Children who make God happy

Chapter 41
Children Who Make God Happy
WHAT child on earth do you think made Jehovah the happiest?— It was his Son, Jesus. Let’s talk about things Jesus did to make his heavenly Father happy.
Jesus’ family lived about a three-day journey from Jerusalem, where the beautiful temple of Jehovah was located. Jesus called the temple "the house of my Father." He and his family went there every year to attend the Passover.
One year, when Jesus was 12, his family began the return trip after the Passover. It was not until they stopped for the night that they noticed that Jesus was nowhere to be found among their relatives and friends. So right away Mary and Joseph went back to Jerusalem to find Jesus. Where do you suppose he was?—
They found Jesus in the temple. He was listening to the teachers, and he was asking them questions. And when they asked him something, he would answer. They were amazed at the fine answers he gave. Can you see why God was happy with his Son?—
Of course, when Mary and Joseph finally found Jesus, they felt much better. But Jesus had not been worried. He knew that the temple was a good place to be. So he asked: "Did you not know that I must be in the house of my Father?" He knew that the temple was God’s house, and he loved to be there.
Afterward, Mary and Joseph took 12-year-old Jesus back home with them to Nazareth. How do you think Jesus treated his parents?— Well, the Bible says that he "continued subject to them." What do you think that means?— It means that he was obedient to them. Yes, he did what his parents asked him to do, even if this was something like bringing water from the well.—Luke 2:41-52.
So think about this: Even though Jesus was perfect, he obeyed his imperfect parents. Did this make God happy?— It certainly did, for God’s Word tells children: "Be obedient to your parents." (Ephesians 6:1) You too will make God happy if you obey your parents, as Jesus did.
Another way you can make God happy is by telling others about him. Now some people may say that this is not what young people should be doing. But when people tried to stop young boys from doing this, Jesus said: ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, "Out of the mouths of little children God will bring forth praise"?’ (Matthew 21:16) So we can all tell others about Jehovah and about what a wonderful God he is, if we really want to. And if we do, we will make God happy.
Where do we learn things about God that we can talk to others about?— From our Bible study at home. But we learn more at the place where God’s people meet to study. But how can we tell who are his people?—
Well, what do the people do at their meetings? Do they really teach what is in the Bible? Do they read it and discuss it? That is how we listen to God, isn’t it?— And at Christian meetings we would expect to hear what God says, wouldn’t we?— But what if people say that you do not have to live the way the Bible says? Would you say that they are God’s people?—
Here is something else to think about. The Bible says that God’s people would be "a people for his name." (Acts 15:14) Since God’s name is Jehovah, we can ask people if Jehovah is their God. If they say no, then we know that they are not his people. God’s people would also be talking to others about God’s Kingdom. And they would show their love for God by keeping his commandments.—1 John 5:3.
If you know people who do all those things, then you should meet with them for worship. You should listen carefully at these meetings and then give answers when questions are asked. That is what Jesus did when he was in God’s house. And if you do those things, you will make God happy, just as Jesus did.
Can you think of other children mentioned in the Bible who made God happy?— Timothy is an outstanding example. His father was not a believer in Jehovah. But his mother, Eunice, was, and so was his grandmother Lois. Timothy listened to them and learned about Jehovah.
When Timothy had grown older, the apostle Paul visited the town where he lived. He noticed how much Timothy wanted to serve Jehovah. So he invited Timothy to come with him to serve God in an even bigger way. Everywhere they traveled, they told people about the Kingdom of God and about Jesus.—Acts 16:1-5; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14, 15.
But are the examples in the Bible of only young boys who made God happy?— Not at all. Consider a young Israelite girl who did. When she was living, the nation of Syria and the nation of Israel were enemies. One day the Syrians fought against Israel and took that young girl captive. She was sent to the house of the army chief, who was called Naaman. There she came to be the servant of Naaman’s wife.
Now Naaman had a sickness called leprosy. None of the doctors had been able to help him. But the young girl from Israel believed that one of God’s special servants, a prophet, could help Naaman. Of course, Naaman and his wife did not worship Jehovah. Should the young girl tell them what she knew? What would you have done?—
Well, the little girl said: ‘If only Naaman would go to Jehovah’s prophet in Israel, in that case, Naaman would be healed from his leprosy.’ Naaman listened to the girl, and he went to Jehovah’s prophet. When he did what the prophet told him to do, he was healed. This caused Naaman to become a worshiper of the true God.—2 Kings 5:1-15.
Would you like to help someone to learn about Jehovah and about what he can do, as that young girl did?— Who is there that you could help?— Of course, at first they might not think that they need help. But you could talk to them about the good things that Jehovah does. And they might listen. You can be sure that this will make God happy.
Further encouragement for young folks to take pleasure in serving God can be found at Psalm 122:1 (121:1, "Dy"); 148:12, 13; Ecclesiastes 12:1; 1 Timothy 4:12; and Hebrews 10:23-25.
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How did the child Jesus make God happy?
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Although his father was not a believer, what did Timothy want to do?
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How did this Israelite girl make God happy?