Help, Don’t Hurt

Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Props:  hammer, a few small wooden strips, nails

            God has given each one of you strengths.  Some of you are great athletes, others are talented in art.  Some of you can make straight As without even studying much, others are very outgoing and are good at making lots of friends.  Each of you has special gifts and talents that God has given you.  Today’s lesson is about being strong in God and gentle with others.  You see, you have a choice to make.  You can use your talents and your strengths for God or you can use them for yourself. 

            Let’s use this hammer for an example.  This hammer is a strong tool.  But I get to choose how to use it.  (Begin hammering the wooden strips together).  I can choose to use this hammer to build.  I can build things for my family, to help them.  Or I can build something to be used in the church.  I could also build something to help people in the community.  I can choose to use this hammer to build something great.  I could also use this hammer to hurt or destroy things.  (Prop up a strip of wood and hit it with the hammer so as to break it).  If I hit these wooden strips with this hammer hard enough, they would break apart.  This hammer could be used to break lots of things and to do a lot of damage. 

            In your life, the talents that God has given you are the tools that you have.  You can allow Him to use those talents to help people, or you can use them to hurt people.  The choice is yours.  God will bless you if you give the gifts He has given you right back to Him.  Let Him use them.