The LORD is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock—I take refuge in him!—he’s my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety” (Psalm 18:2).
This past week we had the opportunity to remember a very dark day in the history of our country. Our future is unsure and God only promises us today. The best part of course is our future. The control of the future is in our hands, how we spend each day is up to us. The future allows us the opportunity to share God’s plan for everyone. I am so blessed to be a part of God’s future.
TEACHABLE MOMENT: Unseen Presence
Fill a bowl with small beads or pebbles, mixed with about 25 paper clips. Set the bowl on a table, and blindfold one family member. Give that “seeker” 30 seconds to find as many paper clips as possible. After each person has a turn, count how many paper clips you found.
Ask: How easy or difficult was it to find the paper clips? What made it easy? What made it difficult? Read aloud Hebrews 11:1. Say: Just as we hunted for something we couldn’t see or feel, God asks us to believe in things we can’t see or feel.
Ask: How can you be sure you’re believing in something real if you can’t see or feel it? How do you know that Jesus and the Bible are really true?
Say: The paper clips were here all the time, and Jesus is here all the time, too. We can believe in Jesus even though we don’t always see or feel what we’re believing in. Close in prayer, asking Jesus to strengthen your faith in him.
QUICK STATS:
Hand It Over! Almost half of children (47%) say they’d confiscate a parent’s smartphone if they could. (lifeway.com)
Start Talking Four out of 10 American adults say they rarely or never talk about religion, even with their own families. (pewresearch.org)
Opportunity Costs Each year that a parent opts to stay home with a child, away from the workforce, can eventually cost a family more than three times a parent’s annual salary. (bloombergnews)
PRECIOUS GIFT OF TIME, An Illustration to demonstrate how quickly time passes.
TOPICS: Accountability, Choices, Godliness, Pleasing God
MATERIALS: 75 coins Clear plastic sandwich bag
DURATION: Approximately 10 minutes
PREPARATION: Before class obtain 75 coins and place them into the clear plastic sandwich bag.
WHAT YOU WILL SAY:
(Show the bag of coins to the children) Guess how many coins are in this bag. (If no one guesses the correct number, tell the students that the bag contains 75 coins.)
These coins have some monetary value, but today we are going to use the coins to illustrate the passage of time.
An average person, in moderately good health, can normally live to be at least 75 years old. Many people can live quite a bit longer than this, but we will use 75 years as an average life span.
For each year we live, we will take one coin out of the bag. There are a limited number of coins in this bag, just as we will have a limited amount of time here on earth. None of us know exactly how long we will remain in our earthly bodies. During our time here on Earth we can choose to use the time we have to follow God and lead lives that are pleasing to God or we can choose to lead lives that sadden God.
Our earthly life will last a short time, whereas our spiritual life will last for eternity. Eternity is forever and without end. We could fill this room from top to bottom with bags containing 75 coins and this would not represent even a dot on the timeline of eternity. We could fill this entire building with bags containing 75 coins and this would still not represent even a dot on the timeline of eternity.
(Read 1 Peter 1:23-25.) Yes, our earthly lives are like blades of grass here today and gone tomorrow.
We can be wise and use the years that we have here on earth to live a life that is pleasing to God and store for ourselves treasure in Heaven that will last forever. (Read Matthew 6:19-20) Or, lead our lives selfishly and reject God; only to spend eternity separated from Him. (Read Matthew 7:22-23)
How you spend the years God has given you is up to you, but it would be foolish to misuse our time here on Earth. We do not want to be separated from God for eternity.
Calendar Updates: Please join us at one of these events.
September 30-Oct2 North Area Adventurer Camp Out @ Camp Kulaqua
October 15 Creative Ministry Workshop Cooper City SDA Church
October 21-23 Couples Retreat @ Camp Kulaqua
November 5 Creative Ministry Workshop @ North Miami SDA Church
November 18-20 Blaze @ Lake Yale Baptist Convention Center
This coming week is the Southern Union Constituency Meeting in Atlanta. Please keep us who are travelling in your prayers. Also the decisions that will be made need to be prayerfully considered.
On that note: I will be out of the office from September 18 thru October 2. I will be back in the office October 3. I am always available by email or my cell phone and will answer as soon as possible.
Keeping you in my prayers too.