Government Issue (G.I.)

Check it out! The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4.11 that we should be content under any circumstance. Any circumstance?! Some of us might say: "Are you crazy Paul?!" It's true, God wants us to be happy with what we have and what He's given us, however that can be very hard with an American mindset that always desires more things, more toys, more friends, more skills, on and on. I think I'm safe in saying that we've all experienced jealousy and disappointment over something a friend of ours received that we wished we received. Well as we studied the 10th Commandment this week we learned that "Coveting" is actually a sin! WOW! That's huge! If God considers wanting what others have a sin, we should probably dig deeper and see what we can learn from this week's lesson so it sticks with us for the rest of our lives.

Parents, this is where you come in... Review with your student this week the story of 1 Kings 21.1-19. We learned about a champion in evil named King Ahab and his wife Jezebel; a lady even more wicked than her husband! Yikes! King Ahab wanted his neighbor's vineyard so bad that it ended up costing the owner of the vineyard his life! As you review the story ask your student the following questions and see how much they remember:

• What is a vineyard?
• What was the name of the man who owned the vineyard?
• What was King Ahab willing to give this man in exchange for his vineyard?
• When King Ahab realized he wasn't going to get the vineyard what did he go home and do?
• When his wife Jezebel found out what happened what did she decide to do to help her husband get what he wanted?
• What is a fast?
• What did the two leader's of Naboth's town agree to say at this city-wide fast?
• With the accusations made towards Naboth and with all the people believing these accusations, what happened to Naboth?
• Once Jezebel went home and told her husband the vineyard was up for grabs, what did King Ahab do?
• What were the other commandments that coveting lead King Ahab and his wife to break?

Hey kids, I know it's not easy to "not" covet. Especially when other kids, even your own friends, make fun of you for not having the latest gadget, toy, video game or music CD. But remember, you can overcome the sin of coveting and get rid of it by obeying God's command and remembering to be content and happy with what He's already given you. I challenge you this week to ask God to help you in the area of your life where you find yourself wanting what doesn't belong to you and instead tell God "Thank You" for what you do have. Remember, you don't want to end up like King Ahab or his wife Jezebel... We want to end up more like Jesus! We delight in your Law God and we thank you for it - it protects us and keeps us safe and healthy!

Have a great week and I'll see ya Sunday in KidzBlast!
Pastor Carrie