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“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another” (Rom. 12:10).

Miss Liz sat on the edge of the bunk beside Carrie. “Carrie, I know you wanted to come to Camp Greenlake with your best friend, but why don’t you want to try to have fun here?”

Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s too many rules.”

Miss Liz looked at the list of cabin rules on the wall. “Maybe you don’t understand why we have so many rules. Let’s look at the first one. It says ‘Always use respect.’ That’s hard sometimes, but it’s very important. Do you know why?”

“I guess because if we didn’t have it, everyone would always be yelling at each other.”

“You’re probably right. To get along in our cabin and with the rest of the camp, we need to respect everyone—even people who don’t like us. What’s the second rule?”

Carrie looked at the list. “‘Always tell a counselor where you are going.’ I know what that one’s for—so we don’t get lost, and you know we aren’t going off to break some other rule.”

“Partly,” said Miss Liz. “Being a counselor isn’t the easiest job. We care about you girls, and we want to make sure you’re safe. We need to know where you are so we can do that. By telling us where you’re going, you’re respecting our job. That’s a way you can help us help you.”

Carrie didn’t look at Miss Liz, but she said, “Okay.”

“The third rule is ‘Keep your hands to yourself.’ Why do you think we have that one?”

“It would be pretty dumb not to have that one,” Carrie said, smiling a little. “You could get some pretty nasty fights. And people get mad when you touch their stuff.”

“You’re right again. When someone wants you to leave them alone, if you have respect for them, you won’t touch them or their things. You know something? I think we just made a discovery. You only need to follow one rule. It’s the first one, ‘Always use respect.’”

Miss Liz opened the Bible she had been holding. “A lot of people think the Bible is just a book full of too many rules too, but it isn’t as hard to follow if you understand it. Romans 12:10 says, ‘Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.’ ‘Honor’ is a word a lot like ‘respect.’ When you respect someone, you are kind to them and treat them better than yourself. If you follow that one rule about respect, you will be following the other rules automatically. The same is true about respecting God: if you respect Him, you’ll follow all His rules in the Bible.”

Trying to always do the right thing can be hard and confusing, but if we remember to do only things that show respect to God, it becomes easier to know and to do what is right.

My response:

» What are some ways I can show respect to God today?

» What are some ways I can show respect to the people around me?

“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).

“My dog ate my homework paper,” Denise said, turning red with shame, knowing she was telling her teacher a lie. Denise knew that her teacher, Mr. Morton, might believe her, because she had never before lost her homework and she was a very faithful fourth grader. But inside, Denise had this nagging feeling that bothered her all day. She went home and talked to her mom about it.

“Denise,” Mom said, “have you ever read Numbers 23:19?” Denise quickly turned to it. She was starting to feel worse than ever. The verse said “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” “Denise, I know that you love the Lord with all of your heart and that you want to please Him. I also know that you lost your homework. I found it while I was cleaning your room,” Mom said. “How do you think God feels about your lie?”

“I don’t think He is happy about it. I’ve been feeling bad all day,” Denise said. “Is that the Lord convicting me?”

“Yes, I think it is, dear,” her mom said. “Lying is a very serious sin. God is truthful and never lies, and we who worship and follow Him should try our best to be like Him. When we lie to other people we’re not just sinning against them; we’re sinning against God, too.”

Realizing why she had been feeling bad, Denise prayed, confessing her sin right then and there before her mom and her Heavenly Father. Denise knew she would have to make things right with her teacher too. She was scared about this, but afterward, she felt better. She was happy. She had made things right with God.

My response:

» How do I feel when I lie?

» Does how I live show others the right view of God?

» Do I live to please God or myself more?

“Men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1b).

“Time to get ready for bed, Taylor. When you are done, I will come pray with you.”

“Dad, does God hear me when I pray?” Taylor asked.

“Well of course, Taylor. Why do you ask?

“Oh, I don’t know. It just seems like a lot of things I pray for don’t ever happen. Maybe I’m just not asking God enough times.”

“That reminds me of a parable in the book of Luke. Jesus sometimes used parables, or stories, when He taught His followers. This one has to do with prayer. Jesus told a story about a judge and a widow. A widow is a woman whose husband has died. This widow needed help. The judge was the only one who could give her what she needed, but he refused. After a while, the judge saw that this widow was going to keep bugging him. He did not want her to bother him anymore, and he did not want others to think he was a bad judge, so he finally gave in,” Dad said to Taylor.

“Oh, so I just need to keep bugging God,” said Taylor.

“No, Taylor, there is more to the story. Jesus explained that if this unjust, uncaring judge would give the widow what she needed, then certainly God, Who is just and caring, will give His children what they need. And He will do it quickly.

“But, Dad, I don’t see all my prayers being answered quickly.”

“Well, at the beginning of the parable, we are told that Jesus used this story to teach people to be faithful in prayer. A person who prays faithfully does not become discouraged, but, rather, trusts that God will give people what they need when they need it. Now, finish getting ready for bed so we can pray.”

God hears our prayers and expects us to pray faithfully.

My response:

» Do I trust God to know and meet my needs?

» Am I more concerned with how God answers prayer or with how I pray?

» How can I be faithful in prayer?

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

“Jason, you will be finishing fourth grade in a few months. Your mother and I are thinking of letting you play an instrument. If you’d like, you may choose the instrument you want to play, but that means you will also have to choose to give up either soccer or basketball,” Jason’s dad was saying.

“Wow, Dad, I’ve always wanted to play trumpet. I can’t wait to play trumpet!” Jason tapped his fingers up in the air in front of him, playing a mock trumpet. But then he thought of having to give up one of his favorite sports. “Give up soccer or basketball? I don’t know which one I could give up.” Jason spoke out loud.

“Well, son,” said his father patting him on the back, “you have some time to think about it. Meanwhile, can you think of someone in the Bible who had to make a tough decision a long time ago? He was a king in the Old Testament.”

“Is it King David?” Jason asked.

“No. I’m thinking about his son, King Solomon. Let’s read 1 Kings 3:16–28,” Jason’s dad said.

After they finished reading the passage, Jason said, “Wow! King Solomon was smart, Dad! I’m not that smart. I wouldn’t have known who that baby’s mom was.”

“Well, most of us are not that smart, Jason.” Dad said. “Remember what the last part of the last verse says: ‘They saw that the wisdom of God was in him [Solomon], to do judgment [justice].’ The people in Solomon’s kingdom understood that it was God Who had given Solomon his great wisdom.”

“God can give you wisdom, too, Jason. Let’s read James 1:5. God says He will give you wisdom if you ask for it. You know son, Solomon asked God for wisdom in the early part of his reign. It’s right here in 1 Kings 3:5–9.”

“God came to Solomon in a dream and asked him what he wanted. Solomon said in 1 Kings 3:9, ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ Just like God said He would in the book of James, God gave Solomon wisdom when he asked for it. God gave it freely, generously and abundantly.”

God will give you wisdom when you ask.

» Have I ever asked God for wisdom?

» Do I ask God for wisdom when I have to decide something?

» Do I realize I need God’s wisdom to make good decisions between right and wrong?

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Have you ever watched an eagle fly? If you have, you’ve probably gazed in awe as the eagle spread its powerful wings and gracefully soared higher and higher in the sky above. The World Book Encyclopedia lists these fascinating facts about an eagle’s wings: A golden eagle has wings that span, or spread, about seven feet across. The shape of the feathers allows the eagle to stiffly spread out its wings. As the air flows easily over the surface of the wings, the eagle can glide for great distances. With help from the wind, the eagle can carry prey that weighs as much as the eagle itself weighs!

Isaiah 40:31 is talking about more than just physical, or bodily, strength. Difficult situations sometimes occur. For example, do you have a family member that’s suffering from an illness? Are things difficult for you at school? Are you struggling with a problem, and you don’t see how you’re going to get through it? God promises in Isaiah 40:31 that we can turn to Him for the spiritual strength we need to face any situation. That means if we trust and depend on Him, He will make us strong to face the problem. In fact, He promises us that we can “mount up with wings as eagles.”

God wants us to depend on Him for the strength we need to face difficult situations.

My response:

» When I have a problem, is the first thing I do to pray and ask God to help me?