Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

As Jesse angrily stomped out of the room, a swear
word exploded from his lips. "Jesse! Come back here!" Mom ordered. Jesse
returned, gritted his teeth, and stared at the floor. "Did you say what I think
you said?" asked Mom. Jesse did not answer. "You know we don't tolerate
swearing," said Mom sternly, "and you know the punishment for it."

"But, Mom, I didn't mean to swear," Jesse pleaded. "All the guys at school
say that word and . . . and it just slipped out. But I'll be more careful! I
promise it won't happen again. I'm sorry! Really I am!"

Mom sighed and looked at him closely. "I believe you are," she decided. "Well
. . . all right. We'll forget it this time."

Later that evening, loud, angry words burst from Jesse's room. "How many
times have I told you to stay out of my stuff?" he roared.


As Mom started down the hall, she heard Tina's voice. "I just wanted to
borrow a pencil," whimpered Tina. "I didn't mean to break anything. I'm sorry."



"That's what you always say, but you don't leave my things alone. You're not
really sorry! You're just sorry you got caught," scolded Jesse. "You think I'll
forget about it if you cry." He didn't see his mother come into the room, and he
swore softly as he bent over to pick up a broken model plane.

"Jesse!" At the sound of Mom's voice, Tina scooted out, and Jesse jumped and
dropped the model. "I'm afraid Tina isn't the only one who's 'sorry' about
getting caught," said Mom. "Didn't you tell me this afternoon you were sorry you
swore and that you wouldn't do it again?" Jesse nodded slowly. "God says we are
to repent when we sin and to turn from it," continued Mom. "True repentance is
more than saying a couple of words. It's being sorry enough for what you've done
to make every effort to stop doing it." She held up a hand as Jesse
started to speak. "We have no excuse to go on sinning. God gives us power to
stop-we need to depend on Him." She shook her head as she added, "And we can't
overlook your words this time."



HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you being truthful when you say "I'm sorry"? Or do you sometimes say it simply to keep out of trouble? Pretending to be sorry might fool others for a while, but usually not for long, and it never fools God. Being truly sorry includes turning away from the thing you did wrong. If you know Jesus, you have God's power to help you each day.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Hey, Dad," said John one day as he leafed through a garden catalog, "there's a section in here called 'Unusual Seeds.' Can we order some?"

"Why not?" agreed Dad. "Exactly what kind did you have in mind?"

"Ginseng," said John. "This catalog says it's so valuable that its dried roots will sell for a lot of money in health food stores. Can I get some?"

Dad looked at the catalog. "I don't know," he said. "Those seeds cost a lot, and it seems to me I've heard they take a long time to come up and grow-maybe even a year or more. Wouldn't you rather have something you'd see sooner?"

John shrugged. "Well, maybe . . . but most of the stuff we plant will grow faster," he said, "so I'd like to try raising something different, too. Even if only a few of them grow good, they could be worth a lot of money. Besides, you always say anything worth having is worth waiting for."

"I guess you've got me there," admitted Dad. "Okay, include ginseng in our order." He grinned as he added, "But promise me you'll wait a little more patiently for them to come up than you're waiting for the seed you planted last night to show results."

"Last night?" asked John. "I didn't plant anything last night."

"Sure you did," said Dad. "I heard you and your friend Sam talking about God. Sam seemed to think a loving God would allow everyone into heaven, and you told him he needed Jesus to get there. After Sam left, you said you didn't think he'd ever change his mind, right?" John frowned and nodded. "Every time we witness, we're planting the 'seed' of God's Word," added Dad. "Sometimes it takes a long time to grow. But when it grows, it produces 'fruit' that will last forever."

"And that's worth the wait, right?" asked John.

"Definitely!" said Dad. "After you plant your ginseng
seeds, you and I can remind each other to have faith and patience to see
results-not only in the garden, but also in witnessing!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you planted the seed of the Gospel-the Word of God-by witnessing? Have you been discouraged because you haven't seen any results? Be patient. Continue to share God's Word, and leave the timing up to God. It may be that you won't ever see the results, but He promises that His word will accomplish its purpose. Trust Him, and keep "planting."


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"My word . . . shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please." Isaiah 55:11

[Soldier4Christ]

Cameron paced his room. For a couple of days, he had meant to confess something to Mom. It grew harder to do each day he put it off. I've got to tell her, he thought with a sigh, so I might as well do it and get it over with.

When Cameron reached the kitchen, he saw that the refrigerator was pulled away from the wall! Mom was kneeling behind it with a bucket of water and a scrub brush. "What are you doing?" Cameron asked.

Mom looked up. "I'm trying to scrub away the dirt that's collected on the floor back here," she said. "It's been hidden behind the refrigerator so long that it's really hard to scrub off." She got up and stretched.

Cameron took a deep breath. "I . . . I have to tell you something." He hesitated. "Remember when my Sunday school teacher called me last week? He reminded me about a Sunday school party on Friday night. I wanted to go to a baseball game instead, so I told him you were sick and I had to stay home and help you." Mom frowned and Cameron hurried on. "Then we were gone to Grandma's last weekend, so I didn't see any of them. Well . . . the guys in my class bought you a get-well card-Todd brought it to school on Monday. I didn't know what to do, so I took it. He said something about them getting you flowers, too." Cameron held out the card. "I . . . I didn't know how to tell them to not buy you flowers. They may have even done it already."

"Well, you'd better call Todd right away!" exclaimed
Mom. She pointed to the floor. "The longer I let this scum hide behind the
refrigerator, the worse it got." Cameron looked thoughtful. "It's the same with
sin-such as your lie," continued Mom. "The longer you waited to confess it, the
more difficult it became to do that, right? You lied, and then the problem grew
bigger when you took that card and let Todd think flowers would be acceptable.
You'll have to repay the money for the card and for the flowers, too, if they've
already bought them." With a sigh, Cameron nodded.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you ever told a lie and then had to keep lying to hide the truth? You need to confess lies-or any other sin-to God, and you may need to confess to others, too. That's usually hard to do, but don't wait. Take care of it right away before it grows and causes even bigger problems.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"I will confess my transgressions to the Lord." Psalm 32:5

[Soldier4Christ]

"Please forgive me, Lord," prayed Andy one night at bedtime. "I didn't mean to run into Mrs. Allen's fence this afternoon. I . . . I guess I shouldn't have been cutting across her lawn, and I . . . I won't do it again. Please forgive me for breaking her rose bush, too. Thank You. Amen." He jumped up and climbed into bed, ready to be tucked in.

Andy's mother kissed him and covered him up. "Andy," she said, "you didn't say anything to me about Mrs. Allen's fence. What happened?"

Andy frowned. "Do I have to tell you?" he asked. "I already asked God to forgive me."

"God has forgiven you," Mom assured him, "and you don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to. But I might be able to help you make amends if you share what happened."

"Make amends? What does that mean?" Andy was puzzled.

"The Bible teaches that if our sin hurts someone besides ourselves, we must do our best to make things right with that person, too," explained Mom. "God forgives the sin if we're truly sorry for it, but we're still responsible to do whatever we can to straighten out the situation. Perhaps you need to go see Mrs. Allen and apologize."

Andy was quiet for a few moments. "I . . . I guess I do," he admitted finally. "She didn't see me break the fence or the rosebush, but . . ." Andy hesitated. "Do I have to offer to pay for them with money from my bank?"

"What do you think?" asked Mom gently.

"Yeah." Andy sighed. "I think I do."

Mom nodded. "When you ask God's forgiveness for sin,
your actions should show that you're truly sorry," she said. "I'm really glad
you're willing to make things right with Mrs. Allen. I'm sure doing that will
make you feel better, too."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Has something you've done hurt someone else? In Old Testament times, an animal sacrifice had to be offered on an altar, and the situation had to be corrected. Jesus made the supreme sacrifice for sin, so you no longer have to do that, but the principle of "making amends" is still a good one to follow. If you've wronged someone-even unintentionally-do all you can to make it right.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"He shall make restitution (amends) for the harm that he has done." Leviticus 5:16

[Soldier4Christ]

Renee's mother was teaching her how to make candles. Mom had thin sheets of wax and knew how to heat them just right, put in a wick, and form special, interesting shapes. She showed Renee how to do some of the simpler ones. "I like doing these," said Renee as she began a new one.

A few minutes later, they were interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone, and Renee dashed off to answer it. It was Erica, a friend from school, and the girls talked for quite a while. By the time Renee hung up the phone, more than fifteen minutes had passed.

Back in the family room, Renee picked up her candle. "Erica said her neighbor, Mr. Jackson, died," she told her mother. "Grandpa knew him-remember? Grandpa told us once that he had witnessed to old Mr. Jackson for years and years." Renee frowned as she looked at the candle in her hand. The wax had become stiff, and it was almost impossible to form it the way she wanted to.

Mom noticed the problem Renee was having. "You know, that hardened wax reminds me of the importance of giving yourself to Christ while you're young-and allowing God to mold your life," said Mom. "I don't know if Mr. Jackson ever did accept the Lord, but I do know that when people get older, they often become spiritually cold and hard-just like that wax did. Then they're often less interested in being saved."

Renee looked at the cold, stiff wax she was holding. "My
Sunday school teacher said that, too," she replied. "She said there are a couple
of reasons why it's dangerous to wait. First of all, we don't know that we'll
live long enough to get old-we could die while we're still young. And second,
even if we do get old, it's like you said-we might no longer be interested in
being saved."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Maybe you think you'll do so later, when you're older. Remember, when you get older-if you get older-you could become cold and hard toward the Gospel of Christ. Don't wait. Come to Jesus today.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth." Ecclesiastes 12:1

[Soldier4Christ]

"Grandma! Grandpa!" called Casey and Tyler as they ran outside to greet their grandparents who had just pulled into the driveway.

Grandma gave them each a big hug. " We missed you while you were on vacation!" she exclaimed. "Did you have a good trip?"

"We sure did-and come see what we brought home," said Tyler. He and Casey led their grandparents into the family room. "Look," said Tyler, pointing to a covered glass bowl filled with living green plants.

"Nice plants," Grandpa said. "Very nice."

"Look again, Grandpa," suggested Casey. "Look right there." He pointed to a small branch resting on the bottom of the bowl.

Grandpa looked where Casey pointed. "I see it," he said. "It's a chameleon."

 "It looks almost like a little leaf," Grandma said in amazement.

Casey grinned. "My Sunday school teacher says God gave chameleons camouflage uniforms so they can blend in with their surroundings."

"Want to know what else we learned about them?" asked Tyler. "In school we learned their skin doesn't grow like they do. When they get too big for it, they begin shedding it. They get rid of the old stuff, and soon they have all new skin."

"Kind of like what we should do, isn't it?" observed Grandma.

Casey and Tyler stared. "How would we do that?" asked Tyler.

Grandma laughed. "I guess I was thinking out loud," she said. "The chameleon sheds his skin, and we are to shed sinful things. The Bible gives a whole list of things we need to get rid of. The chameleon puts on new skin, and we are to put on new, godly characteristics. The Bible says we're to 'put off the old man' and 'put on the new.'"

"We learned about that in school, too," said Tyler. "In Sunday school."

"Good for you!" approved Grandpa. "But . . . this old
man's hungry. What's for lunch?" Laughing, they headed for the
kitchen.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you shedding sinful habits-things like complaining, telling "little white lies," or sneaking out of the house to avoid work? Are you putting on the characteristics that please God-things like kindness, cheerfulness, and especially love toward God and others? Knowing Jesus will make a difference in the way you behave.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Colossians 3:9-10)
Key Verse: "You have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge."

[Soldier4Christ]

Snow swirled around the car, and it seemed to Caitlin and Chelsea as though it was being flung at them from some gigantic unseen hand. "I can hardly see anything!" exclaimed Caitlin. "Everything is so white!"

"Yes," agreed Mom. "It's hard to even see the middle line on the road!"

Chelsea pointed ahead. "Look, Dad! There's a truck up ahead of us. Couldn't we make better time if we stayed close behind it?" she asked.

"It looks like more people have the same idea," said Dad as two cars ahead of him sped up to follow more closely behind the truck. "They're going too fast," added Dad. "We'll just stay back here and let them go."

Soon they saw the same truck again-in a ditch. "Look!" exclaimed Caitlin. "That truck drove right off the road, and those two cars followed!" She was right. The vehicles had all slipped down the steep incline at the side of the road.

"The blind leading the blind," murmured Dad. "We'll just go slowly until we find a place to stop. Hopefully, the snow will let up soon. If not, we'll try to find a motel and wait till tomorrow to move on."

   Before long the snow did let up, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you didn't follow that truck like I suggested," said Chelsea, "but what did you mean about the 'blind leading the blind'?"

   "Jesus once told His disciples that if the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the ditch," replied Dad. "That's what happened back there. The driver of the truck obviously couldn't see any better than the drivers of the cars, but they followed him anyway, and he led them off the road."

"Well, I'm sure Jesus wasn't talking about trucks or cars," said Chelsea.

Dad smiled. "No," he agreed. "I believe He was teaching that we should be careful about who we follow in our daily lives."

Mom nodded. "Who do the kids at school admire?" she asked. "Who do they imitate and want to be like?"

"Some of the kids get all excited about singers or movie stars," said Chelsea.

"And a lot of kids want to be like the guys who are good at sports," added Caitlin. "Is that bad?"

"It depends," said Dad. "It's fine if those they admire
love God and follow Him. It's bad if they follow Satan and influence the kids to
get involved in sinful things. Christians should imitate others who love
Jesus."

[Soldier4Christ]

Snow swirled around the car, and it seemed to Caitlin and Chelsea as though it was being flung at them from some gigantic unseen hand. "I can hardly see anything!" exclaimed Caitlin. "Everything is so white!"

"Yes," agreed Mom. "It's hard to even see the middle line on the road!"

Chelsea pointed ahead. "Look, Dad! There's a truck up ahead of us. Couldn't we make better time if we stayed close behind it?" she asked.

"It looks like more people have the same idea," said Dad as two cars ahead of him sped up to follow more closely behind the truck. "They're going too fast," added Dad. "We'll just stay back here and let them go."

Soon they saw the same truck again-in a ditch. "Look!" exclaimed Caitlin. "That truck drove right off the road, and those two cars followed!" She was right. The vehicles had all slipped down the steep incline at the side of the road.

"The blind leading the blind," murmured Dad. "We'll just go slowly until we find a place to stop. Hopefully, the snow will let up soon. If not, we'll try to find a motel and wait till tomorrow to move on."

   Before long the snow did let up, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you didn't follow that truck like I suggested," said Chelsea, "but what did you mean about the 'blind leading the blind'?"

   "Jesus once told His disciples that if the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the ditch," replied Dad. "That's what happened back there. The driver of the truck obviously couldn't see any better than the drivers of the cars, but they followed him anyway, and he led them off the road."

"Well, I'm sure Jesus wasn't talking about trucks or cars," said Chelsea.

Dad smiled. "No," he agreed. "I believe He was teaching that we should be careful about who we follow in our daily lives."

Mom nodded. "Who do the kids at school admire?" she asked. "Who do they imitate and want to be like?"

"Some of the kids get all excited about singers or movie stars," said Chelsea.

"And a lot of kids want to be like the guys who are good at sports," added Caitlin. "Is that bad?"

"It depends," said Dad. "It's fine if those they admire
love God and follow Him. It's bad if they follow Satan and influence the kids to
get involved in sinful things. Christians should imitate others who love
Jesus."

[Soldier4Christ]

"I wish I could see a space shuttle launch sometime," said Clay one evening. "At school today, we had a film about one. It showed a lot of the stuff the astronauts do, and we heard real clips of them talking to the space control center. It was really cool!"

"Well, then why don't you study to be an astronaut some day?" suggested his brother Patrick. "Then you could not only see a launch, you could take off on a spaceship."

"Maybe I will," replied Clay.

"Not me," put in their sister Grace. "I wouldn't like to wear those special uniforms they have to put on. They're not very pretty!"

The boys laughed at her. "Who cares about that?" scoffed Patrick.

"I do," declared Grace, "and I'm not going on any spaceship!"

Mom smiled. "Are you kids aware that all Christians will participate in a lift-off some day?" she asked.

"They will? Oh . . . you mean when Jesus comes, don't you?" asked Clay.

"That's right," said Mom. "When He returns, He'll be taking all those who believe in Him to heaven."

Patrick nodded. "Without using a spaceship," he said.

"Or those ugly clothes," said Grace.

"No, we won't need those kinds of uniforms or spaceships," agreed Mom. "And it will all happen much quicker than the spaceship launch. It will be as quick as a flash-or as the Bible puts it, 'in the twinkling of an eye.' It will be a wonderful event when Jesus comes again."

"Well, even if I never do get to take off in one of our
spaceships, I'll take part in the lift-off when Jesus comes," said Clay. He
grinned. "Who knows? Maybe I'll get to do both."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Will you take part in the special "lift-off" that will take place when Jesus comes again? Do you trust in Him as Savior? When He returns in the clouds, all who have placed their faith in Him will rise to be with Him. If you haven't done that, don't wait. Accept Him right now-He may come back today! (See the ABCs at the end of this book.)


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
(Jesus said) "I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3

[Soldier4Christ]

"I heard some sad news at the church board meeting last night," said Joel's father one morning

"You did?" Joel looked up. "What was it, Dad?"

"It involves a family who moved into the yellow brick house on Elm Street," Dad told him. "Their name is Peterson. Last Sunday they attended our church, and on Monday night Pastor Holt visited them. They apparently liked what they heard of his message." Dad paused.

"What's sad about that?" asked Joel in surprise. "Sounds fine to me!"

"The sad part is that they couldn't hear the message very well," replied Dad. "Three boys were sitting behind them-talking and laughing during the entire service. The Petersons told Pastor Holt they were going to look for another church."

"Really? Maybe if . . ." began Joel, and then he remembered that some new people had been sitting in front of him and his friends this past Sunday! He suddenly realized why his dad was telling him about the Petersons. He was one of those who had been talking!

"Son, we've told you before that it's not only important to listen for what you can get out of a message, but it is just plain bad manners to disturb those around you!" said Dad. "For the next month, you will sit with Mom and me at every service. If you do sit with your friends again after that, you will sit in front of Mom and me-not behind us." Joel nodded numbly. "And there's something else you need to do," continued Dad. "You need to go to the Peterson's house and apologize to them for making so much noise."

"Me? By myself?" protested Joel. "The other guys were talking, too!"

"They're not my sons," said Dad. "You are. You will have to go."

Joel wanted to argue, but he knew he had done wrong, and
he was sorry. He nodded reluctantly. "Maybe they'll change their minds and
decide to come to church again," he said with a sigh.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you listen quietly during the church service? Wouldn't it be sad if someone refused to return to your church because of the way you behaved during the service. Be polite to those who are around you. Smile and greet new people. Sit still. Don't make it difficult for them to listen to the message. Most importantly, be listening for God to speak to you.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear." Ecclesiastes 5:1

[Soldier4Christ]

It had been hard to do, but Joel had apologized to the Petersons for his bad behavior in church. He had also told them he hoped they would visit the church again.

To Joel's surprise, the Petersons came back to church the very next Sunday. Cool! he thought. They even gave him a friendly smile as they walked in.

Before the service started, Joel's dad took out a notebook and a pen. "I want you to write down at least three things the pastor teaches in his message today," Dad instructed him. "I think you'll find note-keeping to be helpful."

Joel frowned. "I . . . I never really understand much of what Pastor Holt says, but you don't need to worry-I'll sit quietly," he promised. Dad just smiled and continued to hold out the notebook. Joel sighed. He nodded and took the book and pen.

At first Joel doodled a lot on his paper, but then he began to listen for things to write down. He was surprised to find he could understand more than he expected! By the end of the service, he'd written five things the pastor taught-two more than his dad had told him to write! Doing this isn't so bad, he thought. I guess the reason I never could understand Pastor Holt's messages before was that I didn't really listen to them very much!

After church Joel showed the pastor his notes. "I'm going to do this every week, Pastor Holt," he said.

"Great!" approved the pastor. "Why don't you suggest to the other kids that they try it, too?"

"Well . . . okay," Joel agreed. He wasn't at all sure
the other kids would like the idea, but it couldn't hurt to suggest it. He felt
good. Not only had the Petersons come back to church, but now he knew a good way
to learn something from the pastor's sermons.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you tried taking notes on your pastor's sermons? Taking notes may be one way to help you learn more and more about God and grow in your trust and relationship with Him. If your pastor uses a word you don't understand, write it down and ask him about it. You can also ask your parents to discuss the message with you. They can help you understand it, too.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18

[Soldier4Christ]

"I've got the Gideon New Testament they gave us in school and the Rainbow Bible Mom and Dad gave each of us when we turned five and the ones they gave us at Sunday school," Tom called from his room to Tara's.

"Did you count the one you got for memorizing all those verses in Vacation Bible School?" Tara yelled back.

"Twins! Twins!" called their father from the foot of the stairs. "What is all the shouting about up there?"

Tara ran to the top of the steps. "Oh, Daddy, the man who spoke to our Bible club today told us to go home and count the number of Bibles we have," she explained. "He said there are people in some countries who would give a whole six months wages just to get a part of the Scriptures in their own language. Tom has four Bibles of his own, and I've found three so far."

"Well, let's do it with a little less noise," suggested Dad.

Soon the twins came downstairs with a list of Bibles they had found. "Dad, may we please count the Bibles in your office?" Tom asked.

Dad nodded. "Don't forget the huge, antique family Bible of Mom's."

By evening, they had discovered twenty-two Bibles in their home. "Tara thinks we have more than most people 'cuz Dad's a preacher," said Tom.

Mom nodded. "Probably, but I'm sure most Christians in this country have several Bibles."

"It's hard to realize that some people don't have freedom to read God's Word whenever they want to," said Dad. "There are also countries where many people are unable to read, and others where the Bible has never been translated into their language."

That night, the family thanked God for the availability
of God's Word and for the way He had changed their lives as they studied it.
They prayed for Christians living in countries where His Word is not honored.
They also prayed that the Bible would soon be available to everyone in his own
language.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you take your Bible for granted? Think of all the Christians who don't have the opportunity of reading God's Word each day. Are you reading your Bible? Its words are God's message to you and are more precious than gold. Never forget to be thankful for it-and for your ability to read it. Treat it with respect and love. Pray for those who are not blessed as you are.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." James 1:21

[Soldier4Christ]

"Some day you're going to walk through this building and see my helmet and uniform number all over the place," said Ryan as he and his Sunday school class left the Football Hall of Fame.

Jamie laughed aloud. "Fat chance," was his response.

"You just wait-you'll see!" declared Ryan. "I'm going to be as well-known as the guys whose stuff is in there now. Everybody will recognize me when I walk down the street, and I'm going to make a whole bunch of money!"

"Sounds impressive," said Mr. Bradley, their teacher, "but don't forget that fame and money can't make you happy unless they're what God wants for you. The important thing for a Christian is to be willing to do whatever God wants you to do. He'll take care of the details-such as whether you're famous or unknown, and whether you make lots of money or only a little."

"Yeah," agreed Jamie. "I think I'm going to be a missionary. That's much more important than being a football player." He looked at Ryan. "You better just forget those silly ideas you have," added Jamie smugly.

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" exclaimed Mr. Bradley. "If the Lord wants you on the mission field, Jamie, that will be wonderful. But if the Lord wants Ryan to be a rich and famous football player with a testimony for Him, that will be great, too."

"It will?" Jamie wasn't sure that sounded quite right.

Mr. Bradley nodded. "What I'm saying," he replied, "is
that whether you become a football player, an engineer, a missionary, a school
teacher-or whatever-be sure your main goal is to serve the Lord and bring glory
to Him." Mr. Bradley looked from boy to boy as he added, "But don't' wait till
you're grown up to serve God. Honor Him in your activities now as
well."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
What ambitions do you have for the future? Ask God to show you His will. If He wants you to be a football player, be a good one-with a witness for Christ rather than a desire for popularity and self esteem. If God calls you to be a missionary, be the very best missionary you can be. Ask God to help you set goals to honor Him in whatever you do in the future-and right now!


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
"Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

[Soldier4Christ]

"Hi, Mom," Miguel tossed his book bag onto a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. Mom was pulling a pan of cookies from the oven.

   "Hi, Miguel." Mom turned and smiled. "So how was school today?"

"Great!" he answered. "Can I have a cookie?"

"Sure," agreed Mom, "but just one. We'll be having dinner shortly." She handed him a cookie and then asked, "What was so great at school?"

Miguel took a big bite. "We learned about passwords in our computer class," he said. "Do you know what a password is, Mom?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Mom suggested as she poured milk into a glass and handed it to Miguel.

"It's a special word you have to type into some of the computers at school. If you don't know the right word, the computers won't let you into the programs," explained Miguel.

Mom smiled. "That sounds a lot like what I told our neighbor Mrs. Goldman today."

"You were telling her about computers?" asked Miguel.

Mom laughed. "No. I was telling her about Jesus."

Miguel frowned. "Jesus? He didn't use computers," he said. "They weren't invented yet when Jesus lived on earth."

Mom sat down next to Miguel. "Mrs. Goldman believes that every person who leads what she calls a 'good life' will be in heaven, no matter what his religion is or who he believes in," said Mom. "We talked about that for a while, and I showed her the verse in John 14 where Jesus says, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' I explained to her that when each of us stands before God some day, only those who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior will be allowed to enter His kingdom-the kingdom of heaven."

"So Jesus is kinda like a password?" asked Miguel with a smile.

"In a way, yes." Mom nodded. "Kinda like a password."

"And did she believe you?" asked Miguel.

"She said she would think about it," replied Mom. "Let's
pray for her, Miguel. Let's ask the Lord to show her that she needs Jesus as her
'password' to get into heaven."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Hi, Mom," Miguel tossed his book bag onto a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. Mom was pulling a pan of cookies from the oven.

   "Hi, Miguel." Mom turned and smiled. "So how was school today?"

"Great!" he answered. "Can I have a cookie?"

"Sure," agreed Mom, "but just one. We'll be having dinner shortly." She handed him a cookie and then asked, "What was so great at school?"

Miguel took a big bite. "We learned about passwords in our computer class," he said. "Do you know what a password is, Mom?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Mom suggested as she poured milk into a glass and handed it to Miguel.

"It's a special word you have to type into some of the computers at school. If you don't know the right word, the computers won't let you into the programs," explained Miguel.

Mom smiled. "That sounds a lot like what I told our neighbor Mrs. Goldman today."

"You were telling her about computers?" asked Miguel.

Mom laughed. "No. I was telling her about Jesus."

Miguel frowned. "Jesus? He didn't use computers," he said. "They weren't invented yet when Jesus lived on earth."

Mom sat down next to Miguel. "Mrs. Goldman believes that every person who leads what she calls a 'good life' will be in heaven, no matter what his religion is or who he believes in," said Mom. "We talked about that for a while, and I showed her the verse in John 14 where Jesus says, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' I explained to her that when each of us stands before God some day, only those who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior will be allowed to enter His kingdom-the kingdom of heaven."

"So Jesus is kinda like a password?" asked Miguel with a smile.

"In a way, yes." Mom nodded. "Kinda like a password."

"And did she believe you?" asked Miguel.

"She said she would think about it," replied Mom. "Let's
pray for her, Miguel. Let's ask the Lord to show her that she needs Jesus as her
'password' to get into heaven."