Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

Melissa looked up when she heard her sister's voice. "Your goat is out again," called Amy.

With a sigh, Melissa trudged out the back door and found her goat nibbling on some flowers. "Hey, you!" yelled Melissa. The goat, Sadie, tossed her head and trotted off just out of reach. Gritting her teeth, Melissa sprinted after the goat. Fifteen minutes and several frustrated comments later, she cornered Sadie and dragged her back to her pen. "Now stay there," Melissa ordered sternly as she shut the gate.

"That stupid goat just sails right over the fence without touching it!" Melissa complained as she came back into the house. "I'm going to ask Dad to put up a higher fence." She went back out, but soon returned with a scowl on her face. "Parents!" she growled. "Dad says he'll put up a higher fence next week, so that's fine. But I also asked him about going to Meg's party, and he says I can't go. He knows her parents are out of town and won't be there." Melissa sighed. "I don't get it. We're not babies. We can take care of ourselves!"

Amy looked thoughtfully out the window. "Why do you want your goat to stay in her pen?" she asked.

Melissa wondered why Amy changed the subject so quickly. "If Sadie gets out, she can damage Mom's flowers," replied Melissa. "Besides that, she could get hurt. She might go out on the road and get hit or attacked by a stray dog or something."

"But she likes it outside of her pen," said Amy. "It isn't just that you don't want her to have any fun, is it?"

"Of course not," said Melissa. "I want to protect her."

"Well, Dad and Mom aren't trying to keep you from having fun, either," said Amy. "They're protecting you."

"But I'm not a goat," Melissa protested, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Amy laughed. "Good. Then you shouldn't be as stubborn as
a goat, and you should be more teachable," she said. "You should be able to
understand that Mom and Dad put up fences-they make rules-to keep you safe." Amy
glanced out the window. She grinned as she added, "Oh, Melissa, I hate to tell
you, but your goat is out again."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are your friends allowed to do things your mom and dad won't let you do? Are you unhappy with your parents' guidelines? They don't make rules to make you miserable. They love you enough to put up "fences" for your safety.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Ephesians 6:1)
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord."

[Soldier4Christ]

Janice sat with some other children near the front of the room and listened as Mr. Peters, the guest speaker in junior church, told of some experiences he'd had when he was visiting Egypt. "There were many exciting things to do and places to see," said Mr. Peters. "The people themselves were interesting, too. We learned a lot about their customs-the way they live and dress and spend their time. One young lad we met especially interested me. His name is Noubi Aly. He's only fourteen years old, but he's one of the most popular guides in the area we visited. He started his work as an official guide when he was only nine."

Janice was amazed as she thought about a nine-year-old boy being a guide. "From early childhood, Noubi Aly began to learn pretty much everything there is to learn about the pyramids and other sights in Egypt," continued Mr. Peters. "How do you think he did that?"

"Maybe he went to a special school to learn all that stuff," suggested one of the kids.

Mr. Peters shook his head. "No. Not special school. Noubi Aly learned a great deal by simply listening as others spoke,"explained Mr. Peters. "He also studied all the historical markers he saw in the area. By carefully following the instructions that his father and other older people gave him, he became one of the most sought after guides."

Mr. Peters looked at the children. "Noubi Aly reminds me
of you," he told them. "Many of you have parents who teach you what is right.
God has also given you a pastor and Sunday school teachers. He has given you His
Word so that you may learn to live the way He wants you to. And now, He has a
right to expect you to be a 'guide' to others." Mr. Peters paused. "Think about
that," he said. "Learn all you can, and then use your knowledge to guide others
to Jesus."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you think you're too young to be a spiritual guide? You're not. Keep listening and learning from teachers, pastors, parents, and God's Word. Then begin right now to share Christ and His love with the kids around you. Use the knowledge God has already given you to guide others to Him.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Proverbs 1:5)
"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning."

[Soldier4Christ]

Sarah was going with her mother to take her baby sister for an appointment at the doctor's office. "Does Carrie have to have shots today?" asked Sarah.

Mom nodded. "A checkup and shots," she said.

"I don't think she's going to like those shots!" exclaimed Sarah.

"No," Mom agreed, "but she needs to have them to help keep her from getting sick. It's easier and safer to get a shot now than to suffer with a sickness later."

"I guess so, but I'm glad I don't need one today," said Sarah. She paused. "Why are some shots called booster shots?" she asked. "Like the one I had when I stepped on a nail last summer?"

"You had had a shot for tetanus, but it had been a while, so you needed another shot to make sure the medication was still effective," explained Mom.

"Well, I'll be glad when I outgrow shots," said Sarah.

"Even adults need shots sometimes," said Mom. "And think of this . . . Christians need booster shots regularly, too." She smiled at Sarah's startled expression.

"What do you mean, Mom?" Sarah wanted to know.

"To guard against the attacks of Satan, we need protection before he strikes-before our resistance is worn down and we give in to his ways," Mom explained. "What things might help protect us from him?"

Sarah thought for a moment. "I think reading the Bible would," she said. "It tells us whether some things are right or wrong. We can memorize verses, too."

"Good," approved Mom, "and how about staying away from the people or places that could tempt us to sin? Can you think of anything else?"

"Ah . . . how about prayer?" suggested Sarah. "We can ask God to help us, and we can trust Him to keep us safe."

"Very good." Mom smiled. "We need to use all of the
'armor' God offers-salvation, truth, faith, His Word. Becoming familiar with all
these things ahead of time, helps prepare us for Satan's
attacks."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you prepared for Satan's attacks? Memorizing God's Word, avoiding places where you'll be tempted, reading your Bible, and praying regularly are like spiritual "booster shots" to protect you from Satan.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Ephesians 6:11)
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

[Soldier4Christ]

After Hayli's sixth grade Sunday school class finished presenting a program to a younger group, Pastor Phil, the church youth leader, approached her. "You did a fine job on your ventriloquism," he complimented her. "The dialogue with your dummy was cute, and it had a good message, too."

"Thanks," said Hayli. She held up her dummy. "This is Mervyn," she said.

"Pleased to meet you, Mervyn," replied Pastor Phil with a smile. He turned back to Hayli. "On the last Sunday next month, we're going to have a special youth night. Lots of the kids will be taking part. Would you and Mervyn be willing to be on the program?"

Hayli happily agreed, but when she thought about it later, the smile left her face. "I like performing for the Sunday school kids," she told her mother, "but I can't give a talk in church!"

"Why not, honey?" asked Mom.

"There will be adults there," explained Hayli. "I forgot about that. I would be so nervous! I can't do it-I really can't!"

To Hayli's surprise, Mom agreed with her. "You're right, honey," she said. "You can't do it, so just send Mervyn with Mr. Jenkins. Let the dummy handle that part of the program."

Hayli glanced at her mother in surprise. "Mom! You know he can't talk without me!" she protested. "I put the words in his mouth. He can't do anything without me."

Mom smiled and nodded. "That's how God works, too," she reminded Hayli. "He wants to use you to speak His words. Without Him, your words would be meaningless, but He'll give you His power and the words to say, if you let Him. It's His power-not yours-that reaches people and meets their needs."

Hayli was quiet a moment. Then she grinned. "Are you saying I'm a dummy?" she asked. Then she nodded. "All right, Mom. I'll be God's dummy," she decided, "but He'll have to give me lots of help!"

"He will," said Mom. "The Bible tells how He helped
Moses, and He'll help you, too."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you afraid to speak up for Jesus? Are you afraid to stand in front of others and use the talents God has given you? Are you afraid you'll say something wrong or make a mistake? Ask God to help you, and then bravely serve Him any way you can.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Luke 21:15)
"For I will give you a mouth and wisdom."

[Soldier4Christ]

Mark's mother was shaking him gently, and he struggled to wake up. He sat up and opened his eyes wide. "I had to run!" he said in a shaky voice.

Mom sat beside him on the bed. "What were you running from?" she asked.

Taking a deep breath, Mark said, "I was dreaming, and . . . and soldiers were shooting at me. I had to run!"

Mom frowned. "Mark, what did you watch on TV at Kevin's house last night?"

"I . . . I don't remember the name of the movie," he said, "but it was scary. I shouldn't have watched it, Mom, but everyone else was watching. What could I do?"

Mom looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you remember hearing Grandpa tell us how Jesus helped him stop drinking?" she asked. Mark nodded, and Mom continued. "Remember what he said he did whenever he had to go near a bar after he was saved?"

Mark thought for a moment. "He said that whenever an errand took him near a bar or liquor store, he'd cross the street to avoid it," said Mark.

Mom nodded. "Jesus had helped him quit drinking," she said, "but he knew it would be difficult to resist temptation if he went to any place where there was alcohol."

"I guess being around alcohol would make it a lot harder not to drink," agreed Mark.

"Yes," said Mom, "and Grandpa never went into a bar again as far as I know. He stayed sober for the rest of his life."

"Well . . . are you saying that I shouldn't go to Kevin's house anymore?" asked Mark.

Mom shrugged. "You've watched bad programs at Kevin's
house a number of times, so it might be a good idea not to go there-unless you
have definite plans to do something other than watch TV." She was quiet for a
moment, then added, "You might invite Kevin over here more often, too." She
tucked the blankets around Mark. "If you let Him, Jesus will help you make the
right choices, but you need to do your part, Mark, and not put yourself in the
way of temptation."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are there places where you find it hard to do what is right? Places where people influence you to watch bad TV, to use alcohol or drugs, to tell lies, to cheat, or to do some other wrong thing? "Flee" from such places. Stay away from them whenever possible. Ask God to help you do that, and He'll give you the strength to do what is right.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (2 Timothy 2:22)
"Flee also youthful lusts."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Ouch!" yelled Ryan. "You tripped me!" He held onto his skinned knee and rocked back and forth.

"I didn't trip you," said Philip. "You weren't watching where you were going, and you fell over my foot."

Ryan's face was red with anger. "You stuck it out on purpose," he insisted.

"I did not. It was your own fault!" replied Philip loudly. He was angry, too.

When Ryan stood up, he doubled up his fists, and lunged toward his brother. Philip moved aside quickly, but not before Ryan managed to give his arm a hard whack. Philip struck back, and the fight was on!

Mr. Harmon, a neighbor, had been watching the boys from his yard. "Boys!" he called as he hurried over. "Boys!" Mr. Harmon was just about to pull them apart when they heard loud growling and barking in the yard across the street. Philip and Ryan stopped fighting and turned to look in the direction of the noise. Two dogs were snarling and snapping at each other.

"That little dog is gonna get hurt!" exclaimed Ryan, starting toward them. To his relief, the man who owned the dogs came out of the house and separated them.

"It scares me when dogs fight," said Philip.

Mr. Harmon nodded. "It probably started over a bone," he said. After a moment he added, "How do you think God feels when He sees people fighting? Like you boys were just doing? Do you think He feels the way you felt when you saw the dogs fighting?"

The boys looked at each other. Philip shrugged. "I don't think He really gets scared, does He?"

Mr. Harmon smiled. "Well, no, but I think it probably makes Him sad to see people get angry and fight," he said. "God tells us in the Bible that a quick-tempered person will do foolish things. We're not pleased when dogs fight, and God isn't pleased when people fight and argue. So . . . how about talking things out instead of using your fists?"

Ryan and Philip looked at each other and nodded-even
though each still felt sure he had a good reason to be angry.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you often lose your temper? God says that's foolish, and He commends those who are "slow to anger"-those who don't get angry quickly. Yield to God's way of working things out peacefully instead of getting angry and doing things your own way.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (James 1:19)
"Let every man be swift to hear . . . slow to wrath."

[Soldier4Christ]

As Erica and her little sister, Addie, were eating breakfast, Mom had some special instructions for them. "I have a meeting at church late this afternoon and your dad is out of town all day, so neither of us can pick you up from school," she said. "Mrs. Perry lives a few blocks from the school, and you can go there until I come for you."

"How will we get there?" asked Addie.

"Erica knows the way," said Mom. "Erica, I want you to go to Addie's classroom at three o'clock, get Addie, and then go right to Mrs. Perry's house. She's expecting yo. Okay?"

"Sure, Mom," replied Erica. She knew she had an important job, and she felt really grown up.

All day, Erica thought about her responsibility for Addie. At lunchtime, she peeked out at the little kids' playground and saw that Addie was playing with her friend Teloca. Erica watched for a few minutes. I'm watching over Addie, she thought with surprise-remembering what she had heard in Sunday school the day before. Her teacher had said, "God is watching over you."

When it was time, Erica walked to Addie's classroom and stopped just inside the door, like parents do. "Erica! It's you!" exclaimed Addie, running up and giving her sister a hug. "Where's Daddy?"

"Daddy is out of town," said Erica. "We're going to Mrs. Perry's house. Remember?" Addie hadn't remembered. She hadn't known that Erica had been thinking about her all day or that Erica had watched her at lunchtime.

Erica took Addie's hand and they walked to the street crossing. They stopped, and Erica held onto Addie tightly while they quietly waited for the signal to cross. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Addie.

Standing there with Addie's hand in hers, Erica had a
happy feeling inside. I love Addie, and God loves me, she thought. I don't
always think about God, but He loves me and is taking care of me all the time.
He never sleeps, and He knows just how to keep me safe.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you know that God loves you and is always watching over you-even when you don't "feel" His presence or think about the fact that He's caring for you? Be sure to thank Him for thinking of you all the time. Thank Him for His constant love and care.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 121:3)
"He that keepeth thee  . . . shall neither slumber nor sleep."

[Soldier4Christ]

Angie looked in dismay at the old desk her mother had bought at an auction. Does Mom really expect me to put that ugly old piece of junk in my bedroom? she wondered. Mom saw the worried look on Angie's face and laughed. "Oh, honey, we won't leave your desk looking like this," Mom assured her. "We're going to restore this old desk to the thing of beauty it once was." Angie breathed a sigh of relief, but she wondered how they were going to do that.

When they began the work on the desk, Angie found the process fascinating. First, they removed layer after layer of paint. "Look, Mom!" exclaimed Angie, pointing to several spots where various layers of dirty, old paint could be seen. "This desk must have been painted light green once, then blue, and then yellow."

When the last bit of the old finish was finally removed and the wood was sanded smooth, Mom smiled as she looked at it. "This beautiful, solid oak desk was hiding under all that paint and grime," she said. "Now we'll stain it and add a finishing coat, and it will be even more beautiful." Angie nodded eagerly.

Mom was right, and Angie loved the way the desk looked when it was put into her room. "Did you see my new desk, Dad?" she asked at dinner. "I mean my . . . ah . . . my restored desk? Mom says we restored its beauty."

Dad smiled. "I saw it, and I agree-it is beautiful," he said. "One of the Psalms tells of something else we need to have restored from time to time. You have until family devotions time to find out what it is."

When they gathered a little later for devotions, Dad grinned. "Okay," he said, "who knows what we need to have restored-and Mom isn't allowed to answer."

Angie spoke quickly. "I called Grandma, and she showed me where to find it," she said. "It's joy."

Dad nodded. "Good," he said. "People who've been saved
recently are often eager to read God's Word and learn about Him. As time passes,
they-maybe I should say 'we'-we seem to take blessings, even salvation, for
granted. The old paint and dirt needed to removed from the desk, and we need bad
attitudes and habits removed from our lives. We need our joy in Jesus
restored."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Does it make you feel happy to think of all He's done for you and to be able to serve Him? If not, ask the Lord to renew and restore the joy you can have in Him. Think about your blessings more than your trials- and with His help, smile!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 51:12)
"Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation."

[Soldier4Christ]

Amber needed surgery. "We've done this operation many times, and it's rather routine," the doctor assured her and her parents. He smiled at Amber. "You may need some blood transfusions, and you have a rare blood type. The good news is that your dad has the same blood type as you do. We'll have some of his blood on hand in case you need it." Amber's dad nodded and gave her hand a squeeze.

Everything went well during Amber's surgery-and she did need some of the blood her father had donated. "You're going to be as good as new," Doctor Winter said when he came to see her just before she went home from the hospital. "You'll have to say an extra big 'thank you' to your dad. Without his blood, you could have been in serious trouble."

Amber nodded, thinking about it. "Dad gave some of his blood for me," she murmured. Then she looked up at her doctor. "Did you know that when Jesus died on the cross, He shed His blood for the whole world?" she asked shyly.

"You going to start preaching?" asked the doctor with a grin.

Amber grinned back and nodded. "The Bible says without Jesus' blood being shed on the cross, nobody could be saved. And that would mean that nobody could ever go to heaven."

The doctor seemed a little embarrassed. "Well, blood is important all right," he agreed.

Before he could say more, Amber asked him a question. "Have you let His blood wash away your sins?"

The doctor stood there for a long moment without saying
anything. "I haven't thought about that for many years," he said finally. "Thank
you for reminding me. I'm going to look up some verses in my Bible when I get
home today."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you know that Jesus shed His blood for the whole world? Do you realize that He shed it for you, personally? Trust in Him as your Savior, and thank Him for the great sacrifice He made for you.

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (1 John 1:7)
"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."

[Soldier4Christ]

I wonder what this is, thought Lisa's mother as she emptied Lisa's pants pockets before tossing her clothes into the washing machine. She looked at the note in her hand. "Ann," she read, "did you ever see anything so ugly as the jacket Susan is wearing? I wouldn't wear that to a dog fight! Yuck!" Mom wondered if this was the same Susan they were praying for. She also recalled that Lisa had asked them to pray for another friend-Ann. This Ann? wondered Mom.

Mom showed the note to Lisa. "I found this today," she said. "Is this the same Susan we're praying for?"

Lisa was embarrassed. "Oh, Mom," she said, "one day last week I got so mad at her! I wore the new shirt you made me, and Susan laughed and said, 'Hey, guys! Look at Lisa's new shirt! I have a robe and a nightgown made of that same material.' I could have bopped her right in the nose!"

"You didn't, did you?" asked Mom. "Bop her in the nose, I mean?"

"No," said Lisa. "I sure felt like it, but I didn't do anything back to her."

Mom raised her eyebrows. "Except write this note?" she asked. "Well, I think this was more than enough, especially if you want to win her to the Lord. And how about Ann? Didn't you ask us to pray for her, too?" Lisa nodded slowly. "Well, writing this note wasn't a very good testimony or a good way to win either one of them, was it?" challenged Mom.

Lisa shook her head. "I guess you should have washed the note along with my clothes," she said with a sigh. "It needs cleaning up."

Mom smiled slightly. "I'd be glad to do that yet if it
would help," she said. "We both know that what you did was wrong. It's your
heart that needs cleaning, and only God can do that. You need to talk to Him
about it and make things right. I think you owe Ann an apology -and Susan, too,
if she knows about this note."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
When someone says or does something mean to you, are you nice to that person anyway? Or are you eager to get even? Getting even is not the way to win anyone to Jesus, and it's a poor testimony to those who are watching you. God says He will repay them, so leave that to Him.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Romans 12:21)
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

[Soldier4Christ]

"All right!" exclaimed Jacob when he got up one Saturday morning and saw that it was a very windy day. "It's a kite-flying day! Can I call Cameron and see if he can meet me at the park so we can fly our kites together?"

"Sure," agreed Mom, "but you'll have to finish your chores first." Jacob nodded. He ate his breakfast, quickly did his chores, and then went to meet his friend. Soon he and Cameron were having a great time flying kites.

When the boys finally decided to do something else, they reeled in their kites and got ready to leave. "This was fun-I love windy days!" declared Jacob. "I wonder what causes wind."

Cameron shrugged. "I thought you'd know-you like science so much," he said. "Why don't you look it up in one of your science journals at home?"

"I already have," replied Jacob. "I talked to my science teacher about it, too. They talk about high pressure cells of air, and low pressure cells, and collisions of air masses, and all that."

Cameron grinned. "Well, there you have it, Einstein," he said. "I don't understand it, but I should think you would."

Jacob shook his head. "I still don't understand why on some days there's not enough air moving to cause a ripple on the lake, while other days-like today-the waves are probably ten feet high. I'm gonna see if they've got books at the library that explain it better."

"I bet I've got a book you never tried," said Cameron. "Let's go to my house. I'll show you."

"Okay," agreed Jacob, and the boys pedaled their bikes to Cameron's home.

Jacob was surprised when Cameron got out his Bible and
looked in the concordance to find verses with the word "wind" in them. After
reading several of them, Cameron grinned. "Well, I guess maybe this doesn't
explain all the scientific details of what causes wind," he said, "but it tells
something more important-that God controls the wind. He controls all nature.
That's enough information for me!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you wonder what causes wind, rain, snow, or any other thing that happens in nature? God is in control of them all. Thank Him for that the next time you hear the wind blow, hear a tornado warning, or experience a thunder storm or blizzard. Whatever happens, trust God, knowing He's in control.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Mark 4:41)
"Even the wind and the sea obey Him (Jesus)."

[Soldier4Christ]

It was spring vacation, and Janie was bored. "Oh, Mom, what can I do?" she asked over and over.

Her mother sighed. She had already made several suggestions, but nothing interested Janie. "I'll tell you what," Mom said finally, "I'll help you think of something that's fun to do, if you'll do some jobs for me first."

"Okay," Janie agreed. "Anything would be better than sitting around doing nothing." Mom wrote out a list of jobs. When Janie saw it, she groaned, but she went to work. First she vacuumed the carpets and dusted the furniture. Then she washed the bathroom tile. Finally, she folded some towels for her mother and put them away. "Is that enough?" she asked when she had finished.

"Not quite," said her mother. "I'd like you to take these cookies to Mrs. Gundy's house."

"All the way over there?" grumbled Janie, but she got her coat, picked up the plate of cookies, and left.

By the time she got back, she was tired. She hoped her mother wouldn't think of any more jobs for her to do! "How about having a cookie?" invited Mom as Janie came in. "Then maybe you could read for a while."

"Good idea!" said Janie. Then she laughed. "You suggested the same thing before, and it sounded boring then. Now it sounds like fun. Isn't that silly?"

"The activity hasn't changed-you have," said Mom. "It's a matter of attitude. God has given us so much, but I'm afraid He often hears us complain because we don't appreciate our blessings like we should. You didn't appreciate your free time this morning. I took it away from you for a while, and now you realize how nice it was!"

Janie nodded. "I'll have that cookie," she said, "and
then I'm sure I can find lots of interesting things to do!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you appreciate what you have? Or are you a grumbler? Do you gripe and complain if you don't have something exciting to do? Satan tries to make you want what you don't have instead of being thankful for what you do have. God wants you to be happy with what He has given you. Maintain an attitude that pleases Him.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (1 Timothy 6:6)
"But godliness with contentment is great gain."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Hey, Mom! Guess what?" Joel called, running into the house and flinging his school books on the table. "At Bible Club today, Mrs. Watson talked about the Pony Express. Did you know that a long time ago, mail was carried from Missouri to California by horseback riders? They got fresh horses every ten miles, and each guy went lickety-split-usually for seventy-five to a hundred miles. The trail was almost 2000 miles long, and it took 'em ten days, nonstop! They couldn't wear heavy clothes, and the mail had to be lightweight, too. It was pretty dangerous on the trail, but they couldn't even carry a gun, because it might slow 'em down, and . . ." Joel paused for breath.

"That's really interesting," said Mom, "but why was your Bible Club teacher giving you a history lesson?"

"It wasn't a history lesson," said Joel. "It was . . . it was, ah . . . it was more like an object lesson, Mom. And guess what else?" Joel's eyes sparkled. "The average rider was twenty years old, but the youngest was only eleven!"

"So . . . how is all that an object lesson?" asked Mom.

"Well, just like the Pony Express riders carried important messages, God gave us an important message to carry to the world," replied Joel. "He wants some people to carry it far away-like to foreign mission fields. Not everybody gets to go that far, but all of us can carry it-even if we're not very old, and even if it's just to the people near us. And you know what else?"

"What else?" asked Mom.

"Just like the Pony Express riders had to go fast, we have to hurry, too, because time might run out," said Joel, "so I stopped on the way home and invited Greg to come over tonight and watch my new Easter video with me. He said he would come-is that okay?"

Mom smiled. "It sure is," she said.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you telling your friends about Jesus and what He's done for you and for them? The Bible doesn't refer to Pony Express Riders, but it does say God is "making His appeal" through Christians. If you know Jesus, carry God's message to others.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (2 Cor. 5:20)
"We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us."

[Soldier4Christ]

As Brian and his mother sat in the dentist's waiting room one day, they noticed a little boy and his daddy. The toddler was putting together a wooden puzzle. "Wook! I make a puzzoo, Daddy," said the little boy. "See . . . cawwot. Cawwot goes . . . there! What's zis, Daddy? What's zis?"

The toddler hopped off his chair and pushed it up to the table, only to have it scoot back when he climbed on it again. After several tries, his daddy pushed it in for him. "Tank you, Daddy! Oh, wook! Cone-on-a-cob. I wike cone-on-a-cob. To eat. Yum! Goes here." The boy pounded on the puzzle piece. "Won't go in!"

"Turn it around," said his father, and the toddler turned the piece upside down. "No, do it like this." His daddy showed him how to turn it.

"Oh, tank you! Goes in!" exclaimed the boy. "What's zis, Daddy? What's zis piece?"

"You chatter incessantly!" said the father with a grin. The toddler looked uncertain, not understanding. "You talk all the time," the father explained, and he held out his arms. The little boy rushed into them and wrapped his little arms around his father's neck.

"I wuv you, Daddy," said the toddler.

"And I love you!" his father whispered back.

As Brian and his mother drove home, Brian remembered the conversation between the little boy and his father. "That little guy could really chatter!" he said. "What was it his daddy said? In . . . in . . ."

"Incessantly," Mom answered. "Without ceasing." She smiled. "That's the way our Heavenly Father wants us to talk to Him, too," she said. "The Bible says, 'Pray without ceasing.' We can talk to God about anything and at any time. We can tell Him just how we feel."

Brian chuckled as he remembered the way the toddler talked. "God doesn't mind baby-talk, does He?"

"For sure not!" Mom replied. "We don't have to use fancy language or big words. We can come to Him very simply-and let's be sure to thank Him for all He does for us."

Brian nodded. "Like the little boy thanked his daddy,"
he said as they got out of the car.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you talk to your parents only once or twice a day? How often do you talk to your Heavenly Father? He loves you and always likes to hear from you and know that you love Him, too. Talk to Him about all of your concerns, and thank Him for His care and blessings.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (1 Thess. 5:17-18)
"Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Mom!" wailed Anne one day. "Bobby's always messing up my stuff!"

"I'm sorry, honey," said Mom when she came to see the damage. "Bobby knows better, but I'll try to watch him more closely." The little boy loved to go into his sister's room, open her dresser drawers, color on her papers, and play with the contents of her jewelry box. He had often been scolded and punished for this, but he continued to be fascinated by her things.

Anne sighed. "I wonder what Ken does to keep Bobby out of his stuff." Ken was their big brother. "He doesn't seem to have problems with Bobby like I do. I'll see if I can find out what his secret is."

When Anne asked Ken about it, he smiled. "Well," he said, "there's an old saying-'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.'"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Anne. "I thought we were talking about Bobby, not flies."

Ken laughed. "It means that it's usually easier to get people to cooperate by being nice to them than by fussing and yelling at them," he explained. "I sometimes just let Bobby come into my room to see what I'm working on. I even let him have the small bottom drawer of my dresser as his drawer to keep a few things in. And I make sure breakable stuff is up out of his reach. That way, I hardly ever have to scold him."

"It seems like a lot of work just to keep him out of my stuff," Anne grumbled. "It's easier just to yell at him."

"It's really not much work," replied Ken, "and it's worth it. It keeps him out of my things, and it makes us good friends-and like Mom is always telling us, God wants brothers and sisters to 'dwell in unity.'"

"Okay, I'll try it," decided Anne. "Bobby's a pest
sometimes-but I'm glad he's my brother, and I'm glad you are,
too!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you get upset when your brothers and sisters-or classmates or neighbors-use or misuse things that belong to you? Try being kind and sharing your things with them. You'll be surprised and pleased at the good results. God will be pleased, too.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 133:1)
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."