Despair? No way! Focus on God's love!

There's a great song in Brazil: The peace in my heart is not because everything is going well for me. I have peace in my heart because I love God and he is faithful. I do not focus on the circumstances, no, no, no. I focus on God's love. I do not live my life according to what I can see. And that is why I'm happy!
We all face problems and difficulties. It is important to deal with them in the right way. We need to teach and model for our children the right way to react to difficulties. God's Word tells us how:
"Sometimes you will have problems. Sometimes bad things will happen. Do not get upset. Do not worry. No way! You should have a happy heart. A problem gives you a chance to trust in God. A problem is like a test. Do you really love God? You need to keep on knowing God better and better. You need to keep on trusting God more and more. Problems help you grow. Problems help you get stronger. You will have problems. Do not get upset. Do not worry. Keep on trusting in God. Then you will do what is right. Then you will be patient. Then you will be ready for good things. Then you will be ready for bad things. Then you will be ready for anything" (James 1:2-4, The B-I-B-L-E).

Be proactive in praying

"Pray a lot! Praying is a really important thing to do! Praying is talking to God. Pay attention to things to pray for. Maybe you will see someone hurting. Then you can say, 'I will pray for him.' Or maybe you will see someone who needs help. Then you can say, 'I will pray for her.' God will answer your prayers. Always remember to tell God 'thank you'" (Colossians 4:2,
The B-I-B-L-E).


Let's be proactive in our praying. Let's set a good example for children. Let's make a difference in our world by asking God to intervene and bless.

Remember to peel the banana!

An Indian man once said, "Reading the Bible in a language I don't understand well is like eating a banana with the peeling on. Reading the Bible in my language is like taking the peeling off. Now I like to read the Bible. These are good words!"

I am getting comments from children who say they love The B-I-B-L-E. They say that it is easy to understand. For them, it is like eating a banana with the peeling off. Why should they have to eat the banana with the peeling on? God's words should speak to our heart.

"God gives us rules to obey. Those words are just right. They help us stop being sad. God tells us what he wants us to do. Those words are just right. They help us be happy. Those words are easy to understand. They help us know how to live. God is awesome. We need to respect him. God’s rules are true. They are fair. God’s words are better than anything. They are better than gold. They are better than even the best gold. Honey is very sweet. But God’s words are sweeter than that. They are better than even the best honey" (Psalm 19:7-10, The B-I-B-L-E).

Trust in God, and fight for what is right!

Nehemiah is one of my favorite books. Nehemiah faced opposition and criticism from every side. The book tells the story of how he dealt with each problem with perseverance and integrity. By nurturing a team effort, Nehemiah helped the people accomplish what seemed to be an impossible task. Nehemiah 4:14 is one of my favorite verses:

"Then I stopped to think about what was going on. I told the leaders to come to me. I told the people to come to me. I wanted to talk to them. I said, “Do not be scared! Do not be scared of the people who want to hurt us! Remember that God is with us! God is super strong! God is awesome! Fight to keep your family safe! Fight to keep your home safe! Fight to keep your friends safe!” (Nehemiah 4:14, The B-I-B-L-E).

When you think about the negative influences that continually bombard us and our children, it is easy to understand this verse. We should not be scared in the face of problems. We should have complete trust in God. We must remember that God is all-powerful. We must do everything possible to help children follow God faithfully!

God has a good plan for our life.

One of my granddaughters drew this picture of me. I want to share it with you.

Isn't it great that God made each one of us special! Let's teach that important truth to children. Let's teach children that God has a good plan for their life.

"You made me just right. You made lots of special parts inside of me. You made me grow inside my mom. Thank you for making me. You made many parts in my body. They all work together. My body is amazing. You did a great job! I started growing inside my mom. You saw me then. You saw me inside my mom. You know all about me. You have a good plan for my life. You know everything. God, you know me. You love me. You think I am very special. You think about me all the time. I go to sleep at night. Then I wake up in the morning. You are always thinking about me" (Psalm 139:13-18, The B-I-B-L-E).

You can read the rest of Psalm 139 in The B-I-B-L-E Volume 1.

"I love The B-I-B-L-E..."

I got this sweet note from a friend of mine:

New E-mail address

I am excitedly working on Proverbs and Romans for Volume 3 of The B-I-B-L-E. Proverbs is filled with wonderful advice for living life according to God's design. It makes very clear the consequences of the choices we make. Romans tells about our need for salvation. It makes very clear how we can be right with God. Many parents do a great job of reading Bible stories to their children. But children are not usually exposed to books such as Proverbs and Romans in their entirety. Do you share my motivation of helping guide kids to know God? Do you share my passion to help children understand God's Word when they are still little? Do you also long to nurture in children the habit of daily reading of God's Word? If so, please let me know. Send me a comment. Let other kids and parents know about The B-I-B-L-E.

Tell someone the website: http://www.thebible4kids.com/

Send me an E-mail: jan_harthan@thebible4kids.com