Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

"Our principal is introducing a dress code, Mom!" grumbled Heather as she came into the kitchen and plopped her bookbag down on the table. "We're going to protest and make posters, and I'm collecting signatures. Sign right here, Mom!" Heather held out a list containing a dozen scrawled names.

Mom read the names out loud. "Are these people for or against the dress code?" she asked.

"Mom!" Heather was shocked. "They're against, of course! Hurry up and sign!"

Mom shook her head and returned the list to Heather. "Did anyone ask why Mr. Lewis felt a dress code was needed?" asked Mom. "Maybe some kids wear clothing that's inappropriate for school. Maybe it's even vulgar or unsafe. A dress code is one way to avoid certain clothing trends and provide a wholesome learning environment. Besides, God has a dress code."

"What do you mean, Mom?" asked Heather. "He doesn't expect Christians to wear uniforms, does He?"

Mom smiled and shook her head. "No . . . but I think our 'clothing' communicates a message," she said. "In First Timothy, it says women should wear modest apparel and good works."

Heather frowned. "Good works?" she asked. "Good works are what you do, not what you wear."

Mom smiled. "In the Bible, 'clothing' can refer not only to the clothes we wear, but also to our behavior-to what we say and what we do," she explained. "God reminds us to be modest and not show off."

"Yeah . . . well, what's that got to do with a school dress code, Mom?" asked Heather sitting down opposite her mother at the kitchen table.

"Well, not every fashion would please the Lord," said
Mom, "and not every action would, either. Your principal apparently recognizes
that some clothes are inappropriate for school, and I think you should, too. You
should also recognize that some actions are not appropriate. Reconsider the
whole issue, honey, before you continue to get signatures for that petition.
What do you think?" Heather looked at the paper in front of her and sighed as
she slowly scrunched it into a ball.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Would God approve of the clothes you wear? What about the things you say and do? Would He approve of them? Follow the "dress code" stated in the verse above. It includes words and actions as well as clothes. Dress modestly and behave decently.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (I Timothy 2:9, 10)
"Adorn . . . in modest apparel . . . (and) with good works."

[Soldier4Christ]

"You know what, Dad?" asked Phil one evening. "I decided that I'm never going to invite Jon to church again." As he spoke, Phil threw a stick. "Get it, Rusty," he called, and his dog bounded after the stick.

   "Why won't you invite Jon again?" asked Dad.

   "Because I've invited him three times already, and he always turns me down," Phil said emphatically. He took the stick from Rusty and tossed it out again.

   Dad was quiet for a minute. "I was just thinking about the growth of the early church," he said. "One thing that has always impressed me is that the early Christians were 'steadfast,' and God added souls to the church. He says we need to be steadfast, too."

"What does that mean?" asked Phil.

"As one translation puts it, we need to stand firm. We mustn't become discouraged and quit living for the Lord and witnessing for Him," explained Dad. He watched Rusty dash after the stick Phil threw out. "How long did it take you to teach Rusty to fetch?" asked Dad. "One try? Three? Or more?"

"Way more than that, Dad," said Phil. He stopped as he began to see what his father was trying to tell him.

Dad nodded. "And how long is it since you accepted Jesus as your Savior?" he asked.

   Phil looked up at his father in surprise. "I don't know exactly. About a year, I guess," he replied.

"Well, before you trusted Jesus, how often did you hear the Gospel at church and Sunday school or from your mother and me?" asked Dad.

   Phil shrugged. "I heard it over and over. I think I've known it all my life. You . . ." began Phil. A thought suddenly struck him. If those people had talked with me only three times about the Lord and then quit, maybe I wouldn't be a Christian now.

"I guess I'm giving up on Jon too soon," said Phil. "I guess I should keep working with him like I did with Rusty and like you did with me. I think I'll invite him over here to get to know us better."

"Good idea," approved Dad. "With God's help, keep on
witnessing even when you don't see any results right away."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you know people who need Jesus as Savior? Have you talked with them about it? How many times? Learn to be steadfast in witnessing and praying for your friends. Then leave the results to the Lord.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (1 Cor. 15:58)
"Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Abe told me that Uncle Jeff is going to have surgery on his back," said Mark one day. "He said his dad has been complaining about a sore back for a long time."

Dad nodded. "Uncle Jeff told me that the doctor says it's an old injury that's causing the trouble," he said. "He reminded me that he was butted by a goat years ago."

"Butted by a goat?" echoed Mark. "How'd that happen?"

"Our grandfather always kept animals," said Dad, "and one of them was a mean old billy goat. Grandpa had a high, strong fence around the yard where the goat was allowed to go out, and he warned Uncle Jeff and me not to go in there. We were tossing a ball back and forth one day, and it got into that yard. Instead of asking for help, Uncle Jeff figured he could get the ball himself. He went into the goat pen, and before he could get back out, the goat got him."

"And he was hurt?" asked Mark.

Dad nodded. "He had a huge bruise, and he was really stiff for a long time, but he never told anyone what happened because he was afraid he'd be punished. He just pretended he fell. Grandpa never found out about it."

"And that spot is what's giving him all the trouble now?" asked Mark.

Dad nodded. "He thought he got away with disobeying, but he really didn't," he said. "It took a while, but he's paying for it."

"Wow! I guess he should have confessed what he did right away," said Mark. "Then maybe a doctor could have prevented what's happening now."

"That's what Uncle Jeff said," replied Dad. "He pointed
out that this is a good reminder that all sins will be uncovered sometime, and
it's always unpleasant. Actually, it's easiest-and definitely the best policy-to
confess right away when you do something wrong. It never helps to hide
it."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you try to hide sin, thinking no one will ever know? Even if nobody on earth finds out, God knows all about it. He'll settle all accounts some day. Confess sin-even if it means you'll be punished-and receive God's forgiveness.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Jeremiah 17:10)
"I, the Lord, search the heart . . . even to give every man according to his ways."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Boy, food tastes good out here!" exclaimed Tim as the Wilson family enjoyed lunch out at the picnic table. He took a big bite of his sandwich.

His sister Molly started to laugh. "I'm glad you like it," she said with a grin. "That little black ant you just ate must have added extra flavor."

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Tim. Everyone laughed as he carefully searched through the rest of his sandwich.

"Don't worry, Tim. One little ant won't make you sick," Mom assured him.

"No," agreed Dad, "an ant in a sandwich is not so bad, but I heard about some really bad sandwiches when I was listening to the radio today."

"You did?" asked Molly. "What kind were they?"

"Well," said Dad, "the speaker talked about 'sandwiches' Satan likes to offer people-truth on the outside, 'baloney' in the middle. He likes to deceive people by surrounding his lies with truth."

"Why would Satan want to tell us anything good?" asked Tim. "I think he'd just try to teach us lies."

"Let me ask you a question. Would you have taken a bite of your sandwich if the whole thing was full of ants?" asked Dad.

"Of course not,"said Tim. "I wouldn't have eaten even one if I'd seen it, but the rest of my sandwich was so good that I didn't even notice the ant."

"That's what Satan is counting on-that people will believe the good things they hear without noticing the bad," explained Dad.

"But what sort of good things does he tell people?" asked Molly.

"Well, some religions teach that we should love everybody and do good," said Dad. "That's true, but some of those same religions teach that Christ was just a good man and that the Bible isn't the Word of God."

"Oh, that is bad," agreed Molly.

Dad nodded. "A little ant in your stomach won't kill
you-but a wrong belief in your heart can keep you from trusting God," he said,
"so be careful not to swallow Satan's lies-his 'baloney
sandwiches.'"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you think that something is true because it sounds good? Watch out! Satan often mixes truth with his lies. The real truth is in the Word of God. Compare what people say, do, or write with what the Bible says. Don't swallow a lie!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Proverbs 14:15)
"The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going."

[Soldier4Christ]

Tim burst into the house early one evening. "Dad, that TV guy is in town," he reported excitedly.

"Seth's family is going to see him, and they asked if I'd like to go along. Can I go?" He waited breathlessly.

Dad laughed. "When?" he asked. "And what TV guy?"

"That one who contacts people who have died," replied Tim. He hurried on as he saw Dad's frown. "He's speaking at the civic center tomorrow morning, and Seth says if I go there with him in the morning, he'll come to church with me in the evening. You know I've been trying to get him to come!"

"Tim, God forbids the kind of activity that man is involved in," said Dad. "In fact, He hates it. I certainly cannot allow you to go to that kind of meeting."

"It's only this once," coaxed Tim, "and it's for a good reason. Just think! I might even be able to witness to Seth! And his parents will be going, so maybe I could witness to them, too. I might not get another chance. Maybe they would all come to church tomorrow night."

Dad laid aside his newspaper. "I think you've swallowed another baloney sandwich," he said.

Tim looked at him in surprise. "I haven't had . . ." he began, but Dad interrupted.

"Remember the sandwiches Satan likes to feed us?" Dad asked. "Those made up of truth, mixed with lies? It's true that you might get a chance to witness, and yes, it would be good for Seth to come to church with you in the evening. But the lie Satan wants you to believe is that it's okay to do something God forbids in order to do some good."

Tim sighed. "I guess I forgot all about those baloney sandwiches," he admitted.

"The Bible says to seek God first," Mom told him. "If you
do that, I'm sure you'll have opportunities to witness to Seth,
too."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you realize that there's never a good reason to do something wrong? God doesn't excuse you for sinning in the hope that good will result from it. Put God and what He says first in your life. Trust Him to bring about the good results you want to achieve.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Romans 6:1-2)
"Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Dad," said Tony, " Will you settle an argument for us?"

"If you can't solve it yourselves, I'll help if I can," answered Dad. "What's the problem?"

"Well, Aubrey thinks toads have smooth skin and frogs have lumpy skin," said Tony. "I think it's the other way around. Frogs are smooth; toads are lumpy."

"We have encyclopedias here, remember?" said Dad.

"If you know the answer, just tell us, Dad," said Aubrey. "Please?"

Dad shook his head. "You remember things best when you find them by yourself," he said.

Aubrey and Tony ran for the encyclopedias. "I'll look up toads," said Tony. "You can look up frogs." They plopped down on the sofa and flipped through the pages.

"You were right after all," admitted Aubrey after a moment. "Frogs are slick and toads are warty!"

Tony nodded, "I toad you I was right!" he teased.

The next day, Tony came home with another question. "Caleb and I went to Bible Club today, and we saw a movie about when Adam and Eve disobeyed God," reported Tony. "It showed them eating an apple. Caleb says nobody knows what kind of fruit they ate-but it was an apple, wasn't it, Dad?"

Dad smiled. "Let's go look it up, and find out."

"In the encyclopedia?" asked Tony.

"No," said Dad, opening a Bible and holding it out to Tony. "The best place to find information about the Bible is the Bible. Here-read these verses in Genesis."

Tony took the Bible and read the verses Dad had pointed out. "Well," said Tony after a few minutes, "I guess Caleb was right. The Bible doesn't say the fruit was an apple. It sure looked like an apple in the movie-and in other pictures I've seen, too."

"Bible stories aren't always presented correctly in
movies or in pictures," said Dad. "You can know the truth by getting out your
Bible and checking for yourself. Try to read a little from your Bible every day.
That's a good way to learn God's truths."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
When you hear someone talk about Bible stories or see pictures depicting them, do you think they must surely be correct? Check what you see and hear with what God says in His Word. You can trust the accuracy of the Bible.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 33:4)
"The word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth."

[Soldier4Christ]

The screen door slammed as Troy came into the kitchen. He dropped his backpack on the table and called, "Mom, I'm home!"

Mom came around the corner and gave Troy a hug. "So, how was your day?" she asked.

"Great!" said Troy, "but tomorrow will be awful!"

"It will? Why is that?" asked Mom.

"Because tomorrow is Friday the thirteenth, and Friday the thirteenth is always a terrible day," replied Troy. "Tim told me so. Everything will go wrong. Tim said on the last Friday the thirteenth, he fell and broke one of his front teeth."

"Well, maybe Tim wasn't watching where he was going," said Mom.

"No, Mom, Friday the thirteenth is always a bad day," insisted Troy.

"People have said that for years," replied Mom. She got out some peanut butter cookies and poured two glasses of cold milk. "When I was in school, my friends and I decided to make it the best day ever. All day long we looked for good things to happen-and we found all kinds of good things. We thought we had reversed the curse!"

Troy reached for a cookie. "Did you really reverse it, Mom?" he asked.

Mom shook her head. "No, honey, there is no curse," she said.

"Where does that idea come from then?" asked Troy.

"I'm not sure," said Mom. "I've read that some people think Friday is bad because Jesus was crucified on a Friday-and that the number thirteen stands for the thirteen people who ate dinner together before Jesus died. But for Christians, that Friday was good because Jesus died for our sins and made a way for us to go to heaven. Many Christians call the Friday before Easter, Good Friday."

"So . . . is Friday the thirteenth good or bad?" asked Troy.

"Neither one," said Mom. "You make each day good or bad
by obeying or disobeying God. So, Troy, what is tomorrow going to be for
you?"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you often spoil a day by getting into arguments or by being grouchy and unforgiving? Or do you enjoy each day by choosing attitudes and actions that please God? Doing that will make for a better day. You decide-will today be good or bad?


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 118:24)
"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

[Soldier4Christ]

"No more candy before supper, Alex," said Mom as she took a hot dish out of the oven.

Alex absentmindedly nodded and chewed on a caramel as he set the table. He was thinking about the invitation he had received to go to a party the coming weekend and about his conversation with his friend Jared, who was also invited. "All the popular kids will be there, so let's go-we'll have a great time," Jared had urged Alex. "After the party, why don't you stay at my house overnight? Then we can play my new video game, too."

"I don't know," said Alex. "Some of the kids who are going are awful rough. I'm pretty sure they'll have cigarettes and alcohol at the party-for all we know, they might even have drugs. If we go, you know they'll try to get us to try that stuff, too. My parents won't even let me go if they know about that."

"So don't tell 'em," said Jared. "Just say you're coming over to my house."

Go ahead, an inner voice whispered. You don't have to do anything you don't want to at the party. "Well . . . I guess I can go as long as I really do spend a lot of time at your house," Alex had finally agreed. But now that he was home, his conscience was bothering him. What if the guys convince me to try some of their stuff? he thought. If they do, I know I'll feel awful later and wish I'd stayed home. But they won't talk me into it-I'll just say no. Reaching for another piece of chocolate, he brushed the doubts from his mind.

"Alex, I said no more candy," Mom scolded. She took the candy from his hand. "I guess I'll have to put it out of your reach so you won't be tempted," she added as she tucked the bag high on a cupboard shelf.

Temptation! thought Alex. That's right-we learned in
Bible club that we're supposed to avoid it when we can! Since I know there will
be things at that party that are wrong, I shouldn't even go. I'm going to call
Jared right now and tell him. That way I'll be out of temptation's
reach.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Whenever you can, do you avoid places where you'll be tempted to take something that isn't yours? To lie? To do other wrong things? Saying "no" when tempted to sin is important, but as much as possible, God also wants you to avoid situations where you'll be tempted. Follow His advice and flee (run away) from those kinds of situations.


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

[Soldier4Christ]

When Chad's mother stepped into the kitchen, she knew something was wrong. Chad had flung his backpack on a chair, his books were scatted across the table, and he sat there with his head in his hands. "What's the matter, honey?" asked Mom.

Chad looked up. "Oh, Mom, I'm just too short," he said sadly. "I can't be on the basketball team, the guys at school tease me, and all the girls are taller than I am." He sighed. "Who wants to hang out with a guy who looks like an ant compared to them?"

As Chad again laid his head on his arms, Mom looked at him thoughtfully. "Come and help me in the garden," she said, "and we'll talk about it."

Chad stood up, took off his jacket, and nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "I like to do that."

Out in the garden, Chad knelt and helped his mother sow a variety of vegetable seeds. "Some of these seeds look a lot alike. I hope they all remember what kind of vegetable they're supposed to be," he said with a grin.

Mom smiled. "You know, Chad, you're a bit like these seeds," she said thoughtfully.

Chad made a face. "How?" he asked.

"Well, these seeds will grow into a variety of delicious vegetables, but not because they know what they should be," she said. "They just let God determine that. Even among those of the same kind, some will be bigger than others, but they don't worry about that, either. That's up to God, too."

Chad sighed. "You're saying that I shouldn't worry about my size, aren't you?" he asked. After a moment, he grinned. "If those seeds could talk, I bet they'd complain as loud as I do," he teased his mother.

"I think they're pretty content, Chad," replied Mom. "God knows best how they should grow and develop, and each one will be useful. He also knows best how we should grow and develop, and He gives each of us gifts and abilities He wants us to use. Try to be content with that and leave your height up to Him, okay?"

Chad nodded. "Okay," he agreed.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you unhappy with the way you look or with your size? Would you rather have hair or eyes of a different color? Do you think you're too short or too tall? God doesn't. He made you just right for the tasks He has for you to do. Trust Him and stop worrying.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 139:14)
"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

[Soldier4Christ]

Jan and Katy ran through an empty field near their house. The warm summer breeze rustled in the grass, and golden butterflies danced among the wild flowers. "I'm glad Mom's letting us have a picnic out here, aren't you?" asked Jan as she placed their picnic basket on the ground.

"Sure am," replied Katy. "Oh, look!" She pointed to a clump of pink flowers. "Aren't those pretty? Pink is Mom's favorite color-let's pick some for her."

The girls quickly gathered the flowers and placed them in the shade. Then they played all morning before eating their picnic lunch. How good it tasted! After they ate, they played some more. "Oh, wow!" exclaimed Jan after a while. "Look what time it is already! Come on-we've got to hurry or we'll be late getting home. Then Mom might not let us come again!"

 "Let's not forget her flowers," said Katy. She ran over to the tree to get them. "Oh, no!" she cried, holding them up. "Look! They're all wilted and ugly. Let's pick some more."

"It's too late," said Jan. "We should have taken them to Mom right away."

When the disappointed girls told their mother about the flowers, she nodded. "That's okay," she said. "You can bring me some another time." After a moment she added softly, "'The grass withereth, the flower fadeth.' That's a verse in the Bible, and it always reminds me that time goes by so quickly. We tend to think we have plenty of time to do something, but before we know it, the chance to do it is gone."

"That's what happened today," said Katy sadly.

"Yes," said Mom, "and when things like that happen, it
makes us feel a bit sad-even when they're little every-day things. It's even
more sad when we miss opportunities to witness or serve God, and it's especially
sad when someone puts off accepting Jesus as Savior until it's too late.
Remember that lesson, kids-and thanks for trying to do something nice for me
today."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you plan to turn to God "some day"-perhaps when you're older? You don't know if you'll ever have another chance to accept Jesus as your Savior. God's invitation won't last forever. Trust in Him today.

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (2 Corinthians 6:2)
"Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

[Soldier4Christ]

As Jan and Katy walked to a friend's house the day after their picnic, they saw some yellow flowers by the side of the road. "These look sort of like the flowers Mrs. Cranston used to have in her yard before she got too sick to take care of them," said Jan.

Katy nodded. "I'll bet she'd like to see some pretty flowers again. Let's take them to her," she suggested.

Jan frowned. "Why don't we wait till next week? If we take them now, we won't have much time left to play with Melanie," she said.

"I suppose we could wait." Katy looked thoughtful. "But remember what happened yesterday? The flowers we picked wilted before we got them home."

"I remember," Jan replied, "but I don't think these will wilt before next week. If they do, we can find some others to take to Mrs. Cranston."

"But remember what Mom said about lost opportunities?" asked Katy. "Something might happen to keep us from doing it later. Let's do it now!"

So the girls gathered flowers and went to see Mrs. Cranston. They sang for her and told her about the things they were doing. "I can hardly believe you left your play to come visit an old person like me! Thank you," said Mrs. Cranston. "I don't know much about God, but I'm sure He sent you here. I was feeling lonely."

When the girls told their mother about their visit, she decided to go to see Mrs. Cranston, too. She was smiling broadly when she returned home. "Mrs. Cranston accepted the Lord," she told Katy and Jan, "and you girls are responsible for starting her thinking about Him. She was so impressed with your visit!"

As Mom was reading the newspaper the following day, she gasped. "Mrs. Cranston died!" she exclaimed. "She died last night, apparently of a heart attack."

"Oh, I'm so glad we visited her!" exclaimed Jan. "And especially that she accepted Jesus when you visited her, Mom."

Katy nodded. "From now on, when I think of something nice
to do, I'll try to do it right away," she added. "Tomorrow may be too
late!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you been meaning to witness to someone? To do a kind deed for your parents or a neighbor? To send a friendly note to someone? If God has put a thought like this in your mind, put it into action. Do it now!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (James 4:17)
"To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

[Soldier4Christ]

Chuck looked at the puzzle pieces scattered all over the dining room table. "Are Lindsey and her friends ever going to finish that thing?" he asked. Lindsey frowned at her brother. "I better get over to church, okay, Mom?" added Chuck as he headed for the door. "We didn't get finished packing the clothes and toys and stuff for city mission yesterday, and the Paters asked if we could come back to help this afternoon."

Mom nodded, and Chuck left. "We're still not done," he reported when he got back home. "Hardly anybody showed up today. Mr. and Mrs. Pater hope more will come tomorrow."

After school the next day, Chuck went out to play with his friends. I suppose I should go and help with the mission project, he thought unhappily, but it's someone else's turn, to help. I'll skip today and then go again tomorrow-if they still need more help.

After supper, Chuck again noticed the unfinished puzzle in the dining room. "Can I clear this away?" he asked. "I want room to spread out the pieces of . . ."

"No!"Lindsey interrupted him. "I'm still working on that-I put in five pieces today."

"I thought your friends were helping you with it," said Chuck. "Didn't they come back?"

"No," said Lindsey sadly, "but I'm not done with it."

Carrying the portable phone, Mom came into the room. "I just talked with Mrs. Pater," she said. "None of the kids showed up to help with the mission project today. They were very disappointed, and they plan to finish it by themselves." Mom looked at Lindsey, who was studying the puzzle pieces. "Since Lindsey's friends haven't come to help with her puzzle, it's taking her quite a while to finish it," said Mom. "The mission project is taking long, too, because so many have simply quit."

Lindsey looked at her mother. "I feel bad that my friends didn't come," said Lindsey. "Does God feel bad that those kids didn't come?"

"I don't know, but that's an interesting question," said
Mom. "I do know that it's a good thing to finish what we've started doing for
God."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you work hard on something for a while, then leave it for someone else to finish? When you stand before God, will you be able to say with the Apostle Paul, "I have finished my course (my project, my lessons, the job You gave me to do)"? Don't be just a starter; be a finisher, too.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Acts 20:24)
"That I might finish my course with joy."

[Soldier4Christ]

After shopping at the mall for a few hours, Karen and her mother had lunch together and then headed for the parking lot.

"What's the matter with the car?" asked Karen in alarm as her mother tried to start it. The car made a growling sound, but that was all.

Mom shook her head. "I don't know, but it sounds like the battery is just about dead," she said, checking over everything on the panel in front of her. Suddenly she spotted it. The light button was pulled out. "Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "When we came to the mall this morning, it was too light out for the car lights to automatically stay on, but I turned them on by hand since it was foggy. I forgot to turn them off, and now the battery is run down." She sighed. "Come on," she said. "Let's find a phone and call a service station."

Finally help arrived, and soon the car was running. "If you're not going very far, you might want to take your car to a service station and get a quick charge," suggested the serviceman before he left them.

"What's a quick charge?" asked Karen as they started home.

"I can't tell you how it works," said Mom, "but when the battery has been run down, they sometimes hook it up to a battery charger, and the charger puts new power back into the battery so that it will work again."

That evening, Karen told her father all about their car trouble and the quick charge they had needed. "The service station man says the battery should be okay now," she reported.

 "Good," said Dad. He reached for the family Bible. "It's
time for our 'quick charge,' too," he said. Karen looked at him curiously.
"Reading the Bible is something like getting a charge," said Dad with a smile.
"Reading it, studying it, and meditating on it helps us know God better. It
teaches us that we need to rely on the Holy Spirit for power to obey and serve
Him."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you take time to read God's Word each day? Do you think about the things you've read? Do you look for more verses on the same subject? Do you look for verses about problems you are facing? God's Word gives wisdom and will teach you how God wants you to live.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (2 Timothy 2:15)
"Study to show thyself approved unto God."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Suzy! Here's a treat for you," said Rick. He held out a dish of ice cream. Two-year-old Suzy toddled over to her brother and held out one hand. Her other tiny fist was clenched tightly around the arm of a little doll Rick had given her earlier. "You need to hold this dish with both hands," said Rick. Suzy smiled sweetly, but she would not open one hand. "Put your doll down so you can hold the dish," said Rick.

Suzy refused to unclench her fist. "Give me! I want!" she cried impatiently as she reached for the ice cream.

"Come on, Suzy, open your hand. Don't you trust me?" asked Rick persuasively. Suzy shook her head, and Rick frowned. "Mom, why won't she open her hand?" he asked. "I won't take her doll away-I'm the one who gave it to her in the first place."

"I know you can be trusted and that you wouldn't take anything away from her unless it would harm her," said Mom, "but she's afraid to risk the doll."

Rick sighed. "That's silly," he said.

"We're all like Suzy sometimes," observed Mom.

"No way!" objected Rick. "I don't do dumb things like that, and neither do you, Mom."

"What about times we refuse to trust God?" asked Mom. "Sometimes we insist on holding on to our little treasures-which we often forget are what God has given us in the first place. For example, some people are afraid to yield their jobs to God because they're afraid He'll want them to be missionaries. They think they'd be happier staying where they are, and don't realize that wherever God wants them is the place they'd be happiest."

Rick was thoughtful. "I don't think I have any treasures to hang on to, though," he said.

"Well, let's see," said Mom. "How about your bicycle?
That's kind of like a treasure to you, isn't it? Your brother asked if he could
use it when his Sunday school class had a bike party and his bike was at the
shop for repairs. For a few days, you said he couldn't use yours, but you didn't
feel happy about it. When you did share, you felt better." Mom smiled. "I'm sure
you have other treasures, too. Think about it."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
What are you clutching so tightly that you're not willing to let go? Is it possessions? Achievements? Friends? Good looks? Be willing to do and to be whatever God wants of you, and enjoy the special blessings He will give.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 37:4)
"Delight thyself also in the Lord: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

[Soldier4Christ]

David sat up, threw his legs over the side of his bed, and dried his tears on the sleeve of his shirt. There's no use wasting time crying over our family any more, he thought. There's nothing I can do to make things better. I've prayed and prayed, but nothing has changed. Dad's still in prison-I don't think he'll ever change-and Mom has to work long hours every day. We won't be together again as a family for a long, long time.

David got up and went outside. He found his grandfather getting honey from the beehives at the edge of the woods. David thought Grandpa looked like a spaceman in his coveralls and the veiled safari hat he wore for protection from the bees.

When Grandpa was finished, he greeted David with a smile. "You can help me take this sourwood honey to the house," said Grandpa.

"Okay," agreed David, "but why is it called sourwood honey when it's so sweet?"

Grandpa pointed to a nearby tree. "Because it's made from the nectar bees take from the blossoms of that sourwood tree," he explained. "After they put it through their unique processing system, it becomes some of the finest honey in the world." Grandpa smiled. "It reminds me of what God does for us," he added. "He takes a lost soul out of the clutches of Satan, processes him through His salvation plan, and out comes a brand new person."

Grandpa put his arm across David's shoulder. "I know things are difficult right now-and may even seem hopeless-but don't give up on your dad," said Grandpa. "Keep praying for him, David. No matter how bad things seem to be now, your dad will be a brand new creature when he puts his trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord."

David nodded solemnly. He knew he had more praying to
do.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Does someone you love need to be saved? Does it seem as if that person never will change? Do you wonder if there's any use in praying anymore? Don't give up. God hears your prayers and He is able to save and to change anybody.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (James 5:16)
"The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."