Today’s story is one that Jesus told His friends in order to help them understand something important.
“Jesus often told stories when He wanted to explain something to the people who followed Him. These stories were called parables, and they took place in everyday situations so that people could understand God’s truth for themselves.
Jesus’ parable was about a man who went on a journey. Before he left for his trip, the man left his money with his servants. He wanted them to be responsible for it until he returned.
“The man asked his servants to take good care of his gold while he was gone. It was their responsibility to take care of what he owned.
“The man gave five bags of gold to one servant . . . two bags of gold to another . . . and one bag of gold to another. Then he left.
“After a long time, the boss finally came back home. He called all the servants together and asked them to show him what they had done with his money while he was gone.
“The first servant showed that he had doubled what the boss had given him. Instead of five bags of gold, he now had ten.
“The boss was very pleased. He said . . .
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. “The second servant had also doubled what the boss had given him. Now, instead of two bags of gold, he had four. “Again, the boss said . . .“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
“That just left the last servant—the one who didn’t make any more money, but just buried his gold in the ground. The servant tried to explain his actions.
“The servant tried to give some excuses for what he had done, but the fact is, he hadn’t been responsible. The boss had expected him to make the money grow, but he hid the money instead. So, the boss wasn’t happy. He sent the servant outside. He took the servant’s bag of gold and gave it to the other servant who had ten.
“Think about all the things God has given you. Maybe He’s given you a talent—like you’re a good artist or good at sports. He’s given you friends and family who love you—and every day, you can choose how you treat them. In every situation, let’s make the most of what we’ve been given.
Make the most of what you’ve been given.
Responsibility—Showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you
January 27 - Wednesday Night River Kids
Parable of the Bags of Gold
January 27, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
Livin’ on a Prayer (Model Prayer)
May 19, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
This lesson talks about how we can connect with God. It shares how we can pray at any time and that Jesus loved to pray. The story teaches that Jesus would slip away from the crowds to be alone and talk to Hs Father, God. There was one day that one of Jesus' disciples asked Him, "http://lord...teach us to pray". Jesus answered His friend with a simple example. The example God showed them is the prayer found in Luke 11:2-4. It is good to memorize this prayer, but we don't have to stick with those exact words to pray right. We can take the same ideas from Jesus' prayer and make them our own, as we pray to Him. Jesus called God "Father"; we can, too. He is our perfect Father who loved us, no matter what. God deserves to be honored. God made heaven and Earth, made us in His image. We ca take time to honor God and thank Him for all He's done for us. God is our King. He is our King. He is in control; He has a good plan for our lives. God's "kingdom" means that things happen the way God planned for them to happen. We're asking God to make things in our world right, good, and true. We're asking Him to help us be part of what He's doing in the world. We can pray and ask God for the things we need-and the things other people need. Praying helps us remember that God is always there to take care of us. Jesus knew that it was important for us to talk to God when we mess up. God will always be there to forgive us and give us a fresh start. When we've experienced God's forgiveness, that helps us forgive others too. You can talk to God anytime, anywhere, about anything. Practice praying to God.