Four Secrets

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 6:1-8

TO CHEW ON: "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say, in a voice like thunder, 'Come!'" Revelation 6:1

If you get a letter in the mail, the untorn envelope and the stuck-tight flap tell you no one has opened the letter.

In Bible times, scroll letters were sealed with clay or wax. This clay or wax had the imprint of the sender’s seal - an impression of his ring or special stamp. This seal told the person who got the letter it was from the person who had stamped it, and it had not been opened. What was inside a letter stayed a mystery until the seal was broken and the letter was opened and read.

As John watched scenes of heaven, he saw the Lamb (Jesus) opening seven seals. Although these seals weren’t on actual letters, they were messages from God, telling John (and us) things that would happen in the future. Read about the first seals John saw. Then fill in the thing that each brought (pick the answer from the words below).


1. Seal 1 (Revelation 6:2)
A ____________ horse whose rider brings _________________.

2. Seal 2 (Revelation 6:3,4)
A ______________ horse whose rider brings ________________.

3. Seal 3 (Revelation 6:5,6)
A _____________ horse whose rider brings _________________.

4. Seal 4 (Revelation 6:7,8)
A ______________ horse whose rider brings _______________.

Death    white    pale
scales = Famine   
Conquest      black    fiery red
power to take away peace = War

War, sickness, not enough to eat (famine, pictured by the scales) and death have happened on earth for a long time. But as Jesus’ return gets closer, we will see more and more of them. We don’t need to be frightened by them. If we see these signs in our time, they tell us Jesus’ return is coming very close.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me not to be frightened by these scary things that will happen, but to see them as signs that Your return is getting closer. Amen.


MORE: Sealed Letter
Send a sealed letter of your own.

• Write a note to a friend.

• Put it in an envelope and lick the flap shut.

• Roll a piece of plasticine or re-usable wall adhesive into a ball

• Squish the ball onto the middle of the flap with your thumb to make a seal.

• Engrave your initials into the seal with the end of a pen.

(Note: Melted wax could also be used to seal the envelope, but MELT THE WAX ONLY WITH AN ADULT’S SUPERVISION.)

ANSWERS

***********
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Unique Invention

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ephesians 2:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Think back through the last 24 hours. What things have you used in that time which someone once had to invent, design and make? For example did you ride a bike, wash with a bar of soap, use a computer, send a text message on a cell phone, load a dishwasher? Make a list.


Just think – not one of the things you listed came into being on its own. Someone had to think of, design and put together each of these things to do their special job..


The same is true about you. You are not only the physical child of your parents but also God’s unique invention. God thought of you, then designed and brought you into the world. You are here to do things no one else can do as well as you can.



Paul tells the Christians at Ephesus about this in his letter called Ephesians. He calls them “God’s workmanship.” He reminds them, and us, that after we invite Jesus into our lives, God has a special job for us. He will make us into the person who can do the good works God planned for us to do before we were ever born.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to do the good things I was created to do. Amen.


MORE: Inventions

1. Find out how some of these things came to be invented:

bicycle    skateboard     skates
computer       video games
compact disks (CDs)    television

2. Invent something of your own using your favorite kind of building toys (Lego™, Meccano™, K’NEX™ etc.).
- What can it do?

- How does it work?

*************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A Clay Jar

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 4:6-12

TO CHEW ON: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

Perfume in a plastic spray bottle or crystal glass?

Which would you choose?
- a book with a torn paper cover or one with a mint-condition hard cover?
- chocolates in a plastic bag or packed in a fancy box?
- perfume in a plastic spray bottle or a crystal glass bottle?
- a gift wrapped in newspaper or one wrapped in tissue and a bag?

No one would be surprised if you chose the second thing in every case. Even in small things, we tend to look at containers and choose the prettiest and richest-looking.

In Paul’s time, clay jars were the plain everyday jars people used in their kitchens. There was nothing special to make people choose them. But they were important in the kitchen because of the water, juice or milk inside them.

God doesn't care whether we're plain or good-looking.

That’s how God looks at us. He doesn’t care whether we’re plain or good-looking, what talents we have, or what family we come from. Instead He puts the treasure of knowing God through Jesus inside us no matter what we look like or where we’ve come from. Then, when what is inside us spills out in glory and power, He gets all the credit.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to know Jesus and become like Him so His good things will flow from my life. Amen.

MORE: Pinch Pot Craft
You can make a simple clay pot of your own.

You will need:
- potter’s clay (can be bought at art stores - or use plasticine or play dough)
- paints and brushes.

What to do:
1. Cut or break off a piece of clay and roll into a 2 to 3-inch ball.

2. Push your thumb into the center of the ball.

3. Using your thumbs and fingers, pinch up the walls of your pot. Turn the pot as you pinch.

4. Pat the bottom of your pot on the table to give it a flat bottom.

5. Let it dry.

6. Paint it. (Unless it is glazed and fired, your finished pot will not be able to hold water).

For step-by-step instructions with pictures, go here.

***************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

What Do You Have?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 4:1-7

TO CHEW ON: "Elisha replied, 'How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?'
'Your servant has nothing there at all,' she said, 'except a small jar of olive oil.'” 2 Kings 4:2

Elisha became a leader among the prophets like Elijah was before him. One day the wife of a prophet who had died came to Elisha with a big problem. “My husband owed a man some money,” she said. “Now that man says if I don’t pay back the debt, he’ll make my sons his slaves.”

“What do you have in your house?” Elisha asked.

“Only a little oil,” the woman replied.

“Here’s what to do,” Elisha said. “Send your boys out to gather oil containers. Collect as many as you can. Then close the door of your house and fill all those containers with the oil you have.”

How would she ever fill even one container with the little bit of oil she had, the woman wondered. Yet she did as Elisha said. After her sons had collected bottles, jugs and jars of all shapes and sizes from the neighborhood, they began to fill them. And an amazing thing happened. The oil never ran out – at least not till the very last container was full.


Excited, she went back to Elisha and told him what had happened.

“Now go sell that oil,” he said to her. “Use the money you get to pay your debt. Keep what’s left over to live on.”

Because the widow did what Elisha told her with the only thing she had, God gave her what she needed, and more.

What do you have? Give it to God and watch him multiply it too!

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to give myself and the things I have to You. Amen.


MORE: A What’s-in-your-house Collage
Make a collage of things you have in your house (no going out and buying supplies allowed).

- What you need:
Collage backing: cardboard cut from cereal boxes, packaging, cardboard boxes etc.
Collage materials: colorful magazine pictures, dried beans, seeds, rice, macaroni, buttons, sequins or glitter, shells etc.
Paste or glue: If you don’t have any in your house, make a paste with flour and water.
Scissors for cutting paper, or use your fingers to tear the paper into the shapes you want.

- What you do:
Arrange and glue materials onto the cardboard backing.
Display your collage in a place where you’ll see it often. Let it remind you that God can use the things you already have.

***********
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Speech Problems

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Proverbs 10:18-21, 31-32

TO CHEW ON: The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. Proverbs 10:32

Solomon wrote many proverbs about speech. He knew that no matter how beautiful a person was, or how much money they had, or what kind of home they lived in, their speech showed what they were really like. It showed whether they were good or bad, righteous or evil, wise or foolish.

All these years later, things haven’t changed. Our speech still shows what is in our hearts and minds. It tells the world around us whether we are wise (have good sense, good judgment and understanding) or foolish (lack good sense, good judgment and understanding).

Below (1-6) are some of Solomon’s proverbs about speech from Proverbs 10. Pick the way you’d say each proverb in today’s language (A to F).

For example, Number 1 (Whoever spreads slander is a fool) would match with C (Hurting someone with lies and gossip is foolish).

1. Whoever spreads slander is a fool.

2. When words are many, sin is not absent.

3. He who holds his tongue is wise.

4. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver.

5. The lips of the righteous nourish many.

6. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting.

****

A. The words of a good person have value.

B. A good person knows the right thing to say.

C. Hurting someone with lies and gossip is foolish.

D. Good words feed your spirit.

E. It’s easy to sin when you talk a lot.

F. It’s wise to keep your mouth shut.

What’s your speech like? Is it helpful and worth listening to? Is it positive and encouraging? Or is it dirty and unhelpful, full of lies and gossip. Do you know when to stop talking or remain silent altogether? Ask God to make you a person of wise speech.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me use my tongue with wisdom. Amen

MORE: Wise Speech Banner

Make a banner about wise speech.

What you need:

-Mural paper cut into a strip 12 x 36 inches, or 3 - 4 sheets of 8½ x 11 inch paper taped together to make one long sheet.

- pencils, crayons, markers, paints

What you do:

1. Choose your favorite proverb about speech. Use the proverbs above or find one among these:

Proverbs 12:18, or 12:22 or 15:1 or 16:24 or 26:20

2. Write the proverb you picked on the banner and decorate it with crayons, markers or paints.

3. Display the banner in your room, or somewhere where you’ll see and read it often.

Answers

************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Praise!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 150:1-6

TO CHEW ON: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." Psalm 150:6

To help the people celebrate, David and other song writers wrote praise psalms. One of them is Psalm 150. We learn many things about praising God from this psalm.

We learn that praise can sound from many places. It can come from a sanctuary or a church. It can also come from nature, like the “mighty heavens,” those beautiful stars, planets, the sun and the moon that God made. Can you think of more places?

The planets Saturn and Jupiter

We learn that we praise God for many reasons. We may praise God for His “acts of power.” These could be miracles that God has done.

People in Bible times would think of things like how God sent plagues on the Egyptians so the Israelites could go free, or dried up the Jordan River so they could cross.

We can praise God for these things too. But we can also praise God for the mighty acts that God has done for people in our time. Perhaps you’ve heard stories of how God has healed people, or helped them escape from dangerous situations, or sent someone to rescue them just in time. Maybe God has done something like that for you. This is a great reason to praise God.

We also praise God for His “surpassing greatness.” This is praise to Him just because of who He is – all knowing, all powerful, all seeing, merciful, just, kind, eternal. When we think of God – how big and amazing He is – we can’t help but praise Him.

This Psalm also helps us learn ways to praise God. We can sing, dance and play musical instruments. Do you praise God like that? The people in Bible times played many instruments.



List the instruments that the writer mentions in Psalm 150:2-4.

1. ______

Have you seen any of those? Circle the ones you know.

Now add to the list instruments that people in your church play to worship God.

Finally, we learn who should praise God. Who? (Psalm 150:6)
2. _______ Does that include you?

PRAYER: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Amen"

MORE: Make a Tambourine
One of the musical instruments in Psalm 150 is a tambourine. Make a tambourine of your own.

What you need:
2 paper plates; crayons or paints, stapler, dried beans

What to do:
1. Decorate the bottom of both paper plates with the crayons or paints.
2. Place one plate, decorated side down, on a work surface.
3. Place the other plate, decorated side up, on top of the first plate.
4. Staple the plates together around the rim, leaving a 4-inch space.
5. Slip a handful of beans into the space between the two plates.
6. Finish stapling the plates together, making sure there are no spaces where beans can escape.

Play your tambourine:
Put on your favorite praise CD and join in the praise with your tambourine.

Answers


*************
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.



Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Ebenezer

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 7:2-13

TO CHEW ON: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.'” 1 Samuel 7:12

God’s predictions for Eli’s family soon came true. The next time the Israelites were losing against the Philistines, someone suggested they bring the ark to the battlefield to help them win. So Eli's his sons brought the ark. But the Philistines beat them anyway. On top of that they killed Eli's sons and took the ark back home with them.

The Philistines didn’t keep it long though. Because wherever they took it, sickness broke out. They soon sent it back to Israel where it was stored in a little town. But even then the Philistines didn’t stop hassling the Israelites. They were as cruel and bossy as ever.

This went on for twenty years. By now Samuel was a grown man. The people began coming to him for advice. “What can we do to defeat these Philistines?” they asked.

1. Here are some things Samuel could have told him. What did he say? (1 Samuel 7:3)
A. Conscript more soldiers and build a bigger army.
B. Do sword practice three hours a day.
C. Get rid of all the idols and serve only God.

After the people took Samuel’s advice, he called them to gather in the town of Mizpah to fast and pray. While everyone was there word got around that the Philistines were coming to attack the town right now! The people were terrified.




2. What did Samuel do then? (1 Samuel 7:7-9)
A. Got the ark.
B. Sacrificed a burnt offering
C. Broke up the prayer meeting and sent the people to war.

3. What happened next? (1 Samuel 7:10-11).
A. Nothing.
B. The Philistines defeated the Israelites again.
C. Thunder threw the Philistines into a panic. The Israelites easily chased and killed them.


4. Why did the Israelites defeat the Philistines this time when they hadn’t so many times before? (1 Samuel 7:12) ___________

5. How did Samuel make sure the people would remember this? (1 Samuel 7:12) _____

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to trust You for help more than any other person or thing. Amen.

SUPERSIZE IT: Your own Ebenezer stone
The stone Samuel set up reminded the people it was God who helped them defeat the Philistines.


You could make your own Ebenezer stone.
1. Find a smooth stone about the size of a baseball.
2. Think of a time God helped you with something.
3. With felt marker write that thing and the date, on the stone.
4. Put your Ebenezer stone in a place where it can remind you that God helped you in the past – and can do it again.

Answers

**********
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's.