Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

Soli Deo Gloria

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20 (NIV)

I think that one of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the gift of music. Have you ever heard of a composer by the name of Johann Sebastian Bach? Bach lived about 250 years ago and he is considered by many people to be one of the greatest composers who ever lived. You might be surprised to learn that some of Bach's music is still in our hymnals today.

Whenever Bach wrote a piece of music, he always wrote the letters S.D.G. at the bottom of the music. Those letters stand for the words Soli Deo Gloria which means "To God alone be the glory." You see, Bach realized that his music was a gift from God and that he had a responsibility to use his gift to the glory of God.

Music is a very important part of our worship. The Bible says, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord."

Some people come to worship, but they never sing. They have a lot of excuses for not singing. Here are some of the excuses I have heard over the years.

"I can't carry a tune in a bucket." Sorry, but that excuse won't hold water. The Bible doesn't say, "Sing to the Lord with a beautiful voice." It says, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord."

Another excuse I hear is, "I don't like the songs we sing." That excuse won't work either. Why? Because the songs aren't for us, they are for God. Since God created the gift of music, I think He probably likes all kinds of music!

Here's an excuse I've heard many times. "I don't know that song." The Bible says, "Sing unto the Lord a new song." How can we sing a new song to the Lord, if we won't even try to learn it?

Do you know what I think? I think it is time for us to stop making excuses and use whatever musical gift God has given us to glorify Him. Soli Deo Gloria! To God alone be the glory!

Thank you, Father, for the gift of music. May we always use that gift to sing and make music in our hearts to the Lord. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Armor of God

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:11
A few days ago I was watching the World Series on television. No, it wasn't the Major League Baseball World Series. It was the Little League Softball World Series and all of the players were girls. Things have really changed since I played in Little League! One thing I noticed that hasn't changed much is the equipment the players use. The bats, balls, gloves, and shoes still look pretty much the same.

There is one player on the team that has some very special equipment. That's the catcher. The catcher is in a very dangerous spot right behind the batter and needs special equipment for protection. This morning I brought some of the catcher's equipment for you to see.

The catcher always wears a mask. The mask protects the catcher's face from foul tips or pitches that might get past the glove. The catcher wears a chest protector to protect the middle part of the body. Finally, the catcher wears shin guards to protect the knees and legs. No catcher would ever think of going into the game without this protective equipment.

The Bible teaches us that you and I need protection in the game of life. The Bible calls it the armor of God and it tells us that we need the armor of God to protect us from Satan's evil schemes. What kind of protection does the Bible say that we need?

The belt of truth - The Bible tells us that Satan is the "father of lies," but he can never win if we will hold on to the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord

The breastplate of righteousness - Satan can never harm us when we choose to do what God says is right

Feet fitted with the gospel of peace - Satan tries to create worry and confusion in our lives, but knowing Jesus brings peace

The shield of faith - Satan will try to plant seeds of doubt in our hearts and minds, but those seeds of doubt can never take root if we have faith in Jesus

The helmet of salvation - Jesus came from heaven to earth to save us from the evil one, if we accept salvation in Jesus' name, we will win the battle against Satan

The sword of the Spirit - the Bible, God's Holy Word, it is a powerful weapon against Satan

Just as no catcher would ever think of getting behind the plate without his protective equipment, no Christian should ever enter into the game of life without all of the protection that God has given us. Remember, Satan cannot harm us when we put on the "whole armor of God."

Dear Father, thank you for the protection that you have given us against the evils of this world. Help us to always remember to put on the whole armor of God.

[Soldier4Christ]

 True Worship

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." Mark 7:6b-7 (NIV)

Do you know what this is? (hold up the "Worship Plan") It is our "worship guide." We print one of these every Sunday. We do that so that everyone will know what we are going to do next in our worship service. Sometimes I wonder if we really need to print one of these every Sunday. After all, we do the same thing every Sunday. I think I could do in my sleep. In fact, I see some people every Sunday who do it in their sleep! Not really...I was only kidding. Or was I?

Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with having a worship plan unless the plan becomes more important to us than worship. I heard about a church that got into a huge argument because the pastor changed the time when they took the offering during the worship service. "We've never done it that way before," the people cried. You see, some people are more concerned with WHEN and HOW we take the offering than they are with WHY we take the offering. Their traditions are more important to them than worshipping God.

This isn't a new problem. Even Jesus faced this problem. One day a group of people gathered around Jesus to listen to him as he taught. Some of the religious leaders noticed that Jesus' disciples had forgotten to wash their hands before they ate. They were really upset and asked Jesus why his disciples were not keeping the tradition of washing their hands before eating.

Jesus answered those religious leaders by telling them that a clean heart was more important than clean hands. I don't think that Jesus was saying it isn't important to wash your hands before you eat. He was saying that keeping the commandments of God is more important than keeping our own traditions.

I hope that we never become more concerned about WHEN and HOW we do things in our worship services than we are about WHY we do them. I hope we will always remember that true worship comes from our heart, not from our "worship plan".

Dear Father, help us to remember that we are in this place to worship you and that true worship comes from the heart. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

"He Does All Things Well!"

People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." Mark 7:37

I have several different objects with me this morning. One of the things I brought is a soccer ball. How many of you would say you are a really good soccer player? Well, some of us may be very good soccer players, but some of us may not play very well at all.

Isn't this a beautiful painting? How many of you think you could paint a picture just as beautiful as this one? I wish that I could paint a picture as beautiful as this one, but I can't. The truth is, I really don't paint very well at all.

This is a music book. I hope you enjoy music. How many of you would say that you are a really good singer? Now, there may be some things that I can't do well, but that is one thing I think I can do pretty well.

All of us have some things that we can do very well, but none of us can do everything well, can we? I only know one person that does everything well. You probably know who that person is. His name is Jesus!

One day some people brought a man to Jesus who could not hear and could hardly talk. The people begged Jesus to heal their friend. The Bible tells us that Jesus put his fingers in the man's ears and touched his tongue. Then he called out, "Be opened!" As soon as Jesus spoke these words, the man's ears were opened and he could hear -- his tongue was loosed and he could speak. The people were amazed and said, "He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Then Jesus did something unusual, he told the people not to tell anyone what they had seen him do. Do you think they followed Jesus' instructions? No! They told everyone about this man who did everything well.

Jesus has done many great and wonderful things for you and me, but he didn't tell us not to tell anyone. In fact, he told us to tell everyone. Have you told anyone?

Dear Jesus, you do all things well. We thank you for all that you do for us each and every day. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Dinner on the Ground


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

Do you like chicken nuggets? I do! I went by Chick-fil-A® and picked up a box of chicken nuggets. Would you like to share them with me? Oh, look, I not only have some chicken nuggets, I even have some hot biscuits and honey! Mmmm, Mmmm! It doesn't get much better than that, does it?

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

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

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

God heard the people complaining and told Moses that in the evening he would send quail to cover the camp so that the people would have meat to eat. Not only that, but in the morning, after the dew was gone, there would be bread on the ground for everyone to eat. All they had to do was go out, pick it up, and eat it.

Why did God do this for those grumblers and complainers? He did it so that they would know that he loved them and that he would take care of them.  God hadn't brought them out of Egypt to let them starve in the desert!  He was going to see to it that they made it to the land which he had promised them.

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

Heavenly Father, sometimes we grumble and complain.  When we do, help us to remember that every good thing we have comes from you. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Who Am I?

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."  Mark 8:27-29 (NIV)

Do you like to play games? I have always enjoyed playing games. One game I like to play is called, "Who Am I?" I thought it would be fun to play the "Who Am I?" game this morning.

Here is how you play the game. I will give you clues about a person in the Bible. I have four clues for each person. I will read the clues one at a time. Whenever you think you know who the person is, raise your hand, and I will call on someone to guess. If you are wrong, you are out of the game until we start trying to guess another person.

Are you ready? Here is the first clue:

    * I was a tax collector
    * I cheated people out of their money
    * I was very, very small
    * I might be found up a tree

(Continue playing the game as time permits. When you are ready, end the game with the "Jesus" clues and then continue with the sermon.)

You know, I think Jesus liked to play the "Who Am I?" game too. One day he was with his disciples and he asked them, "Who do men say that I am?"

"Some say you are John the Baptist," said one of the disciples.

"Some say you are Elijah or one of the prophets," answered another.

"But who do you say that I am?" asked Jesus.

"You are the Christ," answered Peter.

Good old Peter! He got it right, didn't he? Did you know that there are still many people today who don't know who Jesus is? If you ask, they might say, "He was a great teacher." Or some might say, "He was a great religious leader." They don't know what Peter knew. They don't know what you and I know. They don't know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Dear Jesus, we know who you are. You are God's only Son, the Savior of the world. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Who Is the Greatest?

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:35-37 (NIV)

Have any of you ever read "The Rainbow Fish?" This book is about the most beautiful fish in the ocean. His scales were every shade of blue, green, and purple with sparkling silver scales mixed in. He was very beautiful, but he was also very selfish and self-centered. He was so beautiful that he thought he was too good to play with the other fish in the ocean.

One day a little blue fish asked Rainbow Fish for one of his beautiful, shimmering scales -- but he refused. Because of his selfishness, he was very unpopular with the other fish. He was not only the most beautiful fish in the ocean, he was also the loneliest fish in the ocean.

He told Starfish about his problem and Starfish sent him to talk to a wise old octopus. The octopus told Rainbow Fish that if he wanted to be happy, he should give one of his beautiful scales to each of the other fish. Rainbow Fish just could not imagine giving away his beautiful scales.

Once again, the little blue fish asked for one of Rainbow Fish’s scales. He hesitated for a moment, but finally pulled off one of his scales and gave it to the little blue fish. When the other fish saw the little blue fish with a shiny scale, Rainbow Fish was surrounded by fish asking for one of his shiny scales. Before he knew it, he had given away all of his shiny scales except for one. Suddenly he realized that although he was no longer the most beautiful fish in the ocean, he was happier than ever before.

This story reminds me of something that Jesus said to his disciples. One day He heard his disciples arguing about which of them would be the greatest in God's kingdom. Jesus said to them, "If you want to be first, you must be last and you must be the servant of all." He then put his arms around a little child and told his disciples, "If you welcome one of these, you welcome me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one that sent me."

Sometimes we think the most important thing is to be the first, to be the most beautiful, to be the smartest, or to be the GREATEST! That isn't what Jesus said. He said that the most important thing was to think of others first and ourselves last. If we want to be great in God's sight, we should seek to be a servant rather than seeking to be served.

Dear Jesus, help us to remember that to be the greatest, we must be willing to be the least. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Pass the Salt, Please

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." Mark 9:50 (NIV)

Everyone knows about salt -- we use it every day to make our food taste better. Can you imagine eating a hamburger and fries without salt? They would be pretty tasteless, wouldn't they?

Some of you may not know that making our food taste better is just one of many uses for salt. I read that salt is used in making over 14,000 different products. Here are just a few of the many uses of salt.

• Salt is used in fixing the dye in fabrics like this pretty shirt. Without salt, the bright colors that we wear today would quickly wash out of our fabrics. What a dull place the world would be without salt!

• Salt is also used in making leather. Without salt we would not have many of the leather products that we use every day-- like this belt.

• Salt is used in the chemical industry to make plastics. Without salt, we might not have many of the toys that we play with every day which are made from plastic.

Man has known about the usefulness of salt for many years. At one time, salt was so important that people were paid with salt. Since salt is so important, is it any wonder that Jesus told us that we were to be like salt to the world? Listen to the words of Jesus. "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." I think that he was saying that we should flavor our world with love and that we should allow him to use us in making the world a better place.

How about you? Are you allowing Jesus to use you to be salt to the world?

Dear Jesus, help us to flavor our world with love and to allow you to use us in making the world a better place. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Let the Children Come"

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16 (NIV)

How did you get to church this morning? I imagine that most of you came with your parents. Perhaps others came with grandparents. Some children may have come with aunts, uncles, cousins, or an older brother or sister. Maybe some of you had a Sunday School teacher or a friend who brought you to church. One thing I am pretty sure of -- unless you live close enough to walk to church, someone had to bring you here. I don't think any of you are old enough drive your own car are you? I didn't think so!

I think it is great that someone cared enough about you to bring you to church today. That tells me that they wanted to make sure that you would learn about Jesus and his love for you. Because you are here today, it is possible that Jesus might touch your heart and change your life.

One day, Jesus was teaching his disciples and a large crowd of other people were following him to hear what he was teaching. He was teaching about marriage and divorce and how God wanted them to have happy homes.

As Jesus was teaching, people started to bring their children to him so that he could touch them. The disciples didn't like these children interupting Jesus and his. They told the people to get the children away. When Jesus saw what they were doing, he was very upset. "Let the children come to me, and do not stop them," Jesus said. "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these little ones." Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them.

Let us hope that we will always remember that Jesus loved the children and took them into his loving arms. We are thankful for each of you who are here today and thankful that someone loved you enough to bring you.

Dear Father, we love the children just as Jesus loved them and we are thankful that these children have someone who loves them enough to bring them to Jesus. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The God of the Impossible

"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:25-27 (NIV)

I started to get dressed for church this morning and discovered that my favorite pair of socks had a hole in the toe. I didn't have time to mend them right then, so I thought I could do it during children's time this morning. Perhaps we can learn something about Jesus while I am mending my socks.

I have a needle and some thread. The first thing I need to do is thread the needle. That means you hold the needle like this and push the thread through this little hole called the "eye." Hmmm, this may be more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I can't seem to get the thread through the eye of the needle. Perhaps my eyesight is not as good as it once was or maybe my hand isn't quite as steady as it needs to be. Would one of you like to help me? (Choose one of the children to help you. After they have tried a couple of times, continue with the sermon.)

You know, this problem of threading the needle does remind me of a story about Jesus.

One day a rich young man came to Jesus and asked him what he needed to do to go to heaven. Jesus answered him, "You know the commandments, 'do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

"Oh, I have done all of that since I was a child" the young man told Jesus.

"You must do one more thing," Jesus said, "You must sell all that you have and give the money to the poor."

The Bible tells us that the young turned and walked away. He was very sad. You see, he was very wealthy, and he was not willing to give up his wealth -- not even to go to heaven.

Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Now, putting tread through the eye of the needle can be pretty difficult. How would you like to try to put a camel through the eye of a needle? That wouldn't be difficult, it would be impossible! Does that mean that Jesus was saying it is impossible for a rich man to enter into heaven? No, I don't think so. Listen to what Jesus said next.

"With man, this is impossible, but not with God. With God, all things are possible." That is the God we serve. The God of the impossible!

Heavenly Father, we are thankful that you are the God of the impossible. Without You, it would be impossible for any of us to get to heaven. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

To Be Like Jesus

"Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43b-45 (NLT)

When I was a little boy, the best thing about having chicken for dinner was the "wishbone." After we finished eating, my sister and I would each hold one side of the wishbone, close our eyes and make a wish. Then we pulled on the wishbone until it broke apart. The one who got the biggest piece was supposed to have their wish come true.

Have you ever wished for something? Sure you have. We all have. Sometimes we make a wish without thinking about what would happen if our wish really came true.

Have you ever planned to have a picnic and it rained? Perhaps you sat and watched the rain and grumbled to yourself, "I wish it would stop raining." What if that wish came true and it really stopped raining...FOREVER? There would be no grass, no trees, no flowers. Rivers, lakes, and streams would dry up and all life would begin to disappear. This world would be a miserable place if it stopped raining, wouldn't it?

James and John were two brothers who were disciples of Jesus. One day, the two of them came to Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus replied.

"In your glorious Kingdom, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one at your right and the other at your left." You see, they thought that Jesus was going to set up an earthly kingdom, and they wanted to sit beside him on the throne. They wanted to share in his greatness.

Jesus answered them and said, "You don't know what you are asking." Then he explained that whoever wants to be great must be a servant of all. He said, "For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." (NLT) Jesus was right! I don't think that being a servant was exactly what James and John were wishing for!

Sometimes you and I may say, "I wish I could be more like Jesus." Is that really our wish? If we really want that wish to come true, we must give our lives in service to others.

Dear Jesus, help us to mean it when we say, "I wish I could be more like Jesus." Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Living Bread

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:51 (NIV)

Have you ever seen a food pyramid poster?  The food pyramid was developed to help us know what kinds of foods we should eat to help us to grow strong, healthy bodies.  I have one to show you.  The picture shows all of the food groups.  There are grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, meat, and fats and sweets.

As you can see, the largest part of the pyramid is foods that we make from grain.  What are some foods we make from grain? Let's see, there is bread, cereal, muffins, tortillas, and a lot of other good things to eat.  Most of the things we make from grain not only taste good, but they are good for us too.  Bread has always been considered to be one of our most important foods.  In fact, it has been called "the staff of life."

Even way back in Bible times, bread was very important to life.  Do you remember the time God provided bread for the Israelites when they were starving in the desert?  Every morning God sent bread from heaven for the people to eat.  I'm sure you also remember the time when Jesus fed a crowd of 5000 people with just five loaves of bread and two small fish. Do you remember when Jesus taught his disciples to pray?  He taught them to say, "Give us this day our daily bread."  Yes, bread is, and always has been, a very important part of life.

A loaf of bread won't last forever.  It gets old and stale.  Not only that, but when we eat it, we are satisfied for a little while and then we are hungry again.  Even though Jesus knew that bread was very important to life, he wanted something more for his children.  He wanted something that would last forever.  One day, as he was teaching, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever."

If we want to live, we need bread.  If we want to live forever, we need Jesus -- the Bread of Life.

Our Father, we thank you for Jesus, the Bread of Life.  We pray that each one here today will take and eat so that they may live forever.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

I Want to See Jesus

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." Mark 10:51

Isn't this a beautiful bouquet of flowers? Can you imagine what it must be like to be blind and never see the beauty of things such as these beautiful flowers? The gift of sight is one of the most precious of all of God's gifts.

There is a story in the Bible of a man named Bartimaeus. He had never seen the beauty of a bouquet of flowers, because Bartimaeus was blind. One day as he sat begging beside the road, he heard the sound of a large crowd of people coming his way. He asked someone what was happening and they told him that Jesus was passing by.

Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus and about how he had healed many who were blind. He began to call out to Jesus. Others in the crowd tried to get Bartimaeus to be quiet, but he would not be silent.

Jesus heard the voice of Bartimaeus calling out to him and he stopped and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"

"Teacher, I want to see!" said Bartimaeus.

"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." The Bible tells us that immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight.

That is a wonderful story, isn't it? Unfortunately, stories about the blind don't always end that way. There are many blind people who want to see, and yet they are never healed. Fanny Crosby was one of those people.

When Fanny was only six weeks old, she was left blind by an illness. Even though she was blind for the rest of her life, Fanny was never bitter or complaining. Instead she made the most of her life by using the other gifts that God had given her. She had a wonderful gift for writing poetry and during her lifetime, she wrote over 8000 poems. Some of her poems were set to music and many of them are still in our hymnals today.

One day a well-meaning minister said to Fanny, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you."

"Oh no!" Fanny replied. "If I could have only one request, it would be to be born blind.

"Why?" asked the surprised minister.

"Because," answered Fanny, "when I get to heaven, the first face that these blind eyes will ever see is the face of Jesus, my Savior."

Some, like Bartimaeus, receive the gift of sight. Some, like Fanny Crosby, are blind their entire life. One thing is certain, when we get to heaven, we will all see Jesus.

Dear Father, we thank you for the gift of sight, but more than that, we thank you that one day we will see you in heaven. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Greatest Commandment

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."  Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)

I imagine that most of you have seen a list of rules like this in your classroom at school. One day last week I walked through the school and every classroom I walked into had a list of rules on the wall. Even though there were some slight differences, most of them said pretty much the same thing. They said things like:

   1. Listen Carefully
   2. Follow Directions
   3. Work Quietly
   4. Keep Your Hands to Yourself
   5. Be Kind to Others

If you were to ask me which classroom rule is most important, I know what I would say. I would say that the most important rule is to respect and obey your teacher and the second is very much like it -- be kind and show respect for your fellow students. If we would just follow those two rules, there really wouldn't be a need for any more.

Most of you know the ten commandments, don't you? Which of the ten commandments do you think is most important? One day a lawyer came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the greatest commandment?"

Jesus answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

You know, if we would just keep those two commandments, we wouldn't have any trouble keeping the rest of them, would we?

Dear Father, help us to love You with all our heart, soul, and strength -- and to love one another as we do ourselves. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Widow's Mite
 

THEME: It isn't the size of the gift that matters.

OBJECT: A small coin purse with fifty-seven cents in it.

SCRIPTURE: Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on." Mark 12:43-44 (NIV)

Each Sunday in our worship service we take an offering. Do you think Jesus is interested in how much money we put in the offering plate?

The Bible says that one day, Jesus went to the temple and sat down near the place where the offerings were placed. He sat and watched the people as they came by and put in their offerings. Many rich people, dressed in fine robes, came by and put in a lot of money. Then, a poor widow came by and put in two small copper coins that weren't even worth a penny.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "This woman has given more than anyone. The others gave out of their wealth, but this woman gave all that she had." You see, Jesus is more interested in what is in the heart of the giver than he is in the size of their gift.

I have a small coin purse. Let's see how much money is in it. Hmm...fifty-seven cents. Well, that isn't much money, but this morning I want to tell you the story of a little girl named Hattie and how her gift of fifty-seven cents helped to build a great church.

One Sunday morning, the pastor of a church went outside to find a group of children who were unable to get in to go to Sunday School because the building was too crowded. One of those children was a six year-old named Hattie. When the pastor saw her, he lifted her up in his arms, put her up on his shoulder, and carried her into the church where he found a place for her to sit in the Sunday School class.

The next morning as he walked to church, the pastor saw Hattie again and stopped to talk to her. He told her that he hoped that some day the church would be able to build a building that was large enough so that there would be room for all the children who wanted to attend.

Two years later, little Hattie died and the pastor was asked to preach the funeral service. After the service, Hattie's mother handed the pastor a small purse containing fifty-seven cents. She told him that Hattie had been saving her pennies to help the church build a new Sunday School building. The pastor took the fifty-seven cents back to his church and told the people about the little girl who had been saving her pennies to help them build a new Sunday School building. The people were so inspired by Hattie's gift, that they gave faithfully until they built a wonderful new building with plenty of room for all of the children who wanted to attend.

I am sure that Jesus would say that Hattie gave more than anyone to build this great church. She gave all that she had.

Dear Father, everything we have is a gift from You. Help us to remember that we should give back to You with a cheerful heart. Amen.