Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

Be Careful Who You Follow

Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. Mark 13:5-6 (NIV)

How many of you know how to play the game "Hana, Hana, Hana, Kuchi?" You don't? It is a Japanese game that is a little bit like a combination of "Simon Says" and "Follow the Leader." Hana is the Japanese word for nose and Kuchi is the word for mouth. I will touch my nose three times as I say, "nose, nose, nose," but when I say "mouth," I will touch some other part of my body such as my ear, eye, or chin. You have to touch the part that I say -- not the part I touch. If you touch what I touch instead of what I say, you are out of the game. Let's try it once just for practice.

"Nose, nose, nose, mouth." (Touch your ear when you say mouth.)

Uh-oh! I caught a few of you. Well, that was just for practice, so nobody is out of the game. Let's try it again.

"Nose, nose, nose, ear." (Touch your mouth when you say ear.)

Well I caught a few of you again, didn't I?

(Continue to play the game as time permits, then continue with the lesson.)

When we were playing that game, I was trying to trick some of you into doing the wrong thing. It was only a game and we were just having some fun, but there are times when people try to trick us into doing the wrong thing. Jesus warned about people like that.

One day Jesus told his disciples to be careful not to let anyone deceive them. He warned that there would be many false teachers who would come teaching in his name and claiming to be him. Jesus said that many would be fooled.

It was fun to try to trick you in the game of "Hana, hana, hana, kuchi," but it isn't any fun to see people follow false teachers instead of following Jesus. It is important to read the Bible and know what it says so that we won't be fooled.

Dear Father, help us to read our Bibles each day and follow Jesus and his teachings. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Crown Him King!

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth." John 18:37a

The crown is a symbol of power and authority. Who wears a crown? That's right! A king or queen wears a crown. Being a king is different from being the president of a country. A president is elected by the people, but a king is is not elected, he is born to be king.

Have you seen the movie "Lion King?" As a lion, Simba was born to be the "King of the Beasts." In one scene from the movie Simba sings, "I Just Can't Wait to Be King." If you have seen the movie, you will remember that one reason why Simba was so anxious to become king was that he didn't want anyone telling him what to do. He didn't want to hear anyone saying, "do this" or "stop that." He wanted to be free to run around all day doing everything his way.

It wasn't just that Simba didn't want anyone to tell him what to do, he was also looking forward to telling everyone else what to do. Just listen to what he says! "I'm gonna be a mighty king so enemies beware! I'm gonna be the mane event like no king was before. I'm brushing up on looking down. I'm working on my ROAR! Oh, I just can't wait to be king!"

I think that Simba had a very poor idea of what it means to be a king. You see, the real role of a king is to look after the needs of his people. A good king is more concerned with caring for his people than he is in being served.

During his last days on earth, Jesus was arrested and put on trial. When asked if he was a king, Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world." Yes, Jesus was a king, but he wasn't interested in running around free and doing things his way. He was only interested in doing the will of his Father. He was born to be king, but his kingdom is not on this earth -- it is in heaven. He only came to earth to make a way for us to live with him in heaven.

Jesus "Just can't wait to be your king." He has invited you to enjoy eternal life in his heavenly kingdom. If you haven't already accepted his invitation, I hope you will crown him as your King today.

Dear Jesus, we invite you to rule our hearts as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Waiting and Watching

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars... At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:25a, 27-28

It's official! We have entered into the Christmas countdown period. Every day now we will see it in the newspapers and hear it on the radio and television, "24 shopping days until Christmas," "23 shopping days until Christmas," "22 shopping days until Christmas." All around us there are signs that Christmas is coming. What are some of those signs?

    * Stores are filled with Christmas decorations
    * Santa is at the mall
    * Christmas music is playing on the radio and television
    * Christmas cards are arriving in the mailbox
    * Christmas parties at work, at school, and at church

There are plenty of signs that Christmas is coming, but 2000 years ago when Jesus was born, there were no big signs to announce that it was going to happen. There were no ads on the radio or TV saying "Coming soon! A Savior will be born in a stable near you!" When Jesus was born, many people were surprised! But as word of his birth spread, some people remembered that prophets had told them that God was going to send a Savior. They knew that this baby, born in a manger, was God keeping His promise.

Christmas is a not only a wonderful time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is also a time to remember that Jesus promised that he would come again. We don't read much about that in the newspapers and we don't hear much talk about it on the radio or television, but Jesus told us to be prepared and to watch for his return.

As we look forward to Christmas day, we also look forward to the day when Jesus will come again. Today we light the candle of hope on our advent wreath. Just as the people of Israel found hope in the promises of God, we find hope in Jesus' promise that he will come again.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for keeping your promise to send a Savior. We also thank you for the promise that he will return again to take us to our home in heaven. Amen.

[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)

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]

Fanfare for a King

As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Luke 3:4-6 (NIV)

(If possible, begin by having someone play a fanfare on the trumpet or a blast on the shofar. If that is not possible, just show the children a trumpet or shofar or play a fanfare on a recording and adapt the sermon to fit your situation.)

Wow! That was exciting, wasn't it? That exciting piece played on the trumpet is called a fanfare. A fanfare is a loud, short piece of music that is usually played on a trumpet to announce the arrival of someone important. For example, a trumpet fanfare is often played to announce the arrival of a king, queen or president.

The trumpet fanfare has been used to announce the coming of a king for many, many years. It was even used in Bible times! The Bible tells us that when Solomon was crowned as the King of Israel they blew the trumpet and shouted, "God save king Solomon." (1 Kings 1:34)

The word fanfare is also sometimes used to describe any showy celebration surrounding a special event. There is always a lot of fanfare surrounding the coming of a king, isn't there? Well, not always. There wasn't much fanfare surrounding the coming of Jesus. There were no trumpets and no one shouting, "God save the king!" The Bible tells us that there was only a man named John who was like a voice calling out in the desert saying, "Prepare the way for the Lord."

That wasn't much of a fanfare for a king, and it sure wasn't much of a fanfare for the King of Kings. As we look forward to the celebration of his birth, we do it with great fanfare. (Have trumpeter play the fanfare again.)

Today we light the second candle on our Advent wreath. We light the candle of peace -- for our King -- the Prince of Peace.

Heavenly Father, we look forward to celebrating the birthday of our King, Jesus. He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Prince of Peace. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Joy of Christmas

"What should we do then?" the crowd asked. John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Luke 3:10-11

Look at this beautiful Christmas gift -- there are already a lot of gifts under the tree at our house. Are there a lot of gifts under your tree? Have you looked to see how many of the gifts have your name on them?

I heard about a little boy who checked the presents under the tree every day. As he checked to see if any new presents had been added, he grouped the presents together according to the names on the gifts. Then, after he had them arranged, he counted the gifts.

One day, he discovered that his sister had more gifts under the tree than he did. He became very upset and ran into the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner.

"Katie has more presents under the Christmas tree than I do!" the little boy cried. Then he turned and ran from the room. He went to his room, closed the door, and sat pouting. He couldn't even enjoy the Christmas season because he was so upset that someone else had more gifts under the tree than he did. What that this little boy did not understand was that the real joy of Christmas is not in how many gifts we receive, but in sharing what we have with others.

John the Baptist was sent to prepare people for the coming of Jesus. He told them to repent of their sins and prepare their hearts for the coming of the promised Messiah.

"What should we do?" they asked.

John answered them, "If you have two coats, give one of them to the one who has none. If you have food, share it with those who have none."

That is the same message we need to hear today as we look forward to Christmas. If we want to experience the real joy that Jesus wants for us, then we must learn to share! By sharing what God has so generously given to us, we will receive an even greater gift -- the gift of joy.

Today we light the third candle on our Advent wreath -- the candle of joy.

Dear Father, help us to learn that it is in giving that we receive the greater gift -- the gift of joy. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Gift of Love

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me -- holy is his name." Luke 1:46-49 (NIV)

One of my favorite movies is "The Sound of Music." In that movie, there is a song called "My Favorite Things." Some of you may have seen the movie and you may know that song. If so, you will remember that the character named Maria, sings about her "favorite things." One of the things that she mentions in that song is "brown paper packages tied up with string." A package like this one. (Hold up the package wrapped in brown paper.)

We are just a few days away from Christmas and I imagine that there are a lot of presents under the tree at your house. I am sure that the packages under the tree are wrapped in beautiful paper like this package is wrapped. (Hold up the beautifully wrapped package.) If there was a package under the tree that was wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string mixed in with all of the beautifully wrapped packages with their colorful bows ... and if that package had your name on it...would that be the package you would choose to open first? I don't think so! After all, a gift is supposed to come in a beautiful package, isn't it?

You know, I think that is why a lot of people have missed out on the gift that God sent to them. You see, God's Gift didn't come in a beautifully wrapped package. God sent Jesus, His only Son, as His gift to us. Jesus' mother was a young virgin...his earthly father was a poor carpenter...he was not born in a beautiful palace...he was born in a manger. Not a very pretty package, is it? But do you know what? It was the greatest gift the world has ever known. It was the gift of salvation and it had your name on it...and yours...and yours...and mine!

The Bible tells us that when Mary found out that she had been chosen to be the one to deliver God's gift to the world, she was filled with joy. She sang a song glorifying God for choosing her.

"The Mighty One has done great things for me," she sang.

Well, the Mighty One has done great things for us too. He has sent us the gift of His love, but some people are so busy unwrapping the beautifully wrapped packages that this world offers that they have missed out on the greatest gift. Maybe it is because it came wrapped in brown paper tied up with string.

Today we light the candle of love. It reminds us of the greatest gift we have ever received...the Gift of Love...from our Father above.

Dear Father, we are thankful that you loved us so much that you sent your only Son to be our Savior. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Losing Jesus
 
When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" Luke 2:48-49

A family was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in the mall. Suddenly, in the midst of all the fun and excitement, someone noticed that little three year-old Matthew was gone. Terror immediately gripped his parents. They had heard stories about little children being kidnapped in malls, never to be seen again.

They split up, each member of the family taking an assigned area of the mall to search for the child. As each one completed the search of their assigned area, they returned to the place where they had agreed to meet. No one, it seems, had been able to find the missing child. Then the boy's grandfather appeared, holding little Matthew by the hand.

When they asked the grandfather where he had found the boy, he answered, "He was at the candy counter. You should have seen him -- his eyes came just about as high as the candy. He was standing with his little hands behind his back and moving his head back and forth, surveying all the delicious candy."

Matthew didn’t look lost. He didn’t even know he was lost -- and he certainly didn't think he was in any danger. After all, he was right where they left him!

When Jesus was a young boy, his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. After the feast was over, as Mary and Joseph were traveling back to their home, they began to look for Jesus, but he was nowhere to be found. When they could not find him, they turned around and went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

Do you know where they found Jesus? He was in the temple. Do you think Jesus was worried or frightened? No way! When his parents found him, he said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

Sometimes you and I lose Jesus. We get so busy in our daily routine that we never give him a thought. Then, one day we wake up and realize that he is gone out of our lives. Do you know what we need to do when that happens? We need to go back to the place we left him. That is where we will find him, right there waiting for us!

Dear Jesus, when we have lost your presence in our daily life, help us to remember that you are still there...waiting for us to come back to you. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "New Beginnings"

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Luke 3:21-22 (NIV)

This is an exciting time. It is the beginning of a brand new year. Some people like to make New Year's resolutions or promises to themselves about what they plan to accomplish in the new year. The number one resolution that people make is, "I am going to lose weight." I don't think too many people succeed, since it seems to be the number one resolution year after year. I know that it usually makes my top ten list of things I would like to accomplish in the new year.

Even if you don't make any New Year's resolutions, this is an exciting time. It is a time that we can forget our past mistakes and look forward to new opportunities that lie ahead of us. It is a time of new beginnings.

Jesus experienced times of new beginnings in his life too. One of those times was when he was baptized. There were a couple of very important things that happened when Jesus was baptized. First of all, the Bible tells us that the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove and landed upon him. The second thing was that God spoke and said, "You are my Son. I love you and I am well-pleased with you."

This event marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry here on earth. Up until that time, he had not performed any miracles, but with God's stamp of approval and with the spirit of God upon him, Jesus began to perform great miracles. From this new beginning, many people began to understand that Jesus was truly the Son of God and they began to follow him.

Our own baptism represents a new beginning for us as well. When we are baptized, it shows the world that just as Jesus rose from the dead through the glory of God the Father, we also live a new life in him. (Romans 6:4) God may not always be well-pleased with us, but I think that He looks down with an approving smile when he sees us trying to walk with Jesus.

New beginnings -- God gives us opportunities for new beginnings. Let us make the most of them as we live a new life in Christ through the power of his Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, thank you for new beginnings. Help us to make the most of them -- not through our own strength -- but through the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Water into Wine

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. John 2:11 (NIV)

I try to find time to read the newspaper every day. It is a good way to keep up with what is happening in the world around us. Have you ever thought about being a newspaper reporter when you grow up? Just think! If you were a sports reporter, you would get to go to all of the sports events. Not only that, you would get in free get paid for going! If you were a news reporter, you could just walk around town and see what was going on, then you would write a news story about it.

I thought it would be fun to take our Bible lesson today and re-write it as if I were a reporter writing an article in a daily newspaper. The story is actually from the gospel of John, but the word gospel means "good news," so let's imagine that we are reading an article from the "Daily Galilean" or perhaps "The Jerusalem Times."

Wow! Listen to this headline! "Wedding guest turns water into wine."

Hmmm...That sounds interesting. Let's read the rest of the story!

On Tuesday, a woman named Mary was in Cana to attend a wedding. A large number of guests, including her son, a man named Jesus, also attended the wedding. Guests at the wedding were reportedly having a good time until the host ran out of wine. At that point, it seemed that the happy celebration might turn into a disaster.

Some of the wedding guests thought that perhaps Jesus might have a solution to the problem, so they reported to him that they were out of wine. When told about the problem, Jesus at first seemed unwilling to do anything, but after some encouragement from his mother, he finally agreed to help.

Eye witnesses at the wedding reported that Jesus noticed several large water jars nearby and instructed some servants to fill them with water. After the jars had been filled with water, he told them to dip some of the water out of the jars and take it to the man who was in charge of serving the wine. When the wine steward tasted the water, he discovered that the water had been turned into wine.

Wedding guests were amazed at the turn of events and said that the wine was the best that they had ever tasted.

As a result of this miraculous event, many people are following Jesus everywhere he goes, and many believe that he might even be the long-awaited Messiah.

Well, that made a pretty good news story, didn't it? Do you know what is really great about this story? Just as Jesus performed a miracle by changing the water into wine at the wedding celebration two thousand years ago, he is still working miracles in the hearts and lives of people today. If you will let him, he will work a miracle in you.

Dear Jesus, worker of miracles, work a miracle in us today. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

No Turning Back

"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:67-68 (NIV)

When I was a child, "Follow the Leader" was one of my favorite games.  Have you ever played "Follow the Leader?" Of course you have! "Follow the Leader" is a game that is played and enjoyed by children all over the world.

The rules are very simple. First, you choose a leader.  Then you follow him wherever he goes and do whatever he does. You stomp through puddles, climb over fences, or swing from a tree -- all to stay in the game because nobody wants to be a quitter.

"Follow the Leader" is a great game, but in our daily lives we play follow the leader too. In school, in Church, in sports, in any activity in which we may participate, there are always leaders. Every day we choose which leader we will follow.

One day Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and he said to the people, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. He who feeds on this bread will live forever."

That was a difficult teaching for some to understand.  When they heard it, they said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"  Some of them quit following Jesus after that day.

Jesus knew that many people were grumbling and complaining, so he turned to the twelve whom he had chosen to be his disciples and said, "You don't want to leave too, do you?"

As usual, it was Peter who spoke up. "To whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."  The disciples had answered the call to follow Jesus.  They were not about to turn back now.

There is a song that some of you may know called "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus." It goes like this:

       I have decided to follow Jesus;
       I have decided to follow Jesus.
       I have decided to follow Jesus;
       No turning back, no turning back.

Have you decided to follow Jesus?  It may not always be easy, but once you have decided to follow him, there is no turning back.

Dear Jesus, you have called us to follow you. May we answer, "Yes, Lord, I'll follow you -- no turning back, no turning back." Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 That's What It's All About!
 
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)

I am sure that all of you probably know the song and dance called "The Hokey Pokey." It goes like this:

    You put your right hand in,
    You put your right hand out.
    You put your right hand in,
    And you shake it all about.
    You do the Hokey Pokey
    And you turn yourself around,
    That's what it's all about.

After your right hand, you put your left hand in, then your right foot, then your left foot, then your head, until finally, you put your "whole self in!" What a fun song!

Can you imagine what would happen if you were doing the "Hokey Pokey" and the left hand refused to do the "Hokey Pokey" because it wanted to be the right foot?

What if the right foot said, "Since I am not the left hand, I am not part of the body so I refuse to do the 'Hokey Pokey?'"

The next thing you know, the head might say, "I don't need any of you, I can 'Hokey Pokey' all by myself!"

Oh, no! This can never be. The hands, the feet, the head...they are all part of the "whole self." You need them all to do the "Hokey Pokey." After all, like the song says, "That's what it's all about!"

Maybe this example of the "Hokey Pokey" seems a little bit silly, but it is a good picture of the church. The Bible teaches us that the church is the body of Christ and that it is made up of many members. Each member is different and each has been given different gifts.

Some have been given the gift of preaching and teaching while others have been given the gift of healing. Some people are good leaders and have been given the gift of seeing that everything runs smoothly while others may have been given the gift of helping others.

Just as God gave us hands, feet, head, eyes, and ears to meet the needs of the whole body, God has given the church different members with different gifts to meet the needs of the whole church.

And just like the song says, "That's what it's all about!"

Heavenly Father, we are thankful that you have given each of us special gifts. Help us to remember that each of us is an important part of the body of Christ. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Hometown Boy Makes Good
(But gets no respect!)

Jumping up, they mobbed him and took him to the edge of the hill on which the city was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he slipped away through the crowd and left them. Luke 4:29-30 (NIV)

This is a picture of Del Ennis. I doubt if any of you have never heard of him. Del Ennis was a professional baseball player -- and a very good one too. During his career, he hit 288 home runs. He hit 25 or more home runs in a season seven different times during his career.

Del Ennis played for his hometown team -- the Philadelphia Phillies. Now, you would think that being such a good player and being a hometown boy would make Del Ennis very popular with the Philadelphia fans, but this was not the case. During the eleven years that he played for the Phillies, the fans booed him every time he came up to bat. No matter what he did, it never seemed to be good enough. He never understood it. It didn't make any sense.

Later in his career, Del Ennis moved to the St. Louis Cardinals. Although he still loved his hometown team, he was treated much better by the fans in St. Louis. Sometimes, it seems that even when a hometown boy makes good, he just can't please the hometown crowd.

The hometown of Jesus was Nazareth. It might surprise you to know that Jesus wasn't treated very well in his hometown either. One day, Jesus went to the temple in Nazareth. After reading from the prophet Isaiah, he told the people in the temple that he was the one that Isaiah had written about. He was the one sent from God to preach the good news to the poor and heal the sick and give sight to the blind.

Everyone was quite impressed with the words of Jesus until some of them recognized that he was a hometown boy. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

They demanded that Jesus perform some miracles such as the ones they had heard about that he had performed in other places. When Jesus refused to put on a show for the people, the crowd began to turn against him. They mobbed him and took him out to the edge of a hill on which the city was built. They planned to throw him off the edge of a cliff, but Jesus slipped away from them and escaped through the crowd.

That isn't very good treatment for a hometown boy, is it? It seems that no matter what Jesus did, he just couldn't seem to please the hometown crowd. I wonder...if you and I had lived in Nazareth during Jesus' day, would we have treated him any better, or would we have gone along with the crowd?

Dear Jesus, help us to be loyal and true, even when the crowd has turned against you. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Let's Go Fishing

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:11

Do you like to go fishing? If someone were to ask me that question, I guess I would have to say, "No." I like to catch fish, but I don't enjoy fishing unless I am catching fish. I have heard some people say that they don't care whether they catch any fish or not -- they just enjoy going fishing. Not me!

I remember one time when I went fishing with my son. He was about the age of some of you boys and girls -- about seven or eight, I guess. We got up early in the morning and went to the lake. We had been fishing for about five minutes when he turned to me and said, "Dad, when are we going to catch something?" After about thirty minutes, he gave up and went to play with some other children. I sat there and fished all day. I never did catch a fish. Now, that is not my idea of a good time!

As I think about that fishing trip, I am reminded of a story in the Bible about some men who had a fishing experience a lot like mine -- until Jesus came along.

One day Jesus was standing by the sea of Galilee. A large crowd of people started to gather around him. He saw some fishermen nearby who were cleaning and mending their nets so he climbed into one of their boats. He asked one of the men whose name was Peter, to put the boat out a little way from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat teaching the people.

When he had finished teaching, Jesus said to Peter, "Put the boat further out into the deep water and let down your nets to catch some fish."

"We've been fishing all night long and haven't caught a thing, but if you say so, we will let down the nets one more time," Peter answered.

An amazing thing happened! When they started pulling the nets up, there were so many fish that the nets began to break. As they pulled the fish into the boat, there were so many fish that the boat was beginning to sink. When Peter and his fellow fishermen saw this, they were astonished and even a bit frightened.

Jesus said, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will be fishers of men."

The Bible tells us that they pulled their boats up onto the shore, left everything, and followed Jesus. From that day on, Peter and his friends became fishers of men and brought many people into God's kingdom.

Jesus wants you and me to be fishers of men too. If we will be faithful in telling people about Jesus and his love, we can trust Jesus to bring in the catch!

Dear Jesus, help us to be good fishers of men -- faithful to go, patiently waiting, and tusting you to bring in the catch. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

In Search of Happiness

Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Luke 6:20-22 (NIV)

I am sure that everyone has experienced the joy of blowing bubbles. It is amazing to me that something so simple could bring so much happiness to so many people. It isn't just for kids either! I have even seen teenagers and adults laughing and having fun blowing bubbles and trying to catch them.

There is just one problem with the happiness that comes from blowing bubbles -- it doesn't last! The minute you reach out and touch one of the bubbles, it will burst. Many times we chase the bubble, but it is always just out of reach and as soon as it touches the ground, the bubble bursts.

I think this is the way it is in the lives of many people today. A lot of people are chasing after happiness, but like the bubbles, happiness is always just out of reach. Or, just when we think we have it, our bubble may burst. What are some of the things that people are chasing in their search for happiness?

Money -- Many people think that money will bring them happiness, but it doesn't. Once you spend it, it is gone, and you still don't have happiness.

Food -- We live in a day when many people seek happiness in food. They eat because they are sad or depressed and they think that food will make them feel better. It doesn't. After they eat, they are still unhappy, but now they are over-weight which makes them even more unhappy!

Entertainment -- Many people think that laughing and having a good time is the same thing as being happy, but it isn't. Many people who are laughing on the outside are crying on the inside.

Popularity -- Some people think that being popular with other people will bring them happiness. They will do anything or say anything to make other people like them, but popularity doesn't last. It is here today and gone tomorrow. There is no lasting happiness in popularity.

Jesus knew that people often look for happiness in the wrong places. He even suggested that we might be happier if we were poor, hungry, crying, and disliked by others. Why would Jesus suggest such a thing?

When we are poor, it may be easier for us to trust in God to supply everything we need instead of depending on our own wealth.

When we are hungry for God and his righteousness, we realize that only He can satisfy our hunger.

When we are crying, we can trust in God to comfort us and ease our pain.

When we think we have no friends, we have a friend in Jesus. Jesus is a friend who will never leave us.

Do you want to find happiness in life? Don't spend your time chasing bubbles. Look to your Heavenly Father. He is the source of true happiness.

Dear Father, help us to realize that we can never find happiness in the things that this world has to offer. You alone are the source of true happiness. Amen.