"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches"
Lesson:
Have you ever seen a mustard seed? The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. It is so small that if you were holding one in your hand and you dropped it you would have a very hard time finding it because it is so hard to see. Even though the mustard seed is so small when it is planted in the ground, it grows into a tree large enough for birds to stand on its branches and to make their nests in it.
When you look at this little mustard seed ( * ) before planting it in the ground, you might think it would be impossible for a seed so tiny to grow into a tree. But our God turns that tiny seed into a wonderful place for birds to come and rest and sing.
When Jesus told this parable He compared it to loving God. When children, like you, or adults begin to love Jesus, their love is like a tiny mustard seed before it is planted in the ground. It starts out very small at first. Then when you keep on listening to what Jesus says and obeying Him, then the love grows bigger and bigger. Soon it will grow like the big mustard tree.
You can also find this parable in Mark 4:30-32; and Luke 13:18-19
Memory Verse:
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you"
Matthew 17:20
Glue mustard seeds on paper to make a bookmark. . Write the scripture verse Matthew 13:31. Color and decorate bookmark then cover with clear contact paper. Explain how God’s word is like a tiny seed planted. His Word is "planted" in our hearts and minds and grows when you think and understand and learn about Him. You can "plant" more seeds when you share His Love with others. (You can buy Mustard Seeds in the Spice section in your grocery store.)
Place a mustard seed in a small pot or jar filled with dirt. Place in your kitchen window or other place where it will get sunshine. Let the children water the plant from time to time to remind them of this parable.
“Mustard Seed.” Parable of the Mustard Seed, for Children, www.just4kidsmagazine.com/rainbowcastle/mustardseed.html.
]]>1 – The Writing of the Bible - The Bible was written over a 1600 year period by approximately 40 men. The time of the writing was from 1500 BC to AD 100.
2 – The Divisions of the Bible - While the Bible is 1 book, it contain 66 smaller books. The books of the Old Testament were written before the birth of Jesus Christ and the New Testament covers the life of Christ and beyond.
3 – Chapters and Verses - Each of the books, except 5, are divided into chapters and verses. The 5 which aren’t divided by chapters are Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude. These are short books which only have verse divisions.
Chapters were introduced to the Bible in 1238 by Cardinal Hugo de S. Caro. Verse divisions were not added until 1551 by Robertus Stephanus.
4 – The Longest and Shortest of the Bible - The longest chapter if the Bible is Psalm 119 with 176 verses. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117 with only 2 verses. Incidentally, the middle chapter of the Bible is also Psalm 117.
The longest book of the Bible is Psalms with 150 chapters, or psalms. It contains 43,743 words. The shortest book is 3 John with only 1 chapter and 299 words.
The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 with 90 words. The shortest verse is John 11:35 with only 2 words, “Jesus wept.”
5 – The Bible is God’s Word - There are many books written about and by various religions. But the Bible is the only one which includes the actual words of God. Those who believe the Bible also believe that God inspired various people through the years to write down His actual words for mankind. The Bible says more than 3,000 times “thus saith the Lord.” And the words which follow are quotes from God.
6 – The Bible is Historically Accurate -
There were several secular historians who wrote about the events of the New Testament at the same time the Bible was being written. Josephus is the most well-known of them. He was a Jewish historian. Tacitus was a Roman historian who would have no benefit from not telling the truth. Both these men, as well as others, can be used to back up the historical accuracy of the Bible.
There are historical discoveries regularly coming to light that continue to support the accuracy of the Bible. Merrill Unger, who compiled a Bible dictionary wrote, “Old Testament archeology has rediscovered whole nations, resurrected important peoples, and in a most astonishing manner filled in historical gaps, adding immeasurably to the knowledge of Biblical backgrounds.”
7 – The Business of the Bible - There are more than 168,000 Bibles either sold or given away per day in the United States according to the Gideons, Wycliffe International and the International Bible Societies.
Historically it has been said that the Bible is the most sold book of all time. It is regularly on various best seller lists.
The Bible has been translated into more than 1,200 languages.
8 – The Bible Never Contradicts Itself - There are no contradictions in the Bible. Various people claim to find contradictions but they have to take verses out of context to do so. When looking at the Bible as a whole and understanding its teachings there are no contradictions. This is amazing when one considers that the Bible was written over such a long period of time.
9 – The Prophecies of the Bible - There are more than 3,200 verses with fulfilled prophecy either within the Bible itself or since the Bible was written. But there are still more than 3,100 verses with unfulfilled prophecies.
10 – The Writers of the Bible - While there were at least 40 different people who wrote parts of the Bible, some were more prolific than others. The Apostle Paul wrote at least 13 books of the Bible. He may have also been the author of the book of Hebrews. Moses wrote the first 5 books.
The Bible attributes more than 3,000 proverbs to King Solomon. These are not all written in the book of Proverbs. However, most of that book is said to be the proverbs of Solomon.
You can check out Shopify’s ecommerce blog for inspiration and advice for your own store and for your store’s blog.
How do I remove this post?
Log in to your store’s admin area then go to the blog section to delete this post.