🧒 Children’s Devotional — Day 223

God’s Word Teaches Me What Is True

📖 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
—John 17:17 (NKJV)

As Jesus prayed for His disciples, He knew they would remain in a world that opposed Him. He did not ask the Father to remove them from the world immediately. Instead, He prayed that the Father would protect them from the evil one and sanctify them by the truth.

To sanctify means to set someone apart for God and make that person holy. Jesus’ disciples belonged to Him, and their lives were to become increasingly different from the sinful world around them. This change would take place through God’s truth: “Your word is truth.” Jesus did not say that God’s Word merely contains some helpful truths. He said God’s Word is truth. Everything God says is completely trustworthy because God cannot lie. His Word reveals who He is, what He has done, what is right, what is sinful, and how people may be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

This matters because you will hear many different ideas about what is true. Friends, teachers, videos, television programs, books, and people online may all tell you what to believe. For example, you might hear at school that it doesn’t matter whether you tell the truth or not, as long as you do not get caught. But God’s Word teaches that honesty is always important, even when it is hard. Some of what you hear may be correct, but some may directly contradict God’s Word. An idea does not become true because many people believe it, because an important person says it, or because it makes you feel good.

Your feelings are real, and it is normal to have hard or confusing feelings sometimes. God understands when you are sad, hurt, or upset, and He cares about everything you are experiencing. But your feelings do not always tell you the truth. You may feel that nobody cares about you when people truly do. You may feel that disobeying will make you happy when sin will eventually bring harm. You may feel that God has forgotten you because a prayer has not been answered in the way you wanted. In those moments, God’s Word provides a steady foundation when your feelings are changing.

The Bible teaches that God created you and knows you. It teaches that all people have sinned and need salvation. It tells you that the Father sent His Son, that Jesus died for our sins, and that He rose from the dead. It promises that everyone who repents and believes in Him receives forgiveness and eternal life. These truths remain true whether you feel strong or weak, happy or sad, confident or uncertain.

God’s Word does more than give you information. The Holy Spirit uses Scripture to expose sin, correct false thinking, and teach you how to live. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV). Sometimes Scripture will comfort you. At other times, it will correct you. Both are expressions of God’s goodness. If you have been unkind and read that you must speak graciously, God’s Word shows you what needs to change. If you are worried and read that the Father knows what you need, His Word reminds you to trust Him. If someone pressures you to do wrong, Scripture helps you recognize the temptation and choose obedience. You should not use the Bible merely to identify what everyone else is doing wrong. God’s Word must first examine your own heart. It is easy to notice a brother’s disobedience, a sister’s selfishness, or a friend’s dishonesty while ignoring the sin within yourself. When Scripture corrects you, the right response is not to make excuses or immediately think of someone who needs the verse more. Ask God to help you receive the truth and obey it. Obedience does not earn salvation. Jesus alone saves sinners through His death and resurrection. Yet those who belong to Christ are being changed by His truth. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15, NKJV). A growing Christian does not obey perfectly, but he or she learns to confess sin, receive correction, and follow Jesus more faithfully.

The earliest Christian children also lived among people who believed many false things about God. Their neighbors worshiped idols made from wood, stone, or metal. Public festivals celebrated false gods, and some children may have been expected to participate in ceremonies their Christian families could no longer join. Imagine a young Christian child asking why her family would not bow before an image like the other families did. Her parents could open the Scriptures and teach her that the Lord alone is God and that images made by human hands cannot see, hear, speak, or save. She might still feel uncomfortable being different, but God’s Word would help her understand why her family obeyed Him. Those children needed truth because the world around them continually told them something else. So do you. Following Jesus may sometimes make you different from classmates, friends, or people you admire. You may hear that everyone should decide truth for themselves or that nobody has the right to call anything sinful. But if every person creates a different truth, no one has a reliable standard for knowing what is truly right. God has not left you to guess. He has given His Word, and His Word points you to His Son. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6, NKJV). Truth is not whatever you or I would prefer it to be. Truth is grounded in the God who never changes and never lies.

Learning Scripture takes time. You may not understand everything the first time you read it. One simple way to start is to read a short Bible passage each day. You can also write down any verses or questions you have in a notebook. Ask questions, speak with your parents or another trustworthy Christian adult, and compare what people teach with the whole counsel of God’s Word. A verse should not be removed from its setting and made to say whatever someone wants. We must listen carefully to what God has actually said. The purpose of knowing truth is not to win arguments or prove that you are smarter than others. God’s truth should produce humility, obedience, love, and greater likeness to Christ. If biblical knowledge makes someone proud, harsh, or unwilling to receive correction, that person is not using knowledge properly.

Knowing Christ means I do not have to build my life upon popular opinions or changing feelings. God has given me His trustworthy Word. Through it, He teaches me truth, exposes what is wrong, and shows me how to follow Jesus. For example, if a classmate is left out during a game, I can show kindness by inviting them to join in. When I choose to help someone in need or speak gently to someone upset, I am following what Jesus teaches. These simple actions show others the love of Jesus at school, home, or anywhere I go.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for giving me Your Word and for always speaking the truth. Help me understand Scripture correctly and obey what You have said. When my feelings, friends, or the world tell me something different, give me wisdom to recognize what is false. Keep me from using the Bible only to correct other people while ignoring my own sin. Sanctify me by Your truth, make me more like Jesus, and help me speak what is true with humility and love. In Jesus’ name, amen.