issue 8

For all have sinned and fall

short of the glory of God.Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the

gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our

Lord.Romans 6:23

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist

the devil, and he will flee from you. Come

near to God and he will come near to you.

James 4:7, 8a

Unusual diets. See page 2.

Did you know octopi and squid have three hearts? They have one main heart that pumps blood through their cir-culatory system. Then the other two hearts assist in pushing at each of their paired gills.

The human heart beats about three billion times in an average life span. Your heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood by which oxygen and nutrients reach your body’s cells. Blue blood is blood that’s low in oxygen. Blood that is rich in oxygen appears as red.

When blood leaves the left side of your heart, it trav-els through arteries which eventually divide into

capillaries. There the food and oxy-gen get released to your body cells. Waste products like carbon dioxide are returned to the bloodstream.

Next, your blood travels through veins to the right side of the heart.

Here it’s pumped straight into the lungs. Carbon dioxide gets traded for

oxygen in the lungs. Renewed blood flows to the left side of your heart. Over and over

again this process occurs to bring you the gift of life.

When you go to God and ask Him to forgive your sins through Jesus, it’s like getting a new heart. A new start. A second chance. The Lord is eager to forgive sinners. He wants them to breathe the pure air of eternal life!

A New HeartA New Heartby Brenda Bone

Connecting kids to Christ

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by Teresa Cleary

Conflict is something you can count on having in your fam-ily. Your brother borrows your new CD without asking. You watch a movie at a friend’s house (even though you know its rating makes it off-limits), and your parents find out. Your dad decides that Saturday is cleanup day for the whole fam-ily, but you have other plans. Conflict happens.

It’s the choices you make when conflict occurs that determine how well you’ll get along with your family and how well they’ll get along with you. Do you blow up when things don’t go your way? Do you try to escape blame? Do you apologize?

The most important lesson you can learn from conflict is forgiving and being forgiven. Saying “I’m sorry” because of something you said or did (or didn’t say or didn’t do) isn’t just a good thing to do; it’s the right thing to do.

The same lesson holds true in our relationship with God. Our sin not only hurts our family, it hurts our heavenly Father too. Being truly sorry for our wrong behaviors and asking forgiveness put our relationships with God back on the right track.

When conflict occurs in your family, remember: an apology is the best last word to have.

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Live wire®, HeartShaper® Curriculum. Do not photocopy or reproduce.

War GamesWar Games

You finish your test as the bell is ringing. You breathe a sigh of relief and say, “I just got through by the skin of my teeth.” Do you know that you are quoting the Bible? The prophet Job said, “I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth” (Job 19:20). Now that’s just getting by!

JOB LEAVESLASTING REMARK

JOB LEAVESLASTING REMARK

by Joan Keener

by Lynn Lusby Pratt

When the prodigal son left home and wasted all his money, he almost starved. Luke 15:16 says he would have settled for the “pods” the pigs were eating. Those were carob pods (from the carob tree). They were used to feed animals, but poor people ate them if there was a food shortage. Here are some other weird foods men-tioned in the Bible:

John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). Imagine him at the local fast-food drive-thru: “Yeah, I’ll have the locust nuggets with honey mus-tard sauce, please.”

King Nebuchadnezzar went whacko and ate grass like a cow (Daniel 4:33). Really!

And check out Leviticus 11:13-19 for some foods that God said NOT to eat: vultures, storks, owls, bats . . . Owls and bats?! Hey, no problem.

Resolving Family Conflicts

Resolving Family Conflicts

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by Paul Friskney

Sunday Read Luke 15:11-16. ■ How did the younger son use what he had been given by his father? ■ Have you ever spent money foolishly? ■ How can God help you make wise choices?

MondayRead Luke 15:17-20. ■ Did the son accept responsibility for the mistakes he had made in the past? ■ Do you take responsibility for the mistakes you make? ■ What will God do when you admit your mistakes to Him?

TuesdayRead Luke 15:21-24. ■ How long did it take for the father to welcome his returning son? ■ What does this story teach about God’s willingness to forgive?

WednesdayRead Acts 2:38-41. ■ What did Peter say had to be done for sin to be forgiven? ■ How many people have the promise of being forgiven if they follow God’s plan?

ThursdayRead Romans 3:22-26. ■ Who needs to be forgiven of sin? ■ How did Jesus Christ demonstrate God’s justice?

Friday Read 2 Corinthians 7:8-l0. ■ Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians called for them to get rid of the sin in their lives. Did the Corinthians listen to Paul? ■ Why is it important for you to be sorry for your wrongs?

SaturdayRead 2 Timothy 2:20, 21. ■ Timothy said that in a house some things are useful, while others are not. How can you make yourself useful to God?

Your best friend has been dabbling in the occult. He claims it’s not “for real,” but you’re worried about him. How can you help?

Psalm 1:1 states that we should not stand “stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.” Joining the devil’s ranks is no laughing matter. These steps can help your friend enlist in God’s army.

Recognize Spiritual WarfareJesus prayed for God to protect His followers from Satan’s

power (John 17:15). This prayer gives insight into the tremen-dous battle between God’s forces and Satan’s. Show your friend Deuteronomy 18:10-12, which labels practices like sorcery, witch-craft, casting spells, and sessions to contact the dead as “detest-able” to the Lord.

Take Courageous StandsBecause Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to wor-

ship a golden statue, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. God rewarded their bold stance (Daniel 3). Explain to your friend that God can provide strength for frontline combat.

Strengthen the Lines of DefenseJames 4:7-10 describes how to banish the devil. We are to

draw close to God by expressing sincere sadness, not laughter, over wrong actions. Ask God to grant your friend an honorable discharge from the devil’s division, to deliver your friend from Satan’s influence. Pray that your friend might reinforce his resis-tance to Satan’s counterattacks.

Still fearful for your friend? Ephesians 5:11 clarifies what he should do.

War GamesWar GamesSatan’s schemes are no match for the Almighty!

JOB LEAVESLASTING REMARK

JOB LEAVESLASTING REMARK

by Joan Keener

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Start at each number and follow its line to discover the letter attached to it. Fill in the letters that match the numbers on the lines below. You will discover how one father responded when his son returned home.

“12 3 2 8 11 6 1 12 14 13 13 1 11, 6 12 2 3 10 12 14 13

8 2 4 13 8 2 1 7 11 5 12 14 4 8 11 5 9 14 13 13 3 5 12 14 4.”

(Luke 15:20, New International Version)

Remember to thank God because He willingly forgives and accepts you when you are sorry and return to Him.

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