Waiting on God's Promises

Kindergarten Belief Builder: 

God wants us to believe that He will keep His promises.

Bible Story:

Son of Laughter, p56 in The Jesus Storybook Bible

In the REAL Bible: 

Genesis 15: 1-6; 18:1-15; 21:1-8; Hebrews 11:11-12; Matthew 1:17 
The link will take you to those passages in the New Life Version, 
an easy-to-read yet accurate translation.

Truth about God: 

God has a plan to rescue us from sin.

Take Home Verse: Hebrews 11:1

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

This story is about Abraham and Sarah and the miracle birth of Isaac. Not a story you would expect to end with Matthew, but it does! That's the beauty of this particular Bible storybook; every story points to Jesus. So after we read the amazing story of how God enabled two REALLY old people to have a baby boy, we talked about the even more amazing baby who came many, many years later: Jesus. In fact, if you do a little math, you will discover in Matthew 1:17 that there were 42!! generations between Abraham and Jesus.

The point of both of these stories is this: Sometimes God's plans take a LONG, LONG time. But that doesn't mean He has forgotten about us or decided not to keep His promise. God's words are true and His promises are sure. So while we wait, God wants us to keep believing. That's why we played a game based on Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see." (We had SO much fun! We played stick-the-leaf-on-God's-family-tree.)

By the way, I think the storybook missed this key point, as often happens when a Bible story is abbreviated for a child's attention span. So I let the kids know that their book did not match the real Bible. For one, the book made it seem like there were only nine months between God's promise to Abraham and the birth of Isaac. In reality, it went like this:

• God promised to make Abram's descendants as numerous as the stars, Abram believed God, and God counted it as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6)
• Abram slept with Hagar, who gave birth to Ishmael. (Gen. 16:1-4)
• When Ishmael was 13, God commanded Abraham, age 99, to circumcise every male in his household and reconfirmed His promise that Sarah would bear him a son. (Gen. 17:1-27)
• Three angels came to tell Abraham and Sarah that next year Sarah, age 90, would give birth to a son. (Genesis 18:10)

Why does this matter? Because, God's plans often take a LONG time to work out. Kids should be warned that the waiting will test our faith. They should also be encouraged that even when we lose faith and try to make our own plan, God still keeps His promises. It's like Pastor Ryan said in his sermon "Follow", "God wants us to follow absolutely, not perfectly." We need to teach children that these people in the Bible were just people like us, and yet God still used them in His plan to rescue the world from sin, sadness and death.

I also didn't like that the story made Sarah out to look like an unbeliever. Yes, Sarah laughed, but according to Hebrews 11:11, she later “received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” I pointed this out to the children so they would know that not everyone believes right away, but that doesn't mean they never will.

You know, at one point in my life when I had lost faith in God, I read that verse about Sarah in a tiny, green Gideon's Bible. Having been saved and baptized as a very young child, I asked myself why I ever thought God was faithful. After all, I felt like I had a long list of the ways He had failed me. For a long time, I couldn't come up with anything. But then, I remembered a time when I was nine when I truly saw God work in a miraculous way. After that, one incident after another flooded my memory, and I could once again believe that God really is faithful. I also saw that it was me, or other Christians in my life, who had been unfaithful to God and made a mess of my life.

I share this because, as parents, we will often feel the pressure to know where our children are at spiritually. Does she believe? Is he saved? Should they be baptized? Was it real? As Sunday's sermon pointed out, the truth of these matters is not seen in any single declaration of faith but in a pattern of choices to take God at His word and DO what He says, even–and especially–when we don't like it.

Yesterday, my 11-year-old son told me that it was annoying that every time he had a problem, I turned it back to God. Really, he just wanted help from me, his mom. I paused and said, "That's fair. That's what I do." After a moment, he grumbled, "And it's always true. God does relate to everything. It's just annoying." If I didn't know better, I might consider this a set back in my child's spiritual development. But really, this is exactly what must happen. He must choose to follow Jesus, not me.

One day, all of our children must decide not whether they like church or the stories in the Bible, but if they believe that God can actually lead them PERSONALLY, and whether they are then willing to GO where God leads. But in Kindergarten, when children are just starting their spiritual journeys, we must teach them HOW God leads His people. He does this through His Word. Literally. Personally. Daily. So, whatever you do with your kids, do this: read the Word with them, and then SHOW them what it looks like to believe and obey it. And when you fail, show them what it looks like to repent, accept God's grace and trust His power as you try again.

Learning to Pray: Selflessly

Lesson 4: It's Not About Me

I had the strangest thought today as I was thinking about how to express the heart of what we taught your kids last Sunday: we taught them how to pray FOR God.

For me, praying for God is a foreign concept, even though I do it all the time with other people. In fact, I can honestly say I have never asked God, "How can I pray for you?" And yet, that is exactly what Jesus taught us when He told us to pray, "hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." He gave us God's prayer request list.

Now, of course, God doesn't NEED anything from us. But He does WANT something. More specifically, He wants US to want something. Simply put, He wants us to want what He wants.

Okay, perhaps that's not so simple. Maybe this example from my life will help clarify. One day, one of my children was out riding bikes with a couple of the neighborhood kids who really need to experience God's love personally. Our family has made it a point to show them God's love in whatever way God makes available. On this day, one of the kids didn't have a bike and wanted to borrow one. So my husband asked my other child, who was inside with me not using a bike, to loan out the unused bike. Our child refused. So the bike sat, unused, while that selfish child kept on snuggling up to me inside the house.

To be honest, I was undone. My heart was just sick. And not just because the neighborhood child went without a bike. I wasn't really concerned about that at all because I knew my husband would help the kids take turns. In fact, if I had been upset about the bike, I would have just over-ridden my child and loaned out the bike. After all, I bought it and technically it is MY BIKE.


No, it was not about the bike. It was not about the sharing, either. I was confident that in time my child would learn to share more easily. In fact, if it had been about sharing, I may have encouraged my child to share the bike. But it wasn't just that my child wouldn't share the bike. 


What really undid me was WHO my child wouldn't share with. My child had missed the fact that these kids were in the middle of a terrible family crisis, missed how desperately they needed to experience the love of the Father, missed that our family was greatly blessed and therefore willing to make sacrifices to show love to them. It was obvious that my child had not understood AT ALL what our family had been all about for the past few months.


It was a very sad and lonely feeling. And I think sometimes God feels the same way about His kids.


I think that may be part of why Jesus taught us to pray, "hallowed be your name." A more fleshed out version of this idea is found in your child's memory verse for this week, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" (Psalm 115:1)


People only see God's love and faithfulness when His children allow God's name, not ours, to be of highest importance. Jesus knows that when we are busy putting ourselves first, we cannot see the people all around us who our Father so desperately wants to reach with His love. We forget the sacrifices that the family of God has made to bring it to them, from the prophets to the apostles to the people who first brought it to us. We forget that it is not right to just want to snuggle up to our daddy inside the family house, ignoring the needs of others.


After a week of planning with the pastoral team, I want to encourage you that our church leadership is truly dedicated to asking God how Creekside can be a part of the answer to His prayer requests:

• hallowed by YOUR name,
• YOUR kingdom come,
• YOUR will be done.

And all God's children said, "Amen!"

Learning to Pray: Teachably

LESSON 3: FATHER KNOWS BEST

You know, when I was teaching last week I thought, "This may be one of the most important lessons of the summer for these kids." Little did I know, my Heavenly Father was thinking the same of me. And, boy, was I surprised how much faith it took to practice what I preached!

You see, our lesson was on God' right to answer our prayers in the way that pleases Him, not us. In fact, your child's memory verse for the week is from Psalm 115:3, "Our God is in Heaven; He does whatever pleases Him." A scary thought until we remember that what pleases Him is to work all things together for good for those who love Him! 

And yet, sometimes we think something is good when it isn't. And when we get a "no," we say that God did not answer our prayer. Now, every parent reading this knows that "No" is a very clear AND LOVING answer to a whole host of requests. So is "wait," or, "I have something better in mind." (Every kid with very young siblings agreed that these little ones do not know what's best for them and need someone to tell them "no" and "wait" every now and then!)

After all, only God has both the power and the wisdom to answer our requests in a way that is best for us, and He always answers with YES, NO, or WAIT. So really, when it comes to prayer, we are not telling God what we need but instead asking Him if what we want is good for us.

Honestly, that was a new perspective for me. Generally, I have ideas in my head about what would be best for me, and I come to God in prayer to list them out, explain why they are good, and ask Him to "make it so." I'm more of a salesperson than a trusting daughter. And yet, intellectually that method of prayer never really made any sense to me because I knew God already knows what I need and will do His will. But I had never been taught another way to approach the whole deal. Then it hit me–right in the middle of teaching my lesson–what if we came to God not with requests but with a question: Father, is this good for me?

After all, if I really believe that my Heavenly Father knows what is best for me and is always working everything together for my good, then prayer is my opportunity to find out what HE thinks. Then, any answer I get is a delight to my soul because it reaffirms His love for me and tells me how to live in a way that is best for me, a way I most certainly would not have figured out on my own!

Sounded good on Sunday. Less so on Tuesday when I found out I would have to wait even longer than expected to know the answer to one of my "which way is best" questions. Instead of experiencing a fount of faith, hope and love, I wrestled with confusion, doubt and fear. Truly, it took a lot more prayer than I expected to get on the other side of those emotions. I had to rehearse in my mind and heart and out loud to my Father all that I had taught on Sunday: You know what is best, You love me, You are wiser than I am, You are not surprised by anything, You have the right to do things your way in your time even though it is hard for me to wait. I repent of clinging to my way and what I think is best. Help me wait well. Help me to see what You see so the waiting will be easier. I believe, help my unbelief.

I'm happy to report, God answered with a Yes! Yes, I will help you wait well. Yes, I will give you a reminder of my love to help you overcome your fear. Yes, I will give you the gift of faith to help you overcome your unbelief.

You know, I told the kids Sunday, when we don't trust God, we will most certainly disobey Him. And I nearly did. I had every opportunity, and still do, to take matters into my own hands, to manipulate the situation to go my way, or to at least throw a fit over how unfair it was that I was not getting my way. But instead, I have chosen and will continue to choose to trust that my Father does, in truth, know best.

But can I point something out? It was hard. For me. A pastor. A teacher. After decades of studying the Bible. Consider how much harder it is for our children. I will tell you, my unfortunate husband had to be with me while I was processing all the negative emotions I was experiencing in the face of this difficult situation. He wisely saw that I was not seeing the whole picture and tried to help me see things from another person's point of view. You may not be surprised to learn that this did not go well, even though he was right. He saw this right away and apologized, not for being right but for not thinking through the timing better. Ironically, as much as this annoys me, I do it all the time, especially with my kids. When they are already feeling bad, I make it worse by pointing out what is wrong with them and their response.

Why doesn't that approach ever help? Because deep down, our problem is not with a situation, or another person. Our problem is with God. Bottom line, I was not trusting Him. To be clear, pointing that out would not have gone well, either. What may have helped, and what I am committed to trying with my children when I am tempted to point out their immaturity, is listening and understanding and then offering to pray. 

When we are struggling, we need to hear things like, "I see how hurt you are. I see that scares you. Can I pray for you? There isn't anything I can do about all this, but your Heavenly Father loves you even more than I do. Even better, He is powerful and wants to help you feel His love even during difficult times like this." And when I pray, I might even start out like this, "Our Father, who is in Heaven." What truly comforting words.

Learning to Pray: Confidently

Lesson 2: Who's Your Daddy?

Time and again I have marveled at the way God's Truth seems to stand on a knife's edge between two competing ideas: justice and grace, sovereignty and free will, law and Spirit. In much the same way, our first two lessons on prayer create some tension as Jesus teaches us to pray both with humility and confidence.

To bring these ideas to life, we talked about some very special kids. I have to say I had so much fun watching your kids' faces when I told them that there were once some very special kids who got to turn a super-fancy room in the White House into a roller rink AND take their pony onto a White House elevator. Of course, a few of them figured it out: it was the president's kids! (Theodore Roosevelt's, in case you were wondering.)

From there, everyone understood that if being the child of a president is a big deal, being a child of God is an even bigger deal. Yet not everyone understood how to become a child of God. And while I made every effort to make that clear, I encourage you to review the ideas below with your children. Even as you do, you will see that humility before God always comes BEFORE our ability to have confidence in His presence!

ADMIT: We all sin, or rebelliously do things our way instead of God's way.

This desire to be our own god results in God's righteous anger and just punishment. We are cut off from His love and goodness and protection and wisdom and beauty and everything else that He created us to enjoy.

• "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." I John 1:8 
• "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." Ephesians 2:1-3

BELIEVE: God loves us and gave us Jesus to pay for our sin.

Truly, God takes no joy in our punishment. In fact, it breaks His heart to be separated from us, those He created to be His children. For that reason, He sentenced His own Son to die in our place.

• "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!"     Romans 5:6-9

CONFESS: We must tell God that we believe that Jesus' death and resurrection will save us from our sin.

• "If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'"  Romans 10:9-11

This confession ALONE gives us the right to become children of God.

• "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." Galatians 4:4-6
• "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God," John 1:12

And, oh, what a wonderful set of privileges come with that new relationship--the best of which is the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, giving us the opportunity to talk to our wonderful, heavenly Father whenever we wish, no appointment necessary! May we pray with great joy, confident that God is, in fact, Our Father!

Prayer in Practice: Week 1

Prayer, like anything, is best learned through practice. So I encourage you to pray intentionally with your kids this summer. Go beyond "thank you for this food" and "thank you for this day"! Open the Bible with your children and learn from its many examples of humble yet confident prayer! 

Our church's summer reading plan is designed to complement our series on prayer. (You will find it listed in the bulletin each week, and on the "read" page of our church website.) These passages are meant for both kids and adults, so some may be hard to explain to children. Below are tips on what to focus on with kids. 

Psalm 5 / Talking to God about people who hurt us

Focus: We can trust God to protect us.

Application: Children will take great comfort in knowing that God is just. Their need for justice is often expressed by their "tattle-tale" behavior. Parents might be surprised to learn that God invites them (and us!) to tattle... but only to him. He is willing to patiently listen while they tell him of their pain and fear and anger. Knowing this helps us not to take matters into our own hands. (See also Romans 12:14-21.)

• Potential Challenge: Does God "hate all who do wrong" as it says in verse 5? Yes and no. God loves everyone and has made a way for all to repent and be forgiven; but for those who do not repent, his anger remains on them. (See John 3:16 v. 3:36) Also, Psalm 5 was written before Jesus came. Jesus changed the way we pray about our enemies. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt 5:43-45)

Psalm 63:1-8 / Telling God how much we need him

Focus: It is good to tell God that we remember how he helped us.

Application: This is a great bedtime prayer. Go through the day with your child and help them list the ways God has helped them. What might they need help with tomorrow? Focus on attitudes rather than circumstances. (Example: God help me forgive someone who was mean to me. Not: God please fix that person who was mean to me.)

1 Kings 8:22-30, Mark 11:15-17 / Praying in God's house

Focus: God wants us to come to church eager to pray.

Application: God cannot be contained in a building, but he has always had a special place for his people to come together to pray. Does it surprise them that God has promised to listen to our prayers? Does it surprise them that Jesus got angry when people came together to make money instead of pray? We don't come together on Sunday to make money, but we may still have the wrong attitude. What are some reasons we go to church that have nothing to do with a desire to pray and worship with our church family? (Play, eat snack, just have fun, talk to our friends.) It is easy even for good things to make us forget our real reason for coming together. What does it mean to pray "for all nations?" What nation have they prayed for at church? (America, Bangladesh, Mexico) Pray with your kids for those nations at home, too. 

2 Kings 19:8-19, 32-36 / We pray to a real and powerful God

Focus: Our God is alive, real and powerful.

Application: Talk with your child what might happen if they decided to pray to one of their toys instead of God. Would the toy listen? Answer? Have the power to do anything? What if they decided to pray to a person? Say, their favorite teacher? Could that person hear them? Would that person have the power to help them? Talk about why it is important to pray only to God: he alone really has the power to help us. When made-up gods fail, the one true God does not! Consider purchasing "You are God Alone" from iTunes or get the mp3 from Amazon. It is our main summer worship song, and you may want to sing it together.

• Potential Challenge: There is only one true God; He alone answers prayer. This is a terrifically unpopular statement, and it can be dangerous in the hands of a boastful child (or adult!). Talk to your child about this truth with compassion for those who have not yet understood who God really is. Yes, God wiped out the Assyrians because they did not believe in him, but he was not happy about it. God wants everyone to know him, and that's why he has us still living on earth instead of with him in heaven! "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

Jeremiah 32:6-41 / We pray to a God who changes hearts

Focus: Even if we turn away from God, he will find a way to bring us back to him.

Application: Okay, this is not a bedtime story. It is confusing and scary, so study carefully if you present this to your kids. Otherwise, you may want to just read verses 36-41. Explain that a long time ago, God's people stopped loving him and began to do terrible things. God could not allow them to keep being so evil, so he allowed another country to win a war against them. He allowed his people to be taken from their homes so they would stop their terrible sin. But he also gave them a promise: one day he would bring them back and change their hearts. And he did! God still changes hearts today. Do you know people who do the wrong thing? Pray for them; God can change their hearts. And when you keep doing the wrong thing and feel you can't stop, pray and ask God to help you. He can change your heart, too!

Nehemiah 1, 2:1-8 / We pray to a God who influences leaders

Focus: Even though we are not powerful, we pray to a God who is!

Application: What a great story this is for kids! They are utterly powerless and at the mercy of those in authority around the clock. But their God is not! What a comfort it is to them to know that when they pray, God can even influence those who are in charge. Knowing this empowers them to be respectful and obedient, and yet courageous as they share their hearts with adults. Remind your child to pray for you, for their teachers, for their country's leaders. And yet, Nehemiah did not ask for selfish things. Help the talk about the kinds of things that they think God would want to see in their leaders and in you, their parents. Listen humbly, our children sometimes see who we really are better than we do.

Learning to Pray: Humbly

Lesson 1: Know your place

Let's face it, as kids grow in their indepence, they often forget their place. How many of us have stood with mouth agape at the audacity of our own offspring? Indignation wells up in us, inspiring such thoughts as, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it." Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we hopefully refrain from speaking such truths out loud until they are free of our ego and tempered by love!

No doubt, God often experiences the same feelings toward His children as we come to Him (or don't!) in prayer. Consider the following passages from Isaiah:

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! 
    For the Lord has spoken: 
“I reared children and brought them up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its master,
    the donkey its owner’s manger, 
but Israel does not know, 
    my people do not understand. ” (1:2-3)
...

When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening. (1:15)

And yet, what grace it is that this almighty, all-powerful and righteous God longs to be near us and invites us to come humbly before Him, confident of His love!

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. 
For the Lord is a God of justice. 
    Blessed are all who wait for him!
People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. 
How gracious he will be when you cry for help! 
As soon as he hears, he will answer you. (30:18-19)


This summer, our church will be learning how to draw close to God in prayer, primarily through the pattern Jesus gave us in the Lord's Prayer (see Matt. 6:9-13). But before Jesus taught His disciples WHAT to say, He first taught them HOW to say it: in a word, humbly (see Matt. 6:5-8). To illuminate this idea of humility, we looked at (and acted out) a story Jesus told of two men with very different attitudes in prayer: one arrogant and self-righteous, the other humble and repentant (see Luke 18:9-14). We talked (and sang) about the importance of knowing that God is THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, not a vending machine. We pray so that He can change us and help us to do His will, not so that we can get Him to do our will. We will be returning to this idea all summer as we seek to SYNC UP our hearts with God's! (Ask you kids how they are like an iPhone.)

You know, we never know what is getting through when we teach, and we trust that God's Spirit, not us, will change kids' hearts. So I was stuck this week when a few kids spontaneously chose to kneel as I prayed to close our lesson. Truly, I believe that came from a desire to express their humility and not from a desire to appear holy before their peers. Please pray with me that God will continue to shape the hearts of our children (and us!) into those who know our place and yet pray eagerly, trusting fully in the love of our powerful Heavenly Father.

Gardening in Your Child's Heart

FOR PARENTS TO PONDER: IF MY CHILD'S HEART WERE A GARDEN, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?

Wouldn't it be cool if we could literally see what was growing in our kids' hearts, complete with those little plastic tags that tell you what kind of plant it is and what you should do to help it grow? After all, all those little green plant tops look pretty much the same before they're ready to produce fruit.

More and more God has been using this analogy to teach me about how He works in the hearts of people. And yet, I don't know much about gardening, so some of the metaphor is lost on me. (Parenting tip we can learn from God: when talking to a person of lesser understanding, expect to repeat yourself often.)

Still, as I apply myself to understanding, He is teaching me rich truth:

• God is the gardener. He provides the seed (Truth); He alone knows perfectly a weed from a plant (Judgment); He alone knows what to prune, what to cut off, and what to keep (Discipline).
• Jesus is the vine. Nothing detached from the vine is alive (Salvation); anything connected to the vine will live (Sanctification).
• Jesus is the firstfruit. His fruit is sweetest, biggest, best (Supremacy); his fruit alone is an appropriate offering to God (Justification).
• God's Spirit causes growth. Wherever the Spirit flows freely, fruit forms (Righteousness); any blockage cuts off growth must be removed (Repentance).

All of the above are helping me to remember my role in cultivating Life in the heart of my children: I am merely a hired-hand and should not set myself up as the Gardener. I do not have perfect judgement of their motives; my will for their lives is not best; trusting me will not bring them Life. Only to the extent that I  labor humbly and point my children's hearts toward the fullness of God as He has revealed Himself in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit am I of any value to their hearts at all.

And yet, that word "heart" is a tricky one! I often wonder why on earth would anyone tell young kids to ask Jesus into their hearts?! Kids are so literal! They hear that and quickly start wondering if He will fit, how He will get in, if it will hurt, what He will do while He is there.

And yet, God's word clearly teaches that Jesus lives in those who put their faith in Him. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Beyond that, Scripture makes it clear that when Jesus does live in us through faith, He does so in our hearts. "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." (Ephesians 3:16-17a)

Of course, it is equally clear that it is NOT Jesus' physical body that lives in a believer's physical heart. This may seem obvious to us, but remember that many five-year-olds still believe in the physical reality of the tooth fairy, Santa Claus and leprechauns. Now, whatever we do with these childhood traditions, we must be careful to teach the truth about Jesus: "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6) 

So, how do we teach this essential truth to a child who can be easily confused by our language?

We must define our terms, FIRST. We must explain what we do, and do not, mean. We must intentionally teach what we know intuitively. Simple, right? No. Teaching our children to examine their hearts in a way they can understand is not simple. It is hard. Very hard! But no other skill is more vital. "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (Proverbs 4:23)

And though many of us long to see Christ dwell in the hearts of our children, the primary focus of our parenting is often just as physical as our children's understanding of the word "heart." From healthy eating habits, to sanitary bathroom habits, to diligent sun protection, to well-organized toy storage, to good study habits, to well-rounded exposure to extracurricular activities--we obsess over the physical well being of our children, as though the very course of their lives depended on it.

Jesus encourages us to keep those things in their proper place: secondary.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ... Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ... For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:19-20; 25; 32-33)

Again, this is not easy. Everything on your to do list this week threatens to prevent you from taking time to work in the garden of your child's heart. So let's take a moment to pray for each other that God would guard OUR hearts from the worry and busyness that threaten to distract us from our heart's true desire: to see the Spirit of Jesus alive and at work in our children.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Our Lesson: God Sends Help, p326

Pentecost, from Acts 1-5; John 14-15

Truth about God: God's Spirit has the power to change a heart.

Take Home Verse: Ephesians 3:16-17 (New Life Translation)

“I pray that because of the riches of His shining-greatness, [God] will make you strong with power in your hearts through the Holy Spirit. I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love.”

Belief Builder: When we believe the truth about Jesus, He will live in our hearts.

Talking Points: Matters of the Heart

Spiritual v. Physical Hearts
The best way to master anything is to teach it to someone else. Give your child the opportunity to teach you what they know about the difference between the physical heart and the spiritual heart. Offer to re-read the story "God Sends Help"; it uses the word heart over and over. Stop as you read and ask them to explain what the spiritual heart does. (It’s the real you; the you on the inside: your feelings, thoughts, ideas, decisions; it was made to love God; it’s the part of Adam and Eve that died when they believed the terrible lie; it's the part of us that must believe that Jesus came to give us life in our hearts again.) This is also a perfect opportunity to say, "Let's see what the REAL Bible says about the heart." (See the list at the bottom of this post for the verses we used in class.)

Separation Anxiety
Even older kids have a hard time separating from someone or something they really like. If you observe this in your child, make a mental note to bring it up later. Use it as an opportunity to talk about how Jesus's friends felt when Jesus went back to Heaven. Offer to read what Jesus said to them from the REAL Bible (John 16:5-7): "Now I am going to the One who sent me. But none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with sadness. But what I'm about to tell you is true. It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Friend will not come to help you. But if I go, I will send him to you." Ask if they can tell you who the Friend (NIV: counselor) is? What happened when He came to Jesus' friends.

(Not sure? Offer to re-read the story "God Sends Help" in their books.)

• What was the gift that Jesus sent to His friends? (the Holy Spirit)
• What happened to the hearts of Jesus’ friends when the Holy Spirit came to them? (Jesus was WITH them)
• What happened to their fear? (Gone!) What did they feel instead? (Love!)
• What do you think God meant when He said Jesus would live in our hearts? In our physical heart?
• Does Jesus live in everyone’s heart? (No.) Whose heart DOES Jesus live in? (Only the people who believe.)

Read this week's Take Home Verse: Ephesians 3:16--17

• What does the Bible say happens to our hearts when we trust (have faith) in Jesus? 
• God’s Spirit will make it strong. 
• Jesus will live in it and fill us with His love. 
• He will be with us wherever we go!

What God's Word says about the heart:

• I know that you (God) want truth to be in my heart. (Psalm 51:6 )
• So keep my words in your hearts and minds. (Deuteronomy 11:18)
• You must not doubt in your heart. You must believe... (Mark 11:23)
• The Lord looks deep down inside every heart. He understands the real reasons for everything you think. (1 Chronicles 28:9)
• Evil thoughts come out of the heart. ... And so do stealing, false witness, and telling lies about others. (Matthew 15:19)
• Brothers and sisters, make sure that none of you has a sinful heart. Do not let an unbelieving heart turn you away from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12)
• But you are stubborn. In your heart you are not sorry for your sins. (Romans 2:5)
• So give me a heart that understands. Then ... I can tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong. (1 Kings 3:9)
• You will find [God] if you look for [God] with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)
• Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
• With all their hearts they wanted to worship the Lord. (2 Chronicles 11:16)
• So let us come near to God with an honest and true heart. Let us come near with a faith that is sure and strong. (Hebrews 10:22)
• So give freely to those who are needy. Open your hearts to them. (Deuteronomy 15:10)
• Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters. (Colossians 3:23)
• Speak to each other with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19)