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Kids Bible Blog: God’s plan : Page P60
God’s Battle
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Judges 7:9-16
TO CHEW ON: "When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, 'Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.' ” Judges 7:15
The first job God gave Gideon to do was to smash the Baal idols in his father’s house. The second job was to fight the Midianites. Thousands of men showed up to join Gideon’s army.
But God told Gideon, “With so many soldiers your army will take credit for winning. I want everyone to know that it’s Me, God, who is making you win, not your big army or your wise plans. Send home all the men who are afraid.”
Twenty-two thousand men left that day. Less than one thousand soldiers were left.
“This is still too many,” God said. After Gideon sent home more soldiers, only three hundred were left.
How will I ever beat the Midianites with such a small army, Gideon wondered.
That night God woke Gideon up and said to him, “If you’re scared, go the enemy’s camp and listen to what they’re saying.”
Gideon and his servant snuck into the valley. The enemy soldiers were sleeping. Then they...
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Tags: promises memory verse Judges God’s plan God’s help Gideon
Gecko Burgers Anyone?
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 10:9-23
TO CHEW ON: "The voice spoke to him a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'” Acts 10:15
It was lunchtime in Joppa. Peter (Jesus’s disciple) was hungry. While he was waiting for a call to lunch, a vision appeared. A sheet came down from heaven with all kinds of animals on it. A voice said, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat.”
Though Peter was hungry, there was a problem with the food in front of him. These were animals which God had commanded the Jews not to eat. They were called ‘unclean.’ Peter answered, “I’ve never eaten anything unclean.”
Then the voice said, “Don’t call something impure that God has made clean.”
This happened two more times. Then the sheet disappeared.
"Peter's Vision" - Artist Unknown
While Peter was wondering what that was about, Cornelius’s servants arrived at the door. Peter invited them in. They told him about the vision Cornelius had had the day before. They asked Peter to come back with them to Caesarea to talk to Cornelius....
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Tags: Peter obedience Leviticus God’s plan Acts
From Bad to Good
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 8:1-8
TO CHEW ON: "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Acts 8:4.
Have you ever had to move because it wasn’t safe for you to live in your old home any more? That’s what happened to the followers of Jesus after Stephen’s death. Everyone, from people in government to neighbors, was out to get them. They were threatened, arrested, and many more were killed.
So they moved to other places in Judea and Samaria. Now there were no more big gatherings in the Jerusalem temple court. The large praise meetings stopped. There was hardly anyone left to go to the prayer gatherings and potluck dinners. Because of persecution the Christians left Jerusalem and were scattered all around.
"Conversions of the Samaritans" - Matthias Scheits, 1972
But they didn’t stop talking about Jesus. Everywhere they went, they spread the good news. Jesus had died for sins. People could be friends with God again. Everyone could live in Holy Spirit power. People could look forward to heaven when they died....
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Tags: testing persecution good news God’s plan God’s help Acts
For God’s Glory
TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 11:38-44
TO CHEW ON: "Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?'” John 11:40
When Lazarus got sick, his sisters Martha and Mary sent for Jesus right away. But He didn’t come. Meanwhile Lazarus got sicker and sicker. Finally he died. They wrapped his body tightly in strips of cloth and placed him in a tomb (most likely a cave).
Finally when Lazarus had been dead for four days, Jesus arrived. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died,” Martha said to Jesus. She knew that Jesus had power to heal sick people. But she also knew once Lazarus was dead, it was too late for Jesus to do anything.
But Jesus didn’t know that! As He stood before Lazarus’ tomb , He told his sad friends, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
"Lazarus rising out of his grave" - Illustrator of 'Figures de la Bible' P. de Hondt (publisher), 1728
Then He called, “Lazarus come out!” What happened next? (John 11: 44) ___________________...
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Tags: miracles John Jesus God’s timing God’s plan death
First to Hear
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 2: 8-20
TO CHEW ON: "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby...An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them..." Luke 2:8,9
Some shepherds were in the fields outside Bethlehem looking after their flocks. It was night. Some of them were asleep. Others were sitting close to the cozy fire talking and trying to stay awake.
"Shepherds Watching Flocks" by O. A. Stemler & Bess Bruce Cleaveland, illustrators Standard Bible Story Readers by Lillie A. Faris
Suddenly a dazzling light shone around them. They were terrified. A shining white being said, “Don’t be afraid. I have good news for you and everyone on earth. Today in the town of David (Bethlehem) a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord....
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Tags: praise Luke Jesus God’s plan angels
Family Matters
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 John 3:1-10
TO CHEW ON: "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:1
What is the stand-out thing about your family? Is it the way many of you look alike? Maybe it’s a special talent, like being a good athlete, actor or musician. Or perhaps it’s the way your family celebrates Christmas and birthdays in its own special way.
What is special about your family?
We probably resemble our physical parents - even though we may not know them. And the way we act is always affected by the personalities and habits of the families we belong to and live with.
There’s another family we belong to, not by birth, but by special invitation. When we ask Jesus into our lives, we become part of God’s family....
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Desert Hygiene
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 13:1-8
TO CHEW ON: “ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands,... I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.' " Leviticus 26:3,9
What is hygiene?1. Reading the same books over and over.2. Things we do, such as washing, that keep us healthy.3. The habit of eating too much.
If you chose 2, you’re right.
Though you may not use the word hygiene much, no doubt you do many of the things that are hygienic – like washing hands after going to the bathroom, brushing teeth regularly and sneezing into a tissue instead of into the air or your hand.
When the people of Israel were in the desert they didn’t have many of the things we have today to help with good hygiene. Running water, flush toilets and toilet paper didn’t exist. Also, they didn’t know many things about the human body. No one had discovered germs and the way they cause sickness.
Yet Someone – the One who had created them – knew all these things. In the book of Leviticus, along with rules about sacrifices and feasts, God gave the...
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Tags: rules research Leviticus God’s plan
Dem Bones
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 37:1-14
TO CHEW ON: "Then he said to me, 'Prophecy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you and you will come to life."’” Ezekiel 37:4,5
"Valley of Dry Bones" © Duncan Long
One day Ezekiel had another vision from God. A vision is something like a dream. Put the parts of Ezekiel’s vision in the order they happened (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
____ There was a rattling sound and the bones reconnected to become lifeless bodies.____ Ezekiel saw a valley of dry bones.____ God’s Spirit breathed life into the bodies.____ Ezekiel told the bones God would make them live again....
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Tags: visions hope good news God’s plan Ezekiel
Death to Death!
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 28:1-10
TO CHEW ON: "He is not here; he has risen just as he said ..." Matthew 28:6
Something mysterious happens when people die. The invisible but living part of a person – the moving, breathing, thinking, feeling, loving part – leaves the body. The body – the physical shell which did the breathing, talking, laughing and hugging – is still there. But it is empty - the real person is gone. We call them dead.
Physical death is final. Even the most clever doctor can’t capture the living part of a person and stuff it back into a dead body to make the person come alive again.\
It was now three days after Jesus had died and been buried. Some of His women friends went to the tomb on the morning after the Sabbath.
When they got there, everything was different than they expected. The large stone that had stood in front of the cave tomb wasn’t there.
"The stone was rolled away" - Artist unknown
A shining angel greeted them. The angel said, “I know you’re looking for Jesus. He’s not here, He’s risen. Come and see where He was lying....
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Tags: resurrection Matthew Luke John Jesus God’s plan angels
Covenant Close-up
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 24:1-18
TO CHEW ON: "Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 'We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.' " Exodus 24:7
Have you ever seen movies where the camera zooms in on a scene and a tiny far-off thing gradually gets closer? As it gets bigger, you see more and more details that you couldn’t make out when the scene was far away. That’s a lot like how God shows us His plans in the Bible. The special promise that God made with Abraham ( see January 19) was like that.
Hundreds of years back God had made a promise to the Israelite’s great-great-great- (and a whole lot more ‘greats’) grandfather Abraham. He said He would bless him, make a nation of his family, and give that nation a land of their own.
Now over 400 years had passed. The family of Abraham had become a nation – these Israelites. But in the years they were slaves, God was silent. During that time God’s blessing seemed far away and they certainly didn’t have their own land.
One day God called Moses to bring the leaders of the people with...
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Tags: promises Moses God’s plan Exodus covenant
Copy-cats
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 8:1-21
TO CHEW ON: "But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 'No!' they said. We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations. . . .'” 1 Samuel 8:19,20
Samuel judged Israel till he was an old man. Then he appointed his sons to be judges after him. But they were not fair and wise like Samuel their father had been. So the people didn’t want them as rulers. Instead they wanted a king. They wanted to be just like the nations around them.
Samuel warned them that a king would give them a whole new set of problems. Name five of the disadvantages of having a king Samuel lists. A king will (1 Samuel 8:10-18):1. ___2. ___3. ___4. ___5. ___
In spite of this, the people insisted. They thought that if they had a king like everybody else, they would win wars and be as strong as their enemies.
Samuel felt hurt by this request. He felt as if the people had rejected him. But God told him, “It isn’t you they’ve rejected, but Me. Even so, listen to them and give them a king.”
The Israelites didn’t realize that it wasn’t the outward...
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Come!
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 22:12-21
TO CHEW ON: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.." Revelation 22:17
“Come!” What a welcome word to hear when we’re homesick. What a comforting word to hear when we’re lonely. What a delicious word to hear when we’re hungry or thirsty.
"Let everyone who is thirsty, Come" Designed by David Hetland (stained glass window Trinity Lutheran Church, Jamestown, North Dakota.)
The book of Revelation ends with this arms-wide-open invitation from God. Though our sins separated us from Him, Jesus made a way for us to be friends with God. God invites each one of us to come to Him by putting our faith in Jesus. When we do, God sees us as clean and holy. And we can look forward to spending eternity (forever and ever and ever and ever... to infinity) with Him in heaven....
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Tags: Revelation John Jesus hope heaven God’s plan forgiveness
Changed!
TODAY’S SPECIAL: I Corinthians 15: 35-44
TO CHEW ON: "The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." I Corinthians 15:42b-44
Marigold seeds
Have you ever planted a garden? If you have, you know the seeds you plant don’t look anything like the plants that grow from them. This, Paul says, is a picture of how different our new heavenly body will be from our earthly body.
Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so we will also live again. But when we rise, we will have new bodies. What will our new bodies be like? Will people recognize us? Will we have powers we don’t have now?...
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Tags: Saul/Paul God’s plan game 1 Corinthians
Centurion Summons Simon
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 10:1-8
TO CHEW ON: "At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion...” Acts 10:1
Cornelius was not a Jew but a Gentile. It wasn’t only his race that made the Jewish people want to avoid him. His job was a problem too. He was a centurion (centurion = captain) in the Roman army. Roman soldiers often mistreated the Jews. Jewish people were suspicious and afraid of Cornelius.
But Cornelius had some surprising beliefs for a Roman soldier. Unscramble the words below that tell about him (Acts 10:2):He (dreefa)________ (dgo)________.He (vgae)___________ to those in need.He (yrdepa) __________ to God regularly.
One afternoon an angel talked to him in a vision. The angel told him God had noticed his prayers and gifts. He was to send someone to Joppa, find Simon Peter and bring him to his house in Caesarea. God looked past Cornelius’s race and job, into his heart. He knew Cornelius wanted to know Him better. Peter (who was a Jew) would help with that – or would he?
"Cornelius is confronted by the angel" by Caspar Luiken, 1672-1708
Do you ever jump to conclusions about what a person is like because of their skin color, the fact that they are...
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Tags: Peter obedience love God’s plan friendship choices Acts
Caught
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Samuel 18:1-14
TO CHEW ON: "Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair while the mule he was riding kept on going." 2 Samuel 18:9
David was on the run from his son Absalom. David thought of all the things Absalom had on his side – the army, many of the people, even the wisest counselor Ahithophel. “God, please spoil Ahithophel’s advice,” David prayed.
Down the road David met his friend Hushai. He was also known as a wise man. “I’m coming with you,” Hushai told David.
But seeing Hushai gave David an idea. “Why don’t you help me another way?” he said. “I’d really like it if you went to Absalom and pretended you were going to be on his side. Then when Ahithophel tells Absalom what to do, you can suggest something that isn’t as wise.”
Hushai did as David asked. When Ahithophel told Absalom he should go after David right away, Hushai said, “No, that’s not a good idea.” Then he suggested they wait till his army gathered.
When Absalom...
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Breaking the Rules
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles 13:1-14
TO CHEW ON: "They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it." 1 Chronicles 13:7
One day, sometime after he had become king, David thought of the ark. For many years this special gold box had been sitting in Abinadab’s house in Kiriath Jearim.* Now David wanted to bring it back to the tabernacle in Jerusalem.
He went with a crowd to Kiriath Jearim to move the ark. They put the ark on a new cart. Then he and the people celebrated with singing and playing harps, lyres, tambourines, trumpets and cymbals. Behind them came the lumbering oxen pulling the precious load.
Suddenly one of the oxen stumbled. Uzzah, who was guiding the animals, saw that the ark was starting to slip. He reached out to steady it. The minute he touched it he fell down – dead!...
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Tags: rules obedience God’s plan God’s holiness disobedience David 1 Chronicles
Born Again
TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 3:9-21
TO CHEW ON: “'How can this be?' Nicodemus asked." John 3:9
"Jesus the Savior of the World" - Artist unknown
Jesus told Nicodemus if he wanted to see the kingdom of God, he had to be born again. Nicodemus thought Jesus meant he actually had to be born from his mother again. Of course, Jesus didn’t mean that. But what did he mean?
He meant that Nicodemus had to have a new beginning (new birth) with God. How could this happen for Nicodemus? How does it happen for you and me?
1. Nicodemus, and all of us, have sinned (sin = disobeying God - even once).
2. The punishment for sin is death = separation from God forever.
3. Jesus is the only person who lived a sinless life. He is the only person who didn't need to die for His own sins.
4. But Jesus chose to die in our stead. God accepted His death as the payment for our sin. (It’s like when you’ve done something wrong, but someone else takes your punishment and you get off free)....
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Blood Sacrifice
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 17:11
TO CHEW ON: "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life." Leviticus 17:11
Moses had been up on the mountain with God for a long time and God had told him many things. One of the things God gold Moses was a way to deal with sin.
What is sin? It is missing the target. If we think of doing everything God has said we should do, and not doing anything God has said we shouldn't do as the target, sin is missing that target.
For example, when God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the special tree in the garden and they did – that was sin. And when God told the people they were not to worship any other God but Him and they made a calf idol and worshiped it – that was sin. God gave the people a list of rules (we call them the Ten Commandments) which told them what was sin for each area of life, from how they treated parents and neighbors to how...
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Tags: sin sacrifice Moses memory verse Leviticus Jesus God’s plan consequences blood atonement
Between the Old and New Testaments
We have now driven right through the Old Testament part of the Bible! In the next four months Bible Drive-Thru will take you through the New.
(The September 1 devotion - "Surprise" begins our trip through the New Testatment.)
About 400 years passed between the time when Nehemiah rebuilt the Jerusalem wall (the end of the Old Testament) and when Jesus was born (the beginning of the New Testatment). Here are some of the main events that happened between the Old and New Testaments.
423 B.C. - Nehemiah, the last Old Testament character we read about, wrote his story in about 423 before Christ (B.C.). Judah was then a province of Persia. For another 100 years Judah lived under tolerant Persian kings.
336 B.C. – Meanwhile Greece was becoming strong. In 336 B.C. a young Greek soldier named Alexander the Great led a fierce army. He quickly gained control of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Persia. When he invaded Palestine in 332 B.C. he spared Jerusalem and was kind to the Jewish people.
"Alexander the Great in the Temple of Jerusalem" by Sebastiano Conca, 1750
323 B.C. – After Alexander the Great died, his four army generals divided the lands he had conquered. Judah was ruled by...
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Tags: God’s word God’s plan
Betrayed!
TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 13:18-30
TO CHEW ON: “'Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.'” - Jesus, John 13:21
Your brother promises to wait for you after school, but then walks home without you.
You tell your best friend a secret and ask her not to tell anyone. But the next day you find that five people in your class know your secret.
Your baseball team has its own signals. One day you play a team that knows exactly what each of your signals means.
You have been betrayed! Whether betrayal comes from someone disappointing you, telling your secrets or helping your enemy, being betrayed is not fun.
"My Betrayer Is Here" - Artist unknown
Jesus was betrayed too. His betrayer came to the garden where He was praying. He came with soldiers who were planning to arrest Jesus.
1. Who was the traitor? (John 18:1-6)a)____ Johnb)____ Peterc)____ Judas.
2. How did he betray Jesus: (Mark 14:43-46)a)____ He spread bad stories about Jesus all around town.b)____ He lost the money bag he was in charge of.c)____ He kissed Jesus to show the soldiers which person to arrest...
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Tags: trickery storytelling Mark John Jesus God’s plan friendship Christ’s passion
Bad Timing
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 2:1-7
TO CHEW ON: "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born." Luke 2:6
After the angel’s visit, Mary got pregnant. God, the Holy Spirit, was the baby’s father.
Joseph, the man she was planning to marry, thought she had cheated on him. He was all set to break their engagement. But an angel came to him in a dream. He told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and to be an earthly father to the baby she would have.
Now it was months later. The baby was due to be born any day. That's when Caesar Augustus passed a law about registering for a census. So Joseph and Mary had to take the long trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem where Joseph needed to register. Talk about bad timing!
"The Journey to Bethlehem" by Unknown Artist
They didn’t have planes, cars or buses for the trip. Instead they had to walk the 46 to 50 kilometers (or 28 to 31 miles) from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Maybe Mary rode on a donkey. Not only was the trip uncomfortable, but when they got to Bethlehem, the inns were full....
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Tags: prophecy Luke Jesus God’s timing God’s plan God’s care
Back to Work
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 19:9-18
TO CHEW ON: "Then the Lord said to him, 'Go back the way you came. . . .'” 1 Kings 19:15
When Elijah came to Mount Horeb, he found a cave in which to sleep. That night God spoke to him. “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
“I’ve done my best for You,” Elijah replied. “But the Israelites have turned their backs on You. They’ve broken your altars and killed your prophets. I’m the only one left. Now they’re trying to kill me too.”
“Come outside,” God told him. “I want to show you something.”
As Elijah stood outside the cave, a powerful wind came up, shaking the trees and loosening rocks so they came tumbling down. But Elijah didn’t hear God in the wind. Suddenly the earth underneath him began shaking. But Elijah didn’t hear God in the earthquake. Then he saw fires burning around him. But God wasn’t in the fires either.
Finally Elijah heard a quiet voice. He recognized it. It was God. Again God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?...
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Tags: work Israel God’s plan Elijah 1 Kings
And More and More and More…
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 6:9 -17
TO CHEW ON: "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?" Revelation 6:17
Have you ever read an exciting book where the closer you came to the end, the more bad things happened? You looked at how few pages were left and wondered, how would the author ever straighten this out! In a way John’s vision in Revelation is like that. John saw more and more bad things as more seals were opened.
In the fifth seal, John heard the voices of people who had been killed for believing in God (martyrs). They asked God, how long until He would punish those who killed them. God answered, it would happen, but even more people would be martyred first.
Then came the sixth seal. It predicted some things that have never happened on earth. Read Revelation 6:12-17 and list five things John saw:1.2.3.4.5.
"The Opening of the Sixth Seal" by John Martin
Every day natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and erupting volcanoes take place somewhere on earth. The size of the disasters John saw here, though, were bigger than any our earth has ever seen. They help us understand how weak and helpless we humans are...
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Tags: worship Revelation natural disaster miracles judgment John God’s timing God’s plan
Accurate Predictions
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Joel 2:28-32
TO CHEW ON: "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28
If someone asked you, “What will happen next week?” could you tell them? What if they asked about tomorrow, or even later today?
Without God’s help, people have no way of knowing the future. But when God’s Spirit tells people what to say about the future, as He did to the Old Testament prophets, we get accurate predictions.
God gave Joel words to say about the distant future. He told about a time when God would pour out His Spirit on all people – old and young, women and men.
Hundreds of years later a small band of Jesus’ followers were gathered in a Jerusalem room. Jesus had recently died, risen again and gone back to heaven. Just before He left, Jesus told His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit.
That’s what they were doing this day when suddenly there was the sound of wind and the sight of fire tongues sitting on each person’s head. Then people began praising God in languages they didn’t...
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Tags: prophecy occult Judah Joel Holy Spirit God’s plan
Accepting All People
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 10:24-35
TO CHEW ON: "Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.'" Acts 10:34,35
Peter went back with Cornelius’s servants to Caesarea. Even though Cornelius and his men were Gentiles and not Jews, Peter knew God wanted him to visit Cornelius. Peter probably had an idea his vision was about more than eating unclean food. After he heard Cornelius’s story, Peter knew God was telling him to accept people he had thought of as unclean. What two things did Peter learn (Acts 10:34,35)?
"Peter and Cornelius" - Artist Unknown
1. God does not _____________________________________________2. God accepts ______________________________________________
God hasn’t changed. He still loves everyone – no matter what color their skin, what language they speak or where they live. We should love them too....
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Tags: Peter love Holy Spirit God’s plan baptize Acts
A Special People
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Obadiah 1:-10
TO CHEW ON: "Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever." Obadiah 1:10
Do you have brothers and/or sisters with whom you quarrel? Arguments and quarrels between siblings are common. Bible brothers and sisters had their differences too.
Take Jacob and Esau. Though they were twins, they were always competing against each other. Jacob tricked Esau into giving him the birthright (the inheritance that belonged to Esau as the oldest). Then he tricked Isaac, their father, into blessing him instead of Esau. This made Esau so angry, he threatened to kill Jacob. So Jacob left home.
"Isaac and Esau" Fresco painting by Raphael (1518-1519)
Over the years the descendants of Esau became the nation of Edom. Jacob’s descendants became Israel. But there was no more love between the nations of Edom and Israel than there had been between their great-great-great-... grandfathers....
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Tags: prophecy Obadiah Israel God’s word God’s plan God’s care
A Second Chance
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Jonah 1:17 and 2:1-10
TO CHEW ON: " He said:“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.' " Jonah 2:2When the sailors tossed Jonah overboard I’m sure he expected to drown. But that didn’t happen. Instead he was swallowed by a huge fish.
Imagine getting swept into that big mouth and then into the fish’s insides. Imagine Jonah telling you about it. Finish each of his statements.
Inside the fish it smelled __________, it felt ________________ , I saw ______________.
The three days Jonah spent inside the fish gave him lots of time to think. Then he prayed. Read his prayer (Jonah 2:1-9) then circle the words that tell how he felt:...
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Tags: prayer obedience Judah Jonah God’s plan God’s care consequences
A Little Girl’s Big Love
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 5:1-14
TO CHEW ON: “Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, 'If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.' ” 2 Kings 5:2,3
Suppose you were a little girl who, one day, was captured by enemy soldiers. They took you far away from home. Alone in a new country, you had to work for the people who captured you. This was what happened to the little Israeli girl who worked for Captain Naaman’s wife.
One day she noticed her mistress was very sad. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“My husband has leprosy,” Naaman’s wife answered.
Now the little girl could have been selfish. She could have thought, this man’s soldiers took me away from my parents. He deserves to be sick. But that wasn’t her attitude. Instead she thought about how she could help Captain Naaman. And she thought of prophet Elisha. He did amazing things. He had even raised a little boy from the dead.
“If only my master could see the prophet who is in Samaria,” she said. “He...
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Tags: miracles love Israel God’s plan God’s help Elisha 2 Kings
A Keepsake Meal
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 22: 14-20
TO CHEW ON: “...do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19
Do you have a collection of special keepsakes? Suppose in your collection you have a teacup from your grandma, a baseball hat from when you were little, and a trophy.
Those keepsakes wouldn’t be special to someone else, but they are to you. Why? Because each one is a picture or symbol of someone or something important to you. The teacup might remind you of grandma and the interesting stories she told. The baseball hat could remind you of the friend you played with when you wore it. The trophy reminds you of your team and how hard you worked to win the tournament.
Jesus, during his last meal with His disciples, gave them just such a way to remember Him. He took a piece of bread, said grace over it, tore it apart, and handed the broken pieces to them. He told them to eat it and when they did, to remember Him and how His body would be nailed and pierced (broken) for them.
"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci - 1498
Then he took a cup of wine. Again he asked a blessing on it, handed...
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Tags: storytelling Luke Jesus Holy Spirit God’s plan Christ’s passion
A Can-do Attitude
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Numbers 13:26-33
TO CHEW ON: "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.' But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.'” Numbers 13:30,31
The Israelites had been traveling through the desert for a long time. Now they were near the land God had promised them. To prepare for going in and settling there, Moses sent twelve spies to explore their new home. For forty days these men went from place to place in Canaan, secretly checking out the country.
When they got back, they told of the amazing orchards and farms. They brought back grapes, dates and pomegranates to prove how rich the land was. But they also told of huge walled cities and people who looked as big and strong as giants.
Ten of the spies didn’t think they would ever be able to live there. “The cities are too protected,” they said, “and the people are too tall.”
But two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, didn’t agree. “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we certainly...
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Tags: trust storytelling promises Numbers Moses God’s plan God’s help fear faith
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