“I did it! I did it!” One of the best sounds of an early childhood room is hearing a child shout for joy when they accomplished a task they struggled with. They worked and worked, and their diligence paid off. What a moment! They’re so proud, and we’re proud of them.

You and I have tasks that challenge us as well. I would imagine everyone reading this can name at least one item on their to do list that pushes their abilities. After a lot of effort, trial and error, you get it. You also might shout out just like that child, “I did it!” What a great feeling.

“Not to us, LORD, but to your name be the glory.” This verse was written at the time that the people of Israel celebrated Passover in the magnificent temple in Jerusalem. The Israelites had been freed from their captivity under Pharaoh. All of this could easily tempt them to say, “Look at us and what we’ve done! We are an amazing nation to be feared and respected.” When we look closer at their story, we know they did nothing to cause their freedom from Pharaoh. God made that happen. That temple in Jerusalem? God’s direction and blessings to them provided the temple in all its splendor. The Israelites are a story that reminds us over and over of God’s love and faithfulness. They struggled. He provided. They sinned. He forgave. They turned their backs on God. He drew them back.

Because of your love and faithfulness. Those words are meant for us as well. You and I approach each day with a prayer that God would bless our tasks and our activities. We know that every day brings joy and disappointment, successes and failures. Each day we struggle with our biggest battle-our sin. And every day God is faithful in his love for us, his forgiveness, his work in us and through us.

What does all this mean for us? We do make progress in learning and growing. We have difficult challenges that with perseverance, we overcome. Is it wrong to rejoice in our accomplishments? No. Be glad in those moments. But never lose sight of where that success comes from—it comes from God. He who with unending patience and love, faithfully provides for all our needs. He gifts us with the ability to think and question and persevere. He gives us opportunity to use those gifts to serve him and those around us. And greater than all of this, he gifts us with his forgiving grace that gives us peace in him.

“I did it!” A moment to celebrate wrapping it all in gratitude for God who is full of love and faithfulness for each of us and for all his dear children. “I did it! Thank you, God, and to you be the glory!”

Take a minute and think about the children in your room or class. As you think about the children, write down 2-3 words that describe each child. You may be thinking of things like thoughtful, eager, impatient, inquisitive, impulsive, creative, nurturing. Your group is very likely a mixture of all kinds of traits and personalities. You grow to care very much about each child. Over time you learn their strengths and struggles. As a teacher, you strive to find a way to connect with each child to help them build on their strengths and address their struggles. Some, as you know, are easier than others.

As I read today’s verses and think about the key words, I’m humbled in so many ways. Gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all. Oh how I would like to have those gifts! I think of my own struggles, my continuing battle with my own sins and shortcomings. I would expect it to be so frustrating for anyone around me but especially for my LORD. “There she goes again!” would not be a surprise for me to hear said about me. I think those words about myself at times. Thus, “gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all” are words of overwhelming comfort to me. God has never said that sins are excusable. Sin permeates our world and our own lives. And yet, there is our God, our LORD, our Savior. He looks at us with his grace, with compassion. His love is endless for all.

And then we think of our class. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Each child in your class is someone who God has made. Each child is someone for whom Jesus lived a perfect life, died a horrific death, and rose again from the dead. He looks at each child with compassion, with his grace, with his love. And on top of that, he asks each of us to be one of those who shares all that with them. Humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude for the compassion and grace he has for us, we can look at each child with love and strive to be patient, compassionate, reflecting God’s grace for them. We can look at them as a fellow brother or sister in Christ who was redeemed by Jesus. What a privilege to be able to be one of those who encourages their gifts and guides and supports them in addressing their struggles. All with grace, compassion, and full of love.

Take another look at your list. As you consider the strengths and struggles of each child, consider how you can help them see how dearly they are loved by the LORD. Consider how you can build them up, help them work on their struggles, and comfort them with knowing that God looks at them with grace, compassion, and love. And as you do, remind yourself as well. You are dearly loved by God who is gracious and loving to all he has made—including you.

Life is full of big questions. You probably hear some of those big questions from the young children you serve or know. “Why is the sky blue?” “How do flowers grow?” “How come birds can fly but we can’t?” It’s fun to hear how their developing minds notice and wonder about the world around them. I was reading a book to a young boy and commented on how amazing it is that God had not just made birds but made them in so many amazing colors. The young boy looked up with curious eyes and asked, “Who is God?” It stopped me in my tracks and I thought for a minute how to answer that so he would understand.

Who is God? Who is Jesus? It’s such a simple question but may not be simple to answer.

Jesus had been travelling with his disciples. As they were returning from their travels, Jesus asks them what they had heard. What had people said about him and who he was? The answers included prophets and even John the Baptist (who had been executed.) Jesus turns the question to them when he asks who they say he is. Peter, so often a bold disciple, says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Messiah—what does that mean? Messiah is defined as the “anointed one” or one sent to save a group of people. The people at Jesus time had heard from generation to generation that God would send a Messiah, someone to deliver them. Jesus was that promised Savior.

Today we hear all kinds of explanations of who Jesus was or who he is. Who do you say he is? If someone asks, how would you respond? Such a simple question with such a complex answer. Jesus is God. Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is the one whom God sent to do everything we couldn’t do—live a perfect life, take all the punishment for our sins, rise from the dead showing his power over death and over Satan. As a child of God, Jesus is our brother. He’s our truest Friend. He is our King, our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer.

One of the most important questions you may ever be asked is, “Who is Jesus?” What a joy it is to share all that he is and all that he does as our Messiah, our Savior. He’s the one who made us and all of creation. Jesus is the one from whom, by faith from the Holy Spirit, we receive grace, mercy, and the gift of heaven with him. Who is Jesus? Let me tell you about him!

My husband grew up in a town that is right on Lake Michigan. He’s a strong swimmer. He has great respect for the power of the water. As much as he loves the lake, he will readily admit that there are few things as frightening to him as being on the lake at night. There is something ominous about the darkness of the water once the sun has set.

Our reading today comes from the story of Jesus protecting his disciples while they were on a boat on the Sea of Galilee during a storm in the middle of the night. Many of the disciples were veteran fishermen who knew the lake and its unpredictability. They knew that storms could come up at the blink of an eye. This particular night, they had ended an incredibly full day with Jesus. He put them on a boat and sent them on their way. Likely in the middle of the night when they were about halfway across (about 3.5 miles from shore), a violent storm arose. Even as experienced fishermen, they were terrified. In the midst of the wind and waves they see Jesus coming, walking towards them. Yes—that’s a miracle with no explanation! However, his words to them are far more powerful. “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Imagine the impact of those words on the disciples. They likely exhaled deeply. They may have looked at each other in relief. Jesus was there and all was well.

All of us have storms in our lives. You have storms. We all have times that may feel like sitting in a dark lake in the middle of the night. Maybe not today or maybe there is one right now in your life. The storms of life can shake our confidence and test our faith. They can leave us frightened and sometimes feeling helpless. The good news is that Jesus is there in the midst of our storms, walking alongside us. Sometimes he takes away the storm. Always he walks with us through the storm. Recall that God didn’t take away the Red Sea from the people of Israel. He parted it and was with them through it.

God has blessed you with the gift of faith. That faith is yours because of him. It was Jesus’ power and not Peter’s faith, that allowed Peter to walk to Jesus. The same is true for us. The Savior who went to the cross to remove our sins, is the one who promises to be with us in all things. We don’t have to work it out on our own. In faith, we can look up and look at our Savior Jesus who says to us, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Whenever I read or hear this section, I wonder why the man was digging in a field that he didn’t own. With a little research, I learned the following.

At that time, it was common practice for a wealthy individual to divide up his wealth into three parts. He would keep one-third as cash for ongoing expenses and business. Another third would be invested—most likely in precious stones and jewels. He could take these with him easily if he needed to travel or flee. The final third would be buried in the ground. That way if he had to flee, all would not be lost. When he returned home, he could reclaim that part of his wealth, that is, if he returned home.

So, someone digging in a field that didn’t belong to him doesn’t seem as far-fetched. The man discovered a treasure. In his excitement, perhaps hoping to uncover even more but certainly so he could make a legitimate claim on the treasure, he took the risk of selling all he had to buy the field. We don’t know if this paid off, but it illustrates how much he valued the treasure.

The treasure in the illustration represents Christ the Savior and the kingdom of God. Nothing in all the world is more precious than this. Absolutely nothing. However, keeping this as our highest priority is a constant struggle for Christians. The distractions of the world are endless. They barrage our daily lives. It’s so easy to minimize or lose our excitement for this indescribable gift.

What are we willing to do to hold on to this treasure? This treasure is the Word. It sounds so simple—be in the Word. We read devotions like this one and recommit ourselves to our time in the Word. And in a blink, that commitment fades. And yet, God’s commitment to us does not fade. His promise to send a Savior? Kept. His promise to be with us in all things? Kept. His promise to strengthen and sustain our faith? Kept. We recognize that we can’t do it on our own. By his grace and with his help, God keeps us in faith, strengthens our faith, and helps us grow in our gratitude for the most precious treasure ever, the gift of faith in Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

We don’t need to sell all our earthly possessions, but we do need to be sure that things of this world don’t keep making their way back in front of our time with our Savior. He’s eager to spend that time with you, helping you grow in your faith in your Savior and his love, mercy and grace for you.

As someone in early childhood, you know what I’m talking about. Seed cups. You bring in a packet of seeds—beans, marigolds, maybe grass seed. Each child has their cup with their name on it. You show them the seed. It’s small with a hard outer shell. It looks dead actually. With enthusiasm you share the key things that lifeless object needs to become a plant: soil, water, light. And then you also share that even with all those things, the growth of a seed into a plant is a miracle, something only God can do.

God uses that illustration so beautifully as a picture of faith, both the faith in our hearts and also the faith we share with others. Without faith, we might be walking around looking very much alive. However, spiritually, there is no life, no hope.

You can think of this illustration for yourself but also for what you do. Somewhere, someone told you about Jesus. The Holy Spirit planted that seed. You do the same with the children you teach. Through the Bible stories, devotions, prayers, and conversations about Jesus, you are planting a seed.

But like that little seed cup, if that’s all that happens, that seed has no chance of making it. It needs to be surrounded by nutrient rich soil. The seed needs water and it needs light. Without those things, the seed remains just a seed and eventually dies. With those things, it has the opportunity to flourish and grow.

As we think of those around us, those who are hearing about Jesus for the first time, hearing about him for the first time in a while, or those who have had faith their entire lives, they all need the same thing. They need to hear again and again the stories and message of God’s Word. Each time they hear the Word, whether it’s when they are reading the Word or hearing it from others, the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts to strengthen and encourage them.

By God’s grace, we get to be a part of that. He’s blessed us with opportunities to share his Word and encourage those around us. He’s blessed us with family and friends that do the same for us. And most importantly, he’s blessed us with his promise as found in today’s verses, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” It’s his Word. It’s his message. He has a purpose for it. What a blessing to be part of his family of believers who get to plant the seed of the Word and then watch the Holy Spirit create and grow faith. May God bless you with the enthusiasm of a young child and their seed cup and even more as you tell and tell and tell about the Savior!

My husband has served with mission work overseas for a number of years. He has countless stories of exciting new ministries, wonderful brothers and sisters in the faith, and people full of excitement and zeal for the gospel. He shared the following story:

A man they had been meeting with came to him with a bundle of papers as a gift. When asked about the gift, the man shared that it was his hand-written copy of the book of Judges. In the area where this man lived, there was always the concern that a meeting of Christians could be interrupted by officials. If the group was found to have a Bible, the Bible would be confiscated. Serious consequences could be in store for those attending the meeting. To protect their copy of the Bible, members of the group would make hand-written copies of a given book and keep the copy themselves. If the group was studying Romans, the individual with the copy of Romans would bring only that copy to share with the group. That way, if officials showed up, only one book was lost. They still had the original, complete copy of the Bible.

As this man handed his copy to my husband, he said, “Please tell our brothers and sisters in Christ in America that we are praying for them.” Knowing the persecution this man had experienced, my husband was taken aback. The man continued that he was concerned for the many distractions of materialism and worldliness that could erode the American Christian’s zeal for faith.

As we look at our daily lives and the opportunities for those things to be true in our lives, we can be struck by the truth of his prayer. Our verses today speak directly to you and me. When we take an honest look at ourselves, we can see our failures in putting God first above everything else. Life is full of wonderful things and very difficult challenges. Both can lead to distraction from our faith, reliance on ourselves, or discouragement. Satan wants nothing more than to use the blessings of this life to draw us away from God. He wants us to feel criticized or attacked because of our belief in the Savior.

The life of a Christian is a daily fight, a battle against Satan. But we don’t fight alone. Our heavenly Father reminds us that we can cling to the gift of eternal life that is already ours. We can fight the good fight of faith, not on our own, but depending on God’s grace, mercy, and strength in our lives.

What a gift that man gave that day. Not only does that copy of the book of Judges remind us of our brothers and sisters all over the world, but his prayer reminds us of where our hope and confidence lie—in God our Father, our Savior, our Brother, our Protector, our Life.

Have you ever been overwhelmed with the work or home to-do list? Sometimes just the thought of what needs to get done can be exhausting! When we are worn out like this, and stretched too thin, we feel like we don’t have the energy to give anyone anymore of ourselves.

After Jesus walked through several towns, teaching and healing, he had put in a long day! He must have been tired. And yet, “when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them”. Jesus saw their need for physical care, but more importantly, he saw their need for a Savior. They would be “like sheep without a shepherd”, lost in their own sin and looking for a remedy in all the wrong places.

We, too, wander as if we do not have a shepherd. We look in all the wrong places for a remedy for our sin. Sometimes we turn to money, vacations, and other worldly treasures. We think “If only I get a few home projects done, or get a new car, or update the wardrobe, then I will feel complete.” Sometimes we think, “I’ll just help out my community more. That will make me feel better and maybe make up for the mean things I sometimes say and do to people”. But none of these will fix our big problem of sin. Only Jesus, who died on the cross and came back to life, is the remedy for our sin. Only through Jesus do we have a clean heart and mind. Only through Jesus can we go to heaven.

How thankful we can be that Jesus showed compassion to us and others! Jesus was an example to the disciples, who would continue Jesus’ work after he died. And Jesus is the example for us. Jesus wants us to have compassion on others, to show others the truth in his Word.

Jesus knows our weaknesses and will give us the strength to have compassion on others, even when we are tired and over scheduled. We can pray to Jesus, asking for opportunities to make connections with others that need to see his compassion. This work is a privilege! May we daily turn our eyes to Jesus and his Word, thankful for the compassion he showed us and everyone through his life, death and resurrection.

As children grow in their spiritual and moral development, they may wonder “Who is God, really?” Some see him as a protector. Others are a little frightened by him. For some children, the adult relationships in their lives shape how they feel about their Heavenly Father. Because they’re just learning about God, it can be difficult to explain the power that he has and how God can be both three and one.

God is one God but also three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The concept of God as a Trinity, or 3 persons in one, can be confusing. How can God be both three and one? First, we can acknowledge that this is a bit mysterious. Second, we can acknowledge that God IS God. It’s no surprise that we can’t always understand who he is. We trust that what God says about himself is true.

Instead of doubting, we can find comfort in our God. In the Bible verse that we consider today, we’re told with three words who God is and what God does. The three words are grace, love, and fellowship.

The work of Jesus, who is sometimes called God the Son, is described by the word grace. Jesus humbled himself by becoming a human and then suffering on the cross for us. Jesus showed us grace, or undeserved love, when he lived a perfect life on earth. Everything that we do is tainted with sin, and we cannot live the sinless life that would be needed to go to heaven. Jesus lived the perfect life that we cannot. Jesus showed us grace when he allowed himself to take all our sins on himself and die for us.

The work of God, who is sometimes called God the Father, is described by the word love. Oh, how God loves us! He loved the world so much in fact, that he sent Jesus, his son, to die for us. God sent his son to die for us even though he knew that we are sinners and would continue to sin as long as we are alive on this earth. God wants us to be in heaven with him. God knew that we could not get there by ourselves, so he sent Jesus to be that way for us.

The work of God the Holy Spirit is described by the word fellowship. Fellowship can be defined as a belonging or holding something in common. Through the Holy Spirit we belong with Jesus and with other believers. The Holy Spirit continues to strengthen our relationships with each other and with God through our faith in Jesus.

What comfort this brings to us! Our God is strong, loving, and wants only what is best for us. He wants us to remember daily that we are his dear children, and he wants us to share his grace, his love, and his fellowship with others.

“I don’t want them to leave”. This is what my daughter says every time that the grandparents come to visit. Except she starts saying it before they arrive. Before the RV even rolls into the driveway, she’s already tearing up knowing that they will have to leave!

When Jesus left the disciples and went up into heaven, it would make sense that they would feel some sadness, a feeling of “homesickness”, that their friend and Savior was leaving them. But the words say that they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy”. Joy is more than just “feeling happy”. Joy also means the feeling of comfort and peace that God kept his promise to save us from our sins. The disciples went to Jerusalem, eager to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and to continue their work on earth for Jesus.

Some people assume that Christians are happy all the time. But God does not promise that we will only experience joy and happiness on this earth. In fact, he tells us the opposite—this world is filled with sins and hate, the wrong that we do and the wrong that others do to us. We cannot rid the world of this problem. No amount of “be kind” sweatshirts and “be a nice human” bumper stickers will rid us and the world of this problem.

The good news is, we do not have to fix this, because Jesus already did. Jesus came down as a baby and lived a perfect life in our filthy, sinful world. He took our filthy, sinful thoughts and actions and put them on himself when he died on the cross. He willingly substituted his life for ours, so that we are now made perfect in him.

And now we wait with eagerness and joy that we will be in heaven after this life. Like the disciples, we joyfully continue the work that Jesus wants to do here in our earthly jobs and vocations. We use the gifts that he has given us to bring more people to His Word, the Bible, and ultimately to see him in heaven. We wait for his return with joy and eagerness!

We take I-35 South from St. Paul, Minnesota. When we get to Dallas, we hop onto I-45 South and take it all the way to Houston. Then it’s just 1 exit and 4 turns to my childhood home. We have driven this 1,170-mile route so many times that we know exactly where we are going and how we will get there. We know every rest stop that has a playground, hotels with the best breakfasts, and how many miles to the next Bucc-ee’s. We count down the hours and exits until we can be with family again.

Before Jesus left the earth, he brought comfort to the disciples and encouraged them to continue to believe in him. Then he promised them three things: that he was going to prepare a place for them, that they would be together again, and that they already knew how to get there.

The disciples had been through a whirlwind of events! Their friend, Jesus, had shown them that he had power over the world with his miracles and he showed his power over death when he raised children and adults from the dead. Jesus spent days and months teaching the disciples about the sinfulness of their hearts and minds, and also about the mercy and forgiveness that God freely gives. They were just starting to put this all together—and now their friend is leaving them? But Jesus said “I am going there to prepare a place for you.” This place is heaven, where there is no sin, no sadness. And then it gets better! Jesus said “I will come back to take you to be with me”.” His words were very clear—the loss of their friend Jesus would only be temporary.

Hadn’t Jesus proved that he could be trusted and believed? Do you trust and believe these words? Sometimes we get stuck going around in circles in this world, trying to figure out how we can make it better. We think “if I just work harder, or read enough self-help books, or find the right support group, I can make things better”.” But the truth is, we can’t solve the problem of sin—not without Jesus.

And then Jesus said “You know the way”. Jesus had been showing them the way for the three years he lived with them. But, if there was any doubt, his very next words were “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus is the way! We can live our lives knowing where we are going and how to get there.