God's Workman

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Timothy 2:1-7, 15

TO CHEW ON: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Would it be possible to be a bank teller without knowing how to do math and use a computer? Could you be a gardener without knowing about plants. What about being a doctor without knowing about the human body, diseases, and medicines?
To do a job well, you have to learn about your job or business.


Once someone is trained to do a job, they have to be willing to do the hard things in their job.

• If a person is an athlete, she has to keep her body fit and play by the rules of the sport.
• If a person is a nurse, he has to be prepared to work with sick people, give needles, and sometimes work the night shift.
  
• Someone who is a teacher has to be willing to prepare lessons and mark homework.

Being a worker for Jesus means training and hard work too. And no matter what other jobs we do, if we are Jesus’ followers, we are His workers as well. Which things below might be training for this job? Can you think of more?

1. Memorize Bible verses.
2. Spend a lot of time shopping at the mall.
3. Help out in Sunday School.
4. Work on the committee of your youth group.
5. Watch TV every chance you get.
6. Have a time every day when you read your Bible and pray.
7. Learn how to introduce someone to Jesus.
8.
9.



PRAYER: Dear God, please help me be a good worker for You, so when I see You, I will not be ashamed. Amen.

MORE: Your Dream Job
- What job would you like to do someday?

- What training do you need for this job?

- What would a day of work be like for a person in this job? (If you don’t know, how could you find out?)


ANSWERS

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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.

Your Best

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ephesians 6:6-9

TO CHEW ON:"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does." Ephesians 6:7,9

“No TV until your room is clean,” Mom announces one Saturday morning.


Your room is a total mess. After you spend a few minutes trying to tidy it, you know it’s hopeless. So you take everything that’s cluttering up your floor and desk, and either slip it under the bed or pile it in the closet. Once you’ve closed the closet door and made your bed, your room looks great. Everyone is impressed - until Mom inspects it. In no time you’re back in your room and hard at work!

Though we may sometimes get away with doing a half-hearted job for people, we can never fool God. He sees our attitude and knows if we’ve really done our best.

When we do our best, we may not get compliments and thanks from people. But God sees and someday He’ll reward us for jobs well done. Knowing He is watching is the best reason to do our best in everything.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to do everything for Your praise and to hear Your “Thank you”. Amen.



MORE: Hidden Jobs
There are many jobs which aren’t public and which don’t get people’s public thanks or praise. Match behind-the-scenes workers with the people or group of people they will help.



WORKERS
1. Person stocking shelves ____
2. Air traffic controller ____
3. Janitor ____
4. Cook ____
5. Factory seamstress ____
6. 9-1-1 Dispatcher ____

WHO THEY HELP
a. people going out to eat at a restaurant or cafeteria
b. shoppers
c. ambulance and police drivers, people in an accident
d. school students, office workers, hospital patients
e. pilots and people who need to fly somewhere
f. people who buy clothes

ANSWERS

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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.

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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.

Seen or Unseen?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Romans 12:1-8


TO CHEW ON: "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:4,5

Think of all the parts of your body needed for you to do common things like seeing, hearing, smelling, walking, talking. Take smelling for example.

• To smell something you need your heart and lungs to be working and your blood to be pumping so you can breathe.

• When the air enters your nose you need the smell sensors deep inside to pick up the smell molecules from the air.

• Those sensors send the message down nerve pathways from your nose to your brain.

• When the smell message gets to your brain , your brain has to figure out what you’re smelling.

• Then you need more nerve pathways to send messages to your legs and arms, to tell them if you should run away because your house is on fire, or to come for dinner because you’re smelling food cooking.

It’s a good thing the hidden-away parts of our bodies, like our hearts and lungs, don’t get jealous of our public parts, like our nose and feet, and decide to quit working because nobody is noticing them.


Each person who is a Christian is part of Jesus’ body on earth, the church. Our bodies need many parts working together to get a job done, and so does the church. If you are doing a small, hidden job for Jesus, don’t feel you’re unimportant. You are as necessary as someone who sings solos or has the main part in the play.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to be willing to serve You in hidden or public ways. Amen.



MORE: Gifts
In Romans 12:6-8 Paul tells us God gives people different abilities and strengths, called "gifts," to help them serve in Christ’s body.

Can you find the seven gifts Paul mentions?

1. _______________   2. ______________
3. _______________   4. ________________
5. _______________   6. ______________
7. _______________

What do you think your gift is?

ANSWERS

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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.

Washing Feet

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 13:4-17


TO CHEW ON: “Now that I your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)

Imagine walking barefoot in sandals along the hot dusty roads of Palestine. Are you thinking dusty, sweaty, grimy feet? When people arrived at someone’s house after such a journey, they wouldn’t walk all over the clean floors with their dusty feet. Instead a servant would be at the door, ready to wash the guests’ dirty feet.

When Jesus and His disciples gathered in an upstairs room to eat the Passover meal, there was no servant there to do this job. Then while the disciples were eating (with dirty feet) an unusual thing happened. The most important person in the room, the leader and teacher, Jesus, took off His outer coat. He wrapped a towel around His waist, poured water into a basin and, one by one, washed His disciples’ feet.

"Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet" - Artist unknown

After that, He told them they should wash one another’s feet, like He had washed their feet.

"Jesus Teaches Humility" - Artist unknown

What do you think He meant by this? With which statements do you agree?

1. ____ We should regularly take off our shoes and socks and wash each other’s feet.
2. ____ Only leaders are expected to do lowly jobs.
3. ____ We should be willing to serve each other, even in the lowliest way.

Whether we literally wash each others feet or not, I’m sure that one of the lessons Jesus was trying to teach was number 3.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to follow Your example and serve others. Amen.




MORE: How to “Wash Feet”
1) Think of a way you can serve or “wash feet” (be willing to serve – even in a lowly way) of:

• a parent:

• a friend:

• a team member:

• a grandparent:

• a younger brother or sister:

• an older brother or sister:

• a teacher:

2) Choose one of those things and do it today.


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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.