Category: Teens / Adolescentes

El Último Día

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, Español, Teens / Adolescentes
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El Último Día

Jesús sabía que Su tiempo en la Tierra estaba llegando a su fin. Su misión aquí estaba a punto de culminar y sabía que pronto lo traicionarían y ejecutarían. ¿Cómo vivió entonces Sus últimas 24 horas?

Manifestó humildad. Jesús pasó tiempo con Sus discípulos y cenó con ellos. Para empezar, les dio la bienvenida lavando los pies de cada uno. El lavado de pies era un oficio reservado para los sirvientes más viles. En aquella época la gente andaba en sandalias por caminos polvorientos y embarrados. Como consecuencia la mayoría tenía los pies muy sucios. Jesús, en cambio, demostró gran amor y humildad a cada uno de Sus discípulos al rebajarse a lavarles los pies. Se hizo a Sí mismo un siervo (Juan 13:5).

Fue sumiso y obediente. Enfrentó un panorama de tortura y muerte. Fue tan duro lo que sufrió y oró con tanta angustia que sudó sangre. Con todo y con eso, confió en el juicio de Su Padre y afirmó: «No se haga mi voluntad, sino la tuya» (Lucas 22:41-44).

Amó de manera incondicional. Lo traicionaron, pero no respondió con agresividad. Fue maltratado, pero no perdió la compostura. Sus amigos más cercanos le dieron la espalda, pero no reaccionó con ira. Lo humillaron y lo acusaron erróneamente; así y todo puso freno a su boca (Lucas 22:45-71).

Fue franco y directo. Cuando se presentó ante Sus jueces —primero el Sanedrín y luego Pilato—, ellos le preguntaron sin miramientos: «¿Eres tú el Hijo de Dios?» Pudo ahorrarse muchísimo dolor y angustia eludiendo sin más la verdad. Pero se mantuvo fiel a ella, costase lo que costase (Lucas 22:66-71; Lucas 23:1-3).

Perdonó. Luego que lo azotaran, lo escarnecieran, le escupieran, lo arrastraran por las calles y lo clavaran a una cruz, dijo: «Padre, perdónalos». Pudo haber hecho caer fuego y rayos sobre Sus torturadores y maldecirlos por lacerar al Hijo de Dios. En cambio, los perdonó aun cuando se burlaban de Él y lo insultaban (Lucas 23:34).

Actuó con desinterés. Pese al tormento de estar colgado en la cruz, se tomó el tiempo para asegurarse de que alguien cuidara de Su madre. Prestó atención al ladrón que moría a Su lado y lo reconfortó asegurándole un destino feliz. En vez de pensar en Sí mismo y Su sufrimiento, se preocupó del bienestar ajeno (Lucas 23:39-43; Juan 19:25-27).

Jesús vivió Su último día como había vivido toda Su vida. Ese día, al igual que todos los demás, encontró oportunidades de amar, dar, perdonar y manifestar el amor de Su Padre a otras personas.

Courtesy of Activated magazine.

The Last Day

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, English, Teens / Adolescentes
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The Last Day

Jesus was aware that His time on earth was coming to a close. His mission on earth was nearly complete and He knew that He would soon be betrayed and executed. So how did He live during His last 24 hours?

He was humble. He set aside time with His disciples where He shared a meal with them. First, though, He welcomed each of them by washing their feet. Foot washing was a job generally given to the lowest servant. People walked around in sandals on dusty, muddy roads, so most feet were pretty grungy. But Jesus showed His disciples great love and humility by stooping to wash their feet. He made Himself a servant (John 13:5).

He was yielded and obedient. He faced the prospect of torture and death. It was so difficult and He prayed so desperately that He was sweating drops of blood. But He trusted that His Father knew best, and said, ”Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:41–44).

He was unconditionally loving. He was betrayed, but He didn’t retaliate. He was mistreated, yet He didn’t lose His temper. Those closest to Him turned their backs on Him, but He didn’t react in anger. He was wrongfully accused and humiliated, but He held His tongue (Luke 22:45–71).

He was honest. When He was brought before His judges—first the Sanhedrin and then Pilate—they asked Him straight out, “Are you the Son of God?” He could have saved Himself a lot of pain and anguish by simply skirting the truth. But He upheld the truth, no matter what the cost (Luke 22:66–71; Luke 23:1–3).

He was forgiving. After being whipped, mocked, spit on, and dragged through the streets to hang on a cross, He said, “Father, forgive them.” He could have called down fire and lightning on His tormentors and cursed them for hurting the Son of God. But instead, He forgave them even as they mocked and insulted Him (Luke 23:34).

He was unselfish. Despite the agony of hanging on the cross, He took time to make sure His mother would be cared for. He took time to listen to the thief dying beside Him, and to reassure him as he died. Instead of thinking about Himself and the pain He was in, He thought of others and their well-being (Luke 23:39–43; John 19:25–27).

The way Jesus spent His last day was no different from the way He lived His whole life. That day, like every day, He found opportunities to love, to give, to forgive, and to share His Father’s love with others.

Adapted from Activated Magazine.

Ejercicio espiritual: Renovación interior

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, Español, Teens / Adolescentes

«Si alguno está en Cristo —dice la Biblia—, nueva criatura es; las cosas viejas pasaron; he aquí todas son hechas nuevas»(2 Corintios 5:17)

Esa transformación comienza en el momento en que invitamos a Jesús a entrar en nuestro corazón y formar parte de nuestra vida. Sin embargo, toma bastante más tiempo entrar en Jesús, es decir, sumirse completamente en Él y cimentar bien la fe (Colosenses 2:6,7). Cuanto más lo hacemos, más vamos dejando atrás nuestros viejos hábitos y formas de pensar, con lo que en efecto todas las cosas «son hechas nuevas».

¿Qué mejor momento que la Cuaresma y la Pascua, la celebración de la resurrección, para renovarse espiritualmente?

Pide a Dios que te indique uno o dos aspectos en los que te vendría bien cambiar o madurar como individuo. Por ejemplo:

  • ¿Sueles tener una actitud positiva y agradecida, o tienes más bien tendencia a quejarte de las dificultades de la vida?
  • ¿Te haces tiempo para leer la Palabra de Dios y reflexionar sobre cómo se te aplica, o dedicas tus ratos libres a ver la televisión y a otros pasatiempos?
  • ¿Oras por las personas que están en apuros, o sólo te inspiran lástima pero no te mueven a actuar?
  • ¿Te ofreces a ayudar con alegría y abnegación, o resientes los sacrificios que a veces tienes que hacer por los demás?
  • ¿Hay algún otro aspecto en que debas cambiar?

Tómate unos minutos para rezar y encomendarle a Jesús esas cuestiones. «Crea en mí, oh Dios, un corazón limpio, y renueva un espíritu recto dentro de mí»(Salmo 51:10)

Superar viejos hábitos requiere tiempo y un esfuerzo sostenido; pero una vez que reconoces la necesidad de cambiar y pides ayuda a Jesús, puedes invocar esta promesa: «El que comenzó en vosotros la buena obra, la perfeccionará» (Filipenses 1:6) Tú haz lo que puedas, y Él hará el resto.

Text adapted from Activated magazine. Art © TFI; background courtesy of Pixabay.

A Spiritual Exercise: Renewal of Spirit

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, English, Teens / Adolescentes

“If anyone is in Christ,” the Bible tells us, “he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

That transformation begins the moment we invite Jesus into our hearts and lives, but it takes considerably longer for us to get into Jesus—to get completely immersed in Him and grounded in faith (Colossians 2:6-7). The more we do that, the more of our old thoughts and habits pass away, and the more “all things become new.”

What better time than Lent and Easter, the celebration of the ultimate rebirth, to get renewed in spirit?

Ask God to show you one or two ways in which you need to change or grow as a person. For example:

  • Do you generally have a thankful, positive attitude, or do you tend to grumble about life’s difficulties?
  • Do you set aside time to read God’s Word and think about how it applies to you, or do you fill your spare moments with TV or other entertainment?
  • Do you pray for others who are experiencing hardships, or merely think about them sympathetically?
  • Do you cheerfully give of yourself, or resent the sacrifices you sometimes need to make for the sake of others?
  • Or is there some other area in which you need to change?

Now take a few minutes to commit these issues to Jesus in prayer. “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

It takes time and consistent effort to break old habits, but once you acknowledge the need to change and ask Jesus to help, this promise is yours: “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” (Philippians 1:6). As you do your part, He will do His.

Text adapted from Activated magazine. Art © TFI; background courtesy of Pixabay.

Precuela de la Navidad

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, Bible Stories/Historias de la Biblia, Español, Teens / Adolescentes
Precuela de la NavidadDownload

Precuela de la Navidad

El Evangelio de Juan no cuenta el nacimiento de Jesús, pero sí incluye la precuela, es decir, lo que sucedió antes de las narraciones del nacimiento. Este Evangelio nos retrotrae al principio, antes que existiera nuestro mundo, y dice algo acerca de nuestro Salvador que fue verdad mucho antes de Su nacimiento terrenal en Belén hace dos milenios. Este pasaje aporta claridad sobre quién es Jesús, por qué vino y lo que logró.

Empieza así: «En el principio la Palabra ya existía. La Palabra estaba con Dios, y la Palabra era Dios. El que es la Palabra existía en el principio con Dios. Dios creó todas las cosas por medio de Él, y nada fue creado sin Él» (Juan 1:1-3).

Juan vuelve la vista atrás y mira más allá del principio de la creación del universo, antes que el tiempo existiera, y dice que la Palabra era preexistente. En la primera frase de ese Evangelio se repiten las primeras palabras de la Biblia en el Génesis: «En el principio…» Eso indica que la Palabra existía antes de la creación y que es eterna, que nunca hubo un tiempo en que la Palabra no existiera. La Palabra no fue parte de lo creado, lo que significa que la Palabra es superior a todo lo creado.

Dice que «la Palabra estaba con Dios» y luego repite una segunda vez: «El que es la Palabra existía en el principio con Dios». Se hace hincapié en que la Palabra existe en relación con Dios. Esa unicidad se expresa en la frase «y la Palabra era Dios». Todo lo que se puede decir de Dios también se puede decir de la Palabra.

Eso es lo que celebramos en Navidad: que la Palabra —que existía con Dios antes de la creación, que coexistía cara a cara en comunión con Su Padre, que participaba en la creación de todo, que existe por sí misma y que es Dios Hijo— nació encarnada en un ser humano y vivió entre la humanidad.

Todo lo que hizo Jesús durante el tiempo que pasó en la Tierra, las palabras que pronunció, las parábolas que contó, Su interacción con la gente, Sus enfrentamientos con los dirigentes religiosos de la época, los milagros que obró, todo ello reveló el amor de Su Padre y Su interés y preocupación por la humanidad. Por medio del Verbo encarnado —Jesús— llegamos a una comprensión más profunda de Dios y de Su deseo de reconciliar a la humanidad con Él. En Navidad festejamos la venida de Dios a nuestro mundo con el objeto de posibilitar que vivamos con Él eternamente.

¡La Palabra se hizo carne y habitó entre nosotros! Es magnífico celebrarlo.

Christmas Prequel

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, Bible Stories/Historias de la Biblia, English, Teens / Adolescentes
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Christmas Prequel

The Gospel of John doesn’t tell the story of Jesus’ birth, but it tells us the prequel—the story that precedes what we are told in the birth narratives. This Gospel takes us back to the beginning, before our world existed, and tells us something about our Savior that was true well in advance of His earthly birth in Bethlehem two millennia ago. Understanding this part of the story is what brings clarity to who Jesus was, why He came, and what He accomplished.

The story begins like this: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.” (John 1:1-3)

John looks back beyond the beginning of the creation of the universe, before time existed, and tells us that the Word was preexistent. The opening line of this Gospel repeats the first words of the Bible in Genesis: “In the beginning…” (Genesis 1:1). This expresses that the Word existed before creation and is eternal, that there was never a time when the Word was not. The Word was not part of what was created, meaning that the Word is greater than all things that were created.

We’re told that “the Word was with God,” and then it’s repeated a second time, “He existed in the beginning with God.” The emphasis here is that the Word exists in close relationship with God. That oneness is expressed in the phrase, “and the Word was God.” Everything that can be said about God can also be said about the Word.

This is what we celebrate at Christmas—that the Word, who existed with God before creation, who lived in face-to-face fellowship with His Father, who participated in the creation of all things, who is self-existent, and who is God the Son, was born as a human being and lived among humanity.

All that Jesus did during His time on earth—the words He spoke, the parables He told, His interaction with people, His confrontations with the religious leaders of the day, the miracles He performed—all of it revealed His Father’s love, care, and concern for humanity. It is through the Incarnate Word, Jesus, that we gain a deeper understanding of God, as well as of His desire to reconcile humanity to Himself. At Christmas, we celebrate that God entered our world for the purpose of making it possible for us to live with Him eternally.

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us! What a wonderful thing to celebrate.

Parábola del árbol caído

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, Español, Teens / Adolescentes

Érase una vez un árbol sobre el que se abatió un vendaval, y que fue a caer de bruces sobre el suelo duro.

En el momento en que golpeó con estruendo la tierra húmeda —él que nunca se había golpeado con nada, que solo se mecía suavemente con la brisa— supo que jamás se volvería a levantar.

El árbol lloró, de dolor, de tristeza, de rabia, de frustración. Veía a los demás árboles, que estaban erguidos, y lloraba. Primero quedó largo tiempo tendido en medio de sus ramas rotas, inerte, como si meditara qué hacer con su tremendo cuerpo.

Luego echó tímidamente algunos brotes, que se hicieron vástagos, que se convirtieron en ramas que apuntaban todas hacia arriba, hacia el cielo, en un intento de recuperar en alguna medida ese carácter aéreo que había tenido antes. Hizo lo que pudo, y dejó que el tiempo hiciera lo demás.

No tardó en descubrir su nueva utilidad. Los niños, desde pequeñitos, lo escogían para montar a caballo o se imaginaban que era un castillo. La gente se detenía para tomarse fotos con él. Unas veces servía de escenario de juegos; otras, de refugio. Las ardillas y los excursionistas lo usaban para cruzar el río. Y así halló una nueva vida, feliz —muy diferente, pero feliz—, y supo que aquel era su destino.

Ha llovido mucho desde entonces, y el árbol caído sigue acostado en el suelo, sosteniendo hacia arriba sus ramas. El musgo ha cubierto las heridas que se hizo al caer. Con el tiempo se ha convertido en un bello e importante elemento del paisaje, tanto así que los que diseñaron el parque lo tuvieron en cuenta.

De vez en cuando el árbol recuerda y piensa, y da gracias por el día en que la fatalidad se cebó en él. Aunque nunca volverá a ser como fue, ni como los demás, está contento. Sabe que ha descubierto su lugar, su papel, y que su futuro está en manos del Creador.

¿No son también así nuestras vidas? Aunque no suelen discurrir como nos imaginábamos, pueden tener un desenlace más rico, profundo y significativo si dejamos que Dios se valga de las tormentas para obrar en nosotros conforme a Su voluntad.

Él obtiene grandes victorias de lo que parecen derrotas.

Text adapted from Activated magazine. Image 1 by Michael_Browning from Freerange Stock. Image 2 courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Fallen Tree

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, English, Teens / Adolescentes

A tree was struck by a gale and fell on its face on the hard ground.

As it hit the damp earth with a crash—having never hit anything before, having only swayed softly in the breeze—it instinctively knew that it would never rise again.

The tree sobbed, from pain, sadness, rage, frustration. It saw the other trees still standing and cried. It lay for a long time among its broken branches, dormant, as if meditating on what to do with its colossal body.

Then it timidly sprouted some shoots. The shoots became twigs, which became branches, all reaching up towards the sky in an attempt to recover to some extent the aerial nature it had had before. It did what it could and allowed time to do the rest.

Soon it discovered a new purpose. Small children chose it to play “horsey” or pretended it was a castle; it became a favorite photo setting, a playground, a refuge. Hikers and squirrels alike used it to bridge the creek. And so, the tree found a new life, a happy life—albeit vastly different from what it had known before—and it realized that this was its destiny.

It has rained a lot since then, and the fallen tree is still lying on the ground, offering up its branches. Moss has covered the wounds from its fall. Over time it has become a beautiful and important element of the landscape, so much so that the builders took it into account when they designed the park.

From time to time the tree remembers and thinks, and it gives thanks for the day when fate vented its fury on it. Although it will never again be as it once was, or like the other trees, it is content, knowing that it has found its own place and role and that its future is in the Creator’s hands.

Could this perhaps also be our story? Though our lives don’t usually go as expected, the outcome may be a richer, deeper, more meaningful one as we let God use the storms as He sees fit.

God gets some of the greatest victories out of our seeming defeats.

Text adapted from Activated magazine. Image 1 by Michael_Browning from Freerange Stock. Image 2 courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Stories Jesus Told – The Obedient Servant

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, English, Teens / Adolescentes, The Stories Jesus Told / Parábolas de Jesús para niños mayores
The Stories Jesus Told – The Obedient ServantDownload

The Parable of the Obedient Servant

In the Gospel of Luke, we find a number of parables which begin with a question to which the answer is obvious. The parable of the obedient servant starts out with not just one question, but three—two of which call for a negative answer and one which would receive a positive reply.​

​“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? (Luke 17:7-9)​

The response to the opening question would have been that no one listening to Jesus would ever consider having their servant​ or slave who was a plowman or a sheep herder come in from work and lie down at a banquet table and eat. The traditional roles of master and servant were well defined in those days, and to allow such a thing would have implied that the servant had the status of an honored guest or was equal to the master. Starting His parable with this opener would have piqued the curiosity of those listening.​

​While to us it sounds quite harsh to make a man or woman who has done a day’s labor come in from the field and be expected to prepare and cook a meal, change into clothes which are proper for serving food, serve the master, and only after all of this is taken care of properly, be allowed to eat, in the ancient world this was considered normal. To the second question, everyone would have answered that of course the servant would come in from the field and proceed to feed the master before eating.​

​In the context of the time, no one listening to this parable would expect that a servant would be given special treatment for fulfilling his duties. The servant was simply doing what was expected of him as a servant. The master wasn’t indebted to the servant for keeping the sheep or plowing the field. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, and no one would expect that the servant would be given privileges for simply doing his job. The servant had put the master’s needs before his own. He acknowledged and accepted that his first duty was to serve the​ master. When those listening heard the third question, Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? they would again respond with “Of course not.” ​

​The Greek word translated as “thank” is charis, which is usually​ translated in the New Testament as “grace.” However, in the Gospel of Luke, it is also used to convey the meaning of credit or favor, so that it comes close to implying receiving a reward. So the question is: Does the master give credit or reward to the servant for doing what he was told to do? Kenneth Bailey explains:​

The master may well express appreciation to a servant at the end of a day’s work with a friendly word of thanks. The issue is much more serious than this. Is the master indebted to his servant when orders are carried out? This is the question that expects a resoundingly negative answer in the parable.​

​At this point, Jesus addressed the listeners, who in the context of Luke’s Gospel are His disciples, saying:​

​“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)

​Here the phrase “unworthy servants”—or as it is rendered in other translations, “unprofitable servants” —can also be translated as “without need.” In other words, it’s stating that the servants or disciples who do what they are commanded to do are “without need,” meaning that they aren’t owed anything by their master. The master is in no way indebted to the servant for doing what is expected of him. ​

​The message, as applied to the disciples, was that those who serve God do not put God in their debt. God isn’t beholden to those who serve Him.​

​This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t reward those who love and serve Him, but rather that those who serve God have no right to claim reward. Our relationship with God is not one where we earn, deserve, or bargain for reward. A disciple is a servant who serves the Lord out of love, duty, and loyalty to Him. ​

​Our salvation is a gift bestowed upon us by God; we don’t work for it or earn it. Our service to Him is done out of gratitude and love, as well as out of duty to the one who has redeemed us. When we have done what He has commanded us, we aren’t putting Him in a position where He “owes” us anything. We shouldn’t be keeping a mental ledger of all the things we’ve done for the Lord, with the expectation that because we’re doing them, God is indebted to us.​

This doesn’t mean that there is no reward for those who serve God. Jesus spoke of rewards numerous times.​

When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4)​

Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. (Luke 6:35)​

​Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)​

​We are promised a reward, but our relationship with God is not a matter of deserving, bargaining for, or working to attain or earn it. As servants of the Lord, we work for Him in order to fulfill our duty to Him. What we receive from God is a gift from His hand, not a payment for services rendered. No matter how hard we work, how much we do, and how long we serve the Lord, under no circumstances do we put God in our debt. We serve Him because He saved us. We serve Him because we are grateful. We serve Him because we love Him. And it’s because our service to Him is motivated by love and gratitude, not reward, that He rewards us.​

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¿Cuál es tu fuente?

by Free Children's Stories, posted in 8-11 years/8-11 años, Español, Teens / Adolescentes

¿Alguna vez han puesto un tallo de apio en agua con colorante? El apio empieza a cambiar de color a medida que absorbe el agua por el tallo. Tarda unos días apreciar el cambio, pero con el tiempo el tallo del apio toma el color del agua. Con esa misma facilidad el apio absorbe venenos y pesticidas que pululan en el aire y en la tierra.

Nuestro espíritu actúa también así. La fuente de nuestro alimento o de los datos que absorbemos, lo que sea a lo que nos exponemos, influye en nosotros para bien o para mal. Nos vemos continuamente asediados por información, ya a través de la internet, ya a través películas, música, libros y por supuesto de las personas con las que interactuamos. Sin embargo, la manera en que nos influyen no siempre es tan notoria como el efecto del agua en el apio.

Parte de esas cosas de las que nos alimentamos parece inofensiva, hasta buena, pero puede terminar causando un efecto negativo. Otra puede disfrutarse sin inconveniente y quizá sea inocua. Incluso puede llegar a alimentarnos intelectualmente e incrementar nuestros conocimientos y competencias. Así y todo, es posible que no proporcione a nuestro espíritu el sustento que precisa para desarrollarse con fuerza.

Por eso Jesús nos instruye a permanecer en Él, nos dice que hagamos de Él nuestra fuente. Nos ofrece el agua de vida, la única que saciará para siempre nuestro espíritu. Salmo 1:3 expresa que los que se deleitan en los caminos y la Palabra de Dios son «son como árboles plantados a la orilla de un río, que siempre dan fruto en su tiempo. Sus hojas nunca se marchitan, y prosperan en todo lo que hacen».

Plantemos nuestras raíces firmemente a orillas de esos ríos de agua viva.

Text courtesy of Activated magazine. Image 1 designed by brgfx via Freepik. Image 2 designed by Matt Cole/Vecteezy. Image of Jesus © TFI.