Author: Rhodes Davis

My passion is analyzing information, exploring ideas, lifelong learning and sharing knowledge with others. I have a wide range of interests and am not easily bored so I approach unfamiliar and diverse subjects with great zeal. I am a business nerd, fascinated by what can be accomplished through innovative companies and people who want to change the world. My faith is very important and I enjoy opportunities to share my observations and study insights through teaching and writing. I follow the simple teachings of Jesus and try to reflect His glory in my life. I work with young people on applying the teachings of Jesus to their unique challenges and opportunities. "Curiosity keeps taking us down new paths." - Walt Disney

I Was Just Teasing!

How would you feel if someone started calling you bad names?  What if they made fun of your clothes or your friends?  Would you like it if they made fun of the way you play sports, talk, or your hair?  I think all of us are hurt, and sometimes
angry, when someone makes fun of us or teases us.

We need to remember how bad it feels so we do not tease or make fun of other people.  Some people in school, at church, or in our neighborhood are easy to make fun of.  Maybe they don’t look like everyone else or have some things that everyone else has.  Of course, God made us all different and we should be proud of our differences.  But we should never make jokes about other people.  Jesus said we should treat others as we want to be treated (Matt. 7:12).

In fact, the Bible goes further to say that we should treat others better than ourselves, Philippians 2:3.  This means that we should treat ourselves well and treat others even better.  We must show love towards our enemies, Matthew 5:44.

How can you love someone who makes fun of you or is mean to you?  First, you pray for that person to change, not only so they will leave you alone but that they would learn to be like Jesus. 

Secondly, do not make fun of them because they made fun of you.  Have you ever seen a fight with just one person?  Don’t let another person draw you into the meanness of calling one another names. Ignore them. Let them know by your
example that you will not stoop to their level. They will often be mad that you won’t say bad things back to them. They also get mad because they are not getting you mad!  They will be the ones who look bad, not you.

Finally, remember that people who make fun of other people, deep down, do not love themselves. A person who feels very good about himself will not feel any need to bring others down to make himself look better.  Feel sorry for the person that thinks so little of himself that he has to bring you down to feel good.

I would beg you, as ones who love God, to especially avoid teasing people whom you go to church with.  It is sad to see young people who are supposed to love God, saying such mean things to and about one another, teasing others, or keeping others out of “their group.”  We are all trying to go to heaven and we need one another.  Speak words that build one another up.  Do not destroy someone with your words, Galatians 5:14-15.

Heroes

Who are your heroes?  We all probably have different heroes, people whom we respect for great things they have done or have made an important difference in our lives. For example, our parents should be heroes for all they do and their love for us.

People interested in sports often have heroes in their favorite sport who perform at a level higher than everyone else. Basketball players may like Michael Jordan because of his great abilities. People interested in music may respect a person who writes or performs music in a way they would like to do one day.

Heroes are examples for us to follow and teachers from whom we can learn. There is nothing wrong with wanting to play sports or perform music like our heroes, but we must realize that they may do things in their personal lives that are not good.

We should have spiritual heroes to look up to. I think of the apostle Paul’s great courage in teaching the gospel to people that sometimes hurt him. He was in many dangers while teaching the gospel but he continued to preach, 2 Corinthians 11:22-28.

We can also think of Daniel and his friends who were young people who worshipped God though they were in a land where people worshipped idols and sometimes wanted them to disobey God. I also think of David’s thirty mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:8-29. One man killed eight hundred men of the enemy’s army at one time. Another kept fighting the mighty Philistines alone when other people in the army ran away. Another man went down against a mighty Egyptian and took the Egyptian’s spear from him and killed him. These men defended God’s people because they trusted in God.

Of course, our greatest hero should be Jesus who loved us and died for us. Read about His life and do what he did.

Taking God’s Love With You To School

It will not be long before most of you will go back to school and many have already returned.  I hope you had a fun summer.  When you return to school you need to take some godly principles with you.  They will help you do what is right and strengthen your relationship with God.

Start every day with prayer.  You do not have to say a very long prayer about everything you need to pray about, but start the day asking for God’s help with all that you will face that day.  Ask Him to help you with difficult people and your school work.  During the day and at evening, keep praying to God and, during those times, pray for all who need your prayers. Our family prays together before going to work and school and it is a great way to start the day.

School Backpack with school supplies on white background

Remember your example.  People will judge your relationship to God and the way of Christ by what you wear, how you talk, and how you treat other people.  Remember that all you do is seen by God and by others.  If you say or do something you should not do, tell the person you are sorry.  You will teach them the importance of repentance.  You have a great opportunity to teach others about God but you must live a good life that shows you believe what you are saying.

Remember God’s love.  Some people may be unkind or mean to you..  Some that you thought were your friends may not act like friends.  I know it makes you sad but remember that God loves you, your family loves you, and other people love you.  It would be great if people never treated you badly but it is a part of life.  However, there are people who do love you and will love you no matter what you can or cannot do.  Of course, God always loves you and cares about you.

Do your work.  It is tough to do our homework when we want to play video games or watch endless funny videos.  However, we need to learn responsibility.  Sometimes we have to say “no” to something we want to do  in order to finish something we have to do.  I like to promise myself a reward when I do something I have to do, but might not want to do.  For example, if I finish my homework, then I can play video games for an hour.  This makes me want to finish my homework quickly and I won’t have to worry about playing video games too long and forgetting to do the homework, getting in trouble, etc.

I’m sure you will do great this school year.  Remember, do your best, obey your teachers, and love to learn.

Does God Always Love Me?

Sometimes when we do something we know we should not do, we might ask ourselves, “Does God still love me even though I did this?”  Some people who are feeling lonely might ask, “Does God love me?”

We should never doubt God’s love for us.  He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to teach us how to live right and then to die a terrible death so we could go to heaven.  If God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, we can be sure that He will not stop loving us.

However, God does not love the wrong that we do sometimes.  When we are disobedient to our parents, even though God told us to obey them (Ephesians 6:1), God loves us but He wants us to apologize to Him and decide to obey our parents like He commanded.  God does not love sin but He loves the sinner and wants the sinner to change his life and be like Jesus.

In the end, God will punish all the people who would never obey Him and those who knew His law but chose to disobey it.  God does not want to punish anyone but wants everyone to repent and serve Him (2 Peter 3:9).  But He is not going to make people obey Him.  If people choose to disobey Him, they will be punished.

But those who love God and obey His law will be able to live with Him forever in heaven.  Just think of that!  We can live with God in a place where there are no bad people, no one dies, no one is ever sad about anything, and the devil cannot tempt us.  That is a place where I want to go.  I hope you do to.

We must make sure that we do what God commands us to do and try to be like Jesus.  When we disobey His law, we must quickly pray to God and tell Him we are sorry and try our best not to disobey His law again.  God will give us help to obey because He loves us and wants us to live with Him in heaven.

Saved or Safe?

Many young people, at an early age, wonder if they need to become Christians. It is a very serious and personal decision so it must be made with prayer, Bible study, and talks with your parents. Older Christians, such as elders, preachers, and Bible class teachers may often help you as you consider your decision.

Many religious groups teach that a person is lost in sin when they are born in the world. This is not true. In fact, when Jesus was on the earth, He said,

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 19:14.

Jesus said that the kingdom was made up of people who were like children. Children are pure in God’s sight. They do not need to have their sins washed away in baptism because they have not sinned.

Another passage that teaches us that we are born without sin is Ezekiel 18:20. Ezekiel, a prophet of God, taught that the child shall not bear the sin of the father, nor will the father be punished for the sins of his son. If your parents do bad things, you will not have to answer for their sins. If you do bad, your parents will not answer for your sins. We all will stand before God in judgment for our own sins.

So if you are a child, you are in a safe condition before God. Until you learn what sin is all about and realize that you are a sinner before God and that you will be lost if you do not become a Christian, you will be in that safe condition.

You may ask, what age will I be when I should become a Christian? It is different for each person. Some people become Christians at 10 or 12. I didn’t become a Christian until I was 15 years old. The age when you will be ready to become a Christian may be different from your parents, your brothers and sisters, and your friends.

Becoming a Christian is the greatest decision that you will make. Don’t seek to be baptized if you are not ready. Even if all of your friends do it, you wait until you know it is the right time. If you are not sure, talk with your parents. They will be able to help you make your decision and ask you  questions that you may not have asked yourself.

Until you become a Christian, try to please God and learn His word so you will be a good Christian when the time comes. Obey your parents, pray to God often, listen to your teachers and the preacher when he preaches, sing songs in the worship, and learn God’s will every day. God is pleased with such obedience from young people.