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| Children's Devotional Stories |
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The Hidden Berries 
Psalm 119:9-16
Eddie tried not to laugh, but when Freddy made one of his funny faces, he just couldn't hold it back.
Mrs. Martin, the Sunday school teacher, gave them a stern look. The other kids in the class grinned.
No one was listening to the Bible story.
They'd heard it before.
Then Mrs. Martin said,
"How many of you went berry picking last summer?"
Eddie, Freddy and several others raised their hands.
"Do you like fresh Blackberry cobbler?" asked Mrs. Martin. Even Eddie and Freddy were listening now.
"Well, one day last summer, I saw some blackberry bushes,"she said. "There didn't seem to be many berries, but I got a container and began to pick them anyway. As I worked, I noticed a few berries hiding under some leaves," continued Mrs. Martin.
"I picked those, and then I saw even more berries hiding under some other leaves. It seemed that the closer I looked at those bushes, the more berries I found. There were so many more than I had first seen!"
Mrs. Martin paused and smiled. "Did you know that hearing stories from the Bible is sometimes like picking berries? How could that be?" she asked.
Freddy answered, "At first when you listen to a Bible story, it seems like just a nice story. But maybe if you looked closer at the story and thought about it, you would find more interesting things there."
"That's right, Freddy," Mrs. Martin agreed. "What kinds of things, Eddie?"
"Well, things that will help you know God better and love Him more."
"That's right," answered Mrs. Martin.
"Now let's go over today's Bible story again and see how many 'hidden berries,' or interesting things about god, we can find."
This time as Mrs. Martin retold the story, Eddie and Freddy listened in a different way. They wanted to see what new things they could discover.
Do you get bored when you hear a Bible story you've heard before? How could you listen differently?
In this new year, see how many "hidden berries," or new things, you can find in your Sunday school lessons.
"Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law." Psalm 119:18
WHO IS JESUS?
The Potter and the Clay
Isaiah 64:6-9
Freddy worked the clay carefully with his fingers. Soon, what had begun as a brown glob was turning into a vase. When Freddy's mom came into the kitchen, he held up the vase for her to see.
"That's very pretty," said Mom
"It's a present for Doc's birthday," said Freddy. "I'm going to keep working on it until I have it just right."
Freddy patiently worked on the vase until it was just right. Then he put it on a shelf to dry.
That afternoon, Freddy was in the middle of an exciting book when Mom aked him to empty the trash.
"Hurry," urged his Mom.
"I think I hear the garbage truck."
"I don't see why I always have to stop what I am doing to do my stupid chores," he grumbled as he got up to do what his Mom had asked.
Later, Freddy's friend Robert came over. But after playing a little while, Freddy lost his temper. Robert got mad and went home.
Freddy thought about what had happened. He felt bad about having gotten angry. He also felt bad about his attitude when his Mom had asked him to do his chores. Freddy went to talk with his Mother.
"Mom," he began hesitantly, " I .... I'm sorry I was grouchy about my chores. I lost my temper with Robert, too," he added.
"I guess I am hopeless. I'll never be the kind of person I want to be."
Freddy's mother wiped her hands and pointed to the shelf holding the vase Freddy had just made.
"That vase started out as a lump of clay," she said.
"It took a potter ... you ... to mold it into something lovely. And you worked at it until you had it just right, didn't you?" Freddy nodded.
"Well, when you accept Jesus, you agreed to let Him mold your life," continued Mom.
"It takes time and patience, but He can smooth out lumps that keep you from being who He wants you to be."
"Lumps like my bad temper?" asked Freddy.
"Exactly," said Mom.
Are you discouraged because you do and say things for which you are sorry? Do you sometimes feel hopeless? You're not! God won't give up on you!
God is still working on you
"And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again."
Philippians 1:6
WHO IS JESUS?
LUKEWARM
Revelations 3:14-16
Eddie came in from the backyard and asked his mom, "Can I have something to drink?"
"I don't think we have a thing to drink," said mom. "We're even out of milk. I sure need to go get some groceries."
She opened the cupboard and took out a box of powered milk.
"Take this and make you some chocolate milk," she said.
Eddie took the box, mixed the some of the powder with water, and added chocolate syrup. Then he joined his mother at the dining room table.
"Mom, I need some advice," said Eddie. "There's a new boy at school. He's nice, but he dresses kinda weird. I like being with him when it is just the two of us. But when I am with the other guys and they make fun of him, I don't know what to do. He looks so hurt. But if I say something to him I might lose my friends."
"Yuck! This tastes terrible!" Eddie exclaimed.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you use any ice when you made it?" asked Mom.
Eddie shook his head. "You didn't heat it either, did you?" Eddie again shook his head. "When I make chocolate milk for you, I either heat it or serve it cold," said Mom. "It doesn't taste good lukewarm. And I think that may be your problem with the new boy."
"What do you mean?" asked Eddie.
"I think you're being a lukewarm friend," said Mom. "you extend your friendship when you have nothing at stake but hold it back when your friends are watching. You're neither hot or cold, but somewhere in between .... afraid to take a stand for what you know is right."
Eddie thoughtfully looked at his glass of chocolate milk.
He tasted it again then pushed it away. "No more lukewarm chocolate milk for me. And no more lukewarm friendships, either," he said firmly.
"I'm going to be friendly .... no matter what anybody thinks."
Are you willing to be bold about what you believe is right, or are you sometimes lukewarm? The Bible warns you to be strong for Jesus. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe.
"And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away."
Hebrews 10:38
WHO IS JESUS?
A Hurting Friend
Matthew 9:2-8
"Ow, it hurts! My arm hurts so bad!"
Hearing his friend's voice, Eddie looked toward the swings. He saw jeremy biting his lip as he tried to squeeze the tears back. Eddie jumped off the monkey bars and ran to his friend.
"Did you fall?" Eddie asked.
Jeremy nodded and clutched his injured arm.
"Don't worry .... It'll be okay," Eddie comforted him.
"Come on .... I'll take you to the nurse."
Carefully, Eddie grabbed Jeremy's good arm and started towards the school building with his friend.
Soon Jeremy was on his way to the doctor's office, where a cast was put on his arm.
That evening, Eddie told his dad about Jeremy.
"I was kinda scared .... I wasn't sure I knew where the nurse's office was," he said.
"But I'm glad I could help Jeremy."
"Why did you help him?" his dad asked.
Eddie looked startled.
"Because he was hurt," he said.
"I wouldn't be a good friend if I'd just left him there!"
"Isn't Jeremy the friend you told me about last week?" asked dad. "The one who doesn't go to church?" Eddie nodded. "Have you invited him to come with you?" asked dad.
"No," admitted Eddie. "He says his dad doesn't believe in God, and the church is for sissies. I was afraid Jeremy would laugh at me if I told him I went."
"You took Jeremy to the nurse's office right away because you cared about him," said dad. "
"Do you care enough to tell him about Jesus or to invite him to Sunday school so he can learn about Jesus?"
"I ... I guess I could try," said Eddie.
"Let's pray and ask God to give you the courage you need to invite Jeremy to church. He'll help you to know when the time is right."
Eddie nodded, and together they bowed their heads to pray.
You would immediately help a friend who was physically hurt, wouldn't you? It's sometimes harder to see when people hurt spiritually. But if they don't know Jesus, their need is great. When Jesus lived on earth, he was concerned about people's bodies and spirits. Ask God to show you how to help your friends.
" Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations." Matthew 26:19
WHO IS JESUS?
Go Deeper
Proverbs 2:1-5
Freddy was stretched out on his bed looking at a pile of photographs when his dad looked in the room.
Freddy looked up. "Hey, Dad! Look at these pictures!" he exclaimed excitedly. "They're the ones Aunt Joyce took when her and Doc went deep-sea diving."
"What unusual plants and animals!" he said as he looked over Freddy's shoulder. "They're fascinating. And such vivid colors!" Together they continued to look at the pictures.
"God must have a wonderful imagination to create such a variety of life forms," he added.
Freddy nodded his head. "Aunt Joyce says the further down in the ocean you go, the more beautiful it gets," he said. He paused and turned to his dad.
"Why do you suppose God made such interesting creatures and then hid them down so deep in the ocean where most people don't ever get to see them?"
His dad thought for a moment. "I'm not sure," he said, "but when I see these pictures, it reminds me of what a great God we have. And somehow it also reminds me of the riches to be found in the Bible."
"The Bible!" exclaimed Freddy. "Sheesh dad, why do these remind you of the Bible?"
"Well," said Freddy's dad, "when I was younger, I used to think personal devotions were rather unnecessary. I figured I'd already heard all those Bible stories."
"You probably had," said Freddy. "I have, too."
"Well, I'm sure we haven't actually heard them all," said Dad, "though we have heard a lot of them. But Aunt Joyce has seen the ocean many times, and yet she decided she wanted to go down deep to see what she could discover. Do you think she was rewarded for her efforts?"
"She sure was!" said Freddy as he looked at the pictures again.
Dad nodded. "The point is if you and I go deep into God's Word and study it, God will reward us, too. He will reveal hidden knowledge, insights, and wisdom to those who are willing to dig deeper into His Word."
"Gosh, Dad, you are starting to sound like Doc and Aunt Joyce," said Freddy. They both laughed as they began to stack the pictures up.
Do you ever think you know all you need to know about the Bible? If you spend more time reading and studying His Word, God will give you more knowledge about Him and a greater understanding about life.
"Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15
WHO IS JESUS?
But It Ain't Rainin'
Psalm 86:1-7
At breakfast, Mr. Howard said, "I better call the roofer today." Between bites of pancakes he added, "I want him to check out the leak in the roof over the kitchen."
Wiping syrup from his chin, Eddie looked surprised. It was a typical sunny summer day, and it had not rained for more than a week. Eddie looked up at the mark on the ceiling where the water had come in.
"Why does he have to come today?" he asked.
"It's not leaking now. Maybe it's okay."
Shaking his head, Mr. Howard said, "It can't be okay when we haven't done anything to fix it."
Pushing his chair away from the table, he said,
"Maybe it doesn't show right now, but as soon as it rains, it will pour in again."
Later, in the backyard, Eddie became angry with his brother and lost his cool, and said things to Freddy that he felt sorry for later.
"Oh, man!" he grumbled, "things were going so great .... and I haven't gotten mad for so long I forgot that I have to watch out for my temper."
Mr. Howard looked down and placed his hand on Eddie's head. "It's like the roof," he said.
Eddie looked up with a puzzled expression.
"Huh, Dad?"
"We forget all about the leak when it's not raining, but that doesn't change the problem. The leak is still there. And your temper is still there, too .... even when there are no problems," said Mr. Howard, smiling.
Eddie hung his head. "I guess you are right," he agreed.
"I need to get that leak fixed now, even though it's not giving us a problem today. Otherwise we'll have trouble when bad weather comes."
"And you need to commit your temper to the Lord each day .... even when you're not feeling angry about anything. Ask Him to take charge of it and change it. Then when you get mad at Freddy, He can help you express your anger appropriately," said Eddie's dad.
Eddie nodded. "Be ready when the 'rain' comes, right?"
he asked.
Carrying the ladder from the garage, Mr. Howard smiled and nodded. "You got it, Eddie, now go make things right with your brother."
Is there something in your life that needs fixing?
Maybe you have a temper like Eddie.
Or maybe you have some other problems .... a lazy nature or a sassy attitude.
Whatever your problem is, Jesus is willing to help you learn how to change, but He is waiting for you to call on Him to do the "repair" work.
" Be merciful, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly." Psalm 86:3
WHO IS JESUS?
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