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 Day 3: My Part!Because GOD IS HOLY (Perfect and Clean), He is able to make my dirty heart clean. I want Him to help me keep it that way!
Read or quote the memory verse. NOTE: Have a flashlight and a pillow or board handy for this lesson. Have you ever done something wrong and then hoped no one would find out? (PARENTS/MENTORS: Share a story from your childhood and how it affected your relationship). Read John 8:12. Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."Discover God Bible, (NLT).
Yesterday, we talked about what happens to our sins when we accept Jesus' payment for our sins. Do you remember what happens? (They are washed away and God doesn't remember them again.) Do you know what happens when we sin after we accept Jesus into our lives? (Those sins are paid for too.) However, they become a problem in our relationship with God. Let's have some fun and see what this might be like.  NOTE: Pull out the flashlight and put someone in charge of the light switch. Turn out the lights and turn on the flashlight.
If we pretend that Jesus is the light from the flashlight, and the pillow or board is our sin, what happens to the light when we sin? (Block the light with the pillow or board.) What do we need to do to make sure the light is shining bright? Take away the "block." Our sin blocks Jesus' light in our lives. To take away the block, we must confess our sins and follow Jesus. Confession is simple but not always easy.
Read 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.Discover God Bible, (NLT).
Isn't that a great promise? There's one more important step. Let God know you will do your best not to do the sin again. This is called "repentance." But guess what? God doesn't expect you to do it alone! He promises to help you. God sent His Holy Spirit to help us if we will ask! (It might be helpful at this point to see "Four Fantastic Facts") Tomorrow, we're going to talk about God's Secret Weapon for helping us. NOTE TO PARENTS AND MENTORS:
A Tool for Your Tool Box
Our new life can be a hard concept for children to get their heads around. We are made perfect when we accept Jesus and yet we still sin. God forgets all our sins and yet our sins still affect our relationship with Him. If your children are wrestling with these concepts, here is another analogy that might help: Gather around a computer (or any electric appliance). Ask the children to identify what they are looking at. Turn the computer on and go to their favorite web site or show some favorite pictures you have on the computer... anything to demonstrate the power of the computer or the appliance. Now turn it off and unplug it. With it unplugged, ask your children to push the power button. Nothing happens. What is the problem? (There's no power.) Is it still a computer? (Obviously it is still a computer. It's simply a computer without power.) When we accept Jesus' payment for our sins, we are made perfect and nothing will change that. But when we sin, we unplug from a close relationship with God and the power He gives us. Just like the computer is still a computer even when it's unplugged, we are still forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice for our sins even when we sin, but because we're "unplugged" from our relationship with God, we have no power to live the great life He has planned for us.
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| A | Activity … Family Fun Activities! |
| B | Bible Times … Exploring God's Word together |
| I | Influencing Others … how can you make a difference? |
| D | Drawing/Drama … exploring your creative side! |
| E | Experience … finding the teachable moments |
Why does it matter?
Talk with God and Stay Connected