Author: Nathaniel Colt

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.

Read about It

Read: 1 Timothy 6:17–19

What would you do with a million dollars? Maybe you would want to buy a new house or a beautiful new car. Perhaps you would like to go on an exciting vacation to a remote island and relax on the beach for a few weeks. Or, maybe you’d buy the latest and greatest video game system with every video game that was made for it. It would be really easy to rely on that money and to feel like you did not have to worry about how much things cost. That is, at least until the money was gone and you’re right back to where you started.

Even though you probably don’t have a million dollars to spend as you wish, the Bible does warn against trusting earthly things like money. Instead, you should trust God. He is the One who gives you money, talents and skills, and everything else you have. When you use those things for God’s plans and purposes, it is an act of worship to Him and you can experience life in the way He planned for you.

Read about It

Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1–5

There’s something really cool that happens when we wrap our head around how much God has given us. When we begin to think about how much love and patience He has with us, how much grace He has given us, plus all the physical things He has given us like a home, family and friends, and food on our table, it can blow our mind! Even when we are going through difficult times or we have a problem or we can’t do some things that other people get to do, we are still incredibly blessed.

The churches in Macedonia were struggling and the people were going through some difficult times. However, even though they didn’t have much, they were willing to give, even beyond what they could afford, in order to help other people. When we give generously in love and with the right kind of attitude, God will use us to bless those around us.

Read about It

Read: Luke 21:1–4

Imagine that a friend comes to visit you and they have a dozen cupcakes with them. These are the kind of cupcakes that are perfectly soft with just the right amount of icing on top of them. When they offer to give you one of their twelve cupcakes, it’s going to make you feel good and of course you would appreciate the gift. However, imagine another friend coming to visit you and they have one freshly baked, warm brownie. It’s the only one they have and yet they are willing to give it to you because they love you. Which friend actually gave you more—the friend who still had eleven other cupcakes after giving you one or the friend who gave you their one and only brownie?

Giving to God like the friend who was willing to give their only brownie or the woman who gave her two small coins is the most powerful giving. Sometimes it’s difficult for us to be generous in our giving, especially if there’s something else that we want for ourself. However, when we are willing to give all we have to God for Him to use, He can take that gift and do something incredible with it.

Read about It

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6–8

Have you ever seen a farmer planting a field? If the farmer is stingy and plants just a few seeds in a field, the field will yield a small, sparse crop. However, if the farmer uses a generous amount of seed, the land will yield a generous crop. Which do you think is better?

God wants us to give generously out of what we have. He also cares about our attitude when we give. God doesn’t want us to give with a bad attitude and because we feel like we have to; He wants us to give with a cheerful heart, remembering that all we have comes from Him and He will always take care of us. When we remember how generously Jesus gave to us, it makes it easier for us to give generously in return out of a heart of love for God.

Read about It

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Take a moment and place two fingers on the side of your neck where you can feel your pulse. Your pulse is your heart beating, pumping blood throughout your body. It’s constant and it’s absolutely vital for living. Without your heart beating, you could not live. There’s no way to separate your heart beating and you from living.

God wants His relationship with you to be as consistent as your pulse. Conversations with God should be as easy as breathing, as easy as your heart pumping blood. They should be a natural part of who we are and what we do. God wants you to be so close to Him and in such a deep, personal relationship with Him, that you wouldn’t feel right if His presence were taken away. As we grow closer to God, we begin to understand more of who He is and how He works. We begin to walk confidently in every situation we face, and we can be joyful and thankful no matter how difficult the circumstance because we’ve come to rely on God in every part of our life. We know that He will be with us through our difficulties.

Read about It

Read: James 5:13–16

Do you know that when you pray, you are talking with the one and only living God? Do you know that when you pray, you are talking with the only One who has power over everything in the universe? He is the One who has power to heal, power to forgive, and power over everything. When we have a relationship with God, when we pray and rely on Him, He uses His power to help us because we are His children.

Because He is the God who desires a relationship with us, we can go to Him at any time with any need that we have. This doesn’t mean that we should just go to God with a big wish list of everything we want, like a new car and a million dollars, and assume He will give us everything. It does mean though, that because He loves us, He wants us to come to Him with our needs, in faith, and trust Him to take care of us. When we pray, God responds and things that would otherwise be impossible can happen as a result of our prayer.

Read about It

Read: Matthew 6:5–8

Can you imagine what it would be like if you were required to speak with big fancy words every time you wanted to talk to an adult? What would happen if you didn’t know the right words? Or what do you think it would sound like if you spoke only in one monotone voice like a robot when you tried to talk to them? It wouldn’t allow for a whole lot of real conversation, right?

When we talk with God, He wants us to be ourself. We don’t have to use memorized prayers or big fancy words. We shouldn’t try to impress others when we pray, and we shouldn’t say words that are memorized without actually meaning what we’re saying. God wants us to talk to Him with our own words, and say exactly what we’re thinking and feeling, in a respectful way. He sees us and knows us and simply wants us to come to Him because He loves us and desires a relationship with us.