Every Nation

Bible Reading: Revelation 5:8-10

“Hi, Mom!” Jared said as he slid the door of the minivan shut.

“How was your day? Anything interesting happen today?”

Mom asked as she pulled away from the school.

“There’s a new kid in our class. His name is Tamim. He doesn’t speak English very well, and he had some weird food in his lunch. I kind of wanted to talk to him, but I thought Marcus and Tony would make fun of me.”

“Hmm . . . Tamim. Is his last name Youssef?” Mom asked.

“Yeah, it is,” Jared said. “How’d you know?”

“Well, I met his family today when I volunteered for the refugee outreach program at church. His parents are very nice, and he has a cute little baby sister. His dad told me their son was starting school today.”

“Oh. What’s a refugee again?” Jared asked.

“The Youssef family had to leave their country because their lives were in danger. Refugees come to other countries for many reasons—sometimes because of war, or famine, or natural disasters—but in their case, it was because they are Christians and most of their country is not.”

Jared looked at his mom in surprise. “Their lives are in danger just because they believe in Jesus?”

“Yes,” Mom answered. “Tamim and his family have chosen to follow Christ, just as you and I have. But for them, it has meant giving up their home and jobs and friends and even their country to keep their family safe. Tamim and his family have endured serious hardships. He’s a pretty brave kid!”

“Wow,” Jared said. “I didn’t know his family went through all that.”

Mom nodded. “Having the same faith makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, the Bible tells us that one day, when Jesus returns, we will worship God for all eternity along with people from every tribe and language and nation in the world! It’s possible we’ll be standing right next to the Youssef family in front of God’s throne. Isn’t that exciting?”

“It sure is!” Jared agreed. “I think Tamim is someone I’d like to get to know better. Could we invite his family over for dinner sometime?”

Mom smiled. “I think that’s an excellent idea.” Karen McMillan

How About You?

Have you ever thought about all the different types of people who will be in heaven? God created people of every tribe, nation, and language, and Jesus died for them all. Are there people in your school or community who are different from you? Now might be a good time to get to know them. If they’re your brothers and sisters in Christ, you will be spending all of eternity together!

Today’s Key Verse:
Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

There are Christians all over the world