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“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7-8)

Does your family have a family recipe for salad dressing? Henry’s mom had an amazing salad dressing recipe that she made every Sunday afternoon. Henry loved that salad dressing! He did not even like salad if it didn’t have his mom’s homemade salad dressing on it. He could eat almost anything if that salad dressing was on top!

There was a trick to this salad dressing, though. You had to shake it up before you could pour it out onto your salad! The oil and vinegar in the salad dressing would separate (come apart) if you left the bottle sitting too long on the tabletop. Unless you shook the bottle to mix the oil and vinegar together again, they would stay in two separate parts. If you were to pour the dressing out without mixing it up first, it would come out tasting really gross.

The way that oil and vinegar naturally separate is kind of a picture of the way spiritual things and fleshly things are separate from one another. What is the “flesh”? Is it your skin or your organs? No. When we talk about the “flesh” like it is talked about in the Bible, we are describing sinful human nature. The flesh is what makes us want to give in to sinful temptations. It is a part of every human being, because we are all born with a sinful nature. As we keep turning away from our sins and keep turning toward God, we are walking more and more in the Spirit, and that means we will not do what the flesh tempts us to do.

To be at “enmity” with God means to be at odds with Him, to be against Him, to be His enemy. God and the flesh are enemies! They are opposites, like light and dark. Sinful nature is not something that can be nearby God. God is holy, so He cannot stand sin.

Because we are sinners, and because God is holy, we are born as natural enemies of God. He loves us but cannot stand sin. So Jesus Christ came, took on the likeness of  fleshly nature, and yet He never sinned! That is why Jesus is so wonderful: He is our Bridge back to God! Because Jesus was 100% God AND 100% human, He is the only One Who can change us so that we do not have to be the enemies of God.

Because God is holy, He is the natural Enemy of our sinful nature.

My Response:
» Do I walk in the temptations of the flesh, or do I turn away from them to follow God?
» Am I trusting in Jesus to be the Bridge between me and God?
» Am I choosing to walk in the Spirit like Jesus did when He faced temptations as a human being?

“And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” (Joshua 2:11-13)

Rahab was a sinner saved by God’s grace. She had been a godless woman living in a godless city, Jericho. One day, two spies from the children of Israel came to see Rahab’s city, because their leader Joshua had told them to. God was going to help the children of Israel fight and take over the whole city of Jericho.

Of all the houses the spies could have visited, they visited Rahab’s. Rahab had a bad reputation. She had done many bad things, and she was a low woman in her city. But Rahab took the spies in and protected them from the leaders of Jericho who came searching for them. She helped the spies, showing them kindness, and gave them guidance for how to escape. Do you know why?

All the people of Jericho had heard about the children of Israel and what their God had done for them. They had heard about how God opened up a dry path through the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross in safety, and then how the Egyptian army was drowned when they followed them and God brought down the waters on them. The people of Jericho had also heard about how God fought with the Israelites. And the people of Jericho were scared that they would be next.

Was Rahab like the rest of her people? Was she scared of the children of Israel and their God? Yes! So why did she show kindness to Israelite spies? Rahab was not just scared of God. She believed in Him. She believed that the God of the Israelites was the one true God, everywhere and over all.

Rahab believed God, and she feared Him. But in spite of her fear, she had the faith to ask for goodness and mercy and deliverance from death. Based on what she knew of the Israelites’ God, based on all that He had already done, she asked for mercy for herself and her family. The Israelite spies agreed. They promised that when they came to take over Jericho, they would protect anyone who was in her house.

Even though Rahab knew she was a sinner who did not deserve mercy, she asked for help from the only ones who could help her. She was not asking for mercy based on all the things that she had already done. How could she? But she knew enough about God and all the things He had done. She could ask for mercy, in spite of herself and in spite of her fear, because she trusted that He was the kind of God Who shows mercy to people who turn to Him.

God is the kind of God Who shows mercy to undeserving people who call upon Him for help.

My Response:
» Am I trusting in the God of the Bible, or in myself?
» On what basis can I hope to have mercy from God – based on my own good deeds? based on how well I pray?
» How can I show by my actions that my faith is placed in the one true God?

“He laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, ‘Thou art Christ the Son of God.’ And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: For they knew that he was Christ.” (Luke 4:40b-41)

Some people think Jesus behaved very mysteriously when He lived on Earth. They think He could have been more clear about Who He was and why exactly He came to Earth. But often, people see only what they want to see. This was true in Bible times, and it is still true today.

Before Jesus died on the cross, He did many supernatural miracles and preached many amazing sermons. People were surprised by Him all the time! The Bible says over and over that the people “marveled” or that they were “astonished” or that they were even speechless! These are all ways of saying that Jesus amazed and surprised crowds of people with His words and His actions.

The Bible also says that many people understood Who Jesus was and believed in Him. But many people did not. They could not seem to understand, or else they did not want to understand. They wanted a glorious king to rescue them from the Roman empire. They wanted a wonderful leader to rule over them and restore them as a nation. They wanted someone around to heal all their diseases and fix all their earthly problems.

Jesus was not here to fix all their earthly problems. If He had come for that reason, He would have fixed all of the sick people and broken situations. Jesus did what He came to do. That is why He told demons not to possess (take hold of) people. If a demon (devil) was bothering someone, and that someone was brought to Jesus, Jesus would tell the demon to get out and go away. Demons are angels who have rebelled against God. So Who created angels? Jesus did. Jesus knew every one of these demons, and they knew exactly Who He was. They were afraid of Him. They wanted Him to leave them alone. And they knew right away that He was GOD.

Even the demons believe Jesus is Who He says He is. They are not going to heaven; they are rebelling against God. Jesus did not come to Earth just to get rid of all the demons and diseases and hunger and political problems. He did help people, especially in ways they needed to be helped. But those miracles were supposed to help people understand Who He was and what His bigger purpose in coming was: “To seek and to save that which was lost.”

During His time here on Earth, Jesus gave many clues and open messages about Who He was and why He came. He came to die on the cross for sinners, to take away their sins and to give them His righteousness instead. Do you believe Jesus is Who He says He is? “The devils also believe, and tremble.” It is important to take what you know in your head about Jesus and make it count for something in your heart. Do you really believe He is both the Son of God and the only Savior of sinners? Are you trusting in Jesus Christ as your God and Savior?

For those who were listening, Jesus made it clear Who He was and Why He came to Earth.

My Response:
» Am I trusting in Jesus as both my God and my Savior?
» Am I too busy looking for Jesus to help me that I am missing what He wants to teach me?
» How can I explain to my friends and family Who Jesus is and why He came?

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8a)

Maria turned on the faucet for her mom. Then she slowly followed the hose to where her mom was watering the flowers. “How was your day, Maria?” her mom asked.

“Not very good,” Maria said. “Jessica ruined it.”

“Jessica ruined your whole day. Hmm. How did Jessica do that?”

“She didn’t want to sit by me or play with me today. She played with Sarah instead. Jessica’s supposed to be my best friend!” Maria glanced at the flowers. “That flower needs some water, Mom. It looks brown.”

“My hose doesn’t reach that plant,” she said. “I need to replant that flower before it dies.”

“Oh,” Maria said. “Anyway, it’s going to be a bad year. I am the only third-grader without a best friend.”

“I know how important Jessica’s friendship is to you, sweetie. I’m sure she will still be your friend if you talk to her about it.” Mom started rolling up the hose, and they walked back to the house. “But Maria, don’t let this ruin your year – or even your day. You can still be happy even if Jessica is being unkind.”

“But it’s so hard! How can I be happy when Jessica is being mean to me?”

“Maria, do you see that plant down there next to your knee?”

“That really big one?” Maria asked.

“Yes. That’s the same kind of flower as that brown one back there.”

“Really?” Maria asked, looking from one to the other. “What makes it so different?”

“The difference is its water source. I can’t reach the brown one with my hose, so it has to wait for the rain to water it. But this big, green one is right underneath the leaky faucet. The drips from the faucet are a constant supply of water that help it grow. Even if there is no rain for weeks, that plant will still have water every day – because it is right next to the source of water.”

“Ok,” Maria said slowly. “I don’t get it.” Her mom smiled, and then turned off the hose.

“In the Bible, Jeremiah talks about people who trust in other people instead of trusting in God. Jeremiah compares those people to a plant in a desert. A desert plant does not have a constant source of water, so it will not live long or well. But someone who trusts in the Lord is like a plant living by a river. A plant next to a river will always be green and healthy because its roots get water from a constant supply. When you put your hope in a person – even a good friend like Jessica – you will be disappointed sometimes. No person could ever be a reliable source of abundant life.”

“Abundant?”

“Well, abundant means profitable or plentiful. An abundant life is full of all the good things God wants us to have.”

“Oh, now I get it,” Maria said. “If I want to have an abundant life, I have to get it from God, not Jessica – right?”

“Exactly,” Mom said. “Only God can be a constant Source of life for you. If you trust God to be your best friend, He will not let you down.”

“Wow! I hadn’t thought about it that way before.” Maria was quiet for a moment. “Um…Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Can we move that brown plant closer to the source of water, now?”

And together they went to get the shovel.

Is God your best Friend? Or are you relying on other people and other things to give you happiness? God is the only One Who can be a reliable Source for full joy in life. Jeremiah 17 teaches that those who trust in the LORD are blessed.

Only God can be our Source of abundant life.

My Response:
» Am I depending on people to be my source of abundant life at church, home, or school?
» How can I show that I believe God is the only reliable Source of abundant life?

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” (Ezra 7:10)

God’s people were not doing well. They had fallen into sin and were facing many enemies. They were discouraged and needed help. And so God sent a man named Ezra to help His people. (Ezra’s name actually means “to help.”) Why did God choose to use Ezra in such a great way? Maybe the reason is found in Ezra 7:10 – “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”

The word “prepared” tells us that sometime in Ezra’s life, probably when he was a boy, he decided something about the direction in life – he “set his heart.” Did you know that it is never too early to purpose in your heart that you want to serve the Lord? Most missionaries around the world gave their lives to Christ when they were young people.

But what did Ezra “prepare his heart” to do? He decided to do three things. First, he wanted to “seek the law of the Lord.” That means that he wanted to become an expert at knowing the Word of God! Have you ever decided to become an expert at something? Jason and Evan spent a lot of time playing a game called foosball or table soccer. They liked to team up and try to win against the teenagers, often making the older boys feel very silly to have been beaten by 10-year-olds. Jason and Evan had decided to become experts at foosball, and they did it!

Sports and games can be great fun and good exercise. But think how much better it must be for a young person to decide that the most important goal is to be an “expert” at trusting and obeying God’s Word? There is nothing more worthwhile than that!

Secondly, Ezra decided to do the Word of God. Whenever God said something, Ezra wanted to obey right away. Have you ever met a picky eater? (Hopefully you are not one yourself!) Some kids will poke at their food and say, “I don’t want peas” or “I don’t like spinach.” They do not want their food, even though it is good for them. Some people like to be picky about God’s Word. They say, “I don’t want to do that command” or “I don’t like this.” God is not pleased when we are “picky eaters” of His Word.

Lastly, Ezra decided “to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” This means that Ezra decided early in life that he wanted to teach others about the Word of God. Maybe God would allow you to teach people the Word of God someday!

God wants your heart.

My Response:
» Does God have my whole heart?
» Am I letting other things in my life become too important to me?
» Do I really trust and obey ALL of God’s Word, not just the parts I like?