Every GOOD gift is from God! 

Objects: Fake bugs or rocks wrapped in candy wrappers Scripture: James 1:17 Lesson: Here's a great Halloween object lessons, though it can be used any time... Wrap up some rocks (or better yet, rubber bugs!) in candy wrappers and give them out. Explain that you would like to give them a gift. After they open it and don't like them, talk about how the world and our Enemy try to deceive us by making sin look yummy, but in the end it tastes horrible! Then tell them about the gift of God.   Submitted by: rangerdj

Flying Eagle 

One day I was sitting at the top of an escarpment on the edge of the Fox river watching an eagle circling over head. The river had mostly thawed and large chunks of ice were floating down the river, slipping over the water fall and crashing far below. Suddenly, the eagle swooped down the water level and gently landed on a large chunk of ice. The tattered corpse of a rabbit was stuck to the top of this large ice chunk, and the eagle cautiously began to feed on the remains. Every few moments, the eagle would raise its head and look around, trying to sense danger with every turn. I soon began to realize that it was sensing danger, the danger of the approaching water fall. However, the eagle remain on the ice, picking and eating the raw meat of the rabbit. Suddenly, the eagle was keenly aware as the chunk of ice slowly floated closer to the water fall. I yelled and screamed for the eagle to fly away, but it ignored my pleas, instead choosing to dip its head once more into the innards of the rabbit. It waited until the last possible moment, and as the ice began to fall over the edge of the water fall, the eagle raised its wings high into the air, but its feet were frozen to the ice, and it dissapeared into the mist of the river falls. Moral: Don't focus on the pleasures or wait to commit your life to christ until its to late.   

Hold your tongue 

Objects: Just the kids tongues! Scripture: Proverbs 18:21 Lesson: Just a fun introduction to teaching on the power of the tongue. Write several of the saying below on slips of paper (and add your own), put them in a container, and then pick some kids from the audience. Have them pick a slip, read it to themselves, and then say it while they are holding their Tongue!!! The audience tries to make out what they are saying! It's really quite funny! SUGGESTIONS: The Royal Rangers code, motto, pledge, etc. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candle stick Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the stream. VERSE: Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Teach that if we would learn the just "hold our tongue" that we wouldn't say anything that we would really want people to hear and understand. Read James Chapter 3 and explain.   Submitted by: rangerdj

Inside Up 

Objects: Two balloons - one with helium inside, the other with regular air, and string. Scripture: Matthew 7:23 Lesson: You show two balloons, in such a way that they look the same. The one with NO helium should be slightly bigger (But don't let the kids can't tell which has helium in it.) You are going to have a race to the ceiling. They are to guess which they think will hit the ceiling first! You can even have them sit on the side of the room of the balloon they are going to cheer for. After a TEN COUNT - release the balloons!! One will go up, the other will fall down. They were mostly wrong - the one with the helium went up, against the expectations of the kids who thought the bigger one would. THE POINT: It is what is INSIDE that counts! God wants us all to go up to heaven - and it is whether you have Jesus inside that determines that, NOT what you life looks like from the outside. There are also a lot of people that people assume will go to heaven, but they will fall away in the judgment, whereas others, who get into heaven might surprise you! CAN ALSO BE USED as a lesson on the power of being filled with the Holy Spirit!   Submitted by: rangerdj

Make Time for what is important 

Fire rocks represent the five important things that a christian must do. Read the Bible Pray Spend time with other believers Work in the Lord's service Improving ourselves (school, work, sports, etc) The sand represents all the other things we spend time doing in life. playing video games, watching tv, going to the movies, hanging out, etc. Pour the sand into the bottle. Explain that if we fill our time with all these little things, there will be no room for the important things. Pour the sand out, place the rocks in the jar and explain that we should put the important things first, then we can still fill in the gaps with other less important things.  Submitted by: rangerdj

The Plane Truth 

This is what you will need: 1. Three sheets of paper, one folded into an airplane that will fly 2. A balsa wood glider (or any other pre-fabricated glider) put together before the meeting. 3. A glider for each boy. (optional) Keep all of these hidden until you are ready to show them to the boys. OBJECT: To show the need for God's Help in our lives. Devotion: "Guys, when I was a boy I enjoyed making paper airplanes so I am going to make one tonight for you!" (Turn your back or work behind a podium and act like you are folding one of the pieces of paper into a plane. Describe how good you are at making a plane. Then hold up a piece of paper that is NOT folded at all. Talk it up about how good of a plane it is and ask one of the boys to fly it. Obviously, at best the piece of paper will just flutter around in the air.) Ask: "What's wrong? How come it won't fly?" The response you will get (and the one you are looking for) is "Because it is not folded". At this point describe to the boys that a boy left to himself is like this piece of paper with nothing put into it. It can't fly! Even though I did it my own way with nobody telling me what to do it could not fly because it was not done right. Mention Prov. 29:15 which says, "...a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" Now say something to this affect: " You guys were right, to fly a plane you need to fold it" At this point fold the paper into an approximate 1 inch square. ask one of the boys to fly it. Once again ask: "Why won't it fly?" The response you need will be something like "It was not folded right" Agree that the reason it would not fly right is because it was not folded right. Tell the boys they need the right kind of inputs in their lives. According to 1 John 2:15-17 all that is in the world is bad things that will separate them from God. Now produce the paper folded into an airplane. Let one of the boys fly it. Ask: "Why does it fly?" The response " It is folded right" We need good influence in our life of adults, teachers, leaders, pastors and good friends. When we are shaped good by these folks we will become model citizens, good students, good friends, etc. YET TO MAKE IT INTO HEAVEN WE NEED SOMETHING MORE THAN WHAT PEOPLE CAN TEACH US OR GIVE US. WE NEED THE MASTER'S TOUCH At this time produce the balsa glider, show how skill and planning and the work of a master plane builder made it. Let one of the boys fly it. Conclude by pointing out the Master Ranger must touch their life to be a Christian and to make it to heaven. Jesus is " the way, the truth, and the life," (John 14:6). Conclude by praying with the boys allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you. A nice gesture would be to give each boy a balsa plane. I hope this devotion will be useful to someone.   Submitted by: Pastor Crane

The Way 

Objects: A road map Scripture: John 14:6 Lesson: Show the kids a map and ask them to show A WAY between two points on the map. It does not have to be the smartest, shortest, or fastest way. Each kid can actually come up with a way to get there. In fact there will be lots of ways to get from point A to point B. Then I make the statement to the kids to show me THE WAY to get from point A to point B and they will look confused. Usually they will ask me which way? The use of the word THE implies that I have a certain way in mind. Many people see the road to heaven as a map with many possible routes. They say that it doesn't matter which way you go. We will all end up at the same place. In John 14:6 Jesus said I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. Not A way, A truth, and A life.   Submitted by: rangerdj

What counts is on the inside. 

Ask who wants a free soda? Hold the two cans showing both pop tops still intact, talk about the cans being full of delicious soda. Explain that the sodas look identical, but in fact one soda is like how Christians should be, and the other soda is how Christians should not be. Christians should have Jesus in their heart, filled with the Holy Spirit, and living with God in our minds. However, some Christians may look like this but..... shake the empty can real good and pop the top off the can over top of the boys, acting like your going to pour soda all over them. Of course your going to get a great response and explain that some people may look like their Christians but they are empty inside just like this soda can. Explain further about being like the other soda, full and filled. Close in prayer. One full can of soda, another identical can of soda except it has been emptied by making a tiny hole in the bottom.  Submitted by: rangerdj

Worthless Value? 

Hold up a $20 bill. Ask, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands go up. "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." Proceed to crumple the dollar bill up then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," replied, "What if I do this?" Drop it on the ground and grind it into the floor with your shoe. Picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands go into the air. "Boys, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes..to Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him. THOUGHT: The worth of our lives come not in what we do or who we are but by WHO WE ARE! You are special - Don't ever forget it!  Submitted by: rangerdj