Here's a great free resource. If you don't have time to do your devotional at home before school, you can listen to it on the way!
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, encourage each other and build each other up. One of the main ways we do this is by meeting together - at church, youth group and each other's homes. During lockdown we have to be creative about how we encourage each other. Here are some ideas:
Send a hand written letter Make someone a card Ring someone and have a chat Send someone an encouraging text Facetime someone Share your favourite worship song Share your favourite Bible verse Share a good podcast or video Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions how we can encourage each other. In the verses before Matthew 18:35 Jesus had been telling a parable about a servant who owed the King 10,000 talents. A talent was 20 years wages so it would have taken the servant 200,000 years to pay it off!!! Seeing as he couldn't pay the debt the King ordered that his family be sold into slavery to help pay the debt. The servant begged for mercy, the King felt sorry for him and cancelled the debt!!! Great story - but it doesn't end there. The servant was owed some money by another servant (about a day's pay). He threw him into jail because he couldn't pay it. When the King heard about this he was furious and threw the wicked, unforgiving servant into jail to be tortured until he could pay the debt. Don't stress, the story isn't real, it's just a parable. The moral of the story is pretty heavy though. In verse 35 Jesus said, This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. God forgave us a huge debt we couldn't pay, the debt for our sin. If we don't forgive others (and their offences against us are way less that our sin against God), we are behaving wickedly.
Challenge: if you are angry, resentful or bitter towards someone, forgive them right now. If it's hard, ask God for help. Last night I watched this beautiful human jump 2.02m to win a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. I love her smile, her attitude and her love of Jesus. She openly shared how she was an outcast at school because of her height, but found love and acceptance in a faith community. Now, she jumps for Jesus. She also shared her passion to see the stadiums full of people at revivals like in the 60s when the evangelist, Billy Graham, filled stadiums around the world and people were converted in their thousands. What a star!
This is a great illustration of what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit! The word sing is mentioned 158 times in the New International Version of the Bible, most of them in the Old Testament. There are many other music references beside these. So we know that music and singing are an important part of the Christian life. When Mary found out she was pregnant with the Son of God and visited her friend, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist she sang a song which is recorded in Luke chapter one.
I praise the Lord with all my heart. I am very happy because God is my Savior. I am not important, but he has shown his care for me, his lowly servant. From now until the end of time, people will remember how much God blessed me. Yes, the Powerful One has done great things for me. His name is very holy. He always gives mercy to those who worship him. He reached out his arm and showed his power. He scattered those who are proud and think great things about themselves. He brought down rulers from their thrones and raised up the humble people. He filled the hungry with good things, but he sent the rich away with nothing. God has helped Israel—the people he chose to serve him. He did not forget his promise to give us his mercy. He has done what he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever. Luke 1:46-55 (ERV) Psalm 96:1 encourages us to sing a new song to God. Anyone can write a song - it doesn't have to rhyme or sound poetic. Why don't you write a song to God, thanking and praising him for all the good things he has done for you? |
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