PACT for the week of August 27th

Sowing and Reaping Arrange for your family to visit and pick some vegetables from a garden. Or visit an orchard to pick fruit. (If you have one in your yard, all the better.) Or visit a local farmer's market. Bring some vegetables home and eat them for a meal. As you are eating, talk about... What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit? What would happen if the farmer didn't plant any seeds? (He wouldn't harvest any food) What should you expect to reap (harvest) if you planted corn seeds? (Corn) What should you expect to reap if you planted bean seeds? (Beans) Whatever we sow (plant) is what we can expect to reap (harvest). Read Galatians 6:7-8. If we sow (do) sin, what can we expect to reap? (Corruption, bad results, and eventually death) If we sow well or live to please the Spirit, what can we expect to end up with? (Eternal life) Don't be misled because God's justice will see that we reap what we sow. Galatians 6:7 Items needed: 1/2 cup of dried lentils (grocery store ones are fine), water, a quart jar with a screen lid (or use a handkerchief and rubber band to drain the water) Grow some bean sprouts to illustrate principles of sowing and reaping. Place 1/2 cup of dried lentils in the jar. Fill jar with water and soak overnight. Drain and rinse the soaked beans at least once a day. (Drain them carefully after each rinse by turning them upside down on a plate or towel.)  As a general rule, you can eat the sprouts when the sprout tail is about as long as the seed itself, about 3 or 4 days. When the tips of the sprouts are starting to go green, transfer them to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to a week.  (From http://www.wildhealthfood.com) For an entertaining 2-minute video of how to grow sprouts from lentils go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-1V4vtV8Yo Growing the sprouts this way is a little different from putting the seeds in the ground, but the same principle is at work. We had to put the lentil seeds in the water for them to grow. God's principles of sowing and reaping are still true. Read Galatians 6:7. What does "you reap what you sow" mean? (It means that you will harvest/reap/pick whatever you sow/plant) What should a person who goes their own way and lives a life without thinking about God expect to reap/receive at the end of his or her life? (An eternity separated from God, bad results) What should a person who follows God and tries to please the Holy Spirit expect to receive at the end of his or her life? (Eternal life with God in Heaven) God is a just God and will punish/reward us according to the way we have lived. Abiding in Jesus Items needed: wooden skewers, and pieces of fruit Review the Bible verse-–Galatians 5:22-23a. Make and eat fruit kebobs. Cut up pieces of fruit and let kids choose and add them to a wooden skewer (you might want to snap off the sharp ends). Why is it good to eat fruit? (It’s good for your body, it has vitamins, etc.) Why is it good to let the Holy Spirit produce fruit in us? (Others will see the good fruit and they may praise God, we will be happier, God is pleased when we say yes to the Holy Spirit and no to sin, etc.) How can we produce fruit? Read John 15:4-7. What does it mean to abide in Jesus? (To be a Christian, to read the Bible and think about His words, etc.) As we read the Bible and say "yes" to the Holy Spirit, we will see more and more of this GOOD fruit in our lives. Ask each family member to think of one way to do a good deed for someone else during the week. Then DO IT! Follow Jesus' example; He went about doing good (Acts 10:38).