Stories for Teens

Pictures from Pilgrim’s Progress (1)

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“When’s Uncle Jeff coming round again, Mum?” Bobby asked one day after school. “Well, as a matter of fact, he’s coming round for tea tonight”, Mum said. “Oh good” said Bobby, “I wonder if he has any more stories for us!” “You’ll have to ask him when he gets here”, Mum said with a smile, “I’m sure he’ll have something to tell you anyway!” She knew that Uncle Jeff loved telling stories and he was very good at it.

   After tea was over, and Uncle Jeff was sitting comfortably on the couch, Bobby went along and snuggled up beside him. “Can you tell us a story please Uncle Jeff?” he asked. “Oh, please”, Betty said and got up on the other side of him. Even Sarah pulled a chair up and pretended she was reading a book, but she was really listening to what Uncle Jeff was telling the others.

“Well, it’s like this”, Uncle Jeff said, “I picked up this book that I had when I was little like you Bobby, and I thought that it was a really good story to tell you children next time I came round”. “What’s it called?” Bobby asked. “Well, it’s what is called a parable story”, Uncle Jeff said, “That means it’s an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Here goes….

  ” There was once a man whose name was Pilgrim, who was walking along a road away from his house. He had this huge bundle on his back like a back-pack and he was crying and sighing a lot as he went along. He was reading a book as he went, and it only seemed to make him sadder than ever. ‘Oh, what shall I do?’ he cried out loud.    When he went home to his wife and family, he would wipe his eyes, and blow his nose and try to be cheerful. One day his wife said to him, ‘I know something is bothering you. What are you reading in that book all the time?’ ‘Oh my dear’, he said, ‘ It tells me that dreadful things are going to come on this world, and I don’t know how to be saved from them’. But his wife had seen him like this other times, and she tried to cheer him up.    One day, he was walking along the road again, when he met a man whose name was Evangelist. ‘Why are you so upset?’ Evangelist wanted to know. ‘This book I’m reading tells me that there are dreadful things going to happen and I’m not ready for them. I want to know how to be saved from them. This back-pack I’m carrying seems to get heavier every time I read this book’. ‘Well, you’d better get ready for this by going to that little gate right over the other side of this paddock. See that light over there? Head straight for it and you will find what to do when you get there”. ‘Oh, thank-you so much’, Pilgrim said and set off at a good pace for the light. His wife and friends saw him going and they called out to him, ‘Come back, come back’, but he started to run.

“I think we’ll leave it there for now,” Uncle Jeff said, “We want to have time for the meaning of it all to sink in, otherwise it will only run  off”. “It seems funny that he ran away at that stage” Bobby said thoughtfully. “Oh, well, we’ll find out what happens next time”, Uncle Jeff said, “It’s time for me to go and talk to the others now”. “Ohhh,” said Betty, “I can hardly wait!”

Random Devotional Thoughts

The Storms of Life

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      We seem to have been attending quite a few funerals in the last few weeks. In each case it has been a man who was taken, leaving his wife to weather the storm that his death was bringing. It reminded me of different times when we too, have been faced with a storm and a decision to make and haven’t known which way to take. Then when things haven’t worked out as we wanted them to, we berate ourselves, saying we have made a mistake.

    But you know, there was a time when the disciples of Jesus were caught in a big storm. They were seasoned sailors and they must have wondered how this came about….why didn’t they see the warning signs? Yet their Master had told them to go across the lake and they had done just what He said. Why then, had this storm come upon them?

      Storms come to us to teach us lessons that we would otherwise never learn. So when the disciples experienced the worst storm of their life, they had been sent across the lake by Jesus Christ. They were experienced fishermen who could read the weather signs and knew how to handle these sudden storms that whipped up the lake surface into a frenzy. Jesus knew all this, and He knew a storm was coming up that would test them to the maximum.  They hadn’t made a mistake that brought this upon them, they were there for a purpose. Remember this….Jesus Christ knows the storm we are in at any given time. He could have stopped the storm coming to the disciples, but He wanted to show them His power. He knows the storm that I may be in right now, but He wants me to go through it so He can show me His power and refine the dross out of my life and strengthen the faith I have in Him.

The Lord speaks to us in these three ways …. In the storm….He comes to us through the storm, walking on the water…”I will never leave you”, He says. Through the storm… He reminds us that He is there with us…”don’t be afraid”, He says, “trust Me”. The storm within you….often when these storms come, they attack us from the inside. We are all in a turmoil because of circumstances beyond our control, and wonder where we are going to turn next.

Don’t be afraid of being afraid….storms always have an end. There will be a period of calm when it is over and then another one may come but because we have proved our Lord’s help with the first one, we have confidence within the next one. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) We cannot stop these storms coming, but we have confidence in the outcome because we have weathered the first one with God’s help!

Remember….He is the Lord of all our storms.

Random Devotional Thoughts

Disaster Strikes

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     We have been going through the book of Samuel in our Bible Study, and there are many lessons to be learned and that we can apply to ourselves. So lets read these thoughts about this passage and apply it ….

As time went by, Samuel was able to reveal God’s word to the people, and all Israel accepted him as he took over Eli’s priestly duties. But things didn’t always go smoothly, and the Philistines began to harass the edges of Israel. We notice this in our own lives….if we neglect God’s Word, the world will begin to creep into our lives and harass us even more…..      The first thing the leaders of the land began to do was to blame God….”Why did God allow this to happen?” they asked. Instead of seeking God’s advice, they did what they thought was a good idea…they went out to battle taking the Ark of the Covenant from its resting place which they should never have done. Eli didn’t like the idea, but had no power to stop them as his sons were the main instigators, going along with it.      

   The trouble was that the people looked on the Ark as some sort of mascot, rather than as God’s resting place….they were merely following a form, rather than having their hearts towards God Himself. This is another thing we have to be careful of….how much do we read God’s Word for ourselves, or do we just open it in church once a week as a matter of form?

    The enemy recognised the Ark as God’s presence and doubled their efforts in battle, eventually overcoming Israel and killing many of them in the process including Eli’s two sons. They also took the Ark for themselves as some sort of magical talisman to add to their collection of idols. The trouble was, that this was exactly all that it was at that time  because Israel had .left God out. of their lives. We need to follow the Lord for ourselves and not just follow a form or ritual for there to be any spiritual strength in our lives. The enemy will have the upper hand in our lives for sure if this is all we are doing.

   The chapter ends in further disaster as when Eli heard the news, he collapsed and broke his neck, and his daughter-in-law went into early labour and died giving birth. So the prophecies that God had given Samuel as a child all came to pass.

When we leave God’s Word out of our lives, We cannot expect to spiritually thrive, God acts for us as we  respond, Following  Him we form a strong bond.

Random Devotional Thoughts

Near Enough is not Good Enough!

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      We were working on a new boat that was being built, doing the planing of the hull. My arms were getting tired, and  I felt I had done enough. So I said, “That’s near enough, I’m finishing”. My brother in law looked at me and said, “Near enough is not good enough!”

So I kept going.

   But you know, that comment has stayed with me for over fifty years, and I find that it applies to so many things in life. There is the satisfaction of seeing a good job completed, because near enough is not good enough. Near enough doesn’t guarantee a lasting  finish to whatever job you are doing.  In sewing a garment, near enough doesn’t make it fit properly; and in putting a jig-saw puzzle together, a piece that fits near enough without slotting in perfectly, does not make a good picture.

   It is the same with spiritual things. Near enough is not good enough, and as far as eternal things go, near enough will not suffice. Many people  miss out because they have thought they were good enough, and that this was near enough, but they have forgotten that God has the last say. He says that ALL have sinned and come short of His glory, and our “near enough” does not guarantee a place in His heavenly home. So let’s make sure that our “near enough” becomes the perfect finish and then we will have the confidence we need to meet our Maker.

Life Lessons

The End, or the Beginning?

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    Last week we went to a memorial service for a good friend who had died a couple of weeks earlier. This friend knew his end was near and was fully prepared to go to meet his Lord and Master. So it was good to pay our respects to his memory, and to give his wife a hug.

    This week we went to a funeral service of another good friend. There were many eulogies and memories given. He too, was ready to go on this, his last journey. The service left the hearers in no doubt of this fact. His family all recognised what he had lived for, and paid respects to this. It was a time of memories, with laughs and tears at the same time.

    So many people these days like to forgo the rite of a funeral, often just having a cremation rather than a funeral. This must be very difficult for those closest to the deceased, as there is not the same sense of closure as seeing the coffin go into the ground. This too, is the place where those closest can come in days to come, to remember, and at first to still grieve.

    For those who know the Lord God, it is comforting to take the promises of Scripture at their word. We can know that this is not the end of life, but in fact, the beginning of a new stage of life….life eternal with the God of Heaven. We have no comprehension of what  exactly is involved in this, as we only know this life, but both these friends of ours DO know what it is all about now. We can have this confidence here and now too, so let’s hope each one of us looks for this.

Random Devotional Thoughts

In the End.

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    Last week our preacher talked about the beginning of things. This week, he skipped to the end of time, and talked about the end of things we know. For us, this was very pertinent, as two of our very good friends have passed away with in a month. Both were very ready to go; they both knew the end was near for them.

    It is very comforting for those who are left behind, to know that they are safe with the Lord. But what about those acquaintances who don’t have this hope or confidence? They must think it is only wishful thinking for those who have this confidence. They hope with not much confidence, that maybe there is something in this, but that no-one can be sure until the time comes.

    It is a nice thought, that all man’s troubles come to an end when that time comes, but stop and think about it all for a minute. What makes them think that they will be happy among this large crowd that is all singing praises to the God of Heaven, when they wouldn’t be seen in a church while alive today? How would they be able to stand hearing all the worship being given to Someone Whose name they use as a swear word so carelessly now? And what makes them think they have a right to enter the home of One Who they have never met and don’t know?

    But it doesn’t have to be like this you know. It IS possible for anyone to get to know the God of Heaven in this life. But it involves having to humble oneself and to confess that we have been in the wrong, and deserve nothing from Him. God Himself came to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ and took man’s punishment on Himself so that it would be possible for man to fellowship with Him before that day of departure from this earth occurs. If we do this sincerely, we CAN be confident that we will enjoy the life to come, and feel at home there!!

The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9 that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

Random Devotional Thoughts

In the Beginning

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Our preacher pointed out this morning, how that in the very beginning, God made not only creatures and the environment for them to live in, but His final crowning effort was in making mankind. Man was different to the animals, in that man can think and talk. Man can create and invent which animals can’t do. We see how domesticated animals seem to love human companionship, but wild animals keep as far away from humans as possible.

But God’s desire was to have someone He could have fellowship with, and when man was made, we are told that God breathed into him the breath of life. This is not merely being able to breathe, but it means that man was given not only a body and a soul, but also a spirit. This is the part of the human that can communicate with his Maker. God saw everything that He had made up unto this time, and it was good. But when He made man in His own image, His creation work was complete, and everything that He saw then, was VERY good!

In what ways is man made in God’s image? It sounds presumptuous to say the least, to say this! But think about these things….God created all things, and people are creative in the things they can make and invent. God wrote books, and has given people the ability to do this also. God wants fellowship, and people need fellowship with each other. Not only that, but people can respond to God’s call for this fellowship. People have a desire to worship something….God wants them to worship Him. In fact, this is the primary reason for man’s existence. Yet so many people turn their backs on Him and worship everything else but Him!

Adult Testimonies

The Christian’s Confidence

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    A very good friend of ours passed away last week. Although we don’t mourn for him, yet he has left a very big hole behind, and his family will miss him very much. He was very much ready to go, having made his peace with his Maker many years ago.  I am sure he would be saying to us, the words of this following poem right now….

Do not Mourn!

I do not know the way I’ll go, If short and fast, or pain so slow, I pray the Lord will help me bear, Whate’er He plans for me while there; And when I’ve gone, I do not need, A fanfare of my work or deed; All I say is simply this, I’m with the Lord in heaven’s bliss. And so my friend, no need to mourn, Or feel bereft or all forlorn, For I’ve had fun, enjoyed it all; And now I’ve heard my Lord’s sweet call. I’m more alive than e’er before, Enjoying life NOW, more and more! For those  today, who hear this now, I ask, have you before Him ever bowed? For if you have, I’ll see you when, Your turn comes, as to all men; Oh do not wait, but choose today, To follow God in all your ways!

See what God has to say to YOU.