By Beholding We Become Changed

Have you ever seen one of those parrots that mimic everything you say? You can teach them to say “Hello!” and many other things. They can mimic a phone or doorbell ringing, a baby crying, and pretty much anything you want to teach them. They can learn sounds that you don’t teach them either, which may not always be good. They don’t know any better, and when they hear an interesting sound, they simply just start imitating it. They listen to a sound, and began to copy it.

The listening principle isn’t just for parrots though. We can spend time beholding Christ in Bible study and prayer, or we could decide to fill our minds with things that will make us unfit for God’s Kingdom.

If we decide to fill our minds with worldly music, unfit movies, and even food that’s not good for us, do you think God would let us enter His kingdom? Of course not!

If we are like the world, God wouldn’t let us into His kingdom. It’s not because He doesn’t love us, but because He sees where we have gone astray, and knows that we wouldn’t be able to change. Which is why we must spend time with God every day. When we have our morning devotions, and start the day out by talking to Him, we have a good start to our day, which will help us to stay on the right path throughout the whole day.

God wants us to stay right with Him. By doing all these things, we can keep our relationship with Him strong.

I want to stay right with God and have a relationship with Him, don't you?

-Ashley Angeles

Comments

Who Holds the Reins?

A horse gallops wildly through the deep dark woods. On its back rides a terrified girl, her small, weak hands clinging to the reins draped about her horses neck. Her dress is torn and dirty and her unraveled braids fly out behind her in a tangled and wind tossed mess. The trail, full of potholes, rocks and fallen logs, snakes its way through an ominously dark and dreary forest. Dark, sinister trees threaten to grab her and pull her off of her horse. At every bump in the trail, the girl bounces, nearly losing her grip. Her knuckles whiten as she tightens her grip on the reins. She looks down at the blur of rocks and logs racing beneath her and imagines with terror what would happen if she lost her grip. Behind her sits a Man, His face a picture of tender kindness and pity. He longs to help the girl who clings so desperately to the horses reins. The girl’s eyes, full of fear and blinded by tears, look imploringly at the One riding behind her. “Little girl,” He says, His eyes s...

On Thin Ice

It was a beautiful spring day. The sun shone brightly, making paths of light through the thick branches of tall pine trees. Little birds flitted through the branches and chirped merry songs. Nearby, a boy stepped onto some melting ice. He nervously moved his feet, noticing little pools of water forming at every step. His eyes flashed and his mouth curved into a confident grin as he neared the center of the ice. He turned around and looked back at his friends who were watching him. “Look at me!” He yelled and jumped on the ice. His friends gasped and told him to stop jumping. “You might fall through!” they cried. But he only shrugged it off and laughed and began to jump some more, his feet pounded into the weakening ice. He didn’t notice the crack that had started to form and that was gradually getting larger with every jump. Then suddenly, without warning, he heard the ice splinter and felt freezing cold water begin engulf him. His friend...

Transformation

A man walks down a beach, searching. His feet sink into the sand and waves lap at them with every step. He stops and stoops down to pick up a stone. A smile plays on the corners of his lips as he holds it in his hand. To the ordinary person, it’s a rough and beach-worn stone; chipped and full of imperfections. But as this man gazes at the stone, he sees past those chips and scratches, past its dull appearance, and sees in it a beautiful gem, full of possibilities He slips the stone in his pocket, and takes it home to polish it. First he puts it in a tumbler with a bunch of other stones. As it is tumbles, its many imperfections are chipped away. When the man finally takes it out of the tumbler, he holds in his hand a beautiful gem, no longer the dull stone it once was. Then he carefully covers the whole stone with a layer of polish. Once it is dry, the man picks up the stone and rubs his finger along its smooth, glossy surface. A smile of satisfa...

SDA Youth in the Last Days

Search This Blog