What Does God Say About True Treasures?

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Modern-day treasure seekers think they have found the ship and sunken treasure of Captain Kidd, a famous pirate who sailed the high seas in the late 1600s. They think his ship got off course and sank off the coast of Madagascar near East Africa, and they hope to find gold when they explore it!

Sometimes we are looking for treasures, too, like a better bike, a new doll, a new car or a new house. But these aren’t true treasures. To discover true treasure, we need to set a course for God’s Word and start exploring!

Jesus is saying that a happy life doesn’t depend on the things we have. The true treasures that make us happy come from loving Jesus and loving others.

How can you find true treasure? Here are a few ideas!

• Make and give a gift to a friend.

• Share your things with someone who doesn’t have as much as you.

Dear Lord, thank You for all the good gifts You have provided for us and our family. Help us take care of them and know how to help others who have less. Thank You for teaching us about true treasures, like You, my family, friends and Your creation. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What Does God Say About Serving?

Mark 10:43-45 (ESV)

43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Do you run to get "first dibs" on the front seat of the car when piling in for carpool? How does it feel to be first in line when you are hot and thirsty? Jesus had some curious things to say about first and last.

In the Bible, two brothers asked Jesus for a big favor. They wanted special seats, one on the right and one on the left of Jesus’ throne after He was anointed King! They said, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory” (Mark 10:37).

The other disciples heard about it, and they were mad. Maybe they wanted the best seats, too! Jesus decided to gather them all together to talk about it. How did He answer them?

In God's kingdom, the servant is the greatest.

How does Jesus want you to serve others? Here are some ideas!

Rake leaves for elderly neighbors or help them with trash.

In the lunch line, let others go ahead of you instead of wanting to be first.

Help a coworker with their backpack.

Do one of your chores before you are reminded.

Take out all the garbage in the house.

Dear Lord, thank You for teaching us how to serve. Help us forget about me and to start thinking about others. Thank You for the ways our family, teachers and leaders in our church show us how to be a servant-leader too. Help us to encourage others to be great leaders. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What Does God Say About Special Needs?

2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Are there kids in your school or church who are not able to catch a ball or run like the rest of the kids because they have special needs?

Is that kid you or someone in your family? God cares about ALL kids and gives us some good stories in the Bible to remind us to care for others!

In the Bible there was a boy named Mephibosheth (Meh-FIB-O-sheth) who had twisted feet because he had an accident when he was 5 years old. His daddy's name was Jonathan, who happened to be King David's best friend growing up. After Jonathan died in a battle, King David cared for Mephibosheth in a very special way. We can read all about it in 2 Samuel 9:1-13 to learn more.

Why was King David so kind to Mephibosheth?

In what ways did King David show him kindness?

We need to Dare to Care!

Sometimes people who have special needs look or act differently than others. Maybe they are lonely. Can you dare to be kind to those who need a friend? Maybe you can play a game with them, talk to them, or send a card.

Take a minute today to pray for a family with a special needs family member.

Dear Lord, thank You for loving everyone. We pray for those with special needs and might be really lonely today. Help us remember how You love those with special needs. Show us how You want us to “dare to care” for them. Thank You for showing us how to love and care for those who live right here and all around the world. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What Does God Say About Guarding Your Body?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Did you know your body is a holy temple? How can you guard and honor that holy place?

Mark 12:30 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Love the Lord with all your heart. Guard your feelings.

Ask God to help you love the people who annoy you or hurt your feelings.

Love the Lord with all your soul. Honor your time with God.

Read your Bible and think about what God says. Take time to pray every day.

Love the Lord with all your mind. Guard your brain and what you think about.

How can you solve problems, do your best where you are, and be a great leader?

Love the Lord with all your strength. Protect your body and be careful what you eat.

What foods and exercises make you strong and healthy? Try running around your home three times in a row. Touch your toes 20 times. Do 20 sit-ups. These are ways to build a “temple” that will serve God for a long time.

Dear Lord, thank You for giving us our wonderful body. Help us to act like our body belongs to You. Show us how to be the best temple we can be for You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What Does God Say About Guidance?

Psalm 24:4-5 (ESV)

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

    who does not lift up his soul to what is false

    and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord

    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Pretend you are in the following situations. How could a guide help you?

You get separated from your group during a hike through the Smokies.

You are visually impaired and you need to cross a street.

You are camping and it's your turn to build the campfire.

Who in your life shows you God's ways (vs. 4)? Write names of family members, teachers, or others who show God's guidance to you.

What can you read to teach you God's truths (vs. 5)? What favorite story in the Bible guides you to learn God's truths?

How can you hope in Jesus to be your Guide every day (vs. 5)? Think about where Jesus can guide you.

Dear Lord, we are glad You are our great Guide and we can count on You every day to help us make good choices. Please help us to hear Your voice, listen to Your guidance and to keep our eyes on You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What Does God Say About Teamwork?

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV)

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 

Bees fly about 55,000 miles to make just one pound of honey. That’s more than two times around the world! God created these amazing insects to be great at teamwork. As many as 80,000 bees live in a hive, and a hive can produce more than 80 pounds of honey each year. That’s a lot of honey.

The incredible part is that each individual bee makes only 1½ teaspoons of honey during its entire lifetime. But bees can make a lot of honey because they work together! Teamwork also allows people to do more together than they could on their own.

A wise king named Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”

Think about the different kid of teams out there, for example sports teams or medical teams.

How do the members of this team work together?

Why is every member important?

What might happen if one or more members of the team were missing?

One of the most important teams is God’s team of believers, called the Body of Christ. What might happen if one or more members were missing?

God created us (and bees) to work together and support one another. When we do, the results are sweet!

Dear Lord, thank you for creating us to be part of a team. Thank You for giving us teammates in those around us. We pray that You would help us work together with others to do all You have for us to do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

What Does God Say About Creativity?

Psalm 139:14 (ESV)

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

  

Psalm 139:14 shares a beautiful truth about how creative God is. He has made us to be creative too!

The psalmist is talking about how much he loves God: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

God wants each of us to use our unique creativity to praise Him! Playing music is one way we can show God how much we love Him. This is what David did. You can learn about his life in many books of the Bible. He was the shepherd boy who killed Goliath the giant and grew up to become king of Israel.

David was also a talented musician. He played the lyre (a small harp) and wrote many songs to God. You can read them in the Psalms. Before David became king, King Saul brought David to his palace to play for him to help him relax.

How might God want to use the special creative gifts and talents He’s given you to praise Him and help others?

Even if you don’t sing or play a musical instrument, there are many other ways to praise God through your creativity. Write down or draw a few ideas on a piece of paper.

Dear Lord, thank You for making us creative! Help us think of ways to use our creativity to serve You and others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.