Topsy Turvy Love

Read: Matthew 1:21:

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins."

What do you think of first when you think of Christmas and Easter? The gifts you’ll receive? The party at school? The songs you’ll sing? The eggs and candy to find?

The real reason for the holidays is to celebrate the love of Jesus Christ. Every year during the Christmas holiday, I feel a little bit sad because, even though we celebrate His birth, I know Jesus Christ was born to die. But Jesus rose to live again! That day, He changed the world forever. He turned this world topsy-turvy! We get to celebrate His resurrection every year on Easter Sunday.

And the day you ask Jesus into your heart is the day you are changed forever.

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” (John 3:16 CEV).

One day, if we have faith in Jesus, we can live with Him. For how long? Forever and ever!

Topsy Turvy Tip: As you celebrate the holidays, remember – Jesus gave his life for you because He loves you.

Life without Christ is Topsy Turvy!™

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True Meaning of Christmas

Here's a link to a sweet story - "The True Meaning of Christmas."

http://www.devotions.co.uk/christmas.shtml

Back to School Time

Read Job 31:4 NLT:

Doesn’t he see everything I do and every step I take?

My family moved right before I entered second grade. I didn’t want to change schools. I might get lost in a different school building. Would I make friends? Would my new teacher be nice?
Soon it will be time for the school year to begin. Maybe you feel like I did – a little scared.

Do you know you can pray for your teacher, your new classmates, and even your principal, now? That seems topsy-turvy to pray for people you haven’t even met yet, doesn’t it?

But we can pray like this because the Bible tells us God knows everything (1 John 3:20). He knows the past, present and future. He already knows who your teacher will be, the friends you’ll make, and will be with you every step of the way.

Psalm 37:23 says, “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

When you feel afraid, remember – God loves you and is right there with you. He knows all about you.

Topsy Turvy Tip: Nothing that happens in your life will ever surprise God.

Life without Christ is Topsy Turvy!™

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God’s Valentine

Read: 1 John 3:1 niv

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Give away cards or candy? Maybe you know someone who received a big bunch of flowers. Sometimes in school, children exchange Valentines with the kids in class. Do you do that? Have you ever written a poem for someone you love?

We celebrate Valentine’s Day by showing others how much we care about them. It’s nice to feel loved. Did you know there is someone who loves you more than anyone else in the world? God! We have a book that tells all about his love for us – the Bible. Since Valentines contain messages of love, the Bible is kind of like God’s Valentine to us, isn’t it?

God sent this ‘valentine’ a long time ago, long before you were born, but He had YOU in mind when He sent it. That seems topsy turvy, but God knew you before you were even born, and loved you from the very beginning. Turn to John 3:16 in God’s Valentine, and read what God did for YOU because He loves you so much.

Topsy Turvy Tip: Do you have someone who means a lot to you? Tell that person you love him, and God loves him, too!

Life without Christ is topsy turvy! ™

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Thank you to Jill for publishing these devotionals on CWAHM.com. Click HERE!

God Knows You

Read Psalm 139:13-17 cev:

“You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine.”

Do you have a best friend? It’s fun to go places and do things together. We tell each other secrets. Sometimes it’s like our best friend knows us better than anyone else in the world.

What if I told you there is Someone who knows you even better than your best friend? And how about this? This Someone knew before you were even born! Now that seems topsy-turvy, doesn’t it?

David wrote in Psalm 139 that even before you were born, God knew all about you. He knows when you sit down and when you get up. He even knows your thoughts. God made you wonderful and special. There is no one else like you. You are wonderful because a wonderful God made you.

Topsy Turvy Tip: Tell your best friend about God’s love. Read all of Psalm 139 to find out how God made YOU special.

Life without Christ is Topsy Turvy!™

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You Are Never Alone

Read John 14:26 cev:

But the Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.

Do you remember a time when Mom or Dad dropped you off some place? How did you feel? Maybe you ran after your parent crying, “Don’t go!”

When Jesus walked on earth, He had a group of men who helped Him called disciples. As the time came for Jesus to go back to Heaven, the disciples did not want to see Him go. Jesus loved them and told them He they would not be alone.

Jesus said, “I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you” (John 14:16 cev).

God sent the Holy Spirit, not just to be with the disciples, but to live inside them. If you love Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives inside you, too, so you never need to feel lonely. Even if you somehow ended up by yourself in the middle of nowhere, you would not be alone. That might seem topsy-turvy, but it’s true!

Topsy Turvy Tip: The next time you feel lonely, remember – God sent the Holy Spirit just for you!

Life without Christ is Topsy Turvy!™

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Do I Have to Love Them?

Read Luke 6:35 CEV:

Love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel.

Has anyone ever been mean to you? Sometimes kids call each other unkind names, or make fun of each other. Maybe you’ve had someone talk about you behind your back. That hurts, doesn’t it?

When someone treats you unfairly, we usually want to treat him the same way. If you find out your friend told a lie about you, you might be tempted to make something up about her!
But guess what? Jesus says we are to love them. What? That seems topsy-turvy, doesn’t it? If kids are mean to you, you’re supposed to be good to them.

It’s easy to love people who treat you well, but of course, not so easy to love mean people. But with Jesus’ help, you can do it. He loves ALL people, and we try our best to be like Jesus.

Christ’s love is the greatest in the world. If you get angry, and act like the other person, you’ll feel lousy. Wouldn’t you rather do what Jesus tells you to do?

Topsy Turvy Tip: The next time someone treats you unfairly, ask God to help you to be kind anyway, and pray for him or her. You’ll love like Jesus loves!

Life without Christ is Topsy Turvy!™
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First in Line

Read Mark 9:35 (NKJV):

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Have you ever gone to an amusement park hoping to hop on your favorite ride, only to find a long line of people waiting? Now imagine you’ve spotted some friends already in line. Would you try to cut ahead of others to shorten your wait?

Once, Jesus’ disciples argued over which disciple would be the greatest. Jesus responded to them by saying, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all. He will be the one to care for all” (Mark 9:35 nlv).

According to Jesus, you don’t become great by wanting to be first. You achieve it by your willingness to be last. You don’t try to get others to serve you. You serve them! Now that’s topsy-turvy, isn’t it?

Think about it. Whether in line at a park or at school, it’s fun to be first, but doesn’t feel so good when someone pushes in front of you. If you cut in line, how do you think that makes others look at you? What if you tried to talk to them about how much Jesus loves them after you cut in line? Something tells me they might not want to hear it!

Topsy Turvy Tip: Let’s treat others with kindness and respect. Ask God to help you put someone else first today. It may not always be easy or the fun thing to do, but it’s the best thing to do.

Life without Christ is Topsy Turvy!™

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