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“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Ella and her mom were in Ella’s room, packing her toys into boxes. Next Saturday was the big day. Ella and her parents were moving all the way from Virginia to Washington State. As Ella continued packing her toys away, she began to cry. She would have to go to a new elementary school, go to a new church, and make new friends.

“Mom? I’m really scared about moving,” Ella said.

“Why?” Ella’s mom asked.

“What if nobody likes me? What if I don’t like my new school? What if there are no kids my age at our new church?”

“Moving is scary,” her mom said. “But God will go with us, and He cares about how you’re feeling right now.”

“Really?” Ella asked.

“Really,” her mom answered. “What’s that verse you just memorized in Sunday School?”

Ella thought for a moment, trying to remember. “Was it the one about casting our cares on God?”

“‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you,’” said her mom. “Why don’t we pray and ask God to help us cast our cares on Him?”

God tells us to cast (“throw”) our care (“worries” or “concerns”) on Him because He cares about us. If we cast all of our cares on God, we do not need to worry about anything at all. Because God cares about us, we do not have to feel as though we are bothering Him when we tell Him our concerns. When something is bothering us—whether we think it is something small or something really big—we can tell God.

God wants us to tell Him all about it because He cares all about us.

My response:

» What cares do I have that I need to tell God about?

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:8).

“Hey, watch it, Blaine!” Justin grabbed his forehead where Blaine had elbowed him. “Ouch!” he thought. “Why does Blaine always have to muscle his way all over the court? What a ball hog!”

“Sorry, Justin. Are you okay?” Blaine stopped dribbling the basketball and came over to where Justin was standing under the net. “It was an accident.”

“Yeah, right! You think this game is all about Blaine, don’t you?!” Justin kept dabbing at his forehead, half hoping he’d find blood there; maybe that would teach ol’ Blaine the Ball Hog a lesson. “Blaine, Blaine, Blaine, it’s all about Blaine. You’ve got a great two-step strategy—you know, hog the ball and knock everyone else off the court!”

“Justin, really. It wasn’t on purpose I’m just a klutz.” With a shake of his head, Blaine handed Justin the ball and walked off the court to the locker room.

Justin opened his mouth to shout something after him, but he stopped when he realized all the other boys were staring at him. “Well, what?” he asked them, as the locker room door shut behind Blaine. “It’s about time someone told him off.”

Coach Mark walked over and put his hands on Justin’s shoulders. “Justin, take a step back and look at yourself and your reactions. The only one in this gym acting like the game is all about him is you, Justin.” Coach took the ball out of Justin’s hands and motioned for him to leave. “I think you have some business in the locker room, young man. Namely, an apology for being quick to jump to angry conclusions.”

Like Justin, have you ever struggled with a quick temper? Often, an angry reaction is wrong in several ways. Justin assumed that Blaine was wronging him, when really Blaine had elbowed him accidentally. But through his anger, Justin could not see the truth. So he got a false understanding of Blaine and ended up hurting everyone. Justin would have been wise to first check his own attitude and goals.

When we do wrong or get ourselves into trouble, we want God and others to be patient with us, to understand where we are coming from, what we really meant, or how sorry we really are. We want other people to be “slow to anger” with us, to give us some time to explain or to try to make things right. But how are you when it comes to being “slow to anger” with other people? By his example, Coach Mark showed Justin how to confront someone who is in the wrong. He did not jump to a false conclusion about Justin. He went over and calmly talked instead of shouting out quick and thoughtless accusations.

How do you behave when you get angry? Do you react quickly and thoughtlessly, like Justin, or do you show wisdom and restraint like Coach Mark?

God is longsuffering and slow to let loose His anger on us.

My response:

» Am I quick to lose my temper with people?

» What does a quick temper reveal about my opinions of myself?

» How can I work on being “slow to anger”?

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:2–3).

Do you like being told what to do? Probably not, at least not always. Do you ever feel like your parents, teachers, or coaches or your older brothers or sisters tell you to do things just for you to do them with no reason? An older brother or sister might do that, but parents, teachers, and coaches probably wouldn’t. They have a special reason for telling you what to do, even if you don’t know what the reason is. And usually that reason is for your good.

Some people think God commands us to do something or to not do something just to tell us what to do. They seem to think He just likes giving orders and being the boss. “God doesn’t want us to have any fun,” they may say. So they disobey God. They can’t see any reason to do what He tells them. But they think that way because they don’t really understand God.

God doesn’t give us instructions just to be bossy. His desire is to do us good. And every one of His instructions (or commandments) is for that reason. You see, God made us and knows everything about us. He knows what is good for us and what isn’t. And He wants good for us. That’s why He gives us instructions. He knows if we obey them, we will live better lives and develop better character traits than if we disobey them.

So the next time you read or hear an instruction from God, remember it is not there to make your life hard. It’s there for your good, even if you can’t see how it could be good for you. Just obey from your heart, and you will see the goodness of God’s instructions.

My response:

» How do I respond when I read or hear one of God’s instructions?

» Do I remember God’s instructions are for my good?

» Do I obey them immediately and cheerfully?

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).

Do you think your mom has the power to feed you every day? Does she ever tell you, “I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t get up the strength to feed you today”? Does she send you to school without any clothes on because she just doesn’t want to buy you clothes? Of course not. Your mom wants you to get everything you need to live.

Your mom can probably give you everything you need for living on earth, but God gives you everything you need for living on earth and in Heaven. God is more powerful than anything or anyone else. After all, He made the universe! He’s the one who makes it possible for you to live and to make it through this life. But God doesn’t stop at providing things you need to live your physical life. Every day He gives you the things you need for your spiritual life too—strength, faithfulness, love, and grace.

How does God give you these wonderful gifts? By the knowledge of His Son, Jesus. Jesus knows what people need. He lived on earth too. God’s gifts to you come when you know who Jesus is and what He has done. It’s not just knowing about Jesus. It’s knowing Jesus. Think of it this way—you know that people live down the street from you, but you probably don’t know every single person on your street. But you do know your mom. She’s the one who gives you good things. You know who she is and what she does for you. That’s the way you should know Jesus—as the Person Who can provide for you and who loves you with a love that never ends. God will provide everything you need to get through life, both physically and spiritually, as you come to know His Son more and more.

God provides physical and spiritual needs through Jesus.

My response:

» How does God provide for my needs?

» When will I take time today to thank God for providing what I need?

» How will I learn more about Jesus today?

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised” (Psalm 48:1).

I have always enjoyed the changing of seasons. Perhaps the changing of the leaves in autumn makes fall my favorite time of year. Maybe I enjoy beautiful nature scenes because my father taught me to love them through his artwork. But I cannot help but praise the Lord as I look at a hill or mountain of changing trees. I cannot help but say, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name” or sing “How Great Thou Art.”

Just about every year from 1975 to 2002, my family made a trip to War Eagle, Arkansas, in the Ozark Mountains for an arts and craft show where my father showed his work. Artists and craftspeople came from all around to display their goods. But my family didn’t go for the fine art or the crafts; we went to be refreshed and to enjoy nature. One of the things I liked most was the breathtaking view the Lord always gave us on our trip.

Think of all the things the Lord has made that we can see in nature all around us. Massive snowcapped mountains jutting up into the sky. Millions and millions of stars that shine down at us like little pinpricks of brilliant light. The blazing sun to light our world by day, and the softer, gentler moon that floats across the sky at night. Autumn leaves with their red, yellow, and brown hues. Massive canyons and rushing waterfalls and forests filled with mighty redwoods. There are so many remarkable things the Lord has created, and when we see them we cannot help but think about His creativity, His power, and His greatness.

Praise the Lord, for He is great!

My response:

» Do I praise God when I look at things He has made?

» Do I take time to tell God how great He is?