Dear child, today I write to you on behalf of your mom and Dad. Mom and dad loves you. They want you to always know that they care about you, and they love you from the depth of their hearts.
One of the proofs of their love for you is that they have chosen to expose you the God’s word and the love of Christ at a very tender age, taking you through these devotionals every day is evidence of this fact.
I know you sometimes feel they don’t love you, especially when you are scolded for doing something wrong.
I am about to shock you!
The fact that they scolded and correct you is proof of how much they love you!
I know you won’t believe me, so I will be showing you what the bible says about correction and scolding, you will agree with me that the bible is the ultimate truth. Let’s see what our focus verse for today says.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. –Proverbs 3:11-12 (KJV)
Let me make this verse a lot simpler for you.
The bible is saying first of all that God corrects us as his children when his corrects come, we should pay close attention and take it as a warning, and that God corrects those he loves, as parents correct a child they are proud of.
So you see God corrects us, and so do our parents. The role of mummy and daddy is to let us know when we do something wrong and help us do better, even if we get flogged for it.
It’s a child that is loved that gets corrected, today embrace every scolding and correction that comes from your parent, and always strive to do better to make them proud of you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, help me to accept corrections at all times. Amen
ACTION PLAN: Tell your parents how much you love them
DECLARATION:
I love my mum and Dad, I cherish their sacrifices.
Today we will be looking at showing gratitude to your parents. Parents can be wonderful. They can be overbearing as well. They can reel out commands, rules, and guidelines. They tell you what to do and what not to do. They tell you when and when not to watch the TV.
To you, it seems as though they were over children. They just grew into adulthood one day.
Well, I have good news for you. Your parents love you. They love you so much they want the best for you. The rules and laws they give you are to bring out the best in you, not necessarily to restrict you.
They want to see you excel in your studies and in life. They want you to become a successful parent someday.
So the next time they tell you to wash your clothes, for example, know that it’s for your own good. They don’t want you to be a dirty person. When your clothes reek of sweat and are dirty, people will not want to associate with you and you could get teased or mocked at school by your mates. This could affect your self-esteem, making you withdraw from others.
Even the Bible encourages us to keep clean as it portrays the state of our hearts before God.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Wash and make yourselves clean. Isaiah 1:16 NIV.
Again the Bible tells you to obey and honor your parents so that it might be well with you.
Ephesians 6:2-3 GW “Honor your father and mother, that everything may go well for you, and you may have a long life on earth.” This is an important commandment with a promise.
I hope you have been following our series on obedience, and learning how to obey God. We have Father Abraham as our case study and I believe we have learnt one or two things in the past few days.
The truth is that obedience pays. The bible says Abraham obeyed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Wow! What a testimony.
This morning, I will be sharing with us how to obey God.
There are several ways by which you can obey God. Let us consider a few.
Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. – Genesis 12 verse 1,4 (NKJV)
One way we are to obey God is by obeying Him wholeheartedly. Obey with all your heart, not part of your heart. In God, it is either you give him all or you give him none.
See what God says about your heart
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, – Deuteronomy 10:12 (KJV)
The same way you cannot love God halfheartedly is the same way you cannot obey God halfheartedly.
The obedience God recognizes is obedience that is devoid of grumbling or complaining.
When your parents ask you to do something for them, and you grumble, murmur, or complain, you lose the blessing therein.
Let’s learn to obey God wholeheartedly so we don’t lose our reward.
As children, we are constantly faced with pressures from everywhere. There is peer pressure and the need to ‘feel among’. There is also the pressure to do well in our academics, so as not to appear wasteful before our parents.
We are also sometimes caught between pleasing our friends and pleasing our parents or teachers. Some other times, we actually wish our parents can understand.
In whatever situation we find ourselves, the bible is our guide, putting a balance to whatever our friends, teachers, parents or guardians say.
Let’s find out what Paul the Apostle has to say in times like this when you are faced with pressures.
Just be sure you live as God’s people in a way that honors the Good News of Christ. – Phil 1:27a [ERV]
Here, Apostle Paul says we should not do things that bring dishonor and shame to the name of Christ. He says regardless of the pressures you think you are going through, comport yourself and live as God’s people.
When you are at such crossroads, remember that other children around you are probably going through worse times. Also, remember that adulthood is all about pressures. So the way you handle it now will go a long way to determining how you will handle it in the future.
I love the way this translation puts it
Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ. – Phil 1:27a [GW]
In all we do, we are citizens of heaven, let us live up to the expectation.
Have you ever thought about how to have a great future? Have you ever wondered how adults become the professionals they are today?
How did your mom and dad become what they’re today?
How did that renowned doctor you see become who he is today?
How did your teacher become so efficient in what he/she does?
Well, it’s all about deciding what they wanted to do at a very early age. Much like you are right now.
Just like Daniel, an early decision saved his future.
Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
What do you want to become? An astronaut, software designer, boat builder, race car driver or a writer? It is all about what you like to do.
So my question to you is this: what do you like to do?
Starting early to decide what you would like to become in future is important.
You start to learn how to become it and go through every process involved. The process will involve trainings, class lessons, exams and tests. You learn and then get tested before being certified as a professional.
Discover what you love to do and take all the necessary education you need. That’s how mommy and daddy did.
Be like Samuel in the bible who learned under the prophet Eli. Under the prophet’s supervision, Samuel grew into a great prophet that God used to speak to kings in Israel.
May God show you what your passion is in Jesus name. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, help me to discover what I like to do and become in future. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Action plan: Start to note what you like doing. From there, you can discover your talents.
