Crossroads
CrossKids Devo | Seed (Part 5)
Activity – How RU Doing
Draw a line on a sheet of paper. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.
Say: If your day was so awful you wish you'd slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great day and you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel today.
Bible Time – Seed (Part 5) – Luke 8:8, 15, Romans 10:17
Verse Of The Day: Luke 8:8
Read: Luke 8:15
Story: (Continued from yesterday) Mrs. Johnson pulled up the weeds and the remains of the wilted flowers. It had been a few months since she visited the nursery. She returned to find Tommy standing next to the cash register. “Hi Tommy”, said Mrs. Johnson. “I have a confession to make. I did not listen very carefully to your instructions about planting seeds, and I’ve had an awful time trying to grow flowers. Would you please share with me again the secrets of growing healthy flowers?” “Sure, I will,” exclaimed Tommy.
Mrs. Johnson returned home determined to follow every step that Tommy gave her. In fact, she wrote down each step just to be sure she would not forget the thorough instructions. She thoroughly prepared the soil for planting the seed; she checked to make sure the soil was deep enough. She pulled the weeds up by their roots when preparing the soil. In just a few weeks, healthy seedlings began to emerge. Mrs. Johnson continued to tend her garden with care. She was diligent to pull any new weeds that returned. She was faithful to water her flowers everyday. She regularly tilled the ground and added fertilizer when necessary. Gardening, indeed, was a lot of work. But, Mrs. Johnson’s labors were well rewarded! Before she knew it, she had the most beautiful garden of flowers on the block. People would come from all over the neighborhood just to see the beautiful sight.
In the Parable of the Sower, the soil represents the heart of the person who hears God’s Word. Some hearts are hard, and God’s word is snatched up before it can sink down. Some hearts are shallow. Those people are quick to respond to God’s Word, but do not continue to follow Him. Some hearts are crowded—the riches and worldly cares of this life crowd out God’s Word. But, some hearts have good soil, well prepared soil that allows God’s Word to grow deep into their hearts. The evidence of good soil is fruit—a beautiful garden! A person with a good heart is the one who hears God’s Word and keeps it (obeys it). The evidence that a person has a good heart is the fruit of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22,23)—working in them to bring God glory!
• What kind of fruit will God’s Word produce in our lives?
Pray