Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read about It

Read: Matthew 6:25–33

Have you ever been to a corn maze in the fall? In fields with corn that can be eight to ten feet high, you run back and forth through the twists and turns trying to find your way out. Sometimes, it can feel impossible when you hit dead ends, or you feel like you’re running in circles. You might start to wonder if you’ll ever find your way out.

Many times when we’re going through hard times in life, it can feel a lot like those tricky corn mazes. It can be easy to feel like getting through those times is impossible. The Bible says that we have no reason to worry about things in our everyday life. Jesus’ words in the verses we read are pretty clear. We can trust God to take care of us, provide for our needs, and help us through hard times. Our part is to live in a way that makes His will first in our life.

Read about It

Read: Mark 5:35–43

Jairus was facing an impossible situation and needed a miracle. The thing he was most concerned about actually happened. His daughter died from being so sick. Yet, Jesus wasn’t shocked, and He wasn’t in a hurry. On the way to Jairus’s house, Jesus even took time to stop and talk with a sick woman who had reached out to touch His robe and was healed! Jairus was probably wondering what was going on. But Jesus said to him, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Imagine how happy Jairus must have been that he didn’t give up trusting when he saw Jesus raise his daughter from the dead!

Sometimes our impossible situations feel like they’re going to last forever, or we think our prayers will take a long time to be answered. In hard times, it can be easy to wonder if our prayers will be answered at all. It’s important for us to remember that Jesus hears us, knows us, and loves us. He works in His timing and in His own perfect way. We should never doubt His plans or power to work in our life. We must hold tightly to what we know is true: that we can trust Jesus no matter what we’re facing.

Read about It

Read: Mark 5:21–24; Proverbs 3:5–6

Math can be a really hard subject for some people. Imagine trying to solve a math problem that you don’t understand. You may go to a friend, but your friend is just as confused as you are. You may go to a parent or brother or sister. Maybe it’s been too long since they’ve done that kind of math, and they can’t help you. Your parent may use the Internet to find out how to do the problem. But, your best source for help with your math question is probably your math teacher!

Jairus came to Jesus because he was so concerned about his very sick daughter, and he knew Jesus could perform miracles. Jairus could have gone to doctors or his neighbors or friends. Instead, he went to Jesus. He knew that Jesus could heal his daughter. When we work to know Jesus more, or seek Him, He can show us what to do and help us through every situation. No one else has the power to work in our life like Jesus does.

Read about It

Read: Romans 8:27–30

Have you ever seen a little kid with a jack-in-the-box toy? A jack-in-the-box is a square toy with a small handle that turns. As you turn the handle, the box plays a song. At different times, the box will pop open and a toy will jump out. One kid may turn the handle with excitement, enjoying the fun and waiting to be surprised. But another kid may turn the handle nervously, not sure what will happen when the toy jumps out. It’s the same toy for both kids. The only difference is the attitude of the kid when they turn the handle and have something unexpected happen. Will they jump with excitement and laugh, or will they be scared and cry?

Sometimes there are unexpected twists and turns in our life. It’s easy to not want those things simply because we don’t know how it will turn out. It can be like waiting for the jack-in-the-box to pop out. But, if we know that God is good and that He wants what is best for us, then we can trust Him in every situation: good or bad, expected or unexpected. Even when we don’t know every path God will choose, we know He’s leading us to the good goal of becoming more like Jesus.

Read about It

Read: Isaiah 46:9–10

Have you ever written a story for school or maybe just for fun? As a writer, you have to think about how the events in the story will happen from the beginning to the end. You have to think through every detail of every character and know exactly what’s going to happen. No one wants to read a boring story either, so you should be sure to include lots of adventure. Sometimes it’s fun and exciting, and other times, you get to see a character work through challenges and come out stronger in the end.

Jesus wants to be the Author of our story by directing our life. He knows the whole story of the world from the beginning to the end. He knows every choice we will make and every detail of our life. Sometimes Jesus wants us to act in faith and do something new and exciting that we hadn’t planned on. Other times, He allows unexpected things to happen that are challenging. But, we can trust Jesus as the Author of our life knowing that He wants what’s best for us. He’s the best one to be writing our story.

Read about It

Read: John 4:15–30

Have you ever been to a party or somewhere and someone talks to you and seems to know everything about you? Maybe you haven’t met them before, or maybe they’re a friend of your parents. They might begin to talk about how cute you were as a baby, or they might know other things that you haven’t told them. It may feel a little weird, but this is kind of like what happened to the woman at the well.

Jesus began to tell this woman things about herself that a stranger shouldn’t have known. When she realized who Jesus was, she left her jar at the well and ran to her village. The reason she had come out in the heat of the day was to draw water from the well. But after she talked with Jesus, she changed directions and went the other way, leaving the water jar behind her. She couldn’t wait to tell everyone about Jesus. This is what Jesus wants to do in our life too! We need to be open to allowing Him to change our direction and our plans anytime He wants to.

Read about It

Read: John 4:5–14

Have you ever seen a friend at the store or the playground that you didn’t expect to see there? When you see someone like that, you have two choices: ignore them or talk to them. If you ignore them, you could hurt your friendship if they saw you and know that you ignored them. If you choose to stop and talk with them, you could leave that conversation feeling really encouraged, maybe even with plans to get together for some fun!

Jesus caught this woman off guard. She hadn’t expected Him to be at the well, or to speak to her and ask her for a drink of water. Jewish people in Jesus’ day typically didn’t want anything to do with Samaritan people. She had no idea when she started out for the well that day that her life was about to be changed. She could have ignored Jesus, or she could have run away. But because she was open to talking with Jesus, she gave Him space to change her life. There are times that Jesus wants to do something new and different in our life. We can choose to ignore or run from Him, or we can allow Him the space to write our story, which will be better than we could ever dream possible!

Read about It

Read: Psalm 103:8–13

Everyone’s done things that they knew were wrong. Maybe they borrowed something they shouldn’t have without permission. Or maybe they broke something and never told anyone. Those things are bad, but there’s something even worse. When we do things that God says are wrong, that’s sin. Every single sin deserves God’s punishment. But He shows us compassion and offers us forgiveness. When we ask for His forgiveness, instead of getting what we deserve, we get His love and mercy.

God’s compassion for us is an example for us. Has anyone ever been mean or hurtful to you? If so, maybe you wanted to get back at them. They may have deserved whatever you wanted to do It can be very hard to feel compassion for someone who’s done you wrong. Remembering God’s compassion when we sin can help us show compassion to those who do wrong to us.