Re: Verse reading – 1 Samuel 15:1-35 (day five)
Social scientists tell us that middle schoolers facing rapid changes emotionally, physically, relationally, and socially will compartmentalize these different areas to be able to process and manage their lives. They are not capable yet of the required multitasking needed to navigate all the new and different environments they encounter daily. They will need adults to equip them and encourage them to think about the “whole” and how the separate parts fit together. They will need time as their brains grow and develop. As they are discipled, they also need to recognize and understand how God deals with the “whole” of our lives and hearts. His Lordship reigns over our “whole” heart and life. His demand for our obedience is the same. Not a compartment or a part of us, but our complete and undivided loyalty and obedience. Sometimes adults need that understanding too. God’s expectation for obedience and loyalty is very clear.