9 April | Teens
Base Text: 2 Kings 10:24-31
In a distant time, the people of Israel lost their way and began to worship Baal, a god who was not the true God. King Jehu, determined to change this story, hatched a plan to put an end to it. He pretended to be a great worshipper of this false god and invited all his followers to a great event. When all were assembled, Jehu and his soldiers surprised the worshippers and eliminated Baal worship from their kingdom (it might as well be “once and for all”).
But despite this great victory, Jehu did not completely follow God's teachings. He didn't do everything God expected of him. Jehu still practiced actions that displeased God, showing that being faithful to Him means more than just doing something impressive once in a while: you have to live the way God expects every day.
Jehu's story makes us think that being God's friend is more than doing nice things once in a while. It is choosing to do good and to follow what He teaches every day. Jehu reminds us that our hearts need to want to follow God always, not just at special times or when everyone else is watching!
Take Action
Create a “good missions” card for the week. Write down a good deed for each day, such as helping someone, doing an unasked task, or sharing something. At the end of the week, see how many you've accomplished and reflect on how it felt to do good constantly.