Share Your Faith: Stubborn

“You stiff-necked people! Acts 7: 51a

This colorful verse is a small piece of Stephen’s speech. In these words, God reminds us that we are also stiff-necked and stubborn. We can use this verse to teach our children to have a stubborn trust instead of a stubborn attitude.

Here is a clip of a hamster doing what hamsters were designed to do. 

When hamsters live in the wild, they find food and stuff it in their cheeks so they can take it back to their burrows. This is what helps them stay alive.

This hamster does not live in the wild so it has nowhere to go with its stuffed cheeks. It sits in the corner with a full mouth and a stiff neck. This hamster needs to put down some of those carrots and trust that its owner will give it a new carrot tomorrow.

When adults use the term stiff-necked we are usually talking about someone who is stubborn. Someone who thinks they know better than the person who is in charge. When we are stiff-necked we are refusing to trust that our parents or our teachers know what is best for us. 

Instead, we say “no!”

“ No! I won’t make my bed!”

“ No! I won’t come inside!”

“No! I won’t do my homework!”

“No! I won’t say I am sorry!”

“ No! I won’t’, I won’t, I won’t!”

When we act this way we are not showing trust. God gave us parents and teachers to keep us safe and to help us learn and grow. Even if we do not like what they are saying, we need to trust and obey.

This Bible verse came from a speech to a group of people who refused to believe that Jesus was their Savior. They were stiff-necked and stubborn. They turned away from the gift of eternal life. Just like the hamster who can't even eat because his cheeks are full, these people stubbornly refused God's gift.

God loves you and He cares for you. The people in your life who care for you are a gift from God and you are a gift to them.

Don’t be stiff-necked, sitting in a corner with a full mouth of carrots, ignoring God’s gift.

Let God help you to trust in Him and obey.

Share Your Faith:Lavish Love

See what great love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God! I John 3: 1a

Lavish is a great word, isn’t it? The word is fun to say and its meaning goes beyond generous. We can increase vocabulary and share God’s love with our children using this wonderful word and the Bible verse that uses it.

If we put the raisins in the glass of soda, will they sink or float? It is a bit tricky to guess. The raisins are heavier than the soda, but they are also shaped like little boats. 

Let’s give it a try and see what happens.

They sink and float; the raisins do both! 

When we sin, we fall away from God, just as the raisins sink to the bottom of the glass. Sometimes we get a sinking feeling inside because we know we have done something wrong. 

If you watch a raisin on the bottom, you will see that tiny bubbles collect around it. These bubbles form a sort of life jacket around the raisin and cause it to float to the top.

When we sin and fall away, God reaches down with mercy and forgiveness and brings us back to Him.

If you watch a raisin at the top you will notice that the bubbles pop and sooner or later the raisin sinks to the bottom of the glass.

When God forgives us He takes away our sin, but then we sin again, and again, and again. Each time we sin we fall away from God and each time God forgives and restores us to Him, again, and again, and again.

God loves us in a lavish way. He loves us in a way we do not deserve. He loves us this way because He is a generous God.

This lavish love is called unconditional love. It means God loves us, no matter what. We cannot do anything to make Him stop loving us. We cannot do anything to make Him love us more. 

God loves us perfectly.