Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read about It

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:18–26

The human body is incredible. Many different parts come together to make your body. All of those parts work together to do simple tasks like sitting, raising your hand, or eating your favorite snack.

The Church, also called the body of Christ, is like that, too. God has given each of us different gifts and talents, and we need to work together. No gift or talent is greater than another, but when Christians work together it creates something beautiful.

Read about It

Read: Hebrews 10:24–25

Here is a special job just for you: you need to fold one thousand paper airplanes. That would take a very long time. Now imagine having ten friends help you by each folding one thousand paper airplanes. That seems like a lot more fun. When one of you gets tired or wants to give up, someone is there to encourage them to keep going. Also, you can complete the task faster if you have help.

Living as a Christian is like this too. Spending time together, laughing, talking, and learning are all important. Christians need each other and these experiences help us bond. Then, we have people we can look to for help when life gets hard. It is important for us to have people who love us, encourage us, and help us grow in our faith.

Read about It

Read: Romans 12:9–10

Have you ever seen someone do something nice because they wanted something in return? In life, you are going to experience that sometimes. It may be hard to know if someone’s actions are sincere. Romans 12:10 says to love others with “genuine affection.” When we love others, we shouldn’t just love them for what they can do for us, but we should love them because God loves them.

Also, we should honor and encourage each other. When someone is in need, we should look for ways to help, even if that might be inconvenient at times. We can show love in our everyday life by how we interact with and care for others.

Read about It

Read: Proverbs 27:17

Who is your best friend? Best friends are pretty special. A best friend is someone you can talk to, someone who will always be there for you. You love spending time with them, learning about their interests, and sharing life with them.

Proverbs 27:17 says that friends sharpen each other. What that means is that our best friend can help us grow closer to God. Not only should our best friend do that for us, but we should do that for them too. God gives us people in our life to help us, and we need each other!

Read about It

Read: Luke 6:27–36

Loving your enemies and praying for people who hurt you seems like a crazy thing to do, right? Sometimes, people are just plain mean, and they do things that are wrong and hurtful. When you think about it, who really wants to be kind to someone who is mean? And yet, in the Bible verses today, Jesus said to do exactly that.

The Bible says that when we do good to others, without expecting anything in return, our reward in heaven will be great. The way Jesus wants us to treat people is very different from how others react to being wronged and hurt. It can be shocking to our enemies. And it can make them wonder what is different about us. That may give us an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them.

Read about It

Read: Matthew 20:26–28

Even though Jesus is God, He was willing to leave heaven to come to earth and to be born. He could have demanded the best room in town and the most beautiful clothing money could buy. He could have lived His life on earth as a king, with money and riches and people waiting on Him hand and foot. But, He chose to hang out with all kinds of people. Some of those were outcasts, and He humbly lived His life here serving others and showing them God’s love.

Serving isn’t always fun. Sometimes it means doing things that we don’t really want to do, like scrubbing the toilets or letting someone else get the first pick. Serving requires putting others before ourself and having the kind of heart that wants others to have the best, even if it costs us. When we choose to put others first, we are showing them who Jesus is and our actions are showing them an example of Jesus’ love.

Read about It

Read: 1 John 3:16–18

A lifeguard’s job is to stand or sit by a body of water and carefully watch for people who are having trouble swimming. Once the lifeguard spots someone struggling, they immediately dive in to rescue the person. What good would lifeguards be if they just looked like lifeguards but did nothing to help those in danger of drowning?

Jesus is kind of like our lifeguard. He left heaven and gave His life for us. This shows us what real love is. There’s no doubt that He loves us, because He showed us by His actions. He wants us to show others the kind of love that He showed us. Jesus said that people would recognize His disciples by the love they show each other (John 13:35). When we show others we care by serving them, we are showing them an example of the kind of love that God has for us.

Read about It

Read: James 2:14–18

How would it make you feel if someone told you over and over again that you were their best friend, and yet, they never wanted to spend any time with you? What if you told your brother or sister every day how much you love them, but you also yelled and said mean things to them every day? Do you think they would have a hard time believing that you really love them?

The Bible asks the question, “What good is it, … if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?” God doesn’t want us just to say we love Him or say we love others; He wants us to do something about it. If we aren’t willing to serve others and treat them the way God wants us to treat them, how is anyone going to know that we are really followers of Jesus? God doesn’t want other people to know we’re Christians only because we tell them; He wants us to show them.