Sanctification
Raise your hand if you want to be tall when you grow up? I think every kid I know cares a lot about their height. I know we do at our house! I bet you can tell me who is the tallest in your class or group of friends and I bet you can tell me who is the shortest. And have you noticed how adults so often make comments about how they just can’t believe how much you’ve grown?
As a kid it’s important to get the right amount of sleep and eat the right healthy foods in order to grow. Have your parents ever told you that? It’s true!
Well, just as you will get bigger and taller as you grow up, you can also GROW as a Christian as you get to know and follow Jesus. There’s a fancy word for this called sanctification. Can you say that? Sanctification. PAUSE. Good!
This complicated word just means that as we get to know Jesus better through reading about Him in the Bible or singing songs to Him or talking about Him with other people then we grow to become more and more like Him. Have you ever hung out with someone for a while and then you realize that you start saying some of the same things they say? Or maybe you start acting the way they act?
Same things happens when we hang out with the Lord. We start to think the way He thinks and we start to say the things He said. This is sanctification.
And it doesn’t happen over night! It takes years and years, just like it takes years for us to grow as a kid. It’s a process. And just as healthy food and good exercise and sleep can help you grow taller, in the same way, lots of time reading the Bible, praying and talking with other people about Jesus helps us become more like Him. It helps sanctify us!
So, that’s sanctification. The growing over your lifetime to become more like Jesus. Hard to say word – but pretty basic thing to understand, right?
The Bible has a lot to say about sanctification and we see that growing process played out in the lives of all people in the Bible. But, for today, I chose just one verse. 1 Thessalonians 5:23a says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.”
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss. Oh, and there’s no wrong answer to these. So don’t overthink it!
- What was that word that we talked about today that is a fancy word for growing to become more and more like Jesus over time?
- How do we know if we are growing to be more like Jesus? It’s not someone that we can measure on a growth chart, like our height, so how do we know if we’re growing more like Jesus?
- What are some things that you can do today to help you grow to be more like Jesus?
One last time before we sign off, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely” 1 Thessalonians 5:23a.
*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko
As You Go
Hey……you….yeah, you…..what cha doing right now? Riding in the car? Listening to something while waiting on dinner? Laying on the floor with nothing to do? Playing legos?
Did you know that all of these activities and NOT activities are opportunities to talk about God?
Yep!
The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy chapter 6 to talk about God no matter what’s happening… any circumstance. Any time of the day. Any place. Whenever and wherever!
In fact, listen in Deuteronomy 6 verses 5-7. It says this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
The people in Bible times walked everywhere they went. They didn’t have bikes or roller blades or scooters. Just walking! But, how do you get to places most of the time? If you live in a town like we do, we drive everywhere we go! And this Bible verse that tells us to talk about God when we are “walking along the road” can now be applied to “when we are riding in the car.”
Some of my best thinking and talking happens on car rides!
And so that’s why we’ve named this podcast BACKSEAT Bible nuggets. It was created for parents that have someone in the backseat that they want to talk about God with as they are going as the Bible has commanded us in Deuteronomy 6:7. These are short devotional podcasts to get you talking about God and His word as you go!
So, back to our verses…Let’s hear it again. Deuteronomy 6:5-7. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Whew! That means everything that we have in us! My heart, my brain, the things I do in my own strength with my arms and legs and hands and so on) These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. (In other words, parents are called to have God’s commandments in their hearts and minds so that they can then TEACH them to YOU, their kiddos!) Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (All. The. Time!)
Here are some questions to talk about. You can pause after each question and discuss or just generally review together when it’s over. Oh, and this is important! Listen. There’s no wrong answer to these! The point is to get conversation flowing. So don’t overthink it!
1. Okay, so first. What does it mean to love God with ALL of our heart, soul and strength?
2. Why is it important that we talk about God and His words in the Bible?
3. And lastly, how can you make sure that you talk about the Lord all the time, like it said in scripture. Remember it said talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up? How will YOU help your parents do that?
I’m sure they would love to talk about Him with you! And even if they don’t know all the answers, you can learn together! God loves when we come to Him. Whether we know it all or not!
One last time before we sign off, let’s practice Deuteronomy 6:5 together. You can repeat after me: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
You’ve been listening to Backseat Bible Nuggets. A podcast for kids about God’s great love for them and His written word. Parents you can check out more resources at BackseatBibleNuggets.com. We’re honored you listened and pray deep roots grow in the lives of your backseaters as you go along the way.
* Music: Forest by Vlad Gluschenko
God Is
Wow! That was amazing to hear from y’all! And everything you said was right on. God is ALL of those things! Isn’t that so cool? And guess what? There’s even more ways to describe God.
But it sounds to me like many of you are on your way to understanding many different parts of who God is. I heard some of you say that God is love which is in the Bible in 1 John 4:16 where it says “God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in Him.” I heard some of you say how God is like a father or Dad to you, which can be found in 2 Corinthians 6:18 where is says “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
And I heard even more names for God from some of our listeners like how God is greater than anything, awesome, the BEST, ruler of the universe, guide, a protector who takes care of us, and even a provider who gives us what we need. I loved hearing from each of you!
Here are some questions for you to talk about together. There’s no wrong answer to these, the point is to just get us talking about our awesome God.
1. So, who is God to you? He can be so many different things, like we talked about, but who is God to you today?
2. Who do you WANT God to be in your life?
3. Who is the adult that you’re listening with this week? Ask them if you can work together to find a Bible verse that talks about who God is to you. For example, if you said “God is love,” parents, you can Google “God is love bible verse.” That’s the easiest way to find it! You don’t have to have extensive Bible knowledge to look up verses!
Okay, so let me hear from you this week! Have an adult record you saying who God is to you and send it to me. I would love to hear from you! You can email your audio or video clip to [email protected]
Can’t wait to hear from you!!
Prayer
What was your first word when you were a baby? Was it Dada? Or Mama? Or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Okay, probably not that. BUT from an early age, even as babies, we are born with a desire to talk. We want people around us to know what we are thinking or feeling. This is why babies cry, right? Even before a baby can say a single word they want to let others know when they are happy or mad or sad.
Think of toddlers. Maybe you know a toddler and I bet you wouldn’t describe them as very quiet and having very few things to say. No, most children of any age really like to talk and be loud. And even if some of our friends listening struggle with putting sounds and words together, they probably have their own special way of showing those around them what they think and feel.
This is how we are wired as humans! It’s our instinct from day 1 of our life to communicate. So let’s talk about how that relates to prayer.
Praying is simple. It’s just talking to God. Just like you talk to your family members or your friends, it’s just like that when we pray to the Lord. In fact, prayer is sorta just a fancy word for having a conversation with Him. There are no magic words that are needed when we pray. And there is no right or wrong way to pray to Jesus. The only way we can mess up praying is by NOT doing it at all. Think of it this way: Who’s taking care of you today? No matter who is it, think of who is in charge of making sure you have food and clothes today? Okay. Now, what if you didn’t talk to them at all. All day. OR what if you ONLY talked to them for a minute or two before a meal or before bedtime. It wouldn’t make sense would it?! That would be silly and kinda just weird to be with someone all day but only talk to them for a brief moment at certain times.
Valued
Have you ever dreamed about being a bird before? I’ve always wondered how it would feel to fly around soaring high in the sky and then swooping down. I’ve been jealous of a birds view before because they can fly up and see everything! And when they have somewhere to go they don’t have to stick just to the roads, they can fly in whatever direction they want to. No road rules! But you know what would stink about being a bird? When it’s cold or raining and you still have to live outside. And that’s where my bird dream ends.
Matthew 6:26 – 30 talks about birds and how they have life so easy. God provides everything they need and they don’t even worry about it! We can look at birds and even flowers, things we see everyday and remember that if He takes care of the birds and the flowers then He will DEFINITELY take care of us!
“Are you not much more valuable then they?” it said in Matthew 6:26. You are a child of God. Not simply a bird or a flower. But His child. And He loves you so much!
Next time you see a bird flying through the air or scurrying on the ground remember how God cares for the birds. And next time you see a pretty flower blooming remember how God cares for the flowers. And THEN I want you to remember how much more loved and valued you are to God than birds and flowers. And He loves you more than you will ever know and He will take care of us.
Here are some questions to talk about.
1. How does God care for birds and flowers? Let’s list some ways.
2. Do you think that you are loved and valued by God?
3. How does God care for you? Let’s list some ways.
One last time, let’s practice our verse together. You can repeat after me. “Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?” Matthew 6:26
** Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko
Easter Story
Join along as we explore the Easter story through the eyes of a 5 year old. She covers the facts of what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross and why we celebrate Him ascending to heaven. If this episode doesn't get you and your little ones pumped up to celebrate Jesus' work, then I don't know what will!
Matthew 28:6a "He is not here; he has risen, just as He said!"
*Music: "Forest" by Vlad Gulschenko