At Whom Are You Angry?
Cain
God’s Love Is Equal
Scripture: Genesis 4:6
So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
Lesson Objective: To understand that we must take responsibility for our own actions instead of lashing out and blaming others.
Often times we make mistakes in life and instead of taking responsibility for our actions we blame others. We may even go as far as to lash out or harm others during our rage. While it may be a first reaction to become defensive, we must take our time and examine ourselves to assure that we did not cause the problem. If we are completely honest with ourselves, we will usually find that we may not have directly caused the problem but may have contributed to the issue either by something that we did intentionally or unintentionally. Either way, we contributed to the problem. After making that determination then it is up to us to seek forgiveness that could minimize any potential negative actions,
Thought for today: We can be our own worst enemy.
Willing To Be Different
Caleb
God’s Love Serves Man
Scripture: Numbers 14:24
But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it...
Lesson Objective: To understand that God desires us to follow him only and not man.
In talking with young people, I often talk to them about not following the crowd. I encourage them to become leaders and not followers. While this seems easy, this can be very difficult for many as this goes against the need for peer approval. We all seek connection with others that usually causes us to make decisions consistent with the crowd so that we can be accepted by the crowd. However for a youth to successfully fight this peer pressure, they must begin to thank differently which like Caleb means having a different spirit. The question is how did Caleb get this different spirit and how do we get this spirit?
Thought for today: Do you have the spirit to be different and not follow the crowd? If so then God has a special house for you. One not made by hand but eternal in the heavens..
No Greater Faith
Centurion
Scripture: Matthew 8:10
When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Lesson Objective: To understand that God requires faith in order for us to receive his many blessings.
The story of the Centurion is a very interesting story in that he was not a Jew and thus had not been taught the coming of the Messiah. However, he truly understood that Christ had power and he demonstrated complete faith in Christ. This faith was great because he did not have the benefit of the stories and Biblical trainings of the Israelites. He had nothing to base his faith on other than what he had heard about Christ and the other miracles that Christ had performed. This is a great example for us today. It is easy to have faith when one thinks they know the outcome but faith is based not upon knowledge but upon true trust in God. Our everyday actions demonstrate whether we have faith.
Thought for today: James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.