“That you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the universe.”
YOUNGER VERSION (for those in kindergarten-2nd grade)
“That you may become blameless and pure, children of God…among whom you shine like stars in the universe.”
My feet are too big,
They’re too long and too wide,
And I think I need a wig,
Cause my hair’s really fried.
My arms are real skinny.
They’re lacking some strength,
And I walk kind of funny.
My legs aren’t the same length.
I talk sort of squeaky,
Like a mouse in a trap,
And my teeth are all crooked,
And in front’s a big gap.
I’ve got pimples on my chin,
And all over my nose,
And I’ve got hair growing,
From both my big toes.
My skin is real itchy,
And looks kind of yellow,
And my belly sticks out,
And jiggles like Jell-O.
I don’t really like me,
If you can hear what I say.
I wish I could be,
Someone else for a day.
Do you have any words for me,
Advice for my situation.
I sure would appreciate,
Some grand revelation.
Say that again?
What was that?
There’s three of me!
Oh, now I feel fat.
But, go ahead,
And speak your chatter,
Give me your opinion,
Though I don’t think it’ll matter.
It’s true. It’s true.
There really is three of you.
When you look in the mirror,
To straighten your hair,
Person Number One,
Is who you see there.
Person Number One
Is how you see you,
But how others see you,
Is Person Number Two.
There’s one more perspective,
That I want you to see.
How God views you,
Is Person Number Three.
So open your eyes,
And take in the light.
Which of these three,
Do you think is right?
So if you don’t like your hair,
And you don’t like your nose.
And you don’t like your legs,
And you don’t like your toes.
Then remember the words,
I tell you today,
You look how you do,
Because God made you that way.
You’re not an accident.
You’re not a mistake.
God’s got a plan for you,
Cause no trash does He make.
So when you look in the mirror,
To comb out your hair,
See through God’s eyes,
The person standing there.
Self-Worth
Self-worth is how you feel about yourself. How important are you? What’s your worth? In God’s eyes, you’re worth the whole world. You are God’s special treasure and He has great and wonderful plans for your life. Listen to what God says about you in the Bible in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
You Will Need:
STEP 1
Try to pick up the paper clips by touching them with the nail. It won’t work.
STEP 2
Now hold the magnet to the head of the nail and touch the point to the paper clips. What happened? What changed?
SAY—Just like the magnet gave the nail the ability to pick up the paper clips, God gives you the ability and the strength to say no to doing wrong things. The magnet became a tool to help the nail pick up the paper clips and God has given you a tool to help you say no to temptation.
Read Psalm 119:11 from your Bible.
ASK—What tool does this verse mention that helps you keep away from doing bad things?
ASK—What other tools has God given you to help keep you away from sin? (Your parents, Sunday School teachers, Christian friends, etc.)
Read Matthew 4:3-11 from your Bible.
ASK—What tool did Jesus use when He was tempted?
PRAY—And thank God for giving you the tools to overcome temptation.
BREAKFAST BITES
ASK—What are some temptations you see your friends facing? (Let your children respond. Some answers might include lying, cheating, disobeying parents, etc.)
ASK—How can you help your friends say no to temptation?
ASK—How can you help your friends to follow Jesus?
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13
Read
In the early 2000s, on a cold February day, a limousine traveling down the New Jersey expressway got a flat tire. The limo driver got out to change the tire only to discover that the spare was flat. Before he could summons road service, a man in a pickup truck stopped and offered to help. Among the equipment on his truck was an air tank.
As the man and the driver finished up, the car window slid down and the man was shocked to see a wealthy, well-known businessman sitting inside. “This was very nice of you to stop and help,” he said. “What can I do to thank you?”
The man thought for a moment and then said, “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. My wife would really get a kick out of receiving a dozen roses from you.” The man agreed and drove off.
The next day, a messenger arrived with a box. Inside were two dozen roses and a note: “Happy Valentine’s Day from a friend of your husband. (signed by the businessman.) P.S. Thanks for helping us out. By the way, I paid off your mortgage.”*
Respond
A little time invested in the story above came with a great reward. The same is true in working with children. The rewards you get far outweigh the time and energy you give. Our culture often focuses on instant gain and gratification but our reward in investing in others comes not only in this life but forever in eternity. The impact you will make with your kids will far outlast our lives on earth.
Also, the value in the story above is not that the car was fixed or that someone received roses. The real value is that someone went well above and beyond to say thanks, to encourage, to bless, to honor and, to put it plainly, to show unreasonable kindness. How has God shown you unreasonable kindness this past week. How can you invest that same kind of kindness in others?
Your thoughts?
Reflect
Ephesians 3:20—“Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (GWT).
Philippians 2:4—“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Remember
“One thing for sure, if you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had help getting there.” (Original source unknown)
Let us invest our lives in others and share the love of Christ. Only in Heaven will we truly understand the impact of it all.
*A Children’ s Leader Devotion, (Lake Forest, CA: Saddleback Church), Week 30.
As far as potatoes go,
There’s one thing you should know,
You don’t want to be a later tater.
You’ve heard of tater tots before,
And the mashed potatoes that I adore,
But have you heard of a later tater?
You’ve heard of a demonstrator,
Maybe a reconciliator,
Perhaps you’ve filled a radiator,
But have you heard of a later tater?
What’s a later tater, you say?
It’s someone who’s late every day.
That’s what we call a later tater.
But I’ll tell you something that’s really fine,
Someone who is always on time.
So please don’t be a later tater.
Punctuality has nothing to do with “punching.” Punctuality means being on time. Someone who is punctual is considerate of other people by arriving when they said they would.
Did you know that Jesus said He is coming back to earth? He never said exactly when He would come again, but you can trust that at the right time, He is coming back. The angels who were with Him when he ascended into heaven after He rose from the dead said, “This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.” (Acts 1:11).
Read Jeremiah 29:11 from your Bible. Then play the Word Search using key words from this verse.
Enjoy this audio session on-the-go…
Read
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the old mule braying in the well and after careful consideration he decided that neither the mule nor the well were worth saving. So he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and he enlisted them to haul some dirt over to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his friends continued shoveling and as the dirt hit the old mule’s back a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt hit his back he would shake it off and step up. This is what he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up. He repeatedly encouraged himself.”
No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept on shaking it off and stepping up. It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well. What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him. All because of his outlook on life.1
Reflect
Every day is a terrible day for a miserable person, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15 GWT)
Proverbs 3:5-6—“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”
Respond
Trusting God changes how a person looks at life. Picture looking through a pair of tinted glasses. If they are tinted yellow, everything you see will be tinted yellow. If they are tinted blue, all you see will be tinted blue. If you look through the eyes of faith, everything you face will be touched and interpreted by that trust in Christ. Question: Do you view situations through eyes of faith and trust in Christ? Trusting God results in joy, peace, and confidence—even in the midst of difficulties, not to mention that you become a giver of a positive outlook for the children to whom you minister. It’s okay to ask your kids to pray for you—to be transparent and let them see how a godly person responds in difficult times. Let’s take a lesson from the old mule today. If you are facing difficulties right now, keep your trust in God and wait and watch as God takes the “bad” and shakes it off to make a platform on which you can step up and give Him glory.
Your thoughts?
1Source of the story is unknown.
You Will Need:
GET STARTED
Set out 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of salt and 1/3 cup of water.
ASK—What do you think we’re going to make? (Modeling Clay.)
SAY—We have all the right ingredients to make exactly what we want. We have a plan. We know what we’re going to make and we’re putting everything we need inside it to make it just right. God has a plan for you too. When God made you, He put inside you everything He wanted for you to be the unique person and special person that He wanted you to be.
Mix these ingredients and let your kids squish the dough in their hands for 5 minutes. While they mix the dough…
Read Jeremiah 29:11 from your Bible.
SAY—God created you special and has great plans for your life.
ASK—How do you think God has made you special?
SAY—Tell your children ways that you see they are special and unique—Everything from their fingerprints to the things they love and the things they do. Nobody who has ever lived is just like them and nobody can exactly do what God has created them to do. They are special!
After the dough is ready, spend some time making Thing-A-Ma-Jiggers (special creations). If you want, even give your creations names, such as a Rabgiraphantoose which would be a creation with a Rabbit head, a giraffe neck, an elephant body, and moose legs. Let your kids make whatever they want however they want.
Introduce your creations…
Then Read John 1:1-3. Tell your kids that “The Word” refers to Jesus.
KEY POINT: God made everything and God made you special.
SAY—Of all God’s creatures great and small, God loves you the most of all.
PRAY—And thank God that He made you and your kids special that He has great plans for all of you. Pray also that your children will always follow Jesus.
