Friday · Apr 24
Additional Thought
Think about the words you said in the past 24 hours. Were they loving, kind, and joyful? Or were they angry, mean, and nasty? Jesus said, “ ‘When you speak, your words show what is in your mind’ ” ( Matthew 12:34 , EASY). Angry, mean, and nasty words come from angry, mean, nasty thoughts and feelings. These thoughts and feelings are the same as junk. When we have ‘junk’ in our hearts and minds, this ‘junk’ comes out in our words.
When we feel tired or sad, we say things that show what we’re feeling. (Later, we often feel bad about what we said.) When our hearts are filled with love for someone, that love fills our words. In the same way, God’s Word, the Bible, talks about His love for us. We can read about this love any time we want. What a wonderful thought!
“Many people believe the Bible is filled with good advice and wisdom. These people follow the advice that agrees with their lives and the popular beliefs of the day. But this idea is not the same thing as accepting the Bible as the Word of the living God. This Word is our life. The Bible must control our actions, words, and thoughts. If Christians believe that the Bible is not God’s Word, they really reject it. Their rejecting it is the biggest reason that the youth don’t believe in the Bible and aren’t loyal to God.”—Ellen G. White, Education, page 260, adapted.
Discussion Questions:
What are all the reasons you have for your faith? (Maybe a lot more than you thought, right?)
How can you make sure that your relationship with God starts with Bible study and prayer? Can you have a relationship with God without them? Explain.
If someone wanted to grow his relationship with God, what book of the Bible would you tell him to start reading?
How can you live “on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” ( Deuteronomy 8:3, NIrV )? How can you show this Bible truth in your life?
Read Hebrews 11:3; Psalm 33:6; Matthew 11:4, 5; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Ephesians 6:17; and James 1:21 . What do these verses tell us about God’s words?