Author: Nathaniel Colt

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!

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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.

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Read: 1 John 3:16–19

Imagine that you’re walking through the grocery store. When you turn the corner to the next aisle, there’s a huge display that you didn’t see. You trip, fall flat on the floor, and knock down the entire display. Everything goes flying. How would you feel? Maybe you feel sad because you hurt your ankle, or maybe you feel embarrassed because you made a huge mess. Would you feel worse if people laughed at you, or would it be better if those around you had compassion and stopped to help you pick up all the things that had fallen?

Probably all of us would want someone to stop and help us. That’s the kind of compassion we’re supposed to show and receive when we’re part of the Church. Jesus has shown us so much compassion and love! As the verses we read explained, His love should make us want to love other Christians the same way. One way we can show that love is by putting it into action when we see other Christians hurting or in need.

Read about It

Read: Luke 7:13–17

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate when you hear good news or something special happens? Maybe you put on your favorite music. Perhaps you jump up and down and shout and squeal because you’re so excited. How do you think the mother in today’s story acted after what Jesus did? One minute she was hurting and heartbroken because her son had died. Then, Jesus reached out and showed compassion by bringing her son back to life. Her entire world changed!

Jesus gives us opportunities to reach out and show compassion to others. It may not mean life or death for someone, but simply caring or helping them will affect them. What may seem small to us could mean a world of difference to someone else. By showing compassion to those who are hurting, we help others know that they are loved by God, that they are valued, and that God has a plan and purpose for their life even when they have hard times.

Read about It

Read: Luke 7:11–13

Imagine being part of the crowd following Jesus this day. Seeing a funeral procession would have been sad. This funeral was life-changing for the mother. Not only was she a widow, which means that her husband had died, but now her only son had died. During Bible times, it was the men who provided for their family. For this widow, it would have been very hard for her to pay for food and other needs on top of the pain of losing her son. This is where Jesus stepped in. The Bible says that His heart overflowed with compassion for her!

Compassion means to have care or concern for someone. Compassion can feel like a tug on your heart when you see someone who is sad or hurting. Compassion makes you want to help them. When Jesus saw this woman who was hurting, He had compassion for her and wanted to comfort her. There are times when we may find people who are hurting and need help. Jesus wants our heart to be filled with compassion for others and for us to reach out to people in need just like He did with the widow.