Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

I gotta hurry or I'll be late for class, thought Ron as he grabbed his school books and ran out the door. Nearly every day it was the same-he'd sleep too long and then have to hurry to get ready on time to catch the school bus. But no matter how late he was, he always found time for a big breakfast.

One day, the youth pastor at Ron's church spoke about Ron's favorite subject-eating! "How many hours are there between breakfast and lunch?" Pastor Tom asked one of the girls.

"About four or five," she replied.

"How many hours between lunch and supper?" asked Pastor Tom, turning to one of the boys.

"About the same," was the answer.

"And how many hours from supper time until you eat again?" This time Pastor Tom pointed to Ron for an answer.

"Too many," moaned Ron as he rubbed his stomach. Everyone laughed.

"Now let's ask those same questions about our spiritual intake," Pastor Tom continued. "How long does your spiritual life have to wait for food from the Word of God?"

Ron was glad he didn't have to answer that question out loud. He wouldn't think of missing one of his physical meals, but he hadn't been very faithful about having spiritual food. Sometimes he'd go from one Sunday to the next without even opening his Bible or even thinking much about God.

"If you skip meals," Pastor Tom said, "your body suffers, and if you don't regularly 'eat' from the Word of God, your spiritual life suffers."

"I read some verses every day," said Grace proudly.

"That's great," replied Pastor Tom, "but just flipping
through a few verses isn't really enough. Eating spiritually includes thinking
about God-meditating on Him and His counsel as verses come to mind throughout
the day-as well as simply reading the Bible." Pastor Tom held up his Bible.
"Take care of the body God gave you," he added, "but determine in your
heart-make up your mind-to take good care of you spiritual needs,
too."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Did you eat food today? Did you also "eat" from God's Word? It's good to read at least a few verses every day. Then throughout the day, think about God and what He says and does for you. Make up your mind to spend time each day with Him-and then follow through and do it!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 119:15)
"I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Look, Dad!" exclaimed Kevin as he and his father walked up and down the sandy beach, looking for shells. He pointed to a strange-looking object. Dad walked over, knelt down, and looked carefully at Kevin's find. "Be careful, Dad!" cautioned Kevin. "Couldn't that thing bite or snap at you or something?"

"This one will never bite," Dad assured him. "There's no life in it."

"There's not?" asked Kevin, stepping closer.

Dad shook his head. "Nope-this is just a shell," he explained, picking it up and turning it over so Kevin could see what it looked like. "It's some kind of a crab shell. There comes a time in the crab's life when he squeezes out and leaves his shell."

Kevin leaned closer. "Cool," he said. "Does he have a new shell then?" Dad nodded. "Wouldn't it be fun if people could do that?" asked Kevin with a grin.

Dad laughed. "Well, in a way they do," he said. "I'm thinking of Grandpa Jones. We talked about how he's gone to heaven, right?"

Kevin slowly nodded. He still missed his grandfather who died a few months before. "That was hard to understand because I saw him in the casket at the funeral home," he said.

Dad nodded. "It's very much like this shell that you just found. The crab is gone-just his shell is left. In much the same way, when Grandpa died, he went to live with Jesus, and just his 'shell'-his body-was left here."

Kevin looked at the shell Dad held in his hand. "I get it," he said. "When I saw Grandpa at the funeral home, it seemed like he should talk to me. I really knew he was gone, but this makes it clearer."

Dad smiled. "Although we still feel sad sometimes
because we miss him, it's wonderful to know that he's safe and happy with
Jesus."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Has a Christian relative or friend died recently? If so, it's okay to cry for a little while, but always remember that the real person is still very much alive. He has simply left his body and has gone to be with Jesus.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (2 Corinthians 5:
"To be absent from the body . . . (is) to be present with the Lord."

[Soldier4Christ]

Kevin showed his mother the shells he and Dad had found on the beach. Then he told her about the crab shell they had seen. "It's like Grandpa," said Kevin. "The crab went away and left its shell behind, and Grandpa went to heaven and left his body behind. It was just his shell."

"That's right," said Mom, giving him a hug.

 All that evening, Kevin was very quiet, and just before he went to bed, he had more questions. "I know Grandpa is happy in heaven," he said, "but doesn't he miss us?"

"He's completely happy there," Dad assured him. "Grandpa isn't sick like he was here, because there's no sickness in heaven. Heaven is a perfect place. There's no sin, and no one ever cries!"

"Mom cried at Grandpa's funeral," Kevin reminded his father. "I cried, too-I still do sometimes."

"Yes," said Dad. "That's because we miss Grandpa very much. It's okay to cry."

"Does Mom wish he was still here?" Kevin asked.

Kevin's father smiled. "If he could be well here, we'd all enjoy having him back," he said, "but he was very sick, and the doctors didn't know any way to make him better. He had lots of pain here, but he doesn't have any in heaven. Mom knows he's even happier there than he was here on earth when he was well. Best of all, Mom knows that she's going to heaven someday, so she'll see Grandpa again. Jesus gives her comfort in knowing these things."

Kevin was quiet, thinking about what Dad had said. "How about you?" asked Dad. "Are you going to see Grandpa again?"

Kevin gave his father a smile. "I am," he said. "I've
asked Jesus to forgive my sin and I trust Him as Savior. When I leave this shell
. . . " he motioned toward his body, ". . . I'm going to heaven,
too."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Will you be ready if God asks you to leave your "shell"? Have you sincerely called on the "name of the Lord" to save you? Do you trust only in Jesus as your Savior? If not, don't wait. Trust Him now.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Romans 10:13)
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Peter, don't stop practicing your trumpet yet!" called Mom from the kitchen. "You've been playing for only about five minutes."

"But, Mom," protested Peter, "I've played each of the songs."

"Then play them each again and again, young man. You promised that if we let you join the band, you would practice fifteen minutes every day-without arguing," his mother reminded him.

"But I never get any better at it," grumbled Peter as he picked up the trumpet. "It still sounds yucky!"

"Peter," said Mom, "some things take lots and lots of practice to be able to do them well. Nothing worthwhile in life comes easily." Peter sighed and began practicing again.

During family devotions that night, Dad read some verses from the fourth chapter of the book of Philippians. "Do you all know this fourth verse?" he asked. (See the verse to memorize.) Heads nodded. "What does it say we are to do?" asked Dad.

"I know," said nine-year-old Sara. "We're to rejoice! All the time!" She frowned. "But I'm not happy all the time," she added.

Dad smiled. "So what can you do about it if you're not happy?" he asked. "What do you think, Peter?"

"Ah . . . it says to rejoice in the Lord," said Peter slowly. "I guess we should think about Him."

Dad nodded. "We can't always rejoice in our circumstances," he said, "but no matter what our circumstances are, we can think about our Lord and all He's done for us. We can find a reason to rejoice."

"Maybe rejoicing is a bit like trumpet playing," suggested Mom as she looked at Peter. "Maybe it takes practice. When someone faithfully practices playing an instrument, it generally gets easier. If we practice rejoicing-even when we don't feel like it-I think rejoicing will become easier, too."

"Good thought," said Dad. "Let's all start practicing
rejoicing, no matter what our circumstances. Okay?"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you always joyful? Well . . . are you usually joyful? Or do you often pout and grumble? If you do, you need to practice finding something to rejoice about. If you're a Christian, you can always find reasons to rejoice in what God has done for you. The end result will be a happier you!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Philippians 4:4)
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."

[Soldier4Christ]

When Joanna went to the store for her mother, three-year-old Emma, who liked riding in the grocery cart, went with her. As they rounded a corner in the store, they saw an elderly lady rummaging through her purse, looking for coupons. All of a sudden, the woman's purse slipped out of her hand-and coins, coupons, and other items went flying everywhere! Joanna glanced at the letters on her bracelet-WWJD, which stood for "What would Jesus do?" Then she hurried over to help pick up the things.

"Oh, thank you so much!" exclaimed the lady when all her things were gathered. "Most young people wouldn't stop to help an old lady like me. Why did you do it?"

Joanna knew this was a good opportunity to tell the lady that she was trying to react to things the way Jesus would, but she was embarrassed. "Uh . . . I . . . I guess I just like to help people," she managed to say. Then she walked away quickly, pushing her cart in front of her.

After a while, Emma got restless. She began singing her favorite song: "Jesus Loves Me." Louder and louder she sang, "Jesus loves me, dis I know, for da By-bo tell me so!"

Joanna saw that people were looking at them and smiling, and she felt her face turn red. "Hush, Emma-don't be so noisy!" she whispered. But the little girl kept right on singing.

The elderly woman Joanna had helped walked up to her. "I heard what the little one was singing," said the lady. "You must be a Christian!"

"Well . . . uh . . . yes, I am," Joanna mumbled.

The woman smiled. "I thought there was something different about you, and now I know what it is," she said. "My neighbor is a Christian, too, and she's always trying to talk to me about Jesus. I think maybe I'll listen better next time."

As the lady walked away, Joanna smiled at her little
sister. "Emma, you're a sweetheart! I've been wrong to keep quiet about being a
Christian. I'm going to buy you a great, big sucker-for showing me how important
it is to be a 'noisy' witness!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Does it embarrass you to have someone notice that you're a Christian? Perhaps you're a "silent witness"-you try to show by your life and actions that you're a Christian. That's good, but talking is important, too.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Mark 8:38)
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me . . . of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed."

[Soldier4Christ]

"We said we'd make flowers for the Bible Club bulletin board," Aubrey reminded her sister, "so let's get started."

Paula looked up from the book she was reading. "Okay," she agreed, "but let me finish this chapter first. This book is about missionaries who were captured and held by guerrillas for a while. It's so exciting!"

"All right," said Aubrey. "I'll get set up." She got out the materials they would need-construction paper, glue, pencils, and scissors. "Miss Wilson said to use this pattern," she said, holding up a plastic flower shape.

Soon the girls were busily working. Paula frowned as she looked at the flowers her sister had made. "Your flowers look kind of sloppy!" exclaimed Paula.

Aubrey sighed and slumped down in her chair. "I know," she agreed. "They look awful. I should throw them all away."

Mom looked up from her work and walked over to the table. "Oh, honey, they don't look that bad," she said, "but don't you use a pattern to trace them?"

"Yes," said Aubrey. "I used it for the first flower, but then Paula needed it, so I just traced around the ones I had already cut out. They're all turning out different."

"If you want them alike, always go back to the original," said Mom. "Take turns with the pattern, and use it for each flower."

Aubrey took her mother's advice and began cutting flowers again. "These are better!" she exclaimed happily.

At bedtime, Mom went to tuck the girls in. "Did you read some verses from the Bible today?" she asked as she came into the room.

"Well . . . no," said Paula, "but I read quite a bit of my missionary book."

"And I read the story in my devotional book," added Aubrey. "Isn't that good enough?"

"Those are good things," said Mom, "but . . . remember
the flowers? To get them right, you needed to go back to the original-although
flowers don't really have to be just alike. For devotions, it's more important
to go back to the original." She sat down on Paula's bed and picked up a Bible.
"Let's read a few verses together right now."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you read good stories and books? Are they even Christian books or devotionals-such as Keys for Kids, the one you're reading now? That's good. Keep doing that, but be sure to "go back to the original"-the Bible-too. It's God's Word, the most important book of all.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Luke 11:28)
"Blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Ah-choo!" sneezed Pete as he wandered into the kitchen. He gave a loud sniff and then scowled. "Why must I have this dumb cold today?" he grumbled. "It's Saturday, and Dad was going to take me fishing! Now he says I shouldn't go with this cold."

"And he's right," said Mom.

"I really wanted to go fishing-I even prayed about it," Pete moaned, "but it didn't help. Now I'm stuck at home with nothing to do except watch TV and eat." He opened the cupboard and peered inside. "Hey, Mom!" he exclaimed. "Did you notice these bananas in here?" He pulled out some shriveled, brownish-black pieces of fruit and headed for the waste basket.

"Oh, don't throw those away!" Mom said quickly. "I'm saving them for banana bread. They're just about right."

Pete made a face. He could hardly believe it. "You mean . . . you wanted these bananas to turn rotten?"

Mom smiled. "Maybe 'very ripe' would be a better description," she said. "I've found that soft, dark, mushy bananas make the best banana bread. I've tried using firm, yellow fruit, but the flavor wasn't nearly as good."

"That sounds crazy to me, but you do make good banana bread," said Pete. Then he sneezed twice.

"You know," said his mother, "in a way, your cold is like these bananas. You can't see anything good about it, but God can use it for His purposes."

Pete sniffed and thought about what his mother had said. "I did get extra homework done this morning," he told her, "and since I had some free time, I talked to Kevin on the phone for a while. I invited him to come to church with us tomorrow, and I think he will!" Pete paused. "I sure hope my cold is better so I can go myself."

"I hope so, too," said Mom, "but if not, I think he'll
feel comfortable going with Dad and your brothers." She gave Pete a hug. "In any
case, you can always trust the Lord to turn bad situations into
good!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you in a situation that seems to keep getting worse instead of better? Perhaps you've even prayed about it, but God doesn't seem to answer. Maybe He's using this situation in your life in a way you're not aware of. Keep trusting God-thank Him for "bad bananas"!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 18:32)
"It is God that . . . maketh my way perfect."

[Soldier4Christ]

Colleen skipped into the kitchen. "Good morning! Breakfast is ready," said Mom. "It's already on the table."

"It's hot cereal, and I made it," added Colleen's sister Grace as she got milk from the refrigerator.

Colleen sat down, scooped sugar onto her cereal, and tasted it. She added a little more sugar.

Grace also tried the cereal. She frowned as she looked at it, and then she, too, added more sugar.

Colleen reached for the sugar again.

"You're using an awful lot of sugar, aren't you, girls?" asked Mom. "Is something wrong with the cereal?"

"It doesn't taste right," admitted Grace. "What did I do wrong?"

 Mom tasted the hot cereal. "It's just a little bland," she said. "Did you put any salt in it, Grace?" Grace shook her head, so Mom took a salt shaker and sprinkled a little salt on everyone's cereal.

Colleen tried it again."It's better now," she said.

 Mom nodded. "Salt enhances the flavor of things," she said. "It's good to be reminded of that now and then, because we're salt, too."

Colleen and Grace looked at each other. "What are you talking about, Mom?" asked Grace.

 Mom smiled. "The Bible says Christians are the salt of the earth," she reminded them. "As such, we should 'season' the world with the joy of the Lord. Our treatment of others should make their lives more pleasant and should point them to Jesus."

"Well . . . how would kids do that?" asked Colleen.

"I have a suggestion," said Mom. "After breakfast, you girls could go to the Thompson's house and visit Maria. Her mother says she's been pretty lonely since she broke her leg. She's rather new here, you know, and doesn't know a lot of kids. She'd like some company."

Grace looked at her sister. "I guess we could take our new game over there," she said.

"Okay," agreed Colleen. She giggled as she added, "We'll
go and season Maria today."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you "season" the lives of others with the joy of Jesus? Do you know someone who is disabled or sick? New in your school? Needing help with chores or homework? Be available to listen and to be a helper. Show them that Jesus can bring joy into their lives. Without Him, life can be pretty "distasteful".


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Matthew 5:13)
"Ye are the salt of the earth."

[Soldier4Christ]

Ryan watched his father pull out the stake that had been wired to a small tree ever since it had been planted. "What was that stake for?" asked Ryan.

"Very small trees often don't have the strength or ability to stand alone," Dad said. "The stake acted as a support for this tree."

"Then why are you taking it out?" asked Ryan.

"The tree is big enough now to take any winds that come along," said Dad. "It's growing tall and straight because it was held in that position by the supporting stake." He stood back and looked at the tree. "That's pretty much like our lives," he added thoughtfully.

"Like our lives?" asked Ryan. "What do you mean?"

"Well, take you, for instance," said Dad. "When you were very small, either your mother or I generally held your hand when you tried to walk. Then as you grew and got better at keeping your balance, we let you go by yourself."

Ryan nodded as he thought about it. "I still need help for other things, though, so I'll probably always be buggin' you," he said with a grin.

"We'll be glad to help whenever we can," Dad assured him, "but when the time comes that we're no longer here, you'll be ready to go on without us."

"So that's how I'm like the tree," commented Ryan. "When it was small and weak, it needed the stake, but now that it's bigger, it doesn't need that support. I still need you a lot now, but when I'm bigger, I'll be able to manage by myself, too."

"You've got it," said Dad. He smiled. "There's a verse in the Bible that encourages your mother and me as we raise you."

"Which verse is that?" asked Ryan curiously.

"Proverbs 22:6," replied Dad. "'Train up a child in the
way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.' We're
teaching you now to honor the Lord, and we're trusting Him to keep you walking
in His way in the future, because you'll never be so big that you don't need
God."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you get annoyed when you're restricted by the rules your parents make? Young trees (and kids) need help to grow strong-socially and spiritually as well as physically. Thank God for your "supporting stakes" -your parents.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Proverbs 6:20)
"Keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother."

[Soldier4Christ]

"This is going to be a super tree house," declared Mark as he pounded a nail.

Ryan held up a board. "I don't know," he said. "This board is too long. I tried to cut the end off, but the saw is too dull."

"Use this shorter board," suggested Mark. He handed another board to Ryan.

Ryan tried that one, then shook his head. "It's too short," he said. "I give up! We'll never get a tree house built unless you get a better saw!" He started down the ladder. "I'm going home."

"Quitter!" yelled Mark as Ryan went down the driveway. "I'll cut that board myself." Angrily, Mark picked up the saw and tried to cut the long board. "Ouch!" he cried as the saw blade buckled and the teeth of the saw bit into his knuckle . "My finger!" Hanging onto his hand, Mark hopped around. "I quit, too," he said with a sob.

That evening, Mark told his father about the problem. "That old saw hurt me," he said, showing Dad his finger, "and those other old tools aren't very good, either. Don't we have any good tools?"

"Yes, we do," answered Dad. "They're in my truck. I needed them at work today, but I can show you how to use them tomorrow-I'll be home then. Right now, let's use a different tool-one we need for daily life."

"What is that?" asked Mark.

"I'm surprised you don't know," said Dad as he reached for the Bible they kept on a shelf in the living room. "This is the tool right here, and it's time for family devotions."

"I never thought about the Bible as a tool," said Mark.

Dad smiled. "The Bible is compared to a number of useful
things," he said, "and in the book of Jeremiah it's compared to a hammer. When
we use this tool faithfully, it makes a big difference in our
lives."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
What tools do you use as you go through each day? Are you influenced too much by those the world offers-TV, novels, friends' opinions, science, etc.? Those tools may be helpful, but they could also teach you wrong things. The Bible is the tool you need to learn how God wants you to live.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Jeremiah 23:29)
"Is not my word . . . like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"

[Soldier4Christ]

Scott's family was going to spend a week at their friends' summer home in the mountains. "I hope we can reach the place before dark," said Dad after driving several hours. "I'm sure the route we're taking will be shorter than the one the Greys suggested, but it isn't marked as well."

Mom smiled. "I still think we should have stuck with the route they showed you," she said, "but we're all used to your shortcuts, dear." Dad joined in the laughter.

The pavement ended after they passed through a small village. "Oops!" said Dad as they wound their way along a twisting, dirt road. "I didn't expect this, but at least this road is pretty smooth." When they came to a fork in the road, he stopped and studied the map. "This doesn't show on the map," said Dad, "but that road to the left looks awfully narrow and rough. The one to the right looks good much better. It must be the one we need."

After driving for several miles, they came to a clearing where they saw a long, low building with several cars parked outside. They heard loud music, and a sign on the building read, "Devil's Inn."

"Dad, that looks like a bar," said Scott.

Dad nodded. "That's why we're turning around," he said. He drove back to the fork in the road and took the other trail. After a bumpy, but rather short ride, they reached their destination and saw that their friends' cottage was right next door to a small country church.

"I was sure that other road was the right one-but when I saw the tavern at the end of it, I realized that the reason it was smooth was because of all the cars that drive there and back," said Dad as they unpacked the van. "Apparently fewer people take the twisting, narrow road to this church."

Mom nodded. "It's a good illustration of what Jesus
said," she observed. "He said that the road to hell is wide and easy, while the
way to heaven is narrow and harder to find. What looks good to people is not
always right!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you impressed with people or religions that have a lot of followers? Do you think it doesn't matter if you believe in Buddha or Allah or some other god? The Bible says there's only one way to heaven-Jesus Christ. Trust only in Him for salvation.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Matthew 7:14)
"Narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life."

[Soldier4Christ]

Karla stared at the screen as missionary pictures were being shown. She saw people dressed like those in her own church. There were businessmen and housewives, school children and teenagers. And there they were-all kneeling before a strange idol! They were praying to the piece of sculpture and telling it about their problems! Wow! thought Karla. I knew that people in some countries worshiped wooden and stone gods, but these people are in a civilized area-in a big city!

On the way home from church, Karla had a question for her parents. "How do you know when you've got the right God?" she asked bluntly. "I mean . . . all those people I saw in the pictures-they think they've got the right god, too."

"Yes," Dad said, "I suppose so, but the Bible tells us there is only one God. He is the Creator of the earth. He made everything on it, including man."

Karla was quiet for a long time. Finally she spoke. "So that's why we believe in Him? Because He's so great?" she asked. "Don't other people think their gods are great, too?"

"I guess so," said Dad. "Let's think about it. What other reasons do we have for believing as we do?"

Karla was thinking. "Like . . . our God showed He really loves us-He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place," she suggested.

"There's still more," Dad told her. "Jesus did more than die for us, as wonderful as that was! He also rose from the dead. Many people saw Him after He was risen. No other religion in the world has a living Savior."

"And He hears and answers prayers," Karla's mother added.

Karla thought about that for a minute. There are wooden
gods, stone gods, golden gods, and probably lots of other kinds, she thought,
but our God is different. He's the only one who is alive, and He's the only one
who can hear and answer prayer. "We need to tell those people about Him, don't
we?" said Karla slowly.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Can you imagine what it would be like to pray to a stone or a piece of wood or a person who is dead? If you're a Christian, give thanks for your risen, living Savior. Then tell others about Him, too.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Luke 24:5,6)
"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He (Jesus) is not here, but is risen."

[Soldier4Christ]

Tyler wiped the perspiration from his face. "It sure is hot!" he said. "A dip in the Smith's pool will cool us off."

"They're gone on vacation," replied Brad, "and the gate to their back yard is always locked."

"Yeah, but I'm mowing their lawn while they're gone," said Tyler, "so I have a key to get in."

"But didn't you promise not to swim?" asked Brad.

"Well, they don't have to know," said Tyler. "We can wear our swimming trunks under our clothes so our moms won't know, either, and the fence around the pool will hide us from the neighbors. We'll have to be kinda quiet, though. What do you say-want to come?" Brad agreed, and soon the boys were splashing in the pool.

"Let's lay our swimming trunks on these chairs so they can dry in the sun," suggested Tyler after their swim. "I'll get them tomorrow."

As Tyler was looking at his coin collection later that day, his mom came into his room. She picked up one of the coins. "Is this your counterfeit coin?" she asked.

"No way," said Tyler. "I want only genuine coins in my collection. I threw that worthless one away."

"I see," said Mom. She unrolled a towel she was holding, and Tyler stared at two wet swimming trunks. "Mrs. Smith gave these to me," said Mom, "and she said she and her husband were very disappointed-they had thought they could depend on you to keep your promise about swimming."

Tyler swallowed nervously. "Mrs. Smith? B-b-but they were supposed to be gone two more days."

"They came back early," said Mom, "but tell me-why did you break your promise?" Tyler didn't know what to say. "The Smiths know you claim to be a Christian," continued Mom. "Will they think you're genuine or counterfeit?"

"I . . . I guess counterfeit," Tyler admitted, feeling very much ashamed of himself. "What can I do to show them I'm not?"

Mom sighed. "For a start, you can go and ask them to
forgive you," she said. "Ask them what you can do to show that you're truly
sorry. It may take time before they can fully trust you
again."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you careful about the way you live? Are you dependable? Do you keep your promises? Aren't you glad Jesus always keeps His promises? If you belong to Him, He'll help you follow in His steps. Be the kind of person others can trust.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Ephesians 5:15)
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Oooh, Mom!" exclaimed Janet as she looked through a box of material scraps. "Just look at this gorgeous blue satin!" Mom smiled and nodded.

When Janet came home from school several weeks later, there was a package on her bed. She eagerly tore off the wrappings and squealed with delight at what she found-a beautiful, handmade, patchwork pillow. She hugged it to her and ran to find her mother. "Oh, Mom!" she exclaimed. "You used that pretty blue satin for the some of the pieces! I love it!"

"It would have been a shame not to be able to use that material for something," said Mom, "so I decided to make a pillow for your bed-and while I was sewing it together, do you know what I was thinking?"

"What?" asked Janet.

"That God has a patchwork project, too. It's His Church-Christians!" replied Mom.

Janet looked at her pretty pillow and touched a few of the squares with her finger. "You mean Christians are like these patchwork pieces?" she asked.

"In a way they are," said Mom. "Every Christian is different from the others."

"I get it!" exclaimed Janet. "Some are young, and some are old; some are rich, and some are poor; some can sing and some can preach." She grinned as she added, "And some-like me-can listen good. That's important, too!"

"Yes, it is," agreed Mom. "It occurs to me that none of the pieces in that pillow would be of much use by themselves, and that reminds me that Christians need one another, too. Some Christians try to make it on their own, without even going to church or making Christian friends. That's not a good idea. Everyone is important in God's Church. As we meet with other Christians and work together, we make a beautiful, finished product for God."

Janet's eyes twinkled. "The next time I feel like a
small, useless scrap," she said, "I'll just remember that I'm an important part
of God's patchwork project!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you a Christian? Then you're an important part of Christ's "Body"-the Church. There are many things that can be more easily accomplished as a team. Don't be a "loner." No matter how unimportant you may feel, God has a special place for you!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (1 Corinthians 12:27)
"Now ye are the body of Christ."

[Soldier4Christ]

Clark's shoulders slumped and his feet dragged as he made his way home from school. The night before, he had borrowed his father's stop watch without permission, and it had slipped right through his fingers and crashed on the driveway, breaking the crystal. Clark had slipped it back into the dresser drawer, hoping it would be weeks before his dad found it.

As Clark entered the house, he shrugged, trying to get rid of the weight of guilt. Walking down the hall, he found his big brother, Phil, painting his room. "Cool!" exclaimed Clark. He watched as Phil painted over a crack that ran from the top of the window to the ceiling. "Hey, Phil, aren't you going to patch that crack?" asked Clark.

Phil shook his head. "Na-a-ah. The paint fills it up," he said. He dipped the roller into the tray of blue paint.

"Dad always patches . . ." Clark began.

"Get out of here and leave me alone!" grumbled Phil. "Can't I do anything without you bugging me?"

After dinner, Clark followed along when Dad went to inspect Phil's paint job. "It looks great, Phil, except for that crack over the window,"said Dad. "You didn't patch it before you painted, did you?"

Phil frowned. "I thought the paint would cover it up, and at first it did," he said, "but now the crack shows again!"

"You'll have to patch it and repaint it, Phil," said Dad, starting down the hall. "There are some things you just can't cover up."

Clark gulped as his dad's words echoed in his mind. He
knew the Bible said sin couldn't be hidden forever. He went to his room and
tried to forget it, but he couldn't. I'll have to tell Dad about the watch, he
thought. I better tell him now. With a sigh. he got up and went to find his
father.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Is there some sin you've been trying to cover up? God says it can't be done-at least not permanently. Are you sorry for it? Then why not confess it right now and turn from it?


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Proverbs 28:13)
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."