PATIENCE 1 - God is waiting for us.

Patience 1 - English files

Geduld 1 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about 2 Peter 3:3-15

About the only thing most people would agree on is that this world is in an awful mess. But there’s not much consensus about the cause of that mess.

As soon as anyone mentions sin, it’s shrugged off, and God—should there be one—gets the blame. How could He let things get to such a state? And isn’t He the one in charge of putting things right?

Well yes, according to the Bible, He is the Judge of all (Hebrews 12:23), but as pointed out by the scoffers Peter quotes in this passage, quite a bit of time had passed (about 33 years) since Jesus’ promise to return—and nearly 2000 until our own day. What’s the holdup?

If Peter didn’t tell us the reason, we’d probably never guess it: God is patient. We don’t fully appreciate this attribute of His; none of us would be alive without it.

God is fully capable of bringing judgment to His own creation, as shown in the flood (2 Peter 3:6), but He’s waiting because He wants everyone to come to Him in repen­tance and escape the judgement yet to come (3:9).

Thank You Lord that you’re so patient because you love us. Please help me convey this to the kids and to model Your patience as I teach them.

 Downloading lesson files  

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next post and the next lesson will be the second in the topic Patience.

COMPASSION 3 - Serving others counts with Jesus as serving Him.

Compassion 4 - English files

Barmherzigkeit 3 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Matthew 25:31-45

This account of Jesus’ ultimate judgment of mankind probably isn’t what any of us would have expected.

In a world hemorrhaging with suffering and injustice, He identifies Himself so com­pletely with the poor, the sick and the disadvantaged that the way others treat these people counts as the way they treat Him.

Whether “these my brethren” (25:40) refers to Jews, to believers on Jesus or to sufferers in the general population, the challenge remains for us all: Do we treat others with compassion as if they were Jesus Himself?

In cases where we acted kindly and generously even without the response for which we may have hoped, we’re relieved, because Jesus knows our motivation.

Lord, forgive me for my troubling sins of omission. Please give me compassion for others and help me to show it.

Downloading lesson files  

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next post and the next lesson will be the first in the topic Patience. 

COMPASSION 2 - People around us need our help.

Compassion 2 - English file 

Barmherzigkeit 2 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Luke 10:25-37

Pharisees and scribes were often in the audience when Jesus spoke. Rather than attending out of genuine interest, however, they often listened intently for some statement that might get Him in trouble with Jewish or Roman authorities if repeated to the right ears.

If nothing of the sort was forthcoming, they did their best to steer the discussion in a direction more likely to produce an indictable answer from Jesus. Luke tips us off to this man’s duplicitous question (10:25). It’s hard to tell just what response he expected from Jesus, who then referred him back to his own area of expertise: the Mosaic Law.

This man quoted two famous pas­sages (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18) about loving God with all one is and has and loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Jesus said, “You’re right. Do it, and you’ll have eternal life.”

The scribe could have saved face by stopping right there, but—like many of us—he just couldn’t resist the opportunity of putting himself in a good light. When he asked Jesus to clarify the scope of the term “neighbor”, he may have been ready to illustrate His answer by recounting an anecdote of his own charitable work.

But Jesus launched into a story of His own, and in it the person who clearly embo­died the term “neighbor” happened to be a Samaritan! Considering the aggression between the two peoples, it must have been hard for the Jewish scribe to admit that a Samaritan had showed mercy and thus been a truer neighbor in the sense of the law.

Lord, help me to notice people in need around me, and give me the courage to help them.

Downloading lesson files  

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next post and the next lesson will be the third and last in the topic Compassion.

 

COMPASSION 1 - God feels sorry for us sinners.

Compassion 1 - English files 

Barmherzigkeit 1 - German files  

The picture at the left shows the craft project for this lesson. Instructions are included.

Devotional Thoughts about Jonah Chapters 3 and 4

If Jonah was asked later in life to tell about the highlights of his Nineveh experience, the part about the big fish may not have even ranked at the top.

Although Jonah had known of God’s merciful character for years (4:2), I’m sure he was still surprised at the lengths to which He would go to get His message to the Ninevites.

And then the disap­proving prophet had a front row seat to watch those awful people turn to God. They didn’t deserve it! But of course that’s the whole point: none of those whom God redeems deserves it—not any of us. We all need His mercy.

After God tells Jonah His reason for sparing Nineveh, arguing from the lesser (the plant) to the greater (the people), the story abruptly closes, and we don’t actually find out whether Jonah ever changed his attitude.

But this open ending has always made me go back up into the text to try to find the point. God’s unique practice of valuing people lies at the heart of His mercy.

Lord, thank You for your compassion. Please help me extend it to others.

Downloading lesson files  

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next post and the next lesson will be the second in the topic Compassion.

WISDOM 5 - Act on what you've learned!

 Wisdom 5 - English files

 Weisheit 5 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about 2 Chronicles Chapters 34-35

Act on what you’ve learned, whether you’ve gained the knowledge through books, observation or painful experience.

But anyone who’s tried knows it’s not as simple as it sounds. Discipline is usually necessary for carrying through with it. Otherwise wisdom would be our basic setting and so common in our experience that we wouldn’t even need the word.

As I worked on this lesson yesterday, a sentence from the worksheet kept nagging me: “It’s not healthy to sit for hours in front of a screen.” I ignored it for half of the afternoon until I finally went outside and started moving.

Josiah surely had some opposition from his family and court as he began seeking God as a young king. But he did it, beginning with the most obvious things: destroying idols and cleaning and repairing the temple.

Then when the Book of the Law was found and he heard the Bible for the first time, God’s warning of judgment against the sin which had become so normalized humbled and shook him. God graciously responded to his repentance, and Josiah began applying his new knowledge from the Bible.

Lord, please help me follow Josiah’s example of being open to Your Word and taking it seriously. Help me to carry through in applying what I learn.

Downloading lesson files  

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next post and the next lesson will be the first in the topic Compassion.