GOD IS FAITHFULLY PATIENT
Read Exodus 34:6.
How is God described in this verse? This verse describes a merciful God. God is slow to anger. Did you know that God has the right to judge people? Unlike you, He has the right because He is holy, perfect and there is no sin in Him. He is the only one in the universe that judges the right and fair way. He could punish sin anytime He wants to. He could have punished Adam and Eve immediately by making them separated from Him forever. He didn’t because God is slow to anger. He loves you and is faithful to show you who He is and allow you to see Him! Are you glad God is patient with you when you sin? Are you patient with others?
GOD DOESN’T WANT ANYONE TO PERISH
Read 2 Peter 3:9
Why is God slow to anger? What does God want for everyone? What does God NOT want to happen to anyone? God does not take pleasure in people who are wicked. It hurts His heart to see anyone live apart from Him forever. He is patient so that people will realize their sin and need for a Savior. He gives each person on earth plenty of opportunities to know God and be sorry for how they wrong Him. He is patient to punish evil because He does not want anyone to perish. If you get frustrated with someone who does evil things and are wondering why God doesn’t do something about it, you can know that God is keeping His promise to all people by being patient with them to do what is right and call Him Savior! Are you thankful that God was patient with you when you were a sinner?
GIVE IT A TRY!
Have you ever read the book “Where’s Waldo” by Martin Handford? If not, it’s a fun book where you find a guy named “Waldo” in a picture. The book is funny because you feel like Waldo is everywhere. You find him at the beach, in the city, and on a farm. Your challenge is to start a journal and title it “Where’s God” by (insert your name). As you walk through life, write out all the crazy places you find God at work! It will be neat to go back through it and see how God is everywhere.
GOD IS MERCIFUL… ALWAYS
Read Psalm 78:38
What did God do to people who were disobedient to Him in the Old Testament? Did God forgive people? Was God merciful? What did God restrain? Time and time again in the Old Testament, people disobeyed God and were evil. He was patient and showed them mercy. Mercy is not getting what you DO deserve. If you deserve punishment but you don’t get it, you have received mercy. You can’t be merciful without being patient. God is just as merciful to you today because He wants you to be more like Him. Have you ever experienced mercy by not getting what you deserve? Were you glad the person was patient with you? You make mistakes and wrong God every day. Are you glad He is willing to forgive and give you mercy every day?
THINK ABOUT IT
Mercy: (n) Not getting what you DO deserve Grace: (n) Getting what you DO NOT deserve. God gave you mercy by not giving what you do deserve… eternal separation from Him. God gives you grace by giving you what you don’t deserve… eternal life.
GOD IS KIND WITH SELF-CONTROL
Read Romans 2:4
How is God described in this verse? What is God’s kindness intended to do? God is a kind God. You cannot be patient without being kind. Kind people are patient. Some translations of Romans 2:4 use a word that you might not have heard before…”forbearance.” Forbearance means someone has self-control. We see God’s self-control as He controls His anger toward evil. God has won the battle over evil but stays patient and kind as He waits for you to turn toward Him. God is able to control His anger so that you will turn towards Him and experience His goodness.
GOD IS GRACIOUS
Read Isaiah 30:18
How is God described in this verse? What will God do for you? God is a just God and must deal with evil, but His greatest desire is to show you compassion and grace. Do you know that you fit into God’s plan? He is not only patient with you, but He is patient to make all things happen according to His perfect plan. There are times that you want to do things your own way because God seems slow. Remember that you are learning how God is patiently at work so that as many people as possible can live with Him forever!
Category: Spiritual Training Dream
This category is parent category of the dream series categories.
God is in Control
HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS
Read Job 12:10
What is in God’s hands? Is God in charge of every animal, bird, insect and human? There is no life that God is not in charge of. God is in control of every being that lives here. We are not His robots and He is not a God who treats people and animals like puppets. You have been reading for the past 5 months about all His wonderful promises He has made you and all people. He is a GOOD God and it is a GOOD thing that He is in control. If He was not in control of your life, He would not be able to promise you this promise: Read Jeremiah 29:11 What does God know? What are God’s plans for your life like? Are you thankful God is in control of your life?
GOD RULES OVER EVERY RULER
Read 2 Chronicles 20:6
Is there any other God besides God? What does God rule over? God is in control of every nation and every king even though there are rulers who do evil things. God is a powerful God, but remember that you have learned He is also loving and patient. He is not a God who will force people to follow Him. It must be your choice. Those evil leaders and kingdoms have not chosen to serve Him, so God is allowing them to live and lead based on their choice to do things their own way. The crazy thing is that God is still in control. No matter what they do, good or evil, God will use all nations and leaders to make His plan happen. Read Job 42:2. Can anyone stop God?
DID YOU KNOW?
Every Easter we celebrate Jesus riding in on the donkey on Palm Sunday. We call it Palm Sunday because the people laid palm branches down for Jesus to ride over. Every time you see a Palm tree, you can think of Jesus going to Jerusalem to die on a cross for your sins.
GOD GIVES A LEADER LEADERSHIP
Read Romans 13:1
Who establishes an authority? Why should you obey your authorities? God puts every one in authority in a position for a reason. No one is in any position because of their own abilities. This can give you comfort and hope for any leader that no matter their choices, God is using them to make His great plan happen. This is true for leaders of nations AND leaders around you. You might not have voted for the person who was elected brave or princess at Kamp, or you might not like who your coach chose to be the captain of your sports team. But remember, God asks you to respect any leader because He put them there for a reason. Most importantly, God has put your parents as your authority for a reason. He is using your parents to grow you into a person of strong faith. He can do this with parents who believe in Him and parents who do not. If you are disobedient to them, just like the verse says, you are being disobedient to God.
GOD IS IN CONTROL
Read Hebrews 2:8
Is there anything that is “over” God? Is there anything that is outside of His control? God is in control. The Bible sometimes uses big words like “subjection.” This word has a simple definition. It means that God is over all things. All things are under His control. You don’t have to worry when something happens. There is nothing that happens that God doesn’t know about. There is nothing that surprises God. Evil and sin are not His fault…and sometimes it’s easy to point our finger at Him because He is in control. Evil and sin are the fault of humans. Remember, He is patient and wants everyone to know Him. He is merciful because He longs to hang out with His creation. In all situations, you can trust that God is at work for the good of those who love Him!
GOD’S IN CONTROL OF THE KEYS
Read Revelation 1:18
Jesus was dead but now He is what?
What does God have the keys to? If you have the keys to your house, then you are in control of who goes in your home. God says that He has the keys to death and eternity. You are old enough to start to learn that there are two kinds of eternal life and your decision of who you follow on earth determines where you will be for eternity. You can be with God forever in heaven or you can be apart from Him in Hell. Many people use this fact to scare you. God doesn’t do this. Instead of scaring you into making a decision to follow Him, He makes tons of promises to show you how great He is! He wants you to experience the good things of following Him now and in eternity. The good news is God is in control of eternity! He was dead but now is alive. Because He is the only one to rise from the dead and NEVER die again, He has the keys.
God is Faithful
GOD IS FAITHFUL
Read Deuteronomy 7:9
How is God described? How long has God been faithful? Do you believe God is faithful? Make a list of words that describe what it means to be faithful.
GOD HAS TO BE FAITHFUL
Read Matthew 16:24
What happens even if you or others are faithless? Why is God always faithful? The truth is that God was faithful before the world was created. Why? Because faithful is who He is. He cannot be anything He is not. Just like a frog can’t be a dog. A human can’t be a fish. A car cannot be a plane. God absolutely cannot be unfaithful. When you or anyone else doesn’t have faith in God, He will always remain faithful to you. Do you understand what this means? God will faithfully make all these promises you’ve been learning about come true. What He says will happen whether you have faith in Him or not!
GOD IS RIGHT
Read Psalm 33:4
How are God’s Words described? Why are God’s Words right and true? Many arguments happen because someone wants to be right. Scientists spend a lifetime confirming that their words, said because of their experiments, are true. God has already proven time and time again that His words are true and faithful! Do you believe that God’s Words are right? Do you listen to them and obey them?
GIVE IT A TRY!
If you love God and get to see His faithfulness, shouldn’t you be faithful to your words? If you are faithful to other people, they will trust you and are more likely to trust you when you share Jesus with them. In other words, God can use your faithfulness to show His faithfulness to someone else.
How can you be faithful with your words:
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How can you be faithful to others:
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GOD’S NOT A LIAR
Read Numbers 23:19
Does God lie? Does God change His mind? A lie is the thing that can break trust. If someone makes a promise and doesn’t follow through with that promise, that person’s promise turns into a lie. God does not lie, He has never lied and never will. His plan is true, His promises are true and He will not change it. You can trust Him with everything. List all the things that you trust God with. What are things you could trust God to take care of that you don’t trust Him with already?
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS IS GREAT
Read Lamentations 3:22-23
Fill in the blank: ___________ is your faithfulness A few weeks ago, you memorized Lamentations 3:22. Write out both verses and memorize 22 and 23 together. God is faithful. It’s a promise that is true… because He is faithful. Remember this verse throughout your life and you will see God and get to experience all the good things He has to offer!
God is Fair
GOD DOES NOT PLAY FAVORITES
Read Romans 2:11.
What does God not do? Have you ever played favorites? Have you ever been on the wrong side of someone else playing favorites (meaning you were not someone’s favorite)? Did it hurt you or discourage you to not be another’s favorite? God does not play favorites. He loves everyone just the same. If you know someone that has a stronger faith than you do, it’s not because he or she is God’s favorite. God does not love that person more. It’s because that person has made God their favorite. God loves you the same and He deserves to be your favorite. He will not play favorites with anyone, but you should play favorites with Him.
GIVE IT A TRY!
Read Matthew 6:33
What should you seek first? What will happen if you do? This is why the “I’m Third” life works. God first, others second and yourself third. If you put God first, the other two will fall into place.
GOD DISCIPLINES HIS KIDS
Read Hebrews 12:7
What does God do when you do wrong? Should a father discipline his child? God is fair, He doesn’t play favorites and when you sin He will punish you. Just because you are His child doesn’t mean you can avoid getting punished for doing wrong. He does this because He loves you! Your dad disciplines you because it is what you deserve AND more importantly, it teaches you to do what is right. God disciplines you because He is fair, and in His fairness, He is giving you the opportunity to learn to do what is right. What are some lessons you have learned from being disciplined? Are you thankful that God wants you to do what is good and right?
GOD IS A FAIR JUDGE
Read Psalm 11:7
How is the Lord described? What does God love? In America, we have what is called the justice system. It’s filled with lawyers and judges whose job is to make sure decisions are made that are just. Just decisions are decisions that go along with what is true and what the law says. If someone breaks the law, a judge decides, based on truth, if the person is guilty or innocent. God knows the law because He wrote it. He knows what is true because He is the definition of truth. He is able to be a fair judge because He knows the truth. You can trust any decision that God makes is fair because He loves to be fair.
LET GOD TAKE REVENGE
Read 2 Thessalonians 1:6
What will God do to those who trouble you? You must know that God will pay back trouble to those who trouble you. This is a promise. This is important for you to trust God and only God to pay back those who wrong you. He will do it in His own timing and you might not get to be around to see it when He does. It’s in your human nature to get revenge, but God doesn’t want you to because you are not fair. Remember, He can use the punishment to change someone’s heart to love Him. If a follower of Jesus wrongs you, God can discipline them to be more faithful to Him and others! God is control, that is a promise and God will not ignore wrong doing. Trust Him to deal with it in His way and in His timing! What are some ways you can react to someone who wrongs you instead of revenge?
WE ARE ONE IN JESUS
Read Galatians 2:28
If you believe in and follow Jesus, how are you seen in the eyes of God? If you are “one” in Christ Jesus, how should you treat others? Just as God is a fair God, we are called to be like Him in every way, including that! Do you think of yourself better than others based on your family, friends, or abilities? Those who belong to Jesus are all one in His sight! How can you do a better job of seeing and treating others with the fairness of God?
I Will Provide for You
GOD MEETS YOUR NEEDS
Read Philippians 4:19
What will God do for you? What does God have to provide for you? God is rich! There is no one who has ever owned the earth so it’s safe to say that God is the richest ever to exist! Some people use their riches for themselves. God is different. He uses His riches for His people! He is able to get you everything you need and you never have to worry about His supply running out! Describe a time that you saw God provide
for one of your needs.
GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU REALLY NEED
Read Matthew 6:31-32
What should you not worry about? Does God know your need? God not only will provide for your need, He also knows your need! You don’t have to worry about God being clueless. Sometimes what we think we need and what God knows we need don’t match up. For example, you might be praying for someone who needs to be healed from sickness. They might need to be home with Him forever and instead of providing medicine or healing, He provides them a way home. God wants you to not only pray for your needs but also look to Him to show you what you really need…even if it’s different than what you thought you needed. Remember, God knows best.
DIG DEEPER
Read the story about how God provided for a man who was paralyzed: Read Mark 2:1-12 What did God heal first, the man’s legs or the man’s sins? What did the man need more, his sins being healed or his legs being healed?
GOD PROVIDED FOR YOUR GREATEST NEED
Read Romans 6:23.
What does God give you? Your greatest need is your need for a Savior. This is more important than food, shelter, clothing and medicine. You have a problem… sin. Sin has eternal punishment and God has a solution. He will spend your entire life showing you this need. He has already done the work to meet your need. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins. Jesus overcame death three days later and is alive. The blood He spilled on the cross covers those sins. Because He defeated death, you can defeat true death… separation from God forever. If God spent all of history making His plan happen to provide for your greatest need, don’t you think He will provide for your smaller needs?
GOD GIVES PEACE
Read Philippians 4:6
What does God give you if you give your requests to Him? Life is full of worries. You worry about family, friends, and enemies. You worry about things like, food, acceptance, doing something right, and making a difference. You worry about sickness, death, life and the future. God provides for your worries. In fact, He can get rid of your worries with His promises. Instead, God provides peace. If you trust God and give Him your needs, hopes, dreams, worries, and wants He will give your busy mind a good rest. Has God ever provided you peace? Write about how. Is there something you are worried about? Are you ready to give it to God and watch Him provide peace for you?
GOD GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND
Read 2 Corinthians 9:8
What will God do for you? Why will He bless you abundantly with what you need? Does this verse say God will bless you abundantly with what you want? There are people who will tell you that God will give you everything you want. They will tell you the things that you have are based on how big your faith is. They will say that if you don’t see God answer every one of your prayers for what you want then something is wrong with your faith. THIS IS A LIE! Don’t believe it. God promises that He will provide abundantly for your needs. You must trust in the promise that God knows you best and knows what you need. Your faith is not measured by what you get from God, but by how much you trust God. This is especially true with the things you don’t understand or the answers to prayer you wanted answered differently. God will bless you whether you are faithful or not. It is what He does and who He is. You also need to know that God provides for you so you can do great things for Him.
I Will Help You
GOD GIVES YOU A HELPER
Read John 14:15-17
Who does God give to help you? How is the Helper described? What is the Helper’s name? How long will the Helper be with you? Jesus spoke these words to His disciples when He told them He was leaving the earth. His words are meant for you too! Even though you physically can’t see Jesus, you can have His Spirit, the Spirit of God, forever. When you believe in Jesus, you get the Holy Spirit and He will never leave! Is it comforting to know that God Himself lives inside of you when you need help?
GOD WILL HELP YOU REMEMBER
Read John 14:26.
What will the Holy Spirit help you do? Have you ever read the Bible and thought… “How am I going to remember any of this?” The Holy Spirit will help you remember God’s Word. You might be faced with doing something wrong and all of the sudden you remember a verse that warns you to turn away. That is the Holy Spirit helping you. Maybe you are sharing with a friend about Jesus and you remember a verse that will encourage them… that is the Holy Spirit helping you! Have you ever seen the Holy Spirit help you remember a verse? Thank Him today.
GOD WILL HELP YOUR WEAKNESS
Read Romans 8:26
What does the Holy Spirit promise to help you with? Have you ever been so scared, worried or overwhelmed that you didn’t know how or what to pray to God? The Holy Spirit is there to help. Just bow your head and whatever comes to mind start praying for it. Have you ever been praying and all of the sudden you think about praying for something you hadn’t thought of before? That is the Holy Spirit!
GOD GIVES YOU HIS SPIRIT
Read Isaiah 11:2.
What rests upon you? List all the ways the Spirit of God is described. Do you understand that you have all the things listed inside you? You have access to God’s knowledge, power, wisdom, and understanding. You have the counsel of God inside you. A handyman is not very handy unless he has all the right tools. God has given you some serious power tools to help you. All you have to do is pay attention, listen and obey and you will see the Holy Spirt give you some awesome help. What are some ways you can listen to the Holy Spirit?
GOD HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND
Read 1 Corinthians 2:13
What does the Holy Spirit help you with according to this verse? Sometimes reading the Bible can be challenging because you don’t understand what it says. The Holy Spirit can help you understand what God is trying to say. Anytime you start to understand something in God’s Word… that is the Holy Spirit. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t understand everything you read. God wants to help you. Just ask Him! God wants you to know His Word. Remember that you are young and reading the Bible is a lifetime adventure. The Holy Spirit will still be teaching you when you are 99 years old! Sit tight, trust the Lord, and begin the adventure. For you who are reading the Bible every day, don’t give up the adventure!
I Will Walk With You
GOD WALKS WITH HIS PEOPLE
Read Leviticus 26:12
What are the two things God promises to do for His people? If God wanted to stay in His throne in Heaven 24/7, He deserves to… He is God. But the thing is, God is the type of God who loves to be with His people. Throughout history, He, in some way or form, has been right there in the middle of His people. In the Old Testament, He lived in the temple and sometimes traveled with them as a cloud. In the New Testament, He came down and walked with people as a human named Jesus. Now He lives within the hearts of every one of His followers. God takes every step with you. He is your Father, Savior and faithful friend.
GOD GAVE UP BEING GOD
Read Philippians 2:5-8.
What did Jesus, who is God, do for you? What did the God of the universe become for you? What should your attitude be like? Today, you get to see how God put His promise that He will walk with you in action. He gave up all the cool things that make Him God so He could live on earth like you. He became human. He was a baby. He was a toddler and probably stubbed His toe and cried. God might have gotten a zit. He was bullied. God had to go to the bathroom, and He might have gotten the stomach flu. The point is that God promises to walk with you and He made that come true by becoming human and being like His creation. God didn’t become a human just for fun (although I am sure He had some good, positive fun while on earth). He came to make it possible for you to walk with Him forever. By becoming a human, God made Himself have to face death. God didn’t have to go through death. He didn’t do anything wrong, but He did it so His blood could cover your sin. Did God have to be humble to become human? Are you glad Jesus came to earth to die for your sins?
JESUS UNDERSTANDS
Read Hebrews 2:18
Does Jesus understand when we are tempted? Does Jesus understand when we suffer? How does Jesus understand? You can never say to God, “You don’t understand what I am going through.” Life might be hard, but God understands the worst suffering you could ever go through. Jesus died a horrible death on the cross without doing one thing wrong His entire life. Did you know that God had to turn away from Jesus on the cross? He couldn’t be with Him because Jesus carried all of the sins of all the people who would ever live. Jesus was alone on that cross for you. The good news is that you have a God that not only wants to walk with you, but who came down and walked in your footsteps. You can trust Him to understand your hurts. Since He lived life perfectly, you can trust His advice when He gives it.
WALKING WITH GOD IN ETERNITY
Read Revelation 21:3-4
What will it be like when we are with Jesus after He comes back for His people? God created the earth and walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned it meant that God could not be with them anymore. He knew this would happen and had already planned the way He would make it possible for you to walk with Him. Jesus came, died, and rose again making it possible for God to walk with Him again. Did you know that you will one day live with God forever? One day Jesus will return, punish all evil and live with His people forever! Will there be hurt, pain or death when God is in charge?
Day Five
WALK IN THE LIGHT!
Read Ephesians 5:8
Where were you at one time? Where are you now? How should you walk? The world is filled with sin and darkness. Jesus came and was the light in the darkness. God is the only light, the only way to see in the darkness. Now that you know Him and believe in Him, there is no reason to live a sinful life. He wants to walk with you in the light and promises to help you. If you do, you might just see others reach for the true light switch because God’s light was seen in you! How can you take God up on His offer to walk with you? In other words, how can you walk with Him?
I Will Guide You
GOD AS A GUIDE
Read Isaiah 58:11
What will God do for you always? God is always at work. He is always there to help and guide you. Life can be scary sometimes because you don’t know your future, but God will help you walk that path He made for you step by step
A LAMP FOR YOUR FEET
Read Psalm 119:105.
How is God’s Word described? Have you ever gone camping and used a lantern to guide you on a dark trail? The lantern doesn’t light the entire path, it just lights the area around your feet. It’s perfect because you know exactly where you should and shouldn’t step. This is exactly how God promises to guide you with His Word. His Word is able to light your path one step at a time. You don’t have to worry about what is ahead in your life, just focus on how God’s Word is guiding you today. If you do, even though there might be bumps in the road, you will know where to step and eventually get where God wants you to go safely. What is God teaching you today? How has God guided you using His Word this year? How has His guidance helped you take steps?
GOD’S ROAD MAP
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
What does God promise to do for you? Fill in the Blank: God will counsel you with a ___________ eye on you. God has a plan for you and He will help you accomplish it. God can see you and watches you with a loving eye. He will help you make decisions and will point you in the right direction. He will even pick you up when you fall, brush off the dust, and fix what is broken. He loves you and will guide you. Has God ever picked you up when you have failed or fallen? What did He do? Do you trust God to show you what He wants you to do? Do you think it takes patience to trust God to guide you?
OPEN THE ROAD MAP
Read Psalm 25:9
Who does God guide/lead? Who does God teach? God promises to guide you, but you must have the right attitude to listen and follow His guidance. A humble person listens and obeys. A humble person is a person who does not think their own way is better than God’s. They can put their own desires aside and put God as #1. God will give you guidance, but you have to receive it. It’s like a road map. A road map will give you all the direction you want, but if you don’t use it, it can’t help you. You will be able to follow God’s guidance if you have a heart that is humble. Do you believe your way is better than God’s way? How can you have a humble heart and listen to God today?
ASK GOD TODAY
Read Psalm 25:4-5
What does the author of Psalm pray to God in this prayer? List them below in your own words. This is a great prayer to help you have a humble heart. The author really wanted God’s way to be his. Look at your list above and pray for God to guide you and give you all the patience you need to wait for Him to do His thing in you!
I Will Discipline You
GOD WILL DISCIPLINE YOU
Read Hebrews 12:5-6
Who does God discipline? Should you ignore or be defensive when God disciplines you? Be thankful that you have a God who loves you just the way you are. Be even more thankful that God loves you too much to let you stay the way you are. He punishes sin so that you can grow in your walk with Jesus!
TRAINING FOR PEACE
Read Hebrews 12:11
Does God recognize that discipline is hard to go through? Why does God promise that it’s worth it? God understands how tough discipline is for you, but He does it anyway because He knows it’s the best thing for you. The best attitude to have with God and your parents is to say you are sorry, faithfully take your punishment without complaining and change your actions. Remember that God promises to help you.
YOU ARE GOD’S KID
Read Hebrews 12:11
Who does God correct? Think about it… when you are at the store, have you ever seen your mom or dad discipline a child they don’t know over on the next aisle? Of course not, because the kid one aisle over is not theirs. If you do the same actions as that child one minute later, they will discipline you because you are their child. God loves you, so if He is disciplining you, that means you are His. His discipline is another confirmation that you are His.
BE WISE
Read Proverbs 13:1
What does a wise kid do? God promises to forgive and He already has forgiven you for your mistakes. If you are wise, you will learn from the temporary consequences you might face while you live on earth. If you do, God will make you more wise about how to live for Him.
DID YOU KNOW?
In Malachi 3:3, God describes Himself as a refiner of silver. It’s a really cool analogy to explain how God uses things such as trials and discipline to help us be better. Did you know that the metal silver in its raw form (meaning when it comes straight from the earth), has lots of imperfections? It’s actually not that cool looking. A silver refiner puts the piece of silver into the fire to remove the imperfections. He does this until the silver is pure. God uses discipline to help you get rid of your imperfections. He is not talking about the way you look. He is talking about the imperfection in your character called sin.
GOD’S DISCIPLINE HAS REWARD
Read 2 Corinthians 7:10
The word grief is another way to say “pain.” You can experience pain when God gives you a situation that is hard. You can also experience Godly pain when God disciplines you. God understands that there is pain, but it leads to you being sorry for your sin. What does Godly grief promise to produce? What does worldly grief promise to produce? Read Matthew 5:3 What does the poor in spirit inherit from God?
I Will Reward You
YOU WILL BE REWARDED
Read Hebrews 11:16.
What does God give to those who seek Him? Do you have a family member who gives you good gifts at Christmas and for your birthday? If you do, do you get excited to see what he/she has to give you during these special occasions? Get excited because God is the best gift giver and He has tons in store to give you. God not only gives you an inheritance, He also gives you a reward. It is important for you to understand the difference. Your inheritance is eternal life. When you inherit something, you did nothing to get it. It is just given to you. You did nothing to get eternal life, Jesus did all the work on the cross. If eternal life was all you got, that would be enough. God’s reward is like the stocking stuffer at Christmas. It’s not the main gift, but you are amazed that you get extra goodies in a sock. God will reward you for the good things you do on earth. It has nothing to do with your salvation but everything to do with a God who wants to bless His followers’ “socks off.”
DO NOT GIVE UP
Read Galatians 6:9
Why should you not grow weary in doing good? The word “reap” is a farming word. Farmers reap their crops when they are planted and full grown. It’s their reward for all the hard work they put into planting and growing the crops. God is promising you He will reward you for doing good. He is also motivating you to do good things. Focusing on the reward that God will give you is a good reason for doing good things! What are 3 good things you can do for God today?
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LOOK UP FOR YOUR REWARD
Read Colossians 3:2
Where should you set your eyes? Where should you NOT set your eyes? Colossians 3:2 helps explain what God’s reward is like. God promises you a reward for doing good but He also wants you to look up towards Him for that reward. God’s reward is so much better than earthly things. Earthly things are temporary that break and get old. God’s reward lasts for an eternity. God may bless you while you are on earth, but you should never do things so God can give you things on earth. There is no way to know what God’s reward will look like in heaven, but if you like the things He creates on earth… the things He has created for you in heaven will be a million times better. What are some ways that you can take your focus off earthly things?
THE VICTOR’S CROWN
Read 2 Timothy4:7-8
What does God say He will give to those who love Him when they have finished the race of life? The Olympics started in the country of Greece. When Paul was alive, the Olympics happened. He might have even gone! They looked a little different than they do today. For example, the winners would get a crown of leaves. The Greek word for it was “stefanos” (It sounds like the word “Stefanie” combined with the “los” in the name “Carlos”). This crown was not a “ruling crown” that a king would wear. This was the crown of a victor, a winner. God promises that you will get a victor’s crown. Life is a long distance race that takes training and endurance. But at the end, if you love God you will be victorious… and He will reward you with a crown!
YOU DID NOTHING FOR YOUR INHERITANCE
Read Ephesians 2:8-9
How are you saved? Did you do anything to get salvation? Remember, God’s grace is how you are saved. He did the work for you to have eternal life. It is important for you to understand the difference between inheriting salvation and being rewarded for good works when you get to heaven. The good works did not get you in… they are just the bonus gift.