Daily Reading Chart

It is good to spend time reading in your Bible every day.  You may already be doing this.  You can use this chart to help you read through the book of Mark.  Before you read, remember to pray and ask God to teach you something from His Word.  Then read the verses that are written in the box.  It's not a lot to read, so read the verses carefully and really think about what God is saying.  Especially look for things that tell you what the Lord Jesus is like.  Then write down one thing you learn in the box.  Writing things down helps you remember them.  After you read, pray again and thank God for what He has shown you.  Ask Him to help you obey what you learned.  You can also share with someone else what God is teaching you.  If you do this each day, you will soon have read through and thought about the entire book of Mark!  This is something you can do with every book of the Bible.  God wants you to know His Word so that you can know Him better.  He loves you so much!

Practical Help for the Little Broken-Hearted Ones

In the last post, we looked at a broken-hearted child in a broken home.  We looked at Scriptural truths that she can cling to.  When you work with children you know how very real their pain is.  In your heart you say, "Oh, I just wish I could take them all home with me!"  But the reality is that we cannot.   So what are some practical helps we can give them to not just survive, but thrive, in the homes in which God has chosen to place them.

1. First, determine whether the child knows the Lord Jesus as their own Saviour.  Only then will they have the power of God to draw upon to help them have victory through the difficulties of this life.  Remind them that God the Holy Spirit lives in them.  Remind them of how very much God loves them and that they belong to Him.  Remind them of Jesus' promise that He will never leave them nor forsake them.  Remind them that they have been given a new life in Christ to live for His glory.  

2. Encourage the child to be in the Word of God daily and give them a plan to use so they can actually do it.  I have a chart made up that goes through the book of Mark.  It tells what verses to read each day and has a space in which the child can write down one thing that they learn from those verses.  The child only reads about 10 verses each day, so it is very do-able.  You can do that for any book of the Bible.  Ask the child what God has been teaching them from His Word the next time you see them.  

3. Pray with the child right there and then when they talk with you about their situation or difficulty.  Tell them you will continue to pray for them, and then make sure you DO!

4. Encourage the child to pray when the difficulty raises its ugly head again.  Give them suggestions as to how they can pray.  
If it's a people issue, encourage them to pray for the  the person who troubles them.  Encourage them to pray that God will be at work in that person's life for good, and for their salvation.  They can ask God to give them grace and patience to respond to that person in a kind way.  
If it's a circumstance, the child can pray for God to give them wisdom, peace, and the strength to endure.                             

5. I tell the child that people are watching them.  If they say that they know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, others will watch to see if knowing Christ really makes a difference in a life.  If they can respond to difficulties in a way that honors God, they will have opportunity to tell others about Him.  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

God is not arbitrary.  He has chosen this home for this child.  He knows what He is doing. He knows what He is preparing them for.   He is using these difficulties in their lives for their good- to grow them to be more like the Lord Jesus.   

Our job is to uphold these little ones in prayer, to be available to counsel and encourage them in the Word of God, and to be there for them when they need a shoulder to cry on and arms to wrap around them in love.  

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good 

to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined 

to become conformed to the image of His Son..." 

(Romans 8:28-29)

I know Someone who can mend broken hearts

This world is full of heartache.  It's all around us.  Every person we encounter carries some sort of burden.  Why is that so, and what can be done about it?

I was speaking to a little girl in our after-school Bible club.  She is one of my thinkers.  I asked her what she was thinking about concerning the things we were studying in club.  She told me that she had trusted the Lord Jesus as her Saviour, but there was something that troubled her.  She said, "Every Monday after club I go home and pray to God that I will have a good day...but I never do."  She had tears in her eyes as she spoke.  We talked about her situation at home.  Unfortunately, it is typical of most of the children we work with- she was being raised by her grandmother, her mother was in and out of the picture, she didn't know her father, other cousins were also in and out of the home, she was constantly surrounded by arguing, anger, and frustration.  

Does God hear the cries of this heart-broken little girl?  Does He care?  Why doesn't He do something?

First of all, God does hear. 
Psalm 34:15-  "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry."
Psalm 69:33- "For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise His who are prisoners."

Secondly, He does care.
Mark 10:13-14- "Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.'"
Mark 9:42- "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."

So...why doesn't He do something?

To begin with, we must understand that when God created this world it was a perfect, wonderful place.  People are the ones that ruined it.  We are the ones who brought in sin when we chose to disobey God.  There are consequences to sin.  When sin entered the world, it brought with it sorrow, sickness, pain, and death.   Sin destroys everything that is good and beautiful.  Worst of all, it separates us from God.

So God did do something- He sent His own perfect Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who went to the cross, giving His life to pay the penalty for our sins.  The Lord Jesus died and was buried, but on the third day, He rose from the dead.  Now He lives to give new life- eternal life- to anyone who will put their trust in Him as the only Saviour.  This is God's promise- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This little girl and I talked about the wonderful promises God has given to her.  She has the Spirit of God Himself living within her who is working to make her character more and more like that of the Lord Jesus.  She cannot control the people in her life or the circumstances she finds herself in, but she can rest in the love that God has for her.  Though there is turmoil all around her, she can have the peace that passes all understanding.  Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  And one day, she will too.