Seventh-Day Adventist Devotional For Children: “By The Will Of God”
DAILY BREAD – DEVOTIONAL FOR CHILDREN
EASTERN NIGERIA UNION CONFERENCE CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Topic: By the Will of God
From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope. 1 Tim. 1:1
Paul often referred to himself as ‘an apostle by the will of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:1). In this case, however, he says, ‘It’s not just His will for me, it’s His command that I am to be an apostle—one who is sent out, one who shares truth.’
The things that we have been commanded to do can sometimes become wearying when we find ourselves in situations we weren’t anticipating—like prison. After all, it was from a Roman prison cell that Paul wrote to Timothy. And in this, I am reminded of another who found himself a prisoner… ‘Oh, Lord, I cannot speak. I am but a child,’ Jeremiah protested when called to minister.
‘Before you were born, I knew you and ordained you to be a prophet,’ the Lord replied. ‘I will put My words on your lips—and you shall go.’
So Jeremiah did. And what happened? He eventually ended up in a dungeon.
‘OK, Lord,’ he said. ‘Yes, You commanded me. Yes, You anointed me. But people aren’t responding. No one is getting saved.’ So Jeremiah decided to quit prophesying, to quit sharing—until he realized that the Word of God was like fire in his bones and that he could not keep quiet (Jeremiah 20:9).
Maybe like Jeremiah, or perhaps like Paul, you feel imprisoned and are tempted to throw in the towel, to quit sharing the Gospel with people since none seem to respond. But if you do, the Word of God will burn in your heart as surely as it did in Jeremiah’s, and, like Paul, you will realize you have no choice in the matter, for you are under the command of Go!
Thought for Reflection
Did you hear about the little boy who returned home after his first Sabbath School class? His mother asked, “Who was your teacher?’ and the little boy answered, “I don’t remember her name, but she must have been Jesus’ grandmother because she didn’t talk about anyone else.” Does our conversation reflect our love of Jesus? Would our words give away our relationship with him?
Song
Hark! the voice of Jesus calling,
“Who will go and work today?
Fields are white, the harvest waiting,
Who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the Master calleth,
Rich reward He offers free;
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I, O Lord, send me”?
Prayer
Our Father, we bow before You and ask that, by Your Spirit, You will bring us to the place where we are truly able to pray from the heart, ‘Your will be done.’ You know how strong our own wills are. You know how hard we find it to submit to Your way for our lives. Lord, strengthen us to desire and to do Your will. When Your will conflicts with our desires. Give us strength to embrace Your commands, and give us grace to submit to the burdens You give us to carry. We pray that You will help us to do Your revealed will, like the angels, fully, gladly and immediately. Help us to love you will all our hearts, souls, minds and strength. Help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to make disciples of people from every background, and to seek the good of people from every race. Save us from being unhappy Christians. Deliver us from the sinful habit of complaint. Make us more like Jesus. Teach us to pray, “Your will be done,’ through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, in whose name we pray, Amen.
