Kidzone 14.
Story - Honouring your parents.
The Apostle Paul wrote about the fifth of God's Ten Commandments. He said "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother - which is the first Commandment with a promise - that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." (Ephesians 6 v. 1). Honouring your parents means respecting them, treating them well, and never speaking nastily to them or about them. If we do this then God promises that "things will go well for us."
There was once a young man who, from the time he was just a young boy, had his heart set on joining the Navy. His plan was to join the Navy at the earliest opportunity and, he thought, if he worked hard he might even become a ship's Captain one day and be in Command of his own boat.
As soon as he was old enough this young man signed up to join the Navy, and was looking forward to setting out to sea. Just before he was due to set out, his mother came to him saying that she thought he was making a mistake in joining the Navy, she just didn't feel 'right' about it, and asked him to reconsider.
What would you have done in that young man's situation? I think most of us would have said something like "This is my life. I am old enough to make my own decisions, and this is really what I want to do." But this young man went to the Navel authorities and explained that he couldn't dishonour his mother's wishes by joining the Navy.
That young man never went to sea, and he never became Captain of his own boat. But he did become the Commanding Officer of the whole Navy! In fact, he became President of his country. His name? - George Washington.
Would George Washington have still become the first American President if he had disregarded his mother's wishes? We will never know for sure, but I doubt it. And as he kept God's Commandment to honour his parents, he proved God's promise that "all would go well for him."
Illusion - R U E ?
When talking about His return to earth, Jesus explained that the actual date of His return was not important, what really matters is "Are you ready?"
Write out on a card the letters R U E ? (ensure that the "E" is in red). Ask your friends "What does this say? That's right R U E. But what is the colour of the "E"? That's right - red. Now, read the card again, but this time say the colour of the letter "E". That's right R U red E. Now, keep on saying it, faster and faster _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You've got it. It says "ARE YOU READY?" The important question is "Are you ready for when Jesus returns? Are you really trusting in Him?"
Your Questions Answered - When is Jesus coming back to earth?
Jesus' Disciples once asked Him this very question. His reply was very interesting. He stated that only Father God knew the answer to that. This response reminds us that athough Jesus was still God, He left behind some of His Godly qualities - such as knowing everything, and being everywhere all at the same time - when He left heaven to come to earth.
However, Jesus did then on to give us a clue. He said that just before His return (sometimes called His 'second coming') to set up His everlasting Kingdom on earth, conditions here would be very much like they were in the days of Noah. What was it like then in the days of Noah? Well, people were very wicked. They had forgotten about God and His eternal laws, and just did whatever they wanted so that the earth became "full of violence."
Most people would agree that the earth today is becoming more and more like it was in the days of Noah. Each year it seems to get worse with more wars, more violence, more murders, more greed etc. Therefore many Christians believe that the return of Jesus to earth cannot be too far away.
Having given His Disciples this clue, Jesus basically told them that they were really asking the wrong question. He went on to tell them that the really important question in life was not when He was returning to earth, but were they really ready for His return? In other words, are we really trusting in Jesus? Do we really know Jesus as our personal Saviour? If the answer is "Yes" then we are ready for His return, and should be hoping that He comes very soon.
Laugh break - Still more of George's favourite jokes.
1.What dog keeps the best time? - A watch dog.
2. What is the largest type of ant? - An Elephant.
3. What runs round a garden without ever moving? - A fence.
4. Where do wasps live? - Stingapore.
5. How do computers eat? - In megabites.
6. What do you do with criminal sheep? - Put them behind Baas.
7. What do frogs drink? - Croka Crola.
8. What can run but cannot walk? - A tap.
9. Where do you go to find out how much a pie weighs? - Over the rainbow. (Somewhere over the rainbow weigh a pie).
10. Name two days of the week beginning with the letter T? - Today and Tomorrow.
