Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

The Snowman

Then the Lord formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

This has been a really cold week, hasn't it? We got a lot of snow, which was a surprise for us. We were thinking it was almost time for Spring.

A lot of people really enjoy snow. Some of us just enjoy watching the world turn a beautiful white outside our windows. I like to watch all the birds that come to our feeders during the snowy weather. This past week we saw many different varieties as they came to the bird feeders because the snow was covering the ground. The red cardinals were especially pretty as their red feathers were such a bright contrast to the white of the rest of the world.

While I enjoy looking out the window at the snow, some people actually like to get out in the snow. A favorite activity of children and some adults is to make a snowman. Have you ever made a snowman? How do you go about making a snowman? First, you roll up three snowballs to make the lower body, upper body, and head of the snowman. Next, you decorate your snowman.

How do you decorate your snowman? Sometimes people use dark rocks to form the eyes and mouth. You might borrow a carrot from your mom for the snowman's nose. Sticks or tree branches make very good arms. Finally you dress the snowman in some of your winter clothes, such as a toboggan, mittens, or a scarf. The idea is to get the snowman to look as much like a real person as possible. The snowmen we make are only pretend people. They just sit in the yard until the sun melts them.

Anyone can make a snowman, but only God can make real people. In Genesis we find the story of when God made the very first man. Listen as I Read Genesis 2:7. "Then the Lord formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

God was able to give life to his creation by breathing into man the breath of life. Only God can give life. Let's bow our heads and thank God for creating us and giving us life.

Thank you, God, for creating us, loving us and giving us life. We love you God. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 A Rainbow of Promise


"I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth... I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9: 11, 13 (NIV)

I'm sure that everyone has seen a ring like this one. (hold up wedding band) It is a very special kind of ring. Do you know what kind of ring it is? It is a wedding ring. It is a very simple ring. It has no diamonds or any other precious stones. It is just a plain, simple band of gold, but it is very special because it is a reminder of a promise that is made when a couple gets married. On the day that they are married, a husband and wife make a promise that they will love and stand faithfully beside one another "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as they live." Each of them wears a wedding band as a reminder of that promise that they made. The ring also tells everyone who sees it about the promise that the couple made.

We all make promises, don't we? You might promise your mother that you will clean your room and do your chores before you go out to play. Or you may promise to keep a secret told to you by your best friend. You may promise to return something that you borrowed from a neigbor.

Has anyone ever broken a promise they made to you? How did that make you feel? What did you say? You were probably very disappointed and said something like, "But you promised!" Sometimes we aren't very good at keeping our promises.

God makes promises. Our Bible lesson today is about a promise that God made to a man named Noah. I'm sure that you know the story of how God sent a great flood to destroy the earth because the people had become so wicked and evil. He destroyed everything he had created except for two of every kind of bird and animal and Noah and his family. He spared them because Noah was a good and righteous man who walked with God.

After the flood waters went down and Noah's family and all the animals could leave the ark, God made a promise to Noah. He promised Noah that he would never again destroy the whole earth with a flood. Then he did something to remind Noah of that promise. He placed a rainbow in the sky and he said to Noah, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the promise between me and all life on the earth." God said that every time he saw the rainbow, he would remember the promise that he made.

God has kept that promise, hasn't he? God keeps all of his promises. In fact, the Bible says that, "No matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ." (2 Corinthians 1:20) The next time you see a rainbow, remember the promise God made to Noah, and remember that just as he has kept that promise, he keeps all of his promises.

Dear Father, we are thankful that you are faithful to keep your promises. Help us to be faithful in keeping ours. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Oldest Trick in the Book


"For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  Genesis 3: 5  [NKJV]

How many of you have ever eaten Cracker Jacks?  Cracker Jacks have been around for a long time.  I used to eat them when I was a boy so you know they have been around for a long time.  Do you think I ate Cracker Jacks because I liked them?  Well, the taste pretty good, but that isn't why I ate them.   I ate them because of what it says right here on the box.  "A prize inside!"  I wanted that prize!  You know, after I got the prize, I was always disappointed because the prize was some cheap little toy that wasn't worth anything.  You could say, the prize wasn't what it was "cracked up to be!"  But I kept on buying those Cracker Jacks and hoping that some day I would get a really great prize.  I never did.

I wonder if the prizes are any better now than they were when I was a boy?  Let's open this box and see.  I may have to have some of you help me eat some of these Cracker Jacks so I can get to that prize.  Look at that prize!  Why, it is just a little piece of paper.  What a disappointment.  I can't believe that after all these years people are still falling for that trick.

I don't guess I should be surprised.  After all, it is the oldest trick in the Book.  It is the same trick that Satan used on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Satan went to Eve and said to her, "If you will eat of that tree over there, you will be like God.  You will be as wise as He is."  So, Eve ate the fruit and gave some to Adam, and it sure wasn't like Satan promised.  In fact, they lost their place in that beautiful garden.  That is one of Satan's very best tricks and he still uses it today.  He will promise us great things if we will just do what he wants us to do, but the prize is never what he promised.  In fact, it may just end up costing us our place in God's kingdom.

Dear Lord, help us to remember that Satan will use every trick he knows to get us to do what he wants us to do.  Help us to remember that nothing he promises can compare to what we have in You.   Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Who Do You Trust?


But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!"
And he said, "Here I am, my son."  Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"  And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.  Genesis 22:7-8  [NKJV]

Today we are going to play a game.  The game is called, "Who do you trust?"  I am going to choose one person to stand up here in front of the group.  That person will choose someone to come and stand behind him.  Then the person in front will close his eyes and fall backward into the arms of the person he has chosen to stand behind him.  Now, it is very important for the person who is falling to choose someone that he can trust.  You wouldn't want to fall back and find that the person you had trusted to catch you has gone to get a drink, would you?  (Depending upon how much time you have, allow one or more children to play the game.)

We have been playing the "Who Do You Trust?" game all of our lives.  Don't you remember when you were little and you would jump off the bed into your father's arms?  You never worried about whether he would catch you or not.  You trusted him completely and knew that he wouldn't let you fall.

The story of Abraham and Isaac is a story about trust. Abraham was Isaac's father.  Abraham and his wife Sarah had waited for many years for a son and Abraham loved Isaac more than anything in the world.  One day, God spoke to Abraham and told him to take Isaac up on a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice.  So Abraham took Isaac and they started up the mountain.  On the third day, Abraham told Isaac that they were going to build an altar and offer a sacrifice to God.

Isaac said to his father, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the offering?"

Abraham answered Isaac and said, "God will provide the lamb."

Then Abraham tied Isaac and placed him on the altar, he took a knife and was ready to kill his son when God called to him and told him not to harm the boy.  Then Abraham looked and saw ram caught by his horns in the thicket.  He offered the ram as a sacrifice to God.  Abraham had faith in God and trusted in him completely.  And God provided the lamb, just as Abraham said he would.

When we put our trust in God, He always provides.  Who do you trust?

Dear Father, help us, like Abraham, to put our trust in you and have faith that you will provide.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Stairway to Heaven


He had a dream in which he saw a stairway [ ladder ] resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12 [NIV]

I have something really amazing to show you this morning. This is an wonderful little toy called a Jacob's Ladder. It is a toy that has been around for a many, many years. Watch and see what it does. (demonstrate) I told you it was amazing! Now this looks really complicated and I must confess that I don't understand exactly how it works, but it is so simple to make that you could even make one yourself with a little help from your parents.

Do you remember what I told you this toy is called? That's right! Jacob's ladder. The toy got it's name from a story in the Bible about a man named Jacob who had a dream about a ladder that reached up to heaven. Do you know that story? Well, let me tell it to you.

Jacob started on a long journey to a town called Haran. When he reached a certain place he stopped to spend the night. He took a large stone and rested his head on it and went to sleep. As he slept, Jacob had a dream. In his dream there was a ladder that reached from the ground all the way up to heaven. There were angels running up and down the ladder. He looked and saw God himself standing at the top of the ladder. God spoke to Jacob and told him that he was going to bless him and his people and that he would watch over him and keep him wherever he went. When Jacob woke up he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place." Then he took the stone he had used for a pillow and poured oil on it. He named the place Bethel, which means the house of the Lord.

This is a wonderful story of how God blessed Jacob, but it is much more than that. It is also a picture of what Jesus has done for you and me. Jesus came down to earth to make a way for you and me to get to heaven. Jesus is the way, the only way, for us to get to heaven.

Dear Jesus, thank you for providing a way for us to get to heaven. If there are some here today who have not found the way, we pray that they will find it today.   Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Dinner on the Ground


"I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'" Exodus 16:12 (NIV)

Do you like chicken nuggets? I do! I went by "The Chicken Shack" this morning and picked up a box of chicken nuggets. Would you like to share them with me? Look, they not only gave me some chicken nuggets, they even gave me some hot biscuits and honey! Mmmm, Mmmm! It doesn't get much better than this, does it?

Wouldn't it be great if every evening at dinner time, you could open your front door and walk out into the yard and pick up boxes full of chicken nuggets? All the chicken nuggets you could eat! And what if every morning you could open the front door and walk out into the yard and pick up boxes full of the hot biscuits with honey for breakfast? That would be great, wouldn't it?

Did you know that something almost exactly like that happened in the Bible? God's people, the Israelites, had been held as prisoners in Egypt for many years. When they were finally free and left Egypt, they were looking for the land that God had promised them. After they had been wandering around lost in the desert for a couple of months, the people started to grumble and complain against their leaders, Moses and Aaron.

They said, "We had it better when we were in Egypt. At least we had plenty to eat. You have brought us out here in the desert to starve us to death!"

God heard the people complaining and he told Moses that in the evening he would send quail to cover the camp so that the people would have meat to eat. Then, in the morning, after the dew was gone, there would be bread on the ground for all to eat. All they had to do was go out and pick it up and eat it.

Why did God do this for those grumblers and complainers? He did it so that they would know that he loved them and cared for them and that he would take care of them.

Sometimes you and I grumble and complain, don't we? We forget that God loves us and that he provides us with all that we need. Instead of grumbling and complaining, we should be saying, "Thank you!"

Dear Lord, we all grumble and complain at times. When we do, help us to remember that every thing we have comes from you. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Our Daily Bread


When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. Exodus 16:15 (NIV)

I have something under this cover this morning that I think you are going to like. When you see it, some of you may ask, "What is it?" because you have not seen it before. Are you ready to see it? Okay, here it is. (Remove the cover.)

Do any of you know what this is called? It is called Monkey Bread. I don't really know why it is called Monkey Bread, but I have heard some people say that it is called Monkey Bread because when you eat it, you pull it off and eat it one piece at a time much the same way that a monkey eats his food. Would you like to try some? It is really good! (Let all of the children eat a piece.)

When I said that some of you might say, "What is it?" when you saw the Monkey Bread, it reminded me of a story in the Bible. It is a story about something that happened to the Israelites when Moses was leading them out of Egypt. The Israelites had been wandering around in the desert for many years. Things were difficult and the people began to grumble and complain to Moses that they didn't have enough to eat. Moses told God about their complaining and God said, "I am going to rain down bread from heaven for you, and each day the people can go out and gather enough bread for one day."

The next morning when the people went outside their tents, the ground was covered with a fine, flaky substance. When they saw it, they asked, "What is it?" Moses answered them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat."

God told the people to gather only enough bread for one day. Do you know why he told them that? He said that because He wanted them to trust Him to send the bread that they needed each and every day.

God still provides what we need for each and every day, doesn't He? That is why Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."

Dear Father, just as you provided daily bread for your children in the time of Moses, you provide all our needs each and every day. For all of your goodness, we give thanks. Amen.

INGREDIENTS:
4 ten count tubes of canned biscuits
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Stick Butter/Margerine
3 Tablespoons of Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1) Mix sugar and cinnamon
2) Quarter biscuits and roll each in the above mixture until coated
3) Put all the coated quartered biscuits in a greased bundt pan - just pile them in there.
4) Melt the butter and mix it with the extra cinnamon and sugar mixture
5) Pour the mixture from #4 over the biscuits in the bundt pan
6) Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Water from a Rock!


The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:5-6 (NIV)

How many of you have ever played the game Rock, Paper, Scissors? People all over the world play that game. Not just children either -- even adults play the game. Did you know that there is an international tournament each year and players from all over the world come together to compete in Rock, Paper, Scissors? Yes, Rock, Paper, Scissors is a very popular game.

As you probably know, each player holds one fist in front of him and hits it with his other fist three times. Then, on the fourth time, the player's top hand forms either a rock, paper, or scissors. (Demonstrate each as you say the words.) This is how you know who wins: a rock smashes scissors, paper covers a rock, and scissors cut paper.

Let's play! You can all play against me and you can keep track of how many times you win. Ready? One, two, three, go. Okay, I made a rock. If you made paper, you win. If you made scissors, I win. If you made a rock, we tied. (Play the Rock, Paper, Scissors for a few minutes.)

The great thing about Rock, Paper, Scissors is that any one of them can be a winner. I have a real rock, paper, and scissors this morning. If you are going to write a letter, a rock or scissors wouldn't be much help, but a piece of paper would, wouldn't it? If you wanted to cut a piece of paper, a rock or paper wouldn't help, but a pair of scissors would. If you were really thirsty and needed a drink of water, a piece of paper or a pair of scissors wouldn't be much help, but a rock might be exactly what you need.

What? Some of you are looking at me like you think I'm crazy! Don't you think a rock would help you if you needed a drink of water? Well, in our Bible story today, that is exactly what happened. Our Bible story today is called, "Water from a Rock."

Moses was the leader of the people of Israel. He was leading them from Egypt to a land that God would give to them. They were wandering through the desert and people were thirsty. They began to grumble and complain to Moses. "We are dying," they said, "our children are dying, our cattle are dying. Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die out here in the desert?"

Moses went to his tent and fell on his knees before God. "What should I do?" Moses prayed. "There is no water in the desert. The people are thirsty and they are ready to kill me."

God answered Moses and said to him, "Take your shepherd's staff and walk ahead of the people. I will meet you by the rock at Mount Sinai. When you come to the rock, strike it with your staff and water will flow from the rock. The people will be have plenty of water to drink."

Moses did exactly what God told him to do and guess what happened? He got water from a rock!

So, what should you and I do when we face an impossible situation? We should ask God for his help, and then trust in him. Sometimes we may not understand the way God is leading, but we just have to trust him. After all, who would have thought you could get water from a rock?

Dear Father, when we face impossible situations, help us to remember that we serve a God who can get water from a rock. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Guidance from God

Exodus 20:1-17

How many of you have ever seen a gyroscope? A gyroscope is a very interesting object and I have brought one to show you this morning. If you have ever played with a gyroscope, you know that they can do all sorts of interesting tricks. They can balance on string, on your finger, or on the tip of a pencil. I can remember spending many hours playing with a gyroscope when I was a child. In fact, I thought the gyroscope was a toy!

A gyroscope is not a toy! It is actually a very important piece of scientific equipment. For example, an airplane uses gyroscopes in its compass and autopilot system to keep it flying in the right direction. The Russian's Mir space station uses gyroscopes to help keep it in the right position. The Space Shuttle uses gyroscopes to help keep it pointed in the right direction. Gyroscopes are even used to keep track of the movements of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Just as airplanes, space shuttles, space stations, and space telescopes need help from the gyroscope to keep them pointed in the right direction, you and I need help in keeping our life pointed in the right direction. God has given us just the right guidance system needed to keep our life headed in the right direction. It is called the Ten Commandments.

(Hold up the poster, if you made one, and read the Ten Commandments to the children.)

Now that God has given us the guidance system we need to keep our life on the right course, it is up to us to put that guidance system into operation in our daily life.

Heavenly Father, help us to follow the guidance that you have given to us to make sure that our life is headed in the right direction. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Staying Within the Lines


And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:1-3 (NIV)

Do you remember when you first started to learn how to color? If you were like most children, you probably colored all over the page without staying in the lines. I imagine that some of your pictures looked a lot like this one (show picture colored without staying in the lines). And your choice of colors probably wasn't very good either. You might have colored the cow purple! I've never seen a purple cow, have you?

As you got older, your pictures probably looked more like this one (show a picture colored in the lines). You began to stay in the lines and your color choices were much better too. There aren't any purple cows in this picture. This picture is much prettier than the other one, isn't it?

These pictures remind me of the way some people live their lives. God gave us the ten commandments to tell us the things that we should and should not do. Some people don't pay any attention to these guidelines that God has drawn for them. They just do whatever they want to do. Often their choices are not very good. They are like the child who doesn't stay inside the lines on the coloring page. They think their life is beautiful, but when God looks at it, He sees that it is just a big mess.

There are other people who read the Bible and follow God's rules. They try to stay within the guidelines that God has set. Oh, they may still get outside the lines at times, but most of the time they make pretty good choices. When God looks at their life, He is pleased.

Do you want your life to be like this one (show the messy picture) or do you want it to look like this one? (show the pretty picture) Let's pray and ask God to help us.

Dear Lord, help us to remember that you set boundaries for us. Help us to stay within those boundaries so that our lives will be pleasing to you. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 It's What's Inside That Counts


The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.  1 Samuel 16:7

I have a friend who is a rock collector.  I probably wouldn't make a very good rock collector, because if I saw a rock laying on the ground that looks like this one, (show the exterior) I probably would not even bother to stop and pick it up.  But my friend knows that you can't judge a rock by what it looks like on the outside.  A rock that looks like this on the outside may be beautiful on the inside. (show the interior)  So my friend picks up the rocks and looks on the inside and polishes them into something beautiful.

The same thing is true about the way God looks at people.  The Bible says that "the Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  Do you ever make the mistake of judging people by the way they look on the outside?  I'm ashamed to say that I do.  Wouldn't it be better if we looked at their heart the way God does?

This morning I have a rock for each of you.  My friend took some ugly old rocks and polished them up and turned them into something beautiful.  I want you to have one of these rocks to remind you that we should not judge people by the way they look on the outside.  It's what's inside that counts.

Dear God, we are thankful that you don't judge us by how we look on the outside.  Help us to look at others the same way you look at them.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 How Do You Look?


Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.  1 Peter 3: 3-4  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16: 7

Some of you  have probably seen one of these before.  It is an x-ray.  Many times when we go to the doctor, he cannot tell if we have something wrong just by looking at us.  We may look just fine on the outside, but there might be something wrong on the inside.  To see what is on the inside, the doctor takes an x-ray.  By looking at the x-ray, the doctor can see what's on the inside and helps us to get well.  You can't always tell by looking at the outside.

The Bible tells us that man looks at outward appearance, but God looks on the inside.  You can't always tell what a person is really like by looking at the outside.  Some people may be beautiful on the outside, but they may be very mean, selfish, and hateful on the inside.  Some people may not be very beautiful to look at, but on the inside they are loving, gentle, and kind.

We spend a lot of time making sure we look good on the outside, but what are we doing to make sure we look good on the inside?  (Read 1 Peter 3: 3-4)  When we look at people, we need to remember that we can only see what's on the outside, but God can see what's on the inside - and it's what's inside that counts.

Lord,  help us to be more concerned with our own inner beauty than with our outward appearance and help us not to judge other people by what we see on the outside.

[Soldier4Christ]

God’s Cell Phone


And God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven.  2 Chronicles 30:27

Everywhere I go these days, I see people talking on the phone.  I see people driving down the street talking on the phone.  I see people shopping in stores talking on the phone.  I was watching a baseball game on TV the other day and every time they put the camera on the fans, I would see people talking on the phone.

I heard about a preacher that brought his cell phone to church one Sunday.  During the sermon, he looked around the congregation to see who wasn’t there and then he called them to see why they weren’t at Church!  He doesn’t pastor that Church any more!  Cell phones are handy though, because we can call our friends and family no matter where we may be.

Prayer is like that.  No matter where we are or what we are doing, we can always talk to God. While driving down the street, shopping in a store, or at a baseball game....no matter where we are, we can talk to God.

Dear Lord, thank you for the privilege of prayer.  Help us to remember that you are always there when we need to talk to you.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

He Sees Our Every Step


His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step. Job 34:21

How many of you have a pair of binoculars? Binoculars are really amazing. You can look at something that is very far away and it brings it right up to you. A lot of people take binoculars to ballgames so that they can see the action better. Some people take binoculars when they go hunting to help them find the animals they are hunting. I have a friend who likes to watch birds. She can look through a pair of binoculars and she can watch birds from a great distance and watch what they are doing. The birds don’t even know that she is watching.

This reminds me that we are all being watched. Other people are watching us to see what we are doing, but more important to remember is that the Bible tells us that God is watching us. It says “His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step.” That means that He sees us when we are fighting with our brother or sister. He sees us when we don’t act the way we should act in school. He sees us when we talk back to our parents. He sees every thing we do.

Since God is watching us and sees everything we do, we should be very careful and make sure that we are doing things that will please Him.

Dear Lord, we know you see everything we do, help us to live in such a way that all that we do is pleasing in your sight. Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

Watch What You Say!


Reckless words are like a sword.  Proverbs 12:18  He who holds his tongue is wise.  Proverbs 10:19  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight.  Psalm 19:14

This morning I have a tube of toothpaste.  I want you to watch very carefully and see what I am going to do with this toothpaste.  (Open the toothpaste and squeeze all of the toothpaste out of the tube onto a saucer.)  There, I think I have just about all of the toothpaste squeezed out of the tube.  Now I need one of you to help me with the next part.  (Choose one of the children to be your helper.)  Okay, I want you to put all of the toothpaste back into the tube.  Can you do that?  You can't?  You mean that you can't put that toothpaste back into the tube once it is squeezed out?  Of course not, that is silly isn't it?

Did you know that very same thing is true of the words we speak?  Have you ever said something that hurt someone's feelings and heard them say, "You take that back!"  You can't take it back, can you?  Once you have said it, it is said.  You can't put the words back in your mouth any more than you can squeeze this toothpaste back into the tube.  That is why we need to be very careful about the things we say.  The Bible says, "He who holds his tongue is wise."

All of you know the children's rhyme that says, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me."  That sounds nice, but it just isn't true.  Words can hurt.  The Bible says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword."  Our words can cut like a knife.  They can hurt others.  We all know that God hears every word we say and he knows every thought we have in our mind.  It is very important for us to be careful about the things we think and say.

The Bible says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."  Once we have said it, we can't take it back, so let's make sure that our words are pleasing to God.