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“The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.” (Psalm 37:12-13)

Does it ever seem like the disobedient kids you know get all the attention? Everyone knows who they are, and it can seem as though they get chosen to receive special attention. At least, the teacher spends extra time with them. If you’ve ever noticed this before, you probably agree with the psalmist in Psalm 73:3 when he says, “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” The psalmist had begun to feel a little bit jealous, because he had been trying so hard to keep doing what was right – yet it seemed to him that those who were habitually sinning were getting rewarded for wrongdoing!

But the psalmist’s jealous heart changed when he began to think about the real situation that wicked people are in. His psalm goes on to say that he stopped being jealous of the way the wicked seemed to be prospering. He talked to God about how he had been feeling, and God made it clear that the wicked were soon going to be destroyed – destroyed quickly and completely (Psalm 73:19).

God’s Word reveals clearly that He is laughing at the wicked. He is a merciful God, and He is a kind God. In one sense, God is open to the wicked and invites them to change their ways: If wicked people were to repent of their sins and trust Christ as Savior, God would gladly and graciously welcome them into His family. But there is another sense in which God delights to see justice brought upon unjust people. If there are wicked people who seem to be “winning” here on Earth while people who love and obey God seem to be “losing,” you can trust that God is aware (He knows) and that God will see that justice is done.

That’s why the Bible says God laughs when the wicked plot (plan evil things to do) against His people. God laughs because He knows what the wicked people cannot know. From His view in heaven, God can see everything happening – past, present, and future – and He knows the future of wicked people. For a little while, it may appear that wicked people are blessed while obedient people suffer. But that is not how it will always be. One day, God Himself will destroy those wicked people who do not repent of their wrongdoing. He knows about the destruction of the wicked. He also knows how He will one day bless those who are being faithful to Him.

God laughs at the wicked because He knows that their destruction is coming soon.

My Response:
» Am I one of the wicked ones who God is laughing at? If yes, should I confess that to Him and ask Him to help me change?
» Am I jealous of the wicked? If yes, should I confess that to God and ask Him to give me faith in His faithfulness?

“I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, ‘What doest thou?’” (Daniel 4:34-35)

Hunter and Cammie were playing on the dirt pile in the back yard. “I’m the king of the mountain!” yelled Hunter from the top of the pile, his arms raised high in the air.

“Not so fast, there!” yelled Cammie as she charged up toward him and attempted to take his place. As she pushed him out of the way, she exclaimed, “Now I’m the queen of the mountain!”

Laughing and out of breath, Hunter gasped, “So what does the queen of the mountain actually rule over?”

“Whatever she wants, of course!” replied Cammie, grinning.

Maybe, like Hunter and Cammie, you might like to be a ruler of some kind, in control of something – if only over something as small as a dirt pile. But do you remember Who is really in charge of everything? In Scripture, God is called “the Most High God.” Do you know why He is called that? He is called “the Most High God” because He is the most high! He has more authority and power than anyone else. He created the universe, and He controls the universe He created! He does whatever He sees fit to do. No one is in a position to question Him!

The truth that God is the Most High God should be encouraging, if you belong to Him. He has all things under perfect control. But at the same time, this truth should be a reminder that you are not the one in charge; God is. He has the right to “call the shots” when it comes to your life, and He carries out His own plans in His own way and in His own good time – because He is the Most High God.

God rules over everything and does everything He knows to be best for His glory and for our good.

My Response:
» Do I thank the Most High God that He rules over everything – even situations that are hard for me to understand?
» Do I submit in spirit when the Most High God controls things in my life, or am I trying to “call the shots” myself?

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11)

Have you ever spent a long time trying to find just the right gift for someone? It may have been for Christmas, for a birthday, or for another special occasion. Sometimes you buy gifts, and sometimes you make them; but you still put time and thought into what you decide to give. Your dad has to get just the right tie, and your mom needs the best-written poem. Your sister can’t get just any game. It’s so exciting to watch your loved one’s face as he or she opens up that good gift after you have put so much into choosing or making it.

Have you ever asked for something for months – and then finally received just what you’d been wanting? What a great feeling! You definitely feel loved when you get that specific thing you’ve been wanting for so long. Imagine that for months – like starting in the summer – whenever your family members ask what you want for Christmas, you say you would really like a new electronic game system. Over and over they hear you say it: A new game system. Now imagine that Christmas morning finally arrives, and there under the tree is a new game system! Wow! For you, that would be a good gift!

You love to give and to get good gifts. But the Bible talks about a big difference between just good gifts and perfect gifts. The apostle Matthew wrote that if a son were to ask his father for some bread to eat, no good father would give him a stone to eat instead. Similarly, no good mother would give her daughter a snake to eat if her daughter were to ask for some fish. Parents often seem to know how to give pretty good gifts. They know you well and try to get things for you that you need or will like. They also know what you don’t need to get – sometimes they know that better than you do! You’ve probably experienced that kind of parental goodness before, too – some time when you didn’t get something you’d asked for because your parents knew that it was not the best thing for you to have.

As good as your earthly parents might be at giving good gifts, the heavenly Father is the only One Who can give perfect gifts. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.” Now that’s exciting! Even better than your earthly loved ones, your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need and don’t need. He can make sure you receive the right things. You can trust His perfect goodness and His perfect gifts.

We may know how to give good gifts, but God knows how to give perfect gifts.

My Response:
» Am I looking to earthly good gifts to make me happy, or to God’s perfect gifts?
» How can I help others hope in God Himself?

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9)

One of the best ways to get to know God is to learn the different names that describe Him. Each of His names describes something about Who He is and what He does. One of the most often-used names of God in the Bible is the name Father. What is a father? What is a father like? Why might it be important that God is called a father? How should I think about a fatherly God?

To be a father, you have to have children. Usually a father lives with the children he helped bring into the world. Some fathers are fathers because they have adopted a child. If a husband and wife adopt a child, it means they go and get a child who does not have parents for some reason, and they take him into their home. An adoptive father treats his adopted child the same way he would treat a biological child.

A father is responsible to take care of his children. He provides them with food, clothes, a place to live, things they need, and maybe even some things they just want. He does that because he loves his children and wants to see them healthy and happy. No human father could ever be a perfect father, but most human fathers try at least to be good fathers. A good father teaches his children right from wrong, and he helps them to do what is right. Sometimes he has to discipline his children for doing wrong. Have you ever been disciplined by your father for doing wrong? If so, it was because he loves you and wants the best for you. A father also helps his children make the right choices. He hugs his children and tells them he loves them. He is there to comfort his children when they are hurt or are sad, or when they have a bad day.

God is a father, too. He has many, many children. His children are those who have turned away from their sin and are trusting in Him. He is everybody’s God and everybody’s Creator, because He created everyone, and it is because of Him that everyone has breath and life. But He is known as “Father” only to those who trust in Him, His adopted children. If we are God’s adopted children, it means God brought us into His family just like a human father adopts a child and brings him into his family. If we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior, Jesus is like an “older brother” to us. He has gone before us and made it possible for us to have father-child relationships with God.

God adopts children into His family because He loves them and wants the best for them. Because He loves us, He provides food and houses and air and every good thing in our lives. He teaches us right from wrong by giving us His Word. He helps us to under-stand His Word by His Holy Spirit and the parents and teachers He gives us. He also disciplines us when we do wrong because He knows doing wrong will hurt us. In these ways – through His Word and through the things He gives us – He reminds us that He loves us. And He is always there to comfort us when we get hurt or have a bad day.

What is so much more special about a father-child relationship than other kinds of relationships? If you have turned from your sins and trusted in Christ, then you are not just God’s “pet.” He doesn’t just feed you and teach you new tricks. You are not God’s “invention” or “robot.” You don’t exist just because God wants to boss you around or boast about all the neat talents He’s built into you. If you really have turned away from your sins and entered into God’s family by adoption, then you are (and always will be!) His child. God’s children can expect Him to act like a father.

Is God truly your father? Have you turned away from your sins? Are you trusting in Christ as your Savior and “older Brother”? If so, how do you feel about being a child of God? It should make you happy because you can trust He is always there for you, no matter what happens. He loves you very, very much – not just as any father, not just as any good father, but as the only perfect Father.

God is the heavenly Father of any who trust in Christ as Savior.

My Response:
» Do I know God as my Father?
» Am I happy and thankful for all He does for me?
» Do I really love Him as a child loves a father?

“Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.” (Judges 5:3)

During this Christmas season, some people are going out to do “caroling.” “Caroling” is when a group of people gather together and visit the homes of their family and friends, where they sing Christmas carols – songs about Jesus’ birth. Sometimes they bring cookies or hot chocolate or presents to give to the people they visit. But most of all, they give their time – they come sing as a way of saying “Merry Christmas!” and cheering up people who might be feeling sad or lonely. Often, groups of carolers will visit nursing homes or hospitals, in hopes of bringing some Christmas cheer to the residents and patients. Elderly people or sick people are usually unable to get out around town, or else they may not have friends and family – which is especially hard during the holiday season.

Some carolers even go out into the streets or public shopping malls and stand together and sing as crowds of people walk by. Unlike other times of the year, Christmas is a time where it is considered acceptable to sing religious songs in public. Even people who do not really know Jesus as their personal Savior are happy to hear Christmas carols as they go about their errands and do their last-minute Christmas shopping.

Have you ever gone caroling? Some of the more popular carols are very familiar songs to us – like “Silent Night” or “Joy to the World” or “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” Have you ever gotten so excited about singing Christmas carols that you discover you have forgotten to listen to the words you have been singing? In all the hustle and bustle of Christmastime, it can be easy to forget why we have so many popular songs about Jesus’ birth.

The whole celebration of Christmas is a very big reminder that God does exist, that we are a world full of natural sinners, and that we need a Savior. For some people, Christmastime is a very difficult season because it brings them face-to-face with the reality of God and their sins against Him. But it is also a time of great hope, because Jesus came to Earth to seek and save sinners like us.

During Israel’s early years as a nation, the people were ruled by judges whom God appointed. During the time of the judges, the Israelites often behaved very wickedly. They did not act like God’s people at all. The world was full of sinners, people who did whatever they thought was right for themselves – not even caring whether God thought their choices were right. But there were some people who knew God and loved Him. Deborah was a godly leader during the time of the judges. In the book of Judges, chapter 5, we can read a song that Deborah sang publicly in praise to God.

In Judges 5:3, Deborah sang, “Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.” She did not mind who heard her. Even the greatest rulers alive back then (kings and princes of other nations) could not compare to the Israelites’ God, Jehovah. From her heart, Deborah sang about God and all that He had done for His people, because she knew He was worthy of public praise.

This Christmas, you might have an opportunity to sing in public. Not just in front of the church and people who know and love your LORD, but maybe even in front of unbelievers who do not know Him. Isn’t it good news that God has come to Earth to seek and save sinners like you, and like those sick people or those shoppers at the mall? A God like that is worth singing about. We should not be bashful or scared when it comes to praising God. No one compares to Him, not even the greatest of human beings. We should listen to the words we sing, and we should mean them from our hearts, because God is worthy of genuine, heart-felt praise from His people.

God deserves to be praised publicly by His people.

My Response:
» Am I acting like a worldly person even though I say I am a Christian?
» How can I praise God publicly with my actions and words (and even songs)?
» Is there someone I can encourage today with the good news of the Savior?