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“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?

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

When John says, “God is light,” what does he mean? Is he saying that God is like a giant flashlight? Or maybe God is like the sun?

In the Bible, darkness is often used to describe sin. Hell is said to be a very dark place because God’s glory is not present there. If sin is like darkness, then God is like light – because God is pure and holy.

Have you ever noticed how darkness and light cannot be in a room at the same time? Here is an example:

Matt was with his dad at an Atlanta Braves baseball game. As the fifth inning was coming to a close, the sun was going down and the sky began to grow darker. Suddenly, all the huge stadium lights flashed on and flooded everything with brilliant light. The stadium that once had become dimmer and darker was now just as bright as it would have been in the middle of a sunny day! What happened? The light drove away the darkness. Whenever light fills someplace, there is no more room for darkness.

Light and darkness are like God and sin. God will not stay in the same place as sin. That means when you choose to keep sin in your life, God will not fellowship with you. You may be close in one sense to God (He is present everywhere), but in a spiritual sense, you remove yourself far away from God when you sin against Him willfully. That is why John writes to Christians, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” (See 1 John 1:6.) You can say that you are walking with God all you want. But your actions will tell the real story.

Praise the Lord – the opposite is also true! When you are walking with God and choosing to please Him, there will be no room for sin in your life. Remember that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all! You should walk with God closely so that sin does not have a chance to creep into your life.

One night, Matt’s family was driving in Australia with a missionary pastor. The pastor turned off the highway and began driving very slowly, turning off his headlights. Then he said, “Watch this!” Suddenly, he turned the headlights back on. They were on a golf course. There, blinking in the bright light, were dozens of kangaroos that had been grazing on the course. The kangaroos stared at Matt, and Matt stared back in wonder. Then they slowly hopped away. Unless the headlights had been turned on, Matt would not have even known that the kangaroos were around!

Many times, the “light” of God’s Word will show us things that we need to change. When that happens, we need to draw near to God in humble repentance. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God is light!

My Response:
» Is there any “darkness” (sin) in my life that I need to get out?
» Why should I be thankful that God is light?

“The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2)

Allie was exhausted! She had spent all morning scrubbing the moldy walls and pipes in a smelly bathroom. She had spent all afternoon scraping paint off some door frames. And she had spent all evening washing paintbrushes and running errands for the adults who were putting up wallpaper on the walls.

Allie’s family was on a work trip to help some people in Mississippi whose house had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Her dad had a painting business, and her mom was a counselor, so Allie got to go down to Mississippi and be a part of the work crew, too. They were working on the house of an older lady named Miss Ruby. Miss Ruby was probably ready to retire, but she still worked a full-time job at a store in town so that she could pay the bills.

As she cleaned up the tools and threw away scraps of wallpaper, Allie was humming some of her favorite songs about the Lord. She wondered to herself if Miss Ruby knew about God, or – if so – what Miss Ruby thought about Him. She also couldn’t help but wonder what Miss Ruby would think when she walked through that door after her work tonight and saw all the progress the crew had made on her home! It looked brand new to Allie. Everything was white and neat and nothing like the moldy mess it had been when they first came. It made Allie happy to think of doing something that would make Miss Ruby so happy. She couldn’t wait for her to come home!

Have you ever helped to get somebody’s bedroom ready? Maybe you have even helped to fix up someone’s whole house, like Allie and her family did. That is the kind of idea in Exodus 15:2, that we prepare a habitation (a home, dwelling place) for God. The LORD is the Giver of salvation. He is strength for His people. He is what His people want to sing about. And He is the One we should exalt.

Do you keep an important place for God in your life? God should not become some sort of “guest” in your life, with only a small, temporary room to stay in. God should have the very best, and He should have it for a long stay, permanently. Don’t just squeeze God into your life on top of everything else you want to keep important. God should be the most important Person in your life.

Are you constantly thinking about God? Do you keep ready to talk about Him? Are you trusting and obeying Him? Are you exalting Him? Is the LORD your strength and song? Does the thought of Him keep you going when you are exhausted? Just like Allie had served Miss Ruby all day and could not wait to see her face when she walked in after work, we should be thinking about our Savior all day, worshipping Him even with how we act and the things we say – as though we expect Him to come into His “home” and spend time with us every day.

God should feel “at home” in our lives.

My Response:
» Who is my strength, song, and salvation?
» Who deserves my praise and worship?
» Am I “making room for” God in my life?