Our Power Comes for God

John 15:5, Philippians 4:19

Preparation: None

Visual Aids: checkerboard, PC game, headphones

Good morning, boys and girls. How are you? This morning I want to play a good game of checkers. Would someone like to play with me? [Wait for volunteer, then take out the empty checkerboard and place it between you and the volunteer.]

OK, you go first. [Wait for the look on the young volunteer’s face to be obvious to all.] Oh, hmm. It seems I have forgotten the checkers. We can’t play checkers without checkers, now can we? OK, well, I have something else we can do. [Take out PC game.] I have a really neat computer game here on this disk, and I’d like to show it to you this morning. Can you see it? [Hold up the disk and wait for the children to say no.] Why can’t you see it? [Wait for response.] Hmm, we can’t very well play the game without a computer. OK, how about this? I have a really good song I want to listen to this morning. [Put headphones on. Wait for children to point out that you have nothing to listen to.] Oh, I don’t have a radio or tape player or CD player, so the headphones don’t do me much good, do they? [If time allows, continue with one or two more of your own examples.] Well, kids, what was wrong with all of the things I wanted to do with you today? [Wait for responses.] There was something missing. Without checkers, you can’t play checkers. Without a computer, a PC game is no good. Without something to plug into, headphones are useless. And you know, without God we are nothing. Did you know that? Without God, we can do nothing. Can you say that with me? “Without God, we can do nothing.” But with God, we can do all things. Say that with me. “With God, we can do all things.” Let’s pray that God would help us remember that without Him, we can do nothing, but with Him, we can do anything.