Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Who will teach our children?

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Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Click on this link to read the passage. You may select your preferred version of the Bible after the link opens.

Whose responsibility is it to teach our children about God? The pastor? The Sunday school teacher?

Moses read the Ten Commandments to the people after he brought them down from the mountain where God gave them to Moses. (See Deuteronomy 5)

Next Moses instructs parents to pass on the teachings and commandments of God to our children and our children’s children. (Deuteronomy 6) Verses 4-9 are powerful:

 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

How powerful and convicting are these words! I’m divided over how I should punctuate that last statement… Perhaps it should read, “How powerful and convicting are these words?” At question is the spiritual temperature of Christians today in a land that has been blessed to the point that God’s people have taken him for granted.

Re-read verse 4. Is God really first in our lives? God doesn’t give us the option of setting him on a shelf along-side our wide-screen TVs, and our other personal treasures and beliefs. First means first, as in number one.

Re-read and consider verse 5. Where are our hearts and our souls? Where do we put our energy and our strength? Are we giving God our all, or is he getting snacks along the way – like the biscuits we throw to our dogs every now and then?

Verse 7 should be written on the heart of every Christian parent.     “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Is this happening in our Christian homes today? Do our children hear about God and Jesus at home, or do we expect our Sunday school teachers to do all the teaching on the Sundays we happen to show up? I am thankful that I have known a few strong Christian parents who took this verse seriously, and their children are a living testimony to the fact that they did. But unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be the norm in many church-going families today. When was the last time you talked to your child about Jesus? How are you setting the example to put God first in everything? Have your children seen you reading your Bible today? Have they heard you pray? God holds parents accountable to instruct their children in matters of faith. If you love God with all your heart, you are teaching your children faithfully.

Father God, you have told us what you want us to know, but we haven’t always been willing to listen. Enable us to clean out our spiritual ears so that we may hear you. Help us to clean up our rusty dusty hearts so that we may love you fully. Never let us forget the price you had to pay just to get our attention, let alone to forgive us of all of our sins. Help us to draw nearer to you every day of our lives. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

© 2009 by Janice D. Green

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

And God said…

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Yesterday I wrote about the Genesis account of how God created the heavens and the earth. I wanted you to see the order God used so I didn’t want to write about everything at once. Today I want to talk about something very important about how God made everything.

Look at the first chapter in Genesis. (It’s the first chapter in the whole Bible.) Each day of creation begins with the words “And God said…”

So how did God put everything in place? God said it and it was done.

That may seem strange to you. But I don’t think it is strange at all. There was a famous scientist named Albert Einstein who came up with a fancy formula. This is the formula: E = MC2. This formula may look hard to understand, but there is one simple truth in it that I hope you will see. The E stands for energy. The M stands for mass (everything in the universe is made up of mass). And the C stands for the speed of light. What does all of this have to do with God speaking the world into place? Energy produces everything. But where did the energy come from that turned into everything we see? It came out of God. He opened his mouth and it all came out, but not in some crazy spilled out way. God spoke exactly what everything was supposed to look like, to feel like, to smell like, to sound like, and even what it would taste like. He chose what to make on the first day, the second day and so on, so it would all work together.

Wow! Now that’s powerful stuff. There was no series of chance happenings that started up this universe. It was God Almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, and full of love and beauty, who made our earth and all the stars and planets that go farther than any man can see through the most  powerful telescopes on earth. Worship him in your heart, because God deserves all of our love and praise.

Father God, how awesome you are. You made the highest mountains and the tiniest flower or speck of dust. You made the stars and planets and you made the tiny atoms that make up everything from sand to flowers and trees. Our minds are so small in comparison to yous. Yet when we remember that you created us in your image we can only wonder. You gave us a little of your mind, a little of your heart, a little of your love…  How can we understand it all? Help us God. Help us to want to know you with all our hearts. Teach us what you want us to know. Amen.

© 2009 by Janice D. Green

Why “Honeycomb” Adventures?

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I know that some of you are wondering why I call this blog “Honeycomb Adventures.” The idea came from Psalm 19:9-10.

9 …The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.” (NIV)

The word “ordinances” is a fancy word that means all the love and teachings and rules God has for us in His Bible. God’s Word is sweeter than all the honey in the honeycombs. Honey is sweet, but when you taste it straight from the combs it is sweeter still.

There is another Bible verse that is much like this one. It says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8 NIV)

Let’s make a regular practice of reading from God’s Word, the Bible, so we won’t miss out on all the wonderful things God has in store for us. Taste and see – it is sweeter than honey from the comb!

Father God, help us to find the rich treasures you have stored up for us in your Bible. Make us hungry for all your special Words so we will find and taste the honey from the comb.

© 2009 by Janice D. Green

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Philippians 1:9-11 Becoming Pure and Blameless

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9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:9-11 Click on this link to read the passage. You may select your preferred version of the Bible after the link opens.

I can’t help but have a mixture of feelings as I read this passage. God’s love is so true, so faithful, so deep…  But my love is so faltering, and so conditional, so dependent on my fickle moods.

But one thing I can count on – if I immerse myself in His word and bathe myself in prayer, my feelings of relationship with Christ become like a full cup. And as I drink my fill, I find myself wanting more.

The problem is that even though I know this in my head, and it penetrates into my heart when I take the time; I all too often get too busy with stuff, and days pass with only spurts, bits and pieces of relationship.

This verse is Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Philippi. This should be a reminder for us – to pray for each other that we will continually seek, find, and grow in the love of Christ, that we will grow in knowledge of Christ, and that our insights will be deep. Then we will have Godly wisdom to guide us in all our lives and we will be able to joyfully serve Him and bring peace to our hearts and glory to His name.

Father God, lead us in your righteousness. Draw us unto you. Give us willing spirits to continually seek and love you with all our hearts. Help us to bear the fruit of righteousness that only Jesus Christ can give to us. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.

© 2009 by Janice D. Green

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Hi Kids!

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Welcome to Honeycomb Adventures (Devotions for Kids)! This is a blog where we can learn interesting things about the Bible and how it can help us in today’s world.

Too many people want us to think the Bible was written by a bunch of people who made up a god to suit themselves. Now some of these same people want to make fun of Christians and the Bible. They want to laugh at the Bible and call it a bunch of folk tales.

But the Bible is really a story about a very real God who reaches down to people to show them who he is and to help them find meaning in their lives.

We will explore several Bible verses and stories on this blog to see if we really can use them today to guide our lives and to make big decisions.

If you are a kid (or the mom or dad of a kid, or an aunt, uncle, grandparent or friend), I invite you to come back often and read about some of your favorite Bible stories. Please ask lots of questions too. There are so many good lessons the Bible can teach us. Your questions may help us know what to talk about next.

© 2009 by Janice D. Green