God’s Plan for Peace

By Nick W.

STORY
The first time I ever baked Christmas cookies, it looked like a bomb went off. Flour was everywhere. If you’ve ever baked cookies or cupcakes, you know that until it comes out of the oven, it normally doesn’t look very appetizing. You mix a bunch of white powder with raw eggs and maybe throw some chocolate in . . . yummy. But when you take it out of the oven, it smells like heaven and looks so good!

SCRIPTURE
Read Genesis 22.

THINK
Whoa! Why would God ask Abraham to kill his own son as a sacrifice? That’s crazy! But Abraham knew God was a good, loving God who would never make him do that. He had faith that he and his son would return down the mountain. And they did! And as Abraham says, God provided a lamb for the sacrifice. 

Do you know anyone else in the Bible who offered to give their Son as a sacrifice? God! The story of Abraham and Isaac makes us think about Jesus as the Son who died for our sins. It's meant to point us to Jesus as God was revealing His plan for peace thousands of years before Jesus was born!

When we read the Bible we see all sorts of crazy stuff happening, like this! In our lives today, sometimes things don’t make sense. We worry, cry, get scared, or sick, or confused. 

However, God shows us in the Bible that He had a perfect plan for peace, even when everything seemed very unpeaceful. Kind of like when cookies look gross until they come out of the oven. God had a plan to send His Son, Jesus, to die for the things that we have done wrong so we don’t have to. You and I can be forgiven by God, because Jesus paid the price our sin costs: death. Life with God is peace, and we can have that through Jesus!

DO SOMETHING
Today, write down one thing you have done that was wrong or disobedient in the past week. Then, pray with your mom or dad and thank God that He has given you peace because of Jesus.

PRAY
Dear God, thank You for the peace you bring through Jesus. Thank You that even though I have sinned, You forgive me and bring peace to the earth. Amen.