As children, we must always seek to do what is right – as we relate with our family, our friends, our teachers, etc. This is a good character to have.
Romans 12:7 ‘Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone’ (NIV)
‘Look! It’s Dele’. Tunji pointed out to Seyi as they walked home from school. ‘He’s alone. Now you can do whatever you want to him” Tunji urged, his eyes gleaming with vengeance.
Dele had stumbled into Seyi on purpose earlier today at school during lunch break. Seyi’s whole lunch had spilled over his white shirt. This earned him a huge reprimand from the teacher. And his mom was still going to do so too at home. Would Seyi do what is right? If you were in Seyi’s shoes, what will you do?
Tunji was right, this was the perfect opportunity to pay Dele back. He remembered what he had learned from the devotional this morning. He remembered the verse in the Bible.
Ephesians 4:32 ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another. Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
‘No, I won’t do anything to him he shrugged his shoulders, also remembering that he had to do what is right.
‘Are you serious?’ asked a dumbfounded Tunji. ‘He bullies you all the time’.
‘My mom read today in the devotional that Jesus said I don’t have to be mean to him also’. He gave Dele a wide smile and waved as they passed him.
‘Did you just smile and wave at him?’ Tunji asked, his eyes huge as lemons. He didn’t understand this ‘do what is right’ thing.
‘Yeah, I did. Said a happy Seyi. He felt good as he walked on. ‘I am going to pray for him instead’.
People will always hurt us no matter how good we are to them or others. Being obedient to Jesus is not to hurt people back when they hurt us. Learn to do do what is right.
Declaration: I learn to forgive. I will not pay evil with evil.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I want to obey you by not hurting anybody that has hurt me. In your mighty name, I pray. Amen.
Good students attend class regularly, pay attention during class, ask questions when they don’t understand, study after school, and repeat the process over and over till they achieve excellent grades.
Jesus has called you to be a good student of the word of God. He expects you to read and study the bible well over and over till you become excellent at it.
The bible can help you understand so many things about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, life, emotions, thoughts, actions, people, and so much more.
The bible gives you practical ways to understand your walk with Christ. It teaches you how to do so with many examples starting from the old testament to the new testament.
“Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my way.” Psalm 119:105 ICB
“All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right. Using the scriptures, the person who serves God will be ready and will have everything he needs to do every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. ICB
Everything you need for your walk with Christ can be found in God’s word. Jesus wants you to use all of it to become a strong, sensible, and informed Christian. One who can understand what is not good and how to deal with bad thoughts and stay away from bad friends.
I pray that the Lord will help you to read and study the word. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, Jesus, I want to be a student of the word. Teach me as I read and study Your word. In Your mighty name I pray, amen.
Action plan: Pick your bible, a writing pad and a pen and start to study the word.
Planning is a wonderful tool you should use to manage your time perfectly. Plan your day; it involves you writing out everything you are going to do in a day and when you are going to do them.
As a child, you have school for five days, assignments from school, church on weekdays and weekends, visitations and other stuff.
Plan around these activities. Give specific amount of hours or minutes to them.
Here is an example:
6 am – Personal prayers/bible reading/ daily devotional.
6:30 am – house chores.
7-7:30 am- Grooming/breakfast
7:30am – School
This is just to give you an idea of how to plan your day.
Learn to plan well. After school you could give some time to studying the day’s work (and more), and doing assignments, if any.
“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP)
The major thing about using your time well is to do the important, necessary and urgent things first before the rest. School is important/necessary and urgent. Assignments also. The church is the same. Personal bible study, praying and devotionals are important, necessary, and urgent too.
Don’t do what you need to do later now. Plan well and do them now, so that you won’t fail.
“I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep– So shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.” Proverbs 24:30-34 (AMP)
Prayer: Lord, teach me how to make good use of my time daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Action plan: Draw a rough plan of how your day looks like. Perfect it to reflect the important things you need to do daily. Put the important things first.
So you have discovered your passion for something and are acquiring some form of education in that area and have also not quit, what is next on the line? Well, the next thing to do is to start acting out your dreams. Act!
You have learnt some art principles in art school – start to use them in your works. Let them show in your paintings or sculptures or whatever form of art you are creating.
You love to cook? Start using the skills you have learnt at culinary school at home. Cook something at home. Act out your dream.
Do not wait till you graduate or finish your training before you start to practice. Practicing is like having tests and exams at school. It’s to test how much you have learnt or are learning.
When David faced Goliath on the battlefield, it wasn’t his first time on the battlefield. He was already battling lions and bears in the forest while shepherding flocks daily. He already had practiced before the big day. You see? Learn to act.
Goliath was just another bear or lion in the eyes of David. And he believed that if God could successfully allow him to kill lions and bears, who was Goliath that God wouldn’t allow him to defeat, especially since the giant was mocking and teasing the Israelites. (Read 1 Sam. 17:1-51)
Practicing is for measuring how much you have learnt and not to mock or ridicule you. Through practice, you will discover so much about yourself and what you are learning. I yet say again, “Act out your dream.”
One final thought about practicing – it prepares you for battle.
I pray that the Lord will equip you daily as you practice. Amen.
Prayer: Father, help me to continue to practice the skills I have learnt. Help me to act. Help me to discover my strengths and weaknesses in Jesus’ name, amen.
Action plan: Do all your practices. Do all your school assignments, take all tests and exams.
We have been examining how much it pays to obey instructions. In this grand finale, God showed His superior power over the rebels. He called on His fellow generals and did a quick meeting where it was decided on how to defeat the builders downstairs on earth.
7. “Come, let us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) go down and there confuse and mix up their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech,” 8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the surface of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city. 9. Therefore the name of the city was Babel-because there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from that place the Lord scattered and dispersed them over all the surface of the earth.
It pays to obey instructions. The people in this Scripture were definitely not walking in the instructions of God; so God came in all His glory and power and created confusion in their midst, gave them new languages, and scattered them, just as they feared.
He made them understand that He is our Creator and whatever He doesn’t want us to do is for our own good. What if the tower had collapsed while they were building and caused a lot of them to be injured or lose their lives? It sure pays to obey instructions.
The principal called some male teachers and they went to disperse the boys. They also ensured they caught the chief rebel, Daniel, and his small generals. Someone had to be punished.
What if the fence had collapsed and caused some injuries or loss of lives? Who would be blamed? The school of course. It really pays to obey instructions.
May the Lord protect you from all dangers as long as you obey instructions. Amen
Prayer: Lord, make me an obedient child. Help me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Action Plan: Watch your associations. Are they causing you to rebel? Decide to obey instructions today.
