Kidzablaze Devotions

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Have you ever wondered, Why would a loving heavenly Father allow His children to go through trials and sorrow? It can be baffling when the all-powerful God of love seems to stand by silently while painful things happen.

The Word of God is the place we can find an answer. Even so, today’s reading can be hard to understand or accept. One might read James’s exhortation to be joyful in the face of trials and think, Count me out! Difficulties and joy just don’t seem to go together—that is, unless we understand God’s perspective of what life is about.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 ``You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14 ``You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 ``Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Ask yourself this question: When it comes to my faith, what kind of light am I? Is your light a flicker others can see only if they’re really looking? Or is it the kind that brightens everything…

Jeremiah 24:7

7 `I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

Many of us have been blessed with close friends. Imagine if we never spent time with them but instead just thought and talked about how wonderful these special people are. Wouldn’t it be strange? Yet some Christians do just that. Though they accumulate knowledge about God, they miss out on rich fellowship with their heavenly Father, the best friend anyone could ever have.

It is possible to fill our life with spiritual information and activities—all of which are good—but fail to develop a close relationship with God. Scripture tells of many people whose personal encounter with Him was energizing and life-changing. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, the Samaritan woman, and Paul are…

Proverbs 3:3-6

3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

If God is all-powerful, why don’t more people experience miraculous healings? There are several reasons for this. Sometimes we do not ask Him. Other times, we might ask but with wrong motives or a lack of faith. And then there is the reason that we do not like to hear: God may choose not to heal.