This is a fun set of very visual lessons based on pencils.
Proverbs 3:6 - God's Guiding Hand
Proverbs 27:17 - Iron Sharpens Iron
1 John 1:9 - To Cleanse Us From All Unrighteousness
Jeremiah 17:10 - The Heart of the Matter
God’s Guiding Hand
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6
Materials: pencils
You can learn some very important principles by considering a pencil. First of all, in order for it to be useful, it has to be guided. Most people use their hand to guide the pencil to write. But some people use their mouth (Joni Erickson Tada) or their feet.
What guides you in your life? When you’re little, your parents guide you. They direct you, teach you, what is right and wrong, what will hurt you and what will help you. They show you how to do things. They teach you what you need to know in order to succeed. But how do your parents know how to teach you?
Many times moms and dads teach their children the way they were taught. If your mom was taught to ask to be excused from the table, she’s likely to teach you the same manners. If your dad was taught to listen when other people are speaking, he is likely to teach you the same courteous behavior.
And if the moms and dads are Christians, if they truly love God, they are likely to ask God for help, for wisdom, for guidance in teaching the children God has given to them. Because moms and dads love their kids so much and want the very best for them, their prayers are full of requests to God for help.
But Solomon says that it’s more than just asking for help. Solomon says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV). This is more than just asking for help or wisdom or direction sometimes. This is turning over every area of your life to God, where God is the foundation of everything you do, and then relying on God to show you how to live your life.
It’s very much like this pencil. This pencil can do nothing until I pick it up. Whether I put the point to the paper to write, or I put it down because I’m done writing, the pencil does nothing that is not what I want it to do.
Now the pencil has no choice in the matter. But you do. You can choose to live your life seeking God’s will, doing everything for His glory and pleasure. And in order to know what pleases God, you have to be reading His Word and praying to God and talking to other people who love God.
Are you moving at the direction of God’s will in all areas in your life? Be like a pencil - doing all things at the will of the Master.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us
Iron Sharpens Iron
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
Materials: unsharpened pencils, pencil sharpener, knife, steel
It’s amazing what you can learn from a pencil, and I don’t mean because of what it has written on your paper. Last week we talked about how a pencil must be guided by a hand in order to be useful. Similarly, we must be guided by God’s hand in order to be useful to Him.
But what if my pencil isn’t sharp? Is it still useful? Not as a pencil. Not really as an implement to convey knowledge. You could use the eraser, if it had one. You might be able to make some sort of marking. But really, if a pencil is going to transmit knowledge efficiently and effectively, it has to be sharp.
In the same way, as the people of God, if we aren’t sharp, our usefulness to God is limited. What do I mean by that? God gave us a job - to spread the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ. But what if we don’t know what that means? What if we don’t know anything about God - or at least not enough to be able to tell others about what an awesome God we serve? What if we don’t know what God expects from His people? What if we aren’t sharp?
If a pencil isn’t sharp, we can put it in the pencil sharpener. But a “sharp” pencil isn’t the same kind of “sharp” as a “sharp” person. It doesn’t work to put a Christian in a pencil sharpener. But it does work really well to put a Christian in a Christian sharpener. That’s where the memory verse comes in: Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).
Have you ever seen how a knife is sharpened? You can use a whet stone. Or you can use a steel. Both of them are knife sharpeners. How well do you think it would work to hit the knife at a 90º angle against the steel? Hopefully you can see how that would not only make the knife less sharp, it could also irreparably damage the knife. You hold the knife at an angle to the steel. The steel little by little takes off some of the blade, the burrs, until there is an edge on the knife, a focused edge, a very sharp blade.
That’s how it works with Christians. As we talk with one another, using the Bible as our guide and final authority, we take off the burrs until we have a very focused edge. God uses each of us to help make one another sharper - and therefore, stronger - as Christians. Then we are of much greater use to His glory.
You know, there are some pencils that I don’t use because they aren’t sharp. There are some knives that I don’t use because they aren’t sharp. In fact, with both pencils and knives, when they are very sharp, they are functioning just like they were designed to function, and they are a delight to use.
I wonder if God feels the same way about us. We want to be used by Him. If we are sharp, if we know what His Word, the Bible, says; if we are able to apply His Word in the situations around us, then we can be very useful to Him.
Learn to talk with other people about God. Don’t just talk about your favorite toy, your favorite video game, your favorite movie, or your favorite potluck item. Talk about God. Be sharp for His glory.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us
To Cleanse Us From All Unrighteousness
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Materials: pencils, erasers
Do you ever make mistakes? That’s a silly question, isn’t it? We all make mistakes. Some are just poor decisions. Others are bad choices which are contrary to God’s ways. Those mistakes are called sins. Sometimes we make mistakes without realizing it. Sometimes we make mistakes because we just can’t help ourselves. Those are sins of weakness.
A pencil can help us understand how this works. Have you ever added numbers together and written down the wrong answer? That’s a mistake that you made because you weren’t thinking, you were distracted, or you just don’t know your addition facts very well. Sins are like that. You can sin because you weren’t thinking, you were distracted, or you just don’t know God’s law very well.
Think about your pencil again. Have you ever intended to write one thing but your fingers just didn’t form the letter or number correctly? That’s a mistake that you made out of weakness. Some sins are like that too. You know you shouldn’t do something, but you still make the wrong choice.
The thing is: when you make a mistake out of weakness, you have to fix it. With the pencil, you use the eraser to wipe out that mistake and put something else in its place. The only thing is - sometimes you can’t completely erase the mark. You can still see some of the mistake that you made. Sin is like that. You can try to make things right, but there’s still evidence that you made a wrong choice.
There’s another very curious thing about pencils. If a pencil is brand new, the eraser usually works pretty well. But when a pencil has been around for a while, the eraser gets harder and harder and less and less able to erase like it should. There are some things you can do to fix that. They kinda work. You can put your pencil in a plastic bag with a little bit of water. Sometimes that helps. Or you can use a cutting board and a big knife to cut the eraser in half. You don’t have as much eraser to use anymore, but at least you’ve taken off the part that is hard and unusable.
It’s an interesting thing about people and the mistakes we make. When a mistake is fresh and new, it’s easier to rectify - to fix. That’s kind of like the new pencil. But when we get into the habit of sinning, pretty soon we get hardened to our mistakes. It isn’t as easy to change our behavior.
But it’s important to realize that there are consequences for every mistake, for every sin. Romans 6:23 says that wages of sin is death. You are not getting away with doing anything against God’s law. However, God has made a way - through Jesus Christ - for us to be forgiven. When we acknowledge Jesus as Savior and God, He takes the penalty for our sin. Better than any eraser could wipe out the mistake, Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
It’s something to think about the next time you use an eraser.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us
**The Heart of the Matter
I the LORD search the heart and test the mind . . . Jeremiah 17:10
Materials: a variety of pencils
We’ve talked about the different things you can learn about your relationship with God from a pencil. The pencil doesn’t work unless there’s a hand to guide it; Christians work best when they allow God to direct their lives. The pencil works best when it’s sharp; Christians fellowshipping with one another can learn more about God, His ways, and serving Him. The pencil comes with an eraser; Jesus Christ is the only One who can take away our sins.
Today we’re going to talk about the lead - or more specifically, the graphite in the pencil.
A pencil can look great on the outside. It can be different shapes, different colors, different sizes. But what really matters is how well it does the job it was designed for - writing, drawing, sketching. And that all depends on what’s inside: the graphite.
It’s the same for a Christian. We all look different. We come in different shapes, with different hair color and eye color, big and small. But what really matters is what is inside, what is going on in your heart.
Are you hard hearted? You are determined to go your way no matter what.
Are you half-hearted? You will do what God says, but you don’t really want to.
Are you broken-hearted, depressed or sorrowful? It’s okay to be sorry for past actions, but you can’t stay this way.
Are you whole-hearted, committed to serving God with all that you are?
You know when you look at a pencil, you can’t really tell how nice the graphite is. There are some pencils I just won’t use because I don’t like how they feel. There are other pencils that make writing a joy and I’d rather use them than a pen.
It’s the same way with Christians: we all look differently on the outside. What we do demonstrates what’s on the inside. Our actions show who we really are and what’s important to us. I the LORD search the heart and test the mind.
And sometimes we don’t even know who we really are until we see how we react in different situations. We never knew that we would act in a certain way when faced with that problem.
In pencil terms, I hope you are good graphite. I hope what is inside of you is very usable and a joy to your Creator. I hope you are committed to serving Him with your whole heart.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us
Proverbs 3:6 - God's Guiding Hand
Proverbs 27:17 - Iron Sharpens Iron
1 John 1:9 - To Cleanse Us From All Unrighteousness
Jeremiah 17:10 - The Heart of the Matter
God’s Guiding Hand
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6
Materials: pencils
You can learn some very important principles by considering a pencil. First of all, in order for it to be useful, it has to be guided. Most people use their hand to guide the pencil to write. But some people use their mouth (Joni Erickson Tada) or their feet.
What guides you in your life? When you’re little, your parents guide you. They direct you, teach you, what is right and wrong, what will hurt you and what will help you. They show you how to do things. They teach you what you need to know in order to succeed. But how do your parents know how to teach you?
Many times moms and dads teach their children the way they were taught. If your mom was taught to ask to be excused from the table, she’s likely to teach you the same manners. If your dad was taught to listen when other people are speaking, he is likely to teach you the same courteous behavior.
And if the moms and dads are Christians, if they truly love God, they are likely to ask God for help, for wisdom, for guidance in teaching the children God has given to them. Because moms and dads love their kids so much and want the very best for them, their prayers are full of requests to God for help.
But Solomon says that it’s more than just asking for help. Solomon says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV). This is more than just asking for help or wisdom or direction sometimes. This is turning over every area of your life to God, where God is the foundation of everything you do, and then relying on God to show you how to live your life.
It’s very much like this pencil. This pencil can do nothing until I pick it up. Whether I put the point to the paper to write, or I put it down because I’m done writing, the pencil does nothing that is not what I want it to do.
Now the pencil has no choice in the matter. But you do. You can choose to live your life seeking God’s will, doing everything for His glory and pleasure. And in order to know what pleases God, you have to be reading His Word and praying to God and talking to other people who love God.
Are you moving at the direction of God’s will in all areas in your life? Be like a pencil - doing all things at the will of the Master.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us
Iron Sharpens Iron
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
Materials: unsharpened pencils, pencil sharpener, knife, steel
It’s amazing what you can learn from a pencil, and I don’t mean because of what it has written on your paper. Last week we talked about how a pencil must be guided by a hand in order to be useful. Similarly, we must be guided by God’s hand in order to be useful to Him.
But what if my pencil isn’t sharp? Is it still useful? Not as a pencil. Not really as an implement to convey knowledge. You could use the eraser, if it had one. You might be able to make some sort of marking. But really, if a pencil is going to transmit knowledge efficiently and effectively, it has to be sharp.
In the same way, as the people of God, if we aren’t sharp, our usefulness to God is limited. What do I mean by that? God gave us a job - to spread the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ. But what if we don’t know what that means? What if we don’t know anything about God - or at least not enough to be able to tell others about what an awesome God we serve? What if we don’t know what God expects from His people? What if we aren’t sharp?
If a pencil isn’t sharp, we can put it in the pencil sharpener. But a “sharp” pencil isn’t the same kind of “sharp” as a “sharp” person. It doesn’t work to put a Christian in a pencil sharpener. But it does work really well to put a Christian in a Christian sharpener. That’s where the memory verse comes in: Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).
Have you ever seen how a knife is sharpened? You can use a whet stone. Or you can use a steel. Both of them are knife sharpeners. How well do you think it would work to hit the knife at a 90º angle against the steel? Hopefully you can see how that would not only make the knife less sharp, it could also irreparably damage the knife. You hold the knife at an angle to the steel. The steel little by little takes off some of the blade, the burrs, until there is an edge on the knife, a focused edge, a very sharp blade.
That’s how it works with Christians. As we talk with one another, using the Bible as our guide and final authority, we take off the burrs until we have a very focused edge. God uses each of us to help make one another sharper - and therefore, stronger - as Christians. Then we are of much greater use to His glory.
You know, there are some pencils that I don’t use because they aren’t sharp. There are some knives that I don’t use because they aren’t sharp. In fact, with both pencils and knives, when they are very sharp, they are functioning just like they were designed to function, and they are a delight to use.
I wonder if God feels the same way about us. We want to be used by Him. If we are sharp, if we know what His Word, the Bible, says; if we are able to apply His Word in the situations around us, then we can be very useful to Him.
Learn to talk with other people about God. Don’t just talk about your favorite toy, your favorite video game, your favorite movie, or your favorite potluck item. Talk about God. Be sharp for His glory.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us
To Cleanse Us From All Unrighteousness
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Materials: pencils, erasers
Do you ever make mistakes? That’s a silly question, isn’t it? We all make mistakes. Some are just poor decisions. Others are bad choices which are contrary to God’s ways. Those mistakes are called sins. Sometimes we make mistakes without realizing it. Sometimes we make mistakes because we just can’t help ourselves. Those are sins of weakness.
A pencil can help us understand how this works. Have you ever added numbers together and written down the wrong answer? That’s a mistake that you made because you weren’t thinking, you were distracted, or you just don’t know your addition facts very well. Sins are like that. You can sin because you weren’t thinking, you were distracted, or you just don’t know God’s law very well.
Think about your pencil again. Have you ever intended to write one thing but your fingers just didn’t form the letter or number correctly? That’s a mistake that you made out of weakness. Some sins are like that too. You know you shouldn’t do something, but you still make the wrong choice.
The thing is: when you make a mistake out of weakness, you have to fix it. With the pencil, you use the eraser to wipe out that mistake and put something else in its place. The only thing is - sometimes you can’t completely erase the mark. You can still see some of the mistake that you made. Sin is like that. You can try to make things right, but there’s still evidence that you made a wrong choice.
There’s another very curious thing about pencils. If a pencil is brand new, the eraser usually works pretty well. But when a pencil has been around for a while, the eraser gets harder and harder and less and less able to erase like it should. There are some things you can do to fix that. They kinda work. You can put your pencil in a plastic bag with a little bit of water. Sometimes that helps. Or you can use a cutting board and a big knife to cut the eraser in half. You don’t have as much eraser to use anymore, but at least you’ve taken off the part that is hard and unusable.
It’s an interesting thing about people and the mistakes we make. When a mistake is fresh and new, it’s easier to rectify - to fix. That’s kind of like the new pencil. But when we get into the habit of sinning, pretty soon we get hardened to our mistakes. It isn’t as easy to change our behavior.
But it’s important to realize that there are consequences for every mistake, for every sin. Romans 6:23 says that wages of sin is death. You are not getting away with doing anything against God’s law. However, God has made a way - through Jesus Christ - for us to be forgiven. When we acknowledge Jesus as Savior and God, He takes the penalty for our sin. Better than any eraser could wipe out the mistake, Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
It’s something to think about the next time you use an eraser.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us
**The Heart of the Matter
I the LORD search the heart and test the mind . . . Jeremiah 17:10
Materials: a variety of pencils
We’ve talked about the different things you can learn about your relationship with God from a pencil. The pencil doesn’t work unless there’s a hand to guide it; Christians work best when they allow God to direct their lives. The pencil works best when it’s sharp; Christians fellowshipping with one another can learn more about God, His ways, and serving Him. The pencil comes with an eraser; Jesus Christ is the only One who can take away our sins.
Today we’re going to talk about the lead - or more specifically, the graphite in the pencil.
A pencil can look great on the outside. It can be different shapes, different colors, different sizes. But what really matters is how well it does the job it was designed for - writing, drawing, sketching. And that all depends on what’s inside: the graphite.
It’s the same for a Christian. We all look different. We come in different shapes, with different hair color and eye color, big and small. But what really matters is what is inside, what is going on in your heart.
Are you hard hearted? You are determined to go your way no matter what.
Are you half-hearted? You will do what God says, but you don’t really want to.
Are you broken-hearted, depressed or sorrowful? It’s okay to be sorry for past actions, but you can’t stay this way.
Are you whole-hearted, committed to serving God with all that you are?
You know when you look at a pencil, you can’t really tell how nice the graphite is. There are some pencils I just won’t use because I don’t like how they feel. There are other pencils that make writing a joy and I’d rather use them than a pen.
It’s the same way with Christians: we all look differently on the outside. What we do demonstrates what’s on the inside. Our actions show who we really are and what’s important to us. I the LORD search the heart and test the mind.
And sometimes we don’t even know who we really are until we see how we react in different situations. We never knew that we would act in a certain way when faced with that problem.
In pencil terms, I hope you are good graphite. I hope what is inside of you is very usable and a joy to your Creator. I hope you are committed to serving Him with your whole heart.
Based on : https://www.creativekidswork.com/all-ideas/117-77-five-lessons-a-pencil-can-teach-us