Happy New Year, Superkid!
I hope you’re excited about this year and what’s ahead of you.
I’m sure you had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and a fun New Year’s Day with your family. Hopefully, you enjoyed Christmas. One thing I know for sure, the “new” can begin to wear off of the “New Year” pretty fast. School begins and the routine kicks back in: Mom and Dad are working hard to make their New Year’s resolutions a new way of life. For me, my new ideas and decisions for a better, more organized life, home and future always ended up in a “Family Meeting.” Have you ever had those? Mom and Dad are tired of your messy room, dirty dishes in the sink, having to feed the dog, and the constant fussing amongst the kids. The list goes on.
Just think, as you read this they could be planning that meeting right now! You might be thinking, Hide Commander Kellie’s Corner so Mom and Dad don’t call a “COME TO JESUS” meeting! Have you ever heard it called that? Somehow, that term doesn’t make coming to Jesus sound too fun. And that’s what I want to talk to you about.
When the thought of correction comes, what is your first reaction? Do you want to run and hide, get angry, immediately think of excuses, or blame others? Or do you just tune the correction out and do things your own way? At some point, we’ve all had one or more of those responses. But if we really understood correction, we would LOVE it!
There is an instance in the Bible that shows us God’s view of correction.
Moses had led the Israelite’s out of Egypt into the wilderness, and they camped at Mount Sinai, where the presence of God dwelt. God told Moses He wanted to talk to His children, so Moses said, “Clean yourselves up, come and listen to God.” Think about it: They had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Do you suppose they knew what it was to be free? How to act and think? Egyptians worshiped many gods—all of them false gods. Do you think they knew what it meant to worship the One True God? They really had never met their God! Imagine that. It makes perfect sense to me that God would call them to a place and introduce Himself as the only God they would ever need. It’s logical that they would need to know how to live as free people, worshiping one faithful God. So what did God do? He called a “COME TO ME” meeting. Sound familiar?
God said in Leviticus 26:1, 11-13 (New Living Translation): “Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the Lord your God…. I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.”
Sounds good, right? Not to the children of Israel. They got so scared when they heard God’s rumbling voice that they ran from THE RULES OF THE HOUSE (the Ten Commandments). They NEEDED to know the new way to act and think to be able to enter into the new land God had promised them. After all, how could they trust God to defeat the giants in the new land if they still acted and thought like they had in Egypt—like slaves? Sadly, instead of understanding how much God was for them, they ran away from changing their thinking and their ways. They told Moses, “You talk to Him, we don’t want to.”
So, instead of giving the Ten Commandments directly to His kids like He desired, God gave them to Moses. NOT TOO EFFECTIVE, as we find out in the rest of the story.
Superkid, the same choices are before you today. God is calling YOU! What He said to the Israelite’s, He is saying to you in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (NLT): “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
How will you respond to the voice of God, the voice of Jesus, the voice of your parents and leaders? The next time your parents call a “COME TO JESUS” meeting, think about what I’ve said. Remember: You are coming to the One who loves you, the One who knows how you should think and act so you can walk in His blessings. If your parents, or anyone else cares enough to correct you, then they LOVE you too. In a Jesus household, correction comes from the Spirit of love—Jesus Himself.
So don’t be afraid, defensive or angry. Just come to Jesus. It’s the best place to be. More on that next month, so stay tuned!
Love,
Commander Kellie