We wrapped up our iWorship series yesterday, talking about yielding our lives to God!Over the past 4 weeks we've been uncovering different aspects to worship.
Worship involves prayer, reading God's Word, the way we act toward God and toward others, and all of that is encompassed as we yield our lives to God's control!
We talked about a man named Zacchaeus found in Luke 19:1-10.
Zacchaeus was a Jewish tax collector for the Roman Government. Zacchaeus lived a sinful lifestyle because he would cheat the people out of their money. He would secretly raise the taxes and then keep a lot of the money for himself.
Well, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so he climbed up into a tree so that he could see over the crowd as Jesus passed by. When Jesus was getting close he looked at Zacchaeus and told him to come down out of the tree be cause he was going to eat dinner at Zacchaeus' house that night.
Zacchaeus was a very rich man and had a lot of possessions... so he gladly had Jesus in his home. But when Zacchaeus came in contact with Jesus his life was completely changed.
He told Jesus, "I want to give half of my wealth to the poor and I will give back 4 times as much as I stole from the people."
Jesus saw that Zacchaeus' heart had changed. Zacchaeus wanted to accept Jesus into his life and change the bad things he was doing... and he did! Zacchaeus yielded his life to Jesus!
Bible Story: Luke 19:1-10
Memory Verse: "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.'" Matthew 22:37-38
Q's for the family:
1. Zacchaeus's life was completely changed when he yielded himself to Jesus! What is something that keeps you from completely yielding your life to Jesus? Video games, friends, the ineternet, money, having the coolest clothes or toys, porpularity, etc.
2. How can those things get in the way of knowing God?
3. What steps can you take to make sure that you are spending time worshipping Jesus?
[Challenge]
This week I want you to take a break from something that takes up a lot of your time. Whether it is video games, the internet, or just watching TV; take a break from it and focus that time on God. Have a parent sign a sheet of paper explaining what you gave up and you can get a prize!
