** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <August 2, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
Casual Conversations with God
• READ: JOHN 1:1-14; 15:9-21; ACTS 17:27; ROMANS 8:31-39
When I pray out loud with friends, some of them begin by saying, “Hi God.” At first, this struck me as odd and maybe even disrespectful. After all, God is the Creator and Supreme Ruler of everything. But I realized it actually makes some sense to talk to God in this casual way because God wants to be in this kind of relationship with us: personal, everyday friendship. And knowing that He is also the amazing, glorious, almighty King of the universe makes that friendship even more incredible!
Think about it. When Jesus—who is fully God and fully human—was living on earth, people hung out with Him. They went for walks and ate snacks and laughed at jokes together. Jesus wasn’t serious all the time.
Jesus came to live with us, and this is still the kind of relationship God wants to have with His people. He wants to share everyday things with us. We can talk to Him about anything and everything. Prayers don’t need to be fancy or impressive, because we’re talking to our friend. It’s also pretty cool that we can pray anytime, because God already knows our thoughts. It’s like telepathy but better! He invites us into a lifestyle of sharing with Him, of being open and constantly interacting with Him (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
And even though God already knows everything we’re experiencing, and He knows everything we’ll ever say before we say it (Psalm 139:1-4), God still invites us to talk to Him. In fact, He loves it when we talk to Him! Because He loves us. One of the reasons Jesus came was to show us who God is, what He’s like, and what kind of relationship He wants us to have with Him. When Jesus let Himself be killed on a cross, He showed that God loves us so much that He’s willing to die for us. And Jesus’ death was powerful because it paid the price for all of humanity’s wrongdoing. Jesus came back to life and showed Himself to His friends because He wanted them to know Him and be with Him forever.
God made a way for us to be in close relationship with Him, no matter what we’ve done. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that God has totally forgiven us, and nothing can separate us from Him anymore. He is always so near, so eager for us to reach out to Him. When we talk to God like a friend, I think it makes Him really happy. • Hannah Howe
• How have you heard people start conversations with God? How do you like to talk to God?
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 (NLT)
** Unlocked은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 원본으로 듣고 싶으신 분들은 홈페이지 Unlocked.org로 들어가시면 <August 4, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**
What Is Kindness?
• READ: 2 SAMUEL 9:1-13; ROMANS 5:6-11; 8:14-17; GALATIANS 6:9-10
Kindness. How many times have you heard that word? Growing up, I heard it all the time: “Be kind to people.” But what exactly is kindness? One of the best biblical examples I can think of involves David and a man named Mephibosheth. In the days of David, when a new family became king, all family members of the old king would be killed. Crazy, right? Well, when King Saul and his son Jonathan are killed in battle, David becomes the new king.
Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth. David, as the new king, was expected to kill all of Saul and Jonathan’s relatives, including Mephibosheth. But instead of doing that, David asks if any of Saul’s relatives are left who he can show kindness to. David had made an oath to Jonathan, who was his closest friend. When Saul wanted to kill David, Jonathan swore he would help David escape, and David swore he would show unfailing kindness—like God’s kindness—to Jonathan and his family (1 Samuel 20:12-17). So now David invites Mephibosheth to come to the palace. Not only that, but David also gives Mephibosheth everything that belonged to his grandfather Saul. Imagine being Mephibosheth, who went to the palace probably expecting to die but was instead given back the land of his ancestors. David also told Mephibosheth that he was to eat at the king’s table, an honor usually reserved for the sons of the king.
I can’t think of a better example of kindness than David’s kindness to Mephibosheth. In that time, it would have been perfectly legal and considered just for him to kill Mephibosheth, but instead of doing that, or even just letting Mephibosheth live, David treated him as a son.
David’s kindness foreshadowed the amazing kindness God has shown His people. When we were God’s enemies, helpless to save ourselves, Jesus showed us the ultimate kindness by dying for us. (Who dies for their enemies?) Not only that, but God welcomes us into His family as His children, even His heirs. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, He not only saves us from the death we deserve, but also welcomes us to eat at His table with Him. • Kimberly Brokish
• What are some ways people have shown you kindness? How has God shown you kindness?
• Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus—who perfectly embodies kindness—His Holy Spirit is in us and empowers us to be kind, even to our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44; John 15:4-5; Galatians 5:22-23). How might remembering and receiving God’s kindness to you help you show kindness to others?
So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family that I can show the kindness of God to?” 2 Samuel 9:3a (CSB)
