel better after taking our frustration out on someone else.

If you feel angry a lot, talk to an adult you can trust, like your parent or teacher. They will help you plan ways to deal with your emotions in a way that doesn’t hurt other kids.

Talk to God. Tell Him how you feel, and what happened to make you feel this way. Ask Him to put right feelings of love, compassion and forgiveness in your heart and mind.

There are physical ways of getting rid of your anger and frustrations too/ Go for a walk or a run. Play hockey, basketball or your favorite sport. Go for a swim. Punch a stuffed garbage bag. Sing to quiet your mind.

Learn to be a good athlete, join a drama club, study to be an A student. When you excel in something people respect you and give you attention. This builds your self esteem so you feel good about yourself and gives you confidence that you can handle your life better.

In Genesis 4: verses 6-7 God asks Cain, “Why are you so angry? Why is your face so dark with rage?” Then God says, “It can be bright with joy if you will do what you should! But if you refuse to obey, watch out. Sin is waiting to attack you, longing to destroy you. But you can conquer it” [The Living Bible]

You have a choice. Cain chose to ignore God’s advice to stop being angry and he chose to kill his brother. That reminds me of the shootings and violence that happen in schools sometimes. You probably would never do something that extreme but even hitting, and punching and putting others down by name-calling makes God sad because it is sin.

God doesn’t leave us alone in handling our sin or wrongs; He says if we confess our sins He forgives us through Jesus. He makes us strong to do His will.

Going deeper as parents:

Our example has a huge effect on our kids. When we put others down by yelling at them, punching them or bossing them we are teaching our children to do the same.

Do you feel the need to be in control or in charge all the time? God says to humble ourselves and put others needs ahead of ours. We need to look at things through God’s eyes, seeing His perspective.

Ask God to work the fruits of His spirit in you, found in Galatians 5: verse 22. “..when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” [The Living Bible]

Memory verse for this week:

“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3: verses 4, 5 and 6 [The Living Bible]

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://www.ruthwillms.com

What does God have to say about bullying?

2008-02-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to be patient.
“And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.
“Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5: 3-5 The Living Bible

Everybody in the whole wide world has some kind of problem. Rich people, people in powerful positions, like the president of the United States, the popular athletic kid in your school, and even the person who gives you a hard time.

The person who tries to bully you may have bigger problems than you. Because he doesn’t know how to handle them he takes it out on you. Sometimes bullies look so big and strong, but underneath all that show, they can be scared wimps with poor self esteem. So they act tough.

What can you do to protect yourself from bullies and to help other kids who are being bullied? If you have been reading my other devotionals you already know my first answer. It’s always prayer. I’ve learned it works. It helped me as a kid and it’s my first line of defense as an adult. It’s through prayer and reading your Bible that God can tell you how to deal with your problems, like bullying.

There are lots of stories about bullying in the Bible, but the one that comes to my mind is about David and Goliath. Goliath thought he had it all together. No way could an ordinary soldier or kid like David, conquer him. Were he and his army in for a big surprise!

David had God on his side and it was God who gave him the idea of using his slingshot and five small stones. It was God who gave the Israelites the victory that day by making that little stone hit that small unprotected spot on Goliath’s forehead.

Don’t ever under estimate your power and ability when you have God on your side. In the Bible in 2 Chronicles chapter 16 verse 9, God says that His eyes search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward him, so He can show His great power in helping them. If you are God’s child this means you. You may not always be perfect but God looks at you through Jesus who died for your sin.

You should always tell your parents or teacher or leader of the group in which you are being bullied what’s going on. Sometimes they can stop it; other times they can teach you how to handle it. Bullying that hurts you physically should always be stopped immediately.

It isn’t good for your parents or even your teacher to fix all your problems because then you will never learn how to deal with people. This is all part of learning people skills too. And it’s as you learn to handle your difficulties that you grow confident and knowledgeable in all things of life; that’s what makes you mature and capable.

I was blessed with a big brother in school and I was tall for my age. My brother, Ken, was the tallest and strongest kid in my school. Although he never took advantage of it, kids knew they couldn’t mess with him. It’s good to have a big brother or friend around that the other kids know will stand by you and protect you.

Sometimes bullies pick on kids that have poor self esteem or look like they won’t fight back. You don’t have to be popular, or extra good looking, or be funny or tough to win over bullies. The Bible says, “My strength comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” [Psalm 121: verse 2]

You can be strong and confident because you know God loves you unconditionally. In the morning as you pray, ask God to prepare your day and give you wisdom so you know how to handle each situation and problem. You have a big God - the same one who helped David conquer Goliath- he can handle your giant bully too.

Going deeper as parents:

We need to be available for our children and sensitive to their needs. Talk with your child; ask him how things are in his world. Bullied kids can be so intimidated they won’t even tell their fears to their parent or teacher. Ask their siblings or classmates how your child is getting along with others.

Talk to the bully’s parents. Most parents want to stop undesirable behavior in their kids and will seek help for their child. But sometimes a parent will be in denial and become angry with you for even suggesting that their “sweet” child is a bully. Sometimes they will say your child deserved being bullied because he’s a wimp and needs to grow up.

We can’t fix every problem for our children but we can help them avoid them and handle them in the best way possible. Sometimes the bullying only ends with a move or when the school year ends, no matter what we do.

It’s important to teach your children life skills and people skills so they feel competent and confident. Build a strong relationship with your children. Spend time with them and know them. Know their friends and how they spend their time.

Pray together with them. Read to them how God was faithful to our heroes in the Bible and gave them strategies. They will find new strength in your and God’s unconditional love.

If we have a close relationship with God it plays out in every area of our life. It grows His character and wisdom and way in our thoughts and then in our lives. It makes us who we are. It makes us competent in all areas as we learn His principles and then apply them.

God’s word says that His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. As we spend time reading His Word and praying situations through us learn His principles and gain His wisdom on handling life His way.

Role play strategies with your child on how to handle bullies without escalating the conflict so he doesn’t get hurt. Tell your child to avoid being alone with the other child. Inform him how to get support from the other kids to place peer pressure against the bully’s behavior.

Be your child’s advocate. Find out all the information you can by first talking with your child, but also talk with his teacher and friends and other students who observed the bullying. Ask the teacher and principle for adult intervention. If they don’t become involved, write the superintendent. Don’t tolerate bullying and don’t teach your child to tolerate it.

What about you? Do you feel like you can’t help your child because you are being bullied? Yes, adults too are bullied.

The strategies I’ve written about also apply to you. Find a counselor or mentor to help you look at the situation from God’s perspective. God says we are to acknowledge Him, put Him first, in all our ways and He will direct our paths. The action and responsibility falls on us but He is faithful as we obey. He works it out.

Memory verse for this week:

“If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.
“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3: verses 4, 5 and 6 [The Living Bible]

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at http://www.ruthwillms.com/

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at http://www.ruthwillms.com/

How can I like my teacher if he doesn’t like me?

2008-02-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.”
1 Peter 5:5 NKJV

“You younger men, follow the leadership of those who are older. And all of you serve each other with humble spirits, for God gives special blessings to those who are humble, but sets himself against those who are proud.
“If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, in his good time he will lift you up.
“Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.” 1 Peter 5: verses 5 to 7 The Living Bible

Do you ever wonder if your teacher doesn’t like you? Do you ever think he or she is being very hard on you? Do you feel like he or she is not fair to you sometimes?

Do you know what? Everyone at times thinks this of the person over them, be it their teacher, their employer or even their pastor. Often it comes down to personality. It helps a lot to get to know your teacher, even personally, and let him get to know you. Maybe there is someone in his life who is giving him a hard time and your personality reminds him of that person.

Teachers can be wonderful. They were always my heroes in school. I just loved school and I loved my teachers. I didn’t like summer holidays as a kid in elementary. Now, when I look back, I realize I had first class teachers. I think teachers have an awesome job and most of them became teachers because they love kids and understand them. Maybe I’m a little prejudiced, because I was a teacher.

I went to a small country school, only two classrooms. Can you imagine that? The good thing about that was that my teacher got to know most of the kid’s families. We had the teacher over for dinner and sometimes we even attended the same church. Sometimes we played baseball together in the evenings. We had the same beliefs so we understood where each person was coming from.

Maybe you can get to know your teacher better and build a relationship with him by joining a club or team that he sponsors. Maybe you can hang around him at recess or lunch or even after school, and just chat with him. It doesn’t hurt to let him know that you don’t understand why he gives you certain assignments or does things a certain way. Most teachers want to know their students better so they can help them grow.

The number one way to get along with your teacher is to respect him. You may not like the assignments he gives you, but he is your teacher, and in charge of what you need to learn to get through the educational system. The Bible says to “submit to your elders” – this also means someone who is over you, not just older.

Although we need to submit and work with our teacher we need to be careful to never let him bully us. If your teacher puts you down or hurts you physically or speaks disrespectfully to you, tell your parents. Sometimes you will need an adult to intervene for you.

If you are a follower of Jesus, you always have someone who cares about you and loves you. Some people don’t like us to tell them all our problems but God is just waiting for you to tell Him about everything that bothers you. He is “watching everything that concerns you.” And He cares about it. He listens to your prayers and then He teaches you how to handle that problem and grow to be like Christ.

Going Deeper as parents:

As adults we too have people over us, like managers and employers, and pastors and church leaders. Hopefully we have learned people skills and strategies to cope with our differences in a Christ like manner.

Building a personal relationship with them, whenever possible, helps a lot. If you understand where a person is coming from and they know where you stand, it is much easier to accept them.

God says to humble ourselves. This is hard to do sometimes, especially when there is a clash of personalities and we insist we need to be true to ourselves. The answer is simple but it is hard to live. Jesus says to submit to those over us; work with them. And don’t forget a ton of prayers. Our prayers move God to work in both our heart and that other person’s heart to conform to God’s way, even if our difficult person doesn’t know Jesus.

A lot of people, even our best friends, get tired of us dumping our problems on them at times. It’s great to know that Jesus is just waiting to hear about all our problems. I imagine Him hanging on our every word, though He knows all things about us before we tell Him.

Just as we as parents watch over all that concerns our children, God is watching and supporting us.

Memory Verse for this week:John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [The Living Bible].

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.ruthwillms.com

Second Chances

2008-02-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. [And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.]” 1 John 1: verse 9 The Living Bible

Have you ever messed something up? Something that was very important and you didn’t get a chance to fix it or try again? That really hurt, didn’t it?

Sometimes we make wrong decisions because we don’t have all the facts. Often we don’t get a chance to try again; at least not for awhile, and we have to live with the consequences of our poor choice.

Sometimes we choose to have something right now- we don’t want to wait- and we hurt the long term result. For example, you have quite a bit of money saved up for that iPod you want to buy but your close friends are going skiing this weekend. You’d like to go. Your parents just took you last weekend but they give you the OK to join your friends. They say this time you’ll have to pay for it yourself though. So if you decide to go you will have to save for that iPod again. You need to think that over carefully.

The Bible tells us about a man named Samson. Maybe you have read about him or heard about him. If you haven’t, you can read about him in Judges chapters 13 to 16.

Samson was the strongest man ever. God had given him extra ordinary strength for a very special task. He was to rescue his people, the Israelites, from the Philistines.

He was so strong that once he pulled the city gates with the two gateposts, right out of the ground. Then he carried this load on his shoulders to the top of a mountain. His enemies, the Philistines, wanted to know what made him so strong so they could capture him.

Samson made the mistake of trusting a Philistine girl, who betrayed him. He loved this girl, Delilah, but obviously she didn’t love him but only pretended to. She joined forces with the rest of the Philistines wanting to know his secret; why was he so strong? She nagged and nagged him until he couldn’t stand it any longer.

Then he told her the truth; if his hair was cut he would lose his great strength. While he was sleeping she brought in a barber to cut his hair. She let in the Philistine men and woke him up, calling, “Samson the Philistines are here to capture you.”

Samson woke up and thought he would shake himself free of his enemies, not realizing his hair was cut. It was too late. His strength had left him and the Philistines carried him away. They gouged out his eyes and tied him with chains making him grind grain in prison. But his hair began to grow again.

One day when his hair was long, the Philistines were having a big celebration at their temple, where they worshipped idols. They brought Samson into the temple to entertain them. He couldn’t see,so he asked the boy who was leading him to place his hands against the two pillars that held up the temple.

Samson prayed that God would give him strength again. God gave him a second chance and heard his prayer. With all his might, Samson pulled on the pillars and the building came crashing down. Samson got to conquer his enemies but in so doing he also died with them.

Do you know that when we sin, even after we accept Jesus as our Savior, God gives us a second chance? We try to obey God and do what the Bible teaches but sometimes we still fail. We will always fail at something while we live on earth. We will only be perfect in heaven. God knows us and understands us and accepts our weaknesses.

So through Jesus He has made a way for us. He says if we confess our sin He will forgive us. He forgives us because Jesus died on the cross for that sin and all our other sins. In fact, we don’t only get a second chance but many. Each time that we sin and turn to Him, and ask for His forgiveness, because of Jesus, God forgives us. That is truly something to be thankful for.

Going deeper with parents:

These thoughts apply to us as adults as much as to our children. Our mistakes may leave us with deeper scars but God has the same remedy for our sins as for our children. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us too and give us a clean start.

Memory Verse for this week:John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [The Living Bible].

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.ruthwillms.com

The Merciful Fisher

2008-02-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“One day as he was walking along the beach beside the Lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers – Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew – out in a boat fishing with a net, for they were commercial fishermen.
“Jesus called out, ‘Come along with me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men.’ And they left their nets at once and went with him.”
Matthew 4: verses 18 and 19

Alberta is one of the lucky Canadian provinces to have a family holiday in February. Our family took advantage of it on Monday and spent the day ice-fishing.

My brother-in-law is an avid fisherman and a sportsman in other outdoor activities, like hunting and trapping. My sister and he make their home in Rocky Mountain House where moose, deer and elk, among other wild animals, roam their front yard. Ice-fishing with him isn’t just a fun experience; it’s a full day adventure.

First he drills the holes in the ice for us and then he sets up our private tents so the cold and wind can’t get at us. In this cozy little tent we sit in comfortable chairs while dangling our lines in front of us, watching for the fish to bite. Ed, my husband, and I, and our kids and grandkids, who joined us for the day, are all wimps. We claim we don’t know how to put the maggots on our hooks and we definitely don’t know how to take the hook out of the fishes’ mouth. So my sister and her husband graciously do these chores for us.

Everybody got bites in the first few minutes except my granddaughter and me. I don’t know why my granddaughter failed to catch even one fish but I know why I failed. I enjoyed watching the little perch come nosing around my hook. As soon as I thought he was getting ready to bite I kindly pulled up my line. He missed his breakfast but I also saved his life.

I love to eat fish but I couldn’t bear the thought of hurting his tender mouth. My kids call me the ‘kind fisherwoman’. I was only being merciful. Fortunately for me, Ed, my husband, caught his allowed number of fish within an hour, so we had lots to eat.

Jesus compares our fishing for perch to telling our friends and others about Jesus. When we have shared the gospel with someone and they accept Jesus as their Savior, we become fishers of men, or people. Jesus wants us to have fun ice-fishing and He knew His disciples, Peter and Andrew, had to fish to make a living. But He also wants us to think seriously and spend time with people in their lives. He wants us to share what we have experienced with Christ so our friends and the people in our lives can also know about Him and become His children.

Unlike ice-fishing, fishing for Jesus doesn’t bring pain and death. When we introduce our friend to Jesus, he or she experiences the best joy in the world and eternal life. Although they will have to die some day they will live forever in heaven with Jesus.

I missed out on the experience of catching my quota of fish on the weekend but I’m thankful that God has helped me to be a fisherwoman for Him. If you ask God to show you who to pray for especially, because you want to share Jesus with them, God will also give you the experience of being a fisher for Him.

Going deeper for parents:

I believe being a parent is the best job in the world. It is our responsibility to mold our impressionable child to be the best he can be. In some areas we are personally involved while in other areas we carefully choose an instructor or mentor.

I also believe that our biggest responsibility is caring for our child’s soul. We as parents can have the strongest impact in helping our child learn about Jesus and then choose to become His follower.

I was so blessed to introduce both of my kids to Jesus. I pray for each parent who reads this devo that you will be the fisher of your kid’s soul.

Memory Verse for this week:John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [The Living Bible].

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com

Look for my new unpublished story, An Anniversary Surprise, at www.RuthWillms.com

Jesus Loves You

2008-02-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are – high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean – nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.” Romans 8: verses 38 and 39 [The Living Bible]

You might wonder if God really cares much about you. After all, He has all these rules outlined in the Bible, like the commandments. Rules like, we must not covet. That’s a hard one. When our best friend scores all the goals in hockey and we have a bad day, it is hard not to wish we were like him. Or our best friend aces the test and we get a C; how can we not be jealous and not want that A plus for ourselves?

So we might tend to think we aren’t keeping God’s rules too well. Surely He doesn’t think too much of us on those kind of days. Wrong.

He loves you all the time. Even if you have not made that commitment to be a Christian and give Him your life, He still loves you. And if you have accepted His way of salvation, you are always the apple of His eye, no matter what you do. If you sin you still need to repent and ask for His forgiveness but He never stops loving you.

Going deeper for parents:

As adults, we too yearn to be loved unconditionally by someone. Our friends will let us down at times since they are only human. Even our spouse or parents disappoint us at times and reject us even if only momentarily.

It is good to know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that our Savior loves us with an everlasting love. He says he will never leave us or forsake us. We can bask in His love.

Memory Verse for this week:
John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [The Living Bible].

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com.

Hiding God's Word in Our Hearts

2008-02-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“I have thought much about your words, and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.” Psalms 119:11 The Living Bible

How can we store God’s Word in our heart? We can do that by memorizing it. You might think ‘but that’s too hard’ or ‘I don’t have time for that’. Actually it comes down to your attitude.

You probably know all the names of the players in your favorite sports team, like the Flames in Calgary. You know who stars in your favorite movies. You remember your favorite authors so you can read all the books they wrote.

It’s the same in your relationship with God. As we get to know Him better and love Him more deeply we think about Him and His ways a lot more. It’s great to read the Bible and know where to find certain verses that tell us how to handle our problems. But what do you do if you’re busy at school or playing basketball or at your ballerina class?

Let’s say that the kid next to you yells at you when you fumble or someone steps on your toes? You can’t stop what you’re doing and pull out your Bible and look for a verse to tell you what to do.

If you had memorized Luke 6: verses 27 and 28 the Holy Spirit would remind you what to do.

“Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you; implore God’s blessing on those who hurt you.” [The Living Bible]

No, they’re not a real enemy to you but they sure didn’t treat you like a friend.

We can’t follow God’s way if we don’t know it. If you wanted to play basketball your coach would be sure you knew all the rules. It’s the same for a Christian in the game of life. The Bible is our rule book.

Memory Verse for this week:

A good verse to start with is John 3:16.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [The Living Bible].

Going Deeper: For Parents

Just as we crave love letters and memorize them as we are dating, we desire to know God’s Word constantly as we grow in our love relationship with Him. When we memorize certain verses they will be there in our minds when Satan attacks us.

Jesus used Scripture when Satan attacked Him in the wilderness after He had fasted forty days and nights and was hungry. You can read about it in Matthew 4: 1-10.

God’s Word, as it is hidden in our heart, helps us to know what to do in all of life’s situations as they come to us. It keeps us from sinning, it helps us counsel our friends and children when they have a problem, it enables us to meditate on Jesus in all of our activities of life.

In the middle of a situation God’s Holy Spirit brings that verse to our remembrance. Sometimes He brings a verse to my mind that I didn’t even know I had learned.

I was feeling very over loaded. I was operating a dayhome 12 hours a day, five days a week; driving out of town each second weekend to help a sick family member; taking college correspondence classes; and serving on a church committee. One morning I just crashed. I couldn’t even make breakfast for Ed, my husband. I went back to bed, thinking all I needed was sleep. I hadn’t slept for several nights.

Then in the quietness of my heart came these words: “You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.” Psalm 139:3 [The Living Bible]. Although the Holy Spirit brought those words to my mind I don’t remember ever memorizing that verse. But God’s peace stole over me and I knew it was time to prioritize my obligations.

A helpful way to memorize Scripture is to write the verse on a small card, including the reference, so you know where to find it in the Bible. Keep the card with you and read it several times a day. I like to put it on my fridge. Then the whole family sees it and it speaks to them too. Ask God to reveal to you how it applies it to your life.

Memory Verse for this week:

John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [The Living Bible].

Want to know more about how God can help you every day? Check out my new book The Lion Tree at www.ruthwillms.com.

Why should I pray?

2008-02-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

Devotional for Kids

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.
If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6and 7 The Living Bible

Prayer is the most important part of a Christian’s life. It’s how we communicate with God. He speaks to us as we read the Bible and we speak with Him when we pray. How would you like it if your parents expected you to talk the whole time when you’re with them and they never spoke to you? That would be a very one-sided conversation.

That is also how our relationship with God is. He wants us to talk to Him and worship Him. He wants us to ask Him for things for us and for others. He wants us to thank Him for everything He gives to us and does for us.

We don’t have to get frustrated and angry when we have a problem. He wants us to pray to Him and ask Him what we should do. When we read the Bible and ask God to speak to us and show us what to do, He will.

Sometimes He will give us an answer right away by giving us an idea or we will see the answer in a verse we are reading. Sometimes He sends a person to us to help us decide what to do. We can pray with confidence knowing He hears us.

Can You Hear God?

2008-02-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

“Then God blessed them, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply;’ ”
Genesis 1:28 NKJV
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow Me.”
John 10:27 NKJV

When I read about Adam and Eve in the Bible I used to get jealous. I thought they were lucky to talk to God and He would answer them right away. That must have been so cool.

We will have our turn too. As His children, when we get to heaven we too will talk with God face to face. But how can we hear him now?

We can get to know God by reading the Bible, which is His letter to us, and by praying to Him. And then we need do to what we understand He is telling us to do.

He usually speaks to by putting thoughts into our mind. You may wonder; “how do I know if it’s just what I am thinking or if God is speaking to me?” If your thoughts line up with what the Bible teaches, you can be sure that this is the right thing to do.

For example, you might be reading an account in the Bible about how someone lied about their neighbor in court and got them into trouble. Then when you pray to God He might put a thought into your mind that He wants you to stop lying.

I’m using this example because when I was a child and already a Christian I had a big problem with lying. I wanted to impress my parents and teachers. I wanted them to think that I was always responsible and reliable.

Sometimes I just plain was not that responsible and I had messed up. But I wouldn’t admit it, so I lied to them. I said I had done something I was supposed to, when I hadn’t. It took a long time for God to get through to me that lying is sin and He wanted me to stop. I didn’t want to hear about that and shut that thought out.

If you are serious about wanting to hear God speak to you, just ask Him to. Spend some time by yourself in a quiet place and think about God. Read the Bible and let God’s words fill your mind. God promises if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.

For the parent:
“Then God blessed them, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply;’ ”
Genesis 1:28 NKJV
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow Me.”
John 10:27 NKJV

Can you hear God? God is always ready and desiring to speak to us. It is us who shut Him out at times.

There are many reasons why we sometimes can’t hear God speak to us. Here are some of the reasons I have discovered in my walk with Him.

Sometimes I am just so filled with the things of life; there is no room for a thought about God. These can be good things, like a fulfilling relationship. I sense this when our kids and grandkids come home for a weekend or for some celebration. I also sense it after I have spent time with my sisters. Both times, my heart is so full I just don’t need anyone else. At these times I tend to pray very infrequently and very short prayers.

Other times I can’t hear God because I’m busy catching up on my schedule. My mind is too full of the cares of life to hear Him.

Sometimes, sad to say, it’s because there is sin in my life and I’m not willing to deal with it, yet. I shut Him out.

In all of these times I have found the only solution is to lay each situation at His feet, to let go. I thank Him for my warm relationships that I can enjoy but realize that it’s because we are one in His Spirit that makes it so.

I force myself to stop what I’m doing when I’m behind and spend time with Him. I’ve learned that as I give Him time, He gives me time and energy to finish my work on schedule.

And I repent when He convicts me of sin. As I draw near to God, He draws near to me.

My Hero, Daniel!

2008-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

DEVOTIONAL FOR KIDS!

Who is your hero? Who is there in your life that you think the world of and want to be just like him? Maybe it’s an imaginary character like Harry Potter or Superman or Iginla, the Flames hockey captain. You want their powers so you can control your life and even the lives of others. I think at sometimes we all want to play God.

My hero is Daniel. You can read about him in the Bible in the book of Daniel. I admire his character: “in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand”. [Daniel 1:4] NKJV

He was smart and confident but I don’t see any arrogance in him. He didn’t think or act as if he thought he was better then other people. He was available to God and others and not to make himself look good. But because he was so dedicated to God in everything he did, God made him not only look good but become great.

What I like about Daniel especially was that he decided not to defile himself. He decided not to sin. He stood up for his beliefs in God and what God wanted from him even when it threatened his life.

Because of that God made him very important with a lot of power. The king made him the head governor and the other governors were jealous of him. They wanted to get him into trouble so the king would fire him.

So they watched him to see which of his faults they could use against him. You know what? They couldn’t find a problem with him because he did everything right. The Bible says he was faithful.

Finally the governors used the good part in Daniel’s life to bring him down. They knew he worshipped the God of the Bible. Everyday, three times, he threw his windows wide open and prayed to God.

The governors took advantage of the king’s pride. They talked him into making a new law. The law said for the next thirty days no one could pray to anyone or anything, except to the king. Whoever broke the law would be thrown into the den of lions. The king agreed and signed the decree not knowing that Daniel faithfully prayed to the one God.

Daniel, my hero, was very brave and stayed faithful to God. In the beginning of time God had made a law. His law said people should pray to and worship only Him. So to worship anyone or anything else is sin.

Daniel was thrown into the den of lions. God rescued him in a very unique way. You can read about it in the book of Daniel chapter 6.

I’m wondering where in my life today I need to be more faithful to God and not try to make myself look good. What about you? God does make things work out great for us when we honor Him. He takes care of us when we take care of the things of God.

DEVOTIONAL FOR PARENTS!

After you’ve read through the kids’ devotional take it to the adult level.

Who is your hero? We all have them. It’s that person we pattern our life after. Your hero may be that person in your business or your work world who has made it to the top where you want to be. He may be that person who excels in life finding that perfect balance between home, work and person.

Daniel’s faithfulness to God in all areas of our lives is even more challenging than that in a child’s life but it is also so much more rewarding. As an adult we play for keeps. Everything we do and accomplish or don’t accomplish affects not only our life and future personally but our family’s welfare and future. We play for big stakes. But the exciting part is the bigger the stake the bigger opportunity for God to make Himself known and for us to bring honor to Him.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com

ruth.willms@gmail.com

Brave Queen Esther

2008-02-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

FOR KIDS

“And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16

Haman, the villain in the book of Esther, was above all the princes in the land and everyone had to bow to him. But Mordecai, Queen Esther’s uncle, would not bow to him. Maybe Mordecai saw it as false worship, dishonoring God. Haman hated Mordecai for not showing him honor.

When Haman discovered that Mordecai was a Jew he dreamed up a plan to destroy him. He told the King that there was a group of people in the land who held to their own laws and did not keep the Persian laws. Haman advised the King that these people, the Jews, should all be destroyed. The King agreed. He did not know that Queen Esther was a Jew.

Mordecai informed Queen Esther of the new law and warned her to go to the King and plead for the lives of the Jews. Mordecai thought the King would listen to her since he loved her and would change the law.

But Queen Esther was afraid. She also knew of another law that said if anyone dared to approach the King with a request, without being summoned by him, could be put to death. The only exception was if the King would hold out his golden scepter to them. She was worried that he would not hold out his scepter for her because he had ignored her for thirty days. Yet, she knew the only way to save her people, the Jews, from death would be for her to intercede for them.

She knew that God had put her in this place at this time for the purpose of saving the Jews, God’s people. She risked her life and miraculously by God’s doing, the King did hold out his scepter to her and help her and her people. You can read the complete story in the Bible in the book of Esther.

God has a purpose and a plan for each one of us His children. It may not be as demanding and scary as Queen Esther’s mission but it may take as much courage to accomplish.

Things get in the way of doing God’s will: like our pride, we want to look good to others; our selfishness, we want to accumulate material things instead of spiritual; our ambition, we want to be important and have power and be in control.

God wants us to let him be in control and He can and will work things out for us as long as we do it His way.

FOR PARENTS

The account of Queen Esther’s bravery and obedience is as relevant to us as parents as to our children so go ahead and share theirs today.

Ruth Willms

Author: The Lion Tree
http://ruthwillms.com
ruth.willms@gmail.com

2008-02-06T14:57:00.001-08:00

test