Download Devotions For Students DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3

 Devotions For Students Lesson 1: Obedience That Leads To Life DAY 1 “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” ⎯ 1 Samuel 15:22 Imagine this: The God of the whole universe picks you to be the King (or Queen) of your country. For a while you listen to God on how to run the country. Sometimes you mess up, but you ask for forgiveness and God forgives you. God gives you messages through a guy named Sam. One day Sam comes to you and says, “Listen, there’s this country that’s really evil and hates God. God wants you to go and totally wipe them out and NOTHING is to be left alive, no animals or people.” You decide He couldn’t have meant EVERYTHING. You make a minor adjustment on God’s plan leaving the king and some of the best animals alive. Afterwards, Sam says, “What the . . . God said get rid of EVERYTHING!” This time you make excuses instead of asking for forgiveness. God knows you don’t really want Him anymore, so instead you lose your kingdom. Ouch. Read the whole story in 1 Samuel 15:1-­‐26. God doesn’t want us to do things our own way and then come back and say, “It was all for you.” He wants us to trust Him enough to follow His commands. Since Saul, wanted His OWN way he also lost his relationship with the Lord. This loss tormented him the rest of his life. God knows our choice to obey His commands will bring us closer or farther away to Him. Think About This . . . • Do you want to obey God ALL The Way, trusting He wants us to be close to Him, or is ALL THE WAY hard for you? DAY 2 Have you ever run a race or played kickball? What about just racing a friend to the end of a hallway? The point is when you are running what is it you notice? Probably, only the goal, or the finish line. You are trying to win against your friend, or get on the base without getting tagged “out.” (Even if it’s been awhile, do you remember?) Read Deuteronomy 5:33. Now read the passage again and replace the word “walk” with “run.” It sounds a lot different when it says, “Run in obedience” instead of “walk,” doesn’t it? Think for a second. How is a walk different than a run? What are some of the ways? A walk is slow and steady. It’s less about getting someplace quickly and more about taking the time to get where you are going. Our obedience to the Lord is a walk, not a run. It’s about learning how to get closer to the Lord, by learning to live for Him, not about rushing through a set of rules. Actually, Moses wrote Deuteronomy to remind the Israelites of God’s law before they entered the Promised Land with Joshua. Think About This . . . • God had taken His people out of slavery, and through their disbelief (and disobedience) they ended up wandering through the desert for 40 years, before they could enter the “land God promised.” • In your life where does God want to take you? Have you ever thought about that? • How does “walking in obedience” to ALL the Lord asks of you help YOU get there? DAY 3 In your room or someplace private, set a timer for three minutes. Now stand up, and do as many jumping jacks as you can in that time. While you are exercising, try to see what you notice going on around you. Go do it. Now that you’re finished, what are your first thoughts? What did you hear while you were doing jumping jacks. What did you see? How is your heart rate and breathing afterwards? Now set your timer for three minutes again and just sit down. Silently, with no distractions. Keep your eyes and ears open. In this time see all that you can take in and notice. Now that you’re done, what are your first thoughts? What did you hear and see this time? What is your heart rate and breathing like? What was the difference in what you noticed and took in during exercise and sitting still? You may have heard the Bible verse from the Psalms that says, “Be still and know that I am God.” However, you are wondering what this has to do with obedience? Our relationship with God is described in the Bible as a “walk” not a “sprint.” Do you remember that when we looked at Deuteronomy 5:33 this week? That’s because when we don’t slow down enough to get to know God well, we can’t trust in knowing Him well. When we don’t know God, it’s harder to follow His commands, because it feels like a list of “rules” instead of a way to be in better relationship with Him. How many of God’s commands do you really know? Take the time today to discover one more of God’s commands. Pray the Lord would help you follow Him because you want a deep relationship with Him. DAY 4 Read this Quote: “How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!” ⎯ Benjamin Franklin I don’t know about you, but when I first read that it was hard to hear. Basically it’s saying, a lot of people are willing to celebrate Jesus, but not many are willing to do what it takes to follow Him. Think About This . . . • Do you think that is true that a lot of people will take the time to “celebrate” the fun with God (like Christmas), but when it’s hard to do what He asks, they don’t want to have anything to do with it? • What about you? Do you just want to do some partying for God, or do you want to really do what it takes to follow Him? • What’s the hardest part about following his “precepts” or “laws?” Pray and ask the Lord for a desire to really follow Him and His ways (that includes His commands) today. DAY 5 Go outside today and push against your house with all of your might. If you are too embarrassed to go outside, close the door to you room and push against your wall with all of your might. Try a couple of times and see if you can push your house over, or even take your room down. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Did it budge? Even if you were to put a hole in the wall, would you be able to take down the building? What do you think kept it from falling down? The answer is most likely the foundation. All of the standing is about foundation. Even if you live in an apartment complex that large building needs an even more solid foundation. What if you are growing up in something that doesn’t have a foundation? A tent might be easier to push around, because it doesn't have something (more than little stakes in the ground) to keep it down. Obedience to God is kind of like the foundation that keeps our relationship with God close, and keeps our life firm. The line below represents obedience to God and his commands. Write some words that help you know obedience to God is holding up your relationship with Him. (An example might be. “Hope.” For you know as you obey God and follow His ways you understand how to have hope that He will take care of everything.) Today when you are wondering if being obedient to God’s commands is important go lean against a wall and think about why the whole building doesn’t fall over in one push. Obedience is the foundation of your faith.