** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <July 21, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
His Plan
• READ: PROVERBS 16:1-9; MATTHEW 6:25-34; ROMANS 8:28
What do you want to be when you grow up? I never liked that question because I never had a good answer. My sister wanted to be a Bible translator, my brother dreamed of becoming a missionary pilot, but me? All I could say was, “A mom.” That was part of what I wanted to be, but I felt there was more. Maybe a teacher? Maybe a police officer? I wasn’t sure, and I prayed that God would give me the answer.
Then, through conversations with a few people, I started to sense that God might be showing me I was going about it the wrong way. As an organized person, I wanted to plan out my entire education and career, but that’s not really what I needed. Instead, as I submitted my plans to God out of love for Him, He helped me rest in knowing He is working in everything. I could trust God to take me one step at a time as I lived His plan for my life, right then.
When I started praying that God would take me one step at a time, I felt like He began to show me my calling. I was fifteen years old, and over the summer, He did some amazing works in my life. I felt a clear calling to youth ministries, and I saw how this career path could be a great fit for my passions, gifts, and desires!
I didn’t learn my lesson that easily though. As I start taking classes through our local community college’s dual enrollment program, I’m trying to plan colleges and degrees for after I graduate. Again, I’ve caught myself getting stressed about the future. Again, I’ve handed it over to God. My hope is in Him, not in my plan. And I can’t wait to see how God will lead me! As fellow teenagers, you’re probably facing some of the same questions and decisions I am. I challenge you to let go of your fight for answers and instead, let God take you one step at a time. He loves you deeply, He has a plan for you, and you can trust Him to lead you. • Macy Lee
• Have you experienced God’s faithfulness in leading you through decisions in the past? How?
• What decisions are you facing now? What are some of your dreams for the future?
• Have you ever found yourself fighting for answers instead of resting in God? It can be hard to allow God to lead us one step at a time, but when we decide to go His way instead of our own way, He promises to help us through His Holy Spirit. You can ask Him for help anytime.
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <July 20, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
Jesus Knows My Name
• READ: LUKE 15:10; JOHN 10:1-18
Do you know what your name means? Recently, I looked up my name, Macy. I found out that "Macy" might come from a Hebrew
word that means “Gift of Yahweh.” (Yahweh is one of God’s names, and it means I am). I also discovered that the Greek form of the word my name comes from is the same Greek word my brother’s name comes from. So, in a roundabout way, my brother and I have the same name! Cool, right?
My family and friends aren’t the only ones who know my name. Jesus, my Savior, knows my name too, as we can see in today’s passages.
During His ministry on earth, Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd who “calls his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). We are like the sheep in this parable, and when Jesus said that He loves His sheep so much that He lays down His life for them, He meant it. Jesus let Himself be put to death on a cross to take the punishment our sins deserve. But three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, and the first person He showed Himself to was Mary Magdalene (who was one of His followers). When she was weeping outside the empty tomb, Jesus called her by name. And then He told her to go and tell His other followers the good news!
God wants all people to know Him and be saved from eternal death (1 Timothy 2:4). That’s why He sent Jesus! Everyone who acknowledges that Jesus is Lord and believes that God raised Him from the dead will have their name written in the Book of Life (Romans 10:9-13; Revelation 20:11-12). Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, believers can know with confidence that they are forgiven and will one day be resurrected to live with Him forever.
The moment I put my trust in Jesus, His sacrificial blood washed away my sin and my name was inscribed in the Book of Life. There was a party in heaven as “Macy” was added to the long list of God’s children. And just as Jesus said, “Mary,” to the crying woman outside the tomb, He will one day say “Macy” with the same love. • Macy Lee
• Read John 20:11-18. Can you imagine Jesus saying your name with love? Take a moment to ponder and talk to God about this.
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” John 20:16a (NIV)
