Kids Bible Devotional for July 23, 2024
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Focus Verse
Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. (KJV)
Jump Start
268 million tons. That’s 536 billion pounds. What could weigh that much?
536 billion pounds. That’s 536 followed by nine zeroes. That’s how much trash is collected each year in the United States. To give you a picture of how big that number is, that’s the weight of almost two million adult blue whales.
But trash is not the only thing that we throw away. As Christians, we can cast away our faith or toss hope into the wind. How important are faith and hope? In I Corinthians 13, Paul said that there remains faith, hope and love, of which love is the greatest. The writer of Hebrews says that we need faith to please God and hope steadies the soul like an anchor on a ship. We need faith to have hope, and without hope we can stop believing. These give us confidence that God will meet our needs and see us through any hardship.
In 2017, a 17th century drawing was purchased at a yard sale for $30, only later discovered to be worth over $10 million. Talk about one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. When faith and hope are discarded, our confidence in God becomes like a dusty relic buried in the back of our attic or garage somewhere, its true value forgotten.
Today's Devotion
Vickie stepped over a pile of broken toys and light fixtures in the dilapidated old barn. “What are you looking for, Mom?”
“I’ll know it when I see it.” Mom pulled down an old picture frame from one of the rafters.
“I didn’t know Mr. Ferguson had so much junk in his barn. How did you convince him to let you in here? It’s a pigsty.”
“One man’s junk is another’s man treasure, Vickie.” Mom set the picture frame beside the barn door. “He actually called me. Since his wife passed, he’s been meaning to clean this old barn out, but just keeps putting it off. He knew I liked to collect valuable antiques.”
“Valuable? All I see is junk, Mom,” Vickie said.
“That’s because you don’t have a trained eye. Take that frame for example that I just set aside. A vintage frame like that could go for $500 after it’s cleaned and restored.”
Vickie picked up an old gas station sign covered by musty hay. She turned up her nose.
“Oh, keep that,” Mom exclaimed. “There’s a huge market for old signs like that.”
Vickie set the sign beside the frame. “I would have just thrown it away,” she said.
“People often discard things because they don’t hold the same value they once did. We can do that spiritually.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can lose faith when things don’t turn out the way we expect, or God isn’t moving fast enough for us. That’s why hope is so important in our walk with God. We should never lose hope. God will always give us when we need, when we need it. We just need to trust Him.”
“Look, Mom. There’s another frame like this one against the back wall. You want me to get it?”
“Now, you’re beginning to see the beauty in these vintage finds.”
Wrap Up
For nearly three decades, public television has aired a show the brings antique experts together with owners of old stuff to appraise the value of their vintage treasures. So often, these owners are surprised to learn the value of their possessions.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us of the worth of our perseverance. There is great reward when we hold fast to God’s promises. You see, we’re keeping our faith not just for God to see us through our life on earth. Rather, we know that we have in heaven a far better and enduring reward. And we’re going to keep holding on no matter how long it takes.
At times when you feel discouraged, don’t let go. Hang on to your faith with everything you’ve got. It will all work out in the end.
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