So how well are you SHINING?

 You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.   Matthew 5:14, 16

I love this verse, don't you?  Jesus doesn't give his disciples a promise that someday they will be "God-light" in this dark world...but that they ARE His light in the world. Now. Pretty astounding statement, coming from the Light of the World Himself, wouldn't you say?   Not to mention that his disciples were brand-new at this following-Jesus-stuff and still had lots and lots and lots of questions, doubts and lessons still ahead.  They were just-beginners--maybe like the children you're teaching, those in your home -- or maybe even YOU? 

Jesus gives us all a simple truth: the minute any of us say "Yes, Jesus, I believe" - a light shines... His light shines!   A great way to think of this is lighting a birthday candle (how appropriate!)  Yes, this little candle shines well - it has a wick and just enough wax to do the job. (Not for long, however). Furthermore, birthday candles aren't known for standing on their own (does anyone have a cupcake handy?) -- and like new believers in Jesus, need support from others in order to STAND and SHINE.  Comparing birthday candles to other candles--like the ones that can shine for hours on end-- I notice it's the wax around the wick that's  makes a real difference.  Say I take that little birthday candle before it's all burnt out and dip it in some more wax (like the old-fashioned way of candle-dipping).  Imagine adding another layer of wax to the outside--and another, and another. That's like when you and I  go to God in prayer--spend time in His Word--talk to Him--listen to Him.  Just like wax layers can grow an itty-bitty candle to a pillar-size one, prayer grows each of us. Layer by layer. Amen after amen.  Now that's shining for Him!    

Trusting God wholeheartedly!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding... Proverbs 3:5

So what keeps you and me from trusting God with all our heart? Proverbs tells us (just in case you don't already know it): we do! We all lean towards the path of "my way". We are our first "go-to" problem-solver, director and guide, aren't we? And then, when we do get around to asking God, it is only to stamp His approval on the way we've chosen to go. Sad but true.  This well-known verse is packed with great truth, so let's keep it simple for now.  You and I fail to trust God wholeheartedly whenever we forget who He truly is (the LORD of heaven and earth, the compassionate and gracious God, the One who makes the impossible possible!) and who we truly are (self-centered, disobedient fools). The moment we remember the truth about God and ourselves- the choice is easy, errr...easier, right? So begin each day with clear reminders of who God is. Read the Bible (it's all about Him!) and then tell your kids, your spouse, your friends, over and over again.  (Or else you'll forget, because that's just what self-centered, disobedient fools do.) 

Here's a fun crafty reminder to make with your family guaranteed to get their attention (teens included!) and stick around to remind you all that trusting God (the LORD of all!) is always the best way to go! It's one adapted from Family Fun magazine, Feb. 2007.  You will need two shades of colored 8-inch square colored cardstock, scissors and markers. It looks complicated but it's not!

Fold one of the squares in half, then half again, accordion-style. Cut 3 evenly-spaced cuts along the center fold, stopping at the quarter fold.

Now, cut the other color square into 1 3/4-inch strips (you just need 2 of them) and weave them through the cuts you made on the 8-inch square. Make sure strips are woven opposite ways.

Open card so it looks like a checkerboard.  Write the "God truth" -- such as "Nothing is impossible"
here. 

Then pushing the solid ends of the card together, open the center fold of the checkerboard and discover blank space to finish your "God truth" --  "in God's hands!"  Decorate as you like. Expect your child to be fascinated with how this card works!  You might find yourself trying to figure it out as well.

Clear words and creative ways to teach and reach the hearts and minds of all God's children!

Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.  I will praise You, O Lord, my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever.   Psalm 86:11-12

It all begins with our heart, doesn't it?  A heart willing to be taught. A heart willing to listen to God.  A heart willing to go where God says to go.  A heart that is not divided -- but one that is WHOLE. Completely committed to God. Holy. Undistracted. Confident in what God can do. Obedient. Oh, and full of praise!
 David's prayer is a continuing my prayer for myself as well as "my kids" (at home or in ministry). God is the One who teaches and reaches any heart - and transforms divided, "half-hearts"
of all ages to be wholly-His!  That He includes and uses any of us to share in this heart transformation is just another reason to praise Him!


So how could you demonstrate what an undivided heart looks like to a child? Here's a simple illustration that captures the attention of all ages - and hopefully invites further discussion.
You will need a pair of donut magnets and a dowel that fits in their center hole, though any repelling magnets can also work. (Such can be found in the hands-on science section of toy or teaching supply stores.)
 It's always good to start at the beginning, so let's do that. A heart is divided because of sin - that little, or not-so-little voice, that questions God's goodness, that doubts God's promises, and that defies God's rules and limits.  One magnet (the white one here) is our holy, unchanging God -- who desires to have a relationship with us.  The other magnet is you and me - free to choose to love God-- or not. When our rebellious heart says "yes" to sin and "no" to God (that's all of us)- the magnets repel - and nothing can make them whole and together like they are supposed to be. (Bounce the repelling magnets on the dowel here.) Notice how sin separates us from God? God is unchanging, perfect and good.  God doesn't have a sin problem -- we do!  What is needed is for that sinning heart to (literally here) turn around and confess their disobedience to Jesus (flip the other magnet up, off and around the dowel now) - and whenever that happens, Jesus is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).