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Don't Say It if You Don't Mean It

Read or tell the following story to your kids:

Evan dreaded getting home because he knew he was in trouble. His teacher caught him cheating on his homework and gave him a zero, then told him that she was going to call his mom. He had forgotten to do his math homework, so he quickly copied his friend, Thad's paper right before class. This wasn't the first time he had cheated, but it was the first time he got caught. You see Evan had a bad habit of putting things off and he ofter "forgot" to do his homework. And he always talked someone into letting him copy their paper. "After all," he though, "it's just homework. It's not like I'm cheating on a test."

"Put your things away," his mom said. "We need to have a talk."

Evan could tell she had talked to the teacher and wasn't happy. "I'm sorry, Mom. I just forgot to do that math homework an dI knew I couldn't get a bad grade, so I copied Thad's paper," Evan explained.

"You know that's wrong. You're going to have to be punished - no TV or video games for two weeks. That way, you'll have plenty of time to do your homework. Now go to your room and get started on your homework," his mom ordered.

Evan turned to walk away and thought to himself, "I'll have to be more care next time."

Ask:

What is wrong with Evan's attitude? ( He's not really sorry, he's just sorry he got caught)

What is true repentance? (sorry that you have sinned against God and a willingness to stop that sin)

God wants true repentance!

tags: Repentance

God's Warnings for Us

As you are driving over railroad tracks, discuss the red blinking lights and the barrier bars that come down to prevent people from getting hurt.

Ask:

Why do the red lights blilnk and the barrier bars come down? (to signal that a train is coming)

Why do they put these here? (to warn us and to prevent us from getting hit by a train)

God gives warnings to stay away from sin (the wrong things we do) in the Bible. It is important to listen to and obey the warnings.

Try to name some warning from the Bible. ( Do not steal, Do not lie, Do not covet. Have no other gods, etc)

tags: Repentance

Stop! Drop! Obey?

Students (using the CLEAR curriculum) are hearing about the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. These books are full of warnings - warnings that apply to us and our kids. The problem is that they wouldn't always listen or obey. (Sound familiar!)

Make the smoke detector alarm go off when everyone is present in the house. (I'm not sure how to do that, but when I turn my oven to 450, unfortunately mine goes off. Maybe I need to clean my oven!)

When everyone has gathered, tell them that was a warning. The smoke detector warns that there is smoke or a fire in the house.

Ask:

What should you do when the alarm goes off? (get out of the house as quickly as possible)

Why is a warning a good thing? (it gives you a chance to escape danger)

Does God give any warnings? (The Bible is full of God's warnings - the Ten Commandments are a good place to start.)

Why does God give warnings? (to protect and help us to know the best way to live)

God does not want anyone to go the wrong way toward sin. That's why the Bible gives warnings, so you can turn from sin and go God's way. There should be a big sign in front of sin that says, "Danger!"

tags: Repentance

Stop! Drop! Obey?

Make the smoke detector alarm go off when everyone is present in the house. (I'm not sure how to do that, but when I turn my oven to 450, unfortunately mine goes off. Maybe I need to clean my oven!)

When everyone has gathered, tell them that was a warning. The smoke detector warns that there is smoke or a fire in the house.

Ask:

What should you do when the alarm goes off? (get out of the house as quickly as possible)

Why is a warning a good thing? (it gives you a chance to escape danger)

Does God give any warnings? (The Bible is full of God's warnings - the Ten Commandments are a good place to start.)

Why does God give warnings? (to protect and help us to know the best way to live)

tags: Repentance

The Difference Between Saying Sorry and Being Sorry

Read or tell the following story to your kids:

Ethan waited until his little sister, Anna, was almost past the bathroom door, then he jumped out and scared her. Anna ran crying to her mom who then yelled, "Ethan, come here now!"

Ethan walked into the den where his mom and Anna were. "Why do you keep scaring your little sister?" his mom asked. "I've had enough of this! You stop this immediately," she ordered. Ethan felt bad, just a little, that he had made his sister cry, but mostly he felt sorry that he got yelled at by his mom.

Days went by until Ethan saw his sister playing outside by the garage. That was when he had the idea. He grabbed his fake spider (that looked real) and quietly sneaked up behind her and tossed the spider into her lap. Anna screamed at the top of her lungs and ran inside. It was only seconds until Ethan heard, "Ethan Andrew, get in here right now."

Ask:
Do you think Ethan was really sorry for what he did?

There is a difference between being sorry that you got caught and sorry that you did wrong. Being repentant means you are sorry you did wrong and you are willing to change. If you are really repentant, you won't keep doing the sin over and over.

tags: Repentance

"Which way should we go?"

Take a walk with your child. Every time you come to a turn, ask the child, "Which way should we go?" and follow his suggestion.

As you walk, tell your child that he has many choices—he can follow God's way and do what is right or he can choose to go his own way and sin. Tell him that even though he tries really hard, he will never choose to do the right thing all the time. All people sin and go their own way (Isaiah 53:6). When we realize we've sinned, we must ask Jesus to forgive us and start doing the right thing again. God is kind and wants to forgive our sins.

Students who are using the D6 curriculum were taught about two people—Judas and Peter—who made wrong choices and betrayed Jesus. Judas realized he was wrong about Jesus and tried to give the money back to the authorities, but they would not take it back. Then he hanged himself. Peter, on the other hand, who had denied even knowing Jesus, repented and asked Jesus for forgiveness. Peter then continued to follow Jesus and to lead others to know Him.

Ask your kids:
What is repentance? (Repentance means to change one's mind about sin, to be sorry, and to go the other way.)

tags: Repentance

Erasing Sin

Items needed: white board and eraser (or a magna-doodle or even one of those cheap paper blackboards with the plastic sheet on top when lifted erases what you write)

Ask the kids to name sins other kids do. (Lying, stealing, talking back, disobeying, fighting, hating, etc.) Write some of these on the board.

Read 1 John 1:9 (If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to clean us from all unrighteousness.)

Erase the words or lift the page to show that God cleans away our sin. God is glad to forgive our sin when we ask Him. To keep doing the sin makes God sad. He loves us and wants us to do what is right.

tags: Repentance