Tight Packing

…Whatever is noble…think about such things.     Philippians 4:8

 Props: suitcase, various necessities such as clothes, shoes, soap, shampoo, Bible, Christian CDs, movies, etc.

            Imagine with me for a moment that you are moving.  You will be living in another place for the rest of your life.  You will never be able to come back to your home again.  Anything you want you will have to take with you.  The problem is that you only get a few suitcases.  That’s it; that’s the only space you have for all of your things.  Now: what would you pack?  (Allow children to respond and display various items as you lead the discussion.)  I don’t think any of you would waste this space on things like rocks and tire pumps and ant farms.  Those things won’t help you survive!

            (Clear out suitcase).  In this life we are given only so much room to carry all of our thoughts.  Our mind is only so big, and it can only hold so much.  The thoughts you put into your mind right now you will have to take with you the rest of your life.  You will have to use the knowledge you are getting right now to survive, kind of like having to live off of the supplies in these suitcases.  What kinds of things are important to put into your mind?  (Allow for response).  In life you’re going to come up on some tough situations, and the things you are learning from bad music and movies, from video games and bad books are not going to help you make good choices.  (Display Bible and put in into suitcase).  The Bible will give you all the wisdom you need to live your life.  Fill your mind with God’s Word.  (Display Christian CDs, movies, etc. and add them to suitcase).  Listening to good, Christian music and watching good movies will also help to fill your mind with the things you will need to succeed in life. 

Fill your mind with worth-while things.  Don’t waste the space in your brain on junk!