Devotional – Carefulness

Devotional

Big picture God’s wisdom keeps us safe. He has a plan.

• Q: Have any of you ever tripped or stepped on one of your own toys? Did you get hurt? Whew! We sure hope you didn’t, but accidents can happen.
• Isn’t it interesting the teaching verse talks about not stumbling, and we were just talking about that very thing, keeping your toys picked-up prevents stumbling. Must be a “God Thing!?”
• Q: Have any of you ever seen a house fire? It’s a scary thing. Most house fires start accidently, too.
• But, whether it’s small accidents like tripping on toys, or BIG accidents like house fires, did you know every accident could have been prevented with a little more carefulness? Yep, every one.
• Carefulness is another way of saying using “sound judgement and discernment” like the teaching verse.
• First you must be careful, then God will bless your carefulness by keeping you safe.
• It’s a two-step process: you do your part (being careful), then God does His part (keeping you safe).
• But, what do you do if you find yourself in an emergency like a house fire? Do you panic and run and hide from the danger? No! That is the wrong thing to do!
• What we learned today is that a good plan can safely lead you out of the danger.
• God has a plan for us, too, and it involves trusting Him.
• We can trust Him when we are scared and in danger, and God will protect us.
• Carefulness is the best way to prevent accidents. Planning is the best way to stay safe in an emergency.
• Trusting God is using both carefulness and planning, but what does this mean? It means:
  • God says to trust Him, even when its scary. He will keep you calm, so you can get to safety.
  • God says to trust Him by being careful and wise. That is God’s prevention plan. You can choose not to obey, but that is foolish and unsafe.
  • God says to trust Him by planning. To plan what to do in emergencies before they happen so you have a better chance to stay alive and help others stay safe, too.