This Week’s Memory Verse
Do not be fooled: Bad friends will ruin good habits and destroy you.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (ICB/CEV)
Fireproof Friends
Hey Kids!
We can all agree that having friends are cool. No matter who we are or no matter what we are interested in, having friends to do things with is always so much more fun.
Yes, it is amazing to have friends! The most important thing to know is not just having friends but having the RIGHT (FIREPROOF) friends. Every day of your life, you have a choice to surround yourself with the RIGHT (FIREPROOF) friends. The Bible says that having the wrong friends around you can mess up your character, your life, and even steal the plans and purposes and the dreams that God gave to you! I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to let anyone steal something from me!
Yeah, that’s right!!! Hanging around bad friends can change how you think, how you act, and even how you speak. If your friends are talking negative words or swearing around you, pretty soon you will start talking like them. It’s like if your mom has a bunch of apples all together in a bag and one of them is rotten, the other apples will start getting rotten too. It takes just one rotten apple to start a chain reaction that ruins the rest of the bunch!!!
Some of you might be thinking…..Ahhhh, I don’t believe that, I’m not an apple! My friends will not influence me!! This is what God says in His Word the Bible, DO NOT BE FOOLED: “BAD FRIENDS WILL RUIN GOOD HABITS AND DESTROY YOU (1 CORINTHIANS 15:33 ICB/CEV).
God’s Word is true and if you obey your life will be amazing! God always leaves it up to us to decide what we want in our lives good or bad. God always gives us a warning, like the fire alarm, when it rings, we know right away we need to get out of the building. Inside of you, God placed an alarm called the Holy Spirit when you are in danger it warns you. So, when you are hanging out with friends who are swearing or speaking negative words, who talk bad about others, who are mean to others, or who are disrespectful or disobedient to their parents, teachers, or leaders that alarm, the Holy Spirit inside you will warn you. And the Holy Spirit will remind you of God’s Word.
What will you choose to do when that alarm inside you warns you? It’s your choice!
When your mom or dad goes to the store to get fruits or vegetables for your family, do you want them to choose the good ones or the rotten ones? Your parents will check each fruit or vegetable and make sure they are good. Same way with the friends you hang out with, you must check to see if they are good for you.
How do you know they are good for you? You can ask yourself these questions. Do they love God? Do they pray with me and for me? Do they read the Bible? Do they show kindness to others? Do they obey their parents, teachers, and leaders? Do they speak words of life to others and about others?
Daniel had the RIGHT (FIREPROOF) friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) who loved God and would not bow down to the golden idol. They were faithful to God and God blessed them. These are the types of friends that God will give to you, too. All you need to do is obey God and ask God to send you the RIGHT (FIREPROOF) friends. Remember, God’s Word warns you…Do not be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits and destroy you!
Today, let’s make a commitment to only have the RIGHT (FIREPROOF) Friends close to us and that we will also be a FIREPROOF FRIEND TOO!
This Week’s Pledge of Honor
Father, thank You for giving me fireproof friends who love You and who will pray with me and for me.I will be faithful to You to pray every day, and read and obey Your Word, so I too can be a fireproof friend to others.
This Week’s Bible Reading
Daniel 3:1-24 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
The Blazing Furnace
Now King Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue made. That statue was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. He set up the statue on the plain of Dura in the area of Babylon. Then the king called the important leaders: the governors, assistant governors, captains of the soldiers, people who advised the king, keepers of the treasury, judges, rulers and all other officers in his kingdom. He wanted these men to come to the special service for the statue he had set up. So they all came for the special service. And they stood in front of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the man who made announcements for the king spoke in a loud voice. He said, “People, nations and men of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: You will hear the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, zithers,[a] harps, pipes and all the other musical instruments. When this happens, you must bow down and worship the gold statue. This is the one King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Everyone must bow down and worship this gold statue. Anyone who doesn’t will be quickly thrown into a blazing furnace.”
Now people, nations and men who spoke every language were there. And they heard the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, zithers, pipes and all the other musical instruments. So they bowed down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Then some Babylonians came up to the king. They began speaking against the men of Judah. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Our king, live forever! Our king, you gave a command. You said that everyone would hear the horns, lyres, zithers, harps, pipes and all the other musical instruments. Then they would have to bow down and worship the gold statue. Anyone who wouldn’t do this was to be thrown into a blazing furnace. Our king, there are some men of Judah who did not pay attention to your order. You made them important officers in the area of Babylon. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They do not serve your gods. And they do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Nebuchadnezzar became very angry. He called for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So those men were brought to the king. And Nebuchadnezzar said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods? And is it true that you did not worship the gold statue I have set up? Now, you will hear the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, zithers, harps, pipes and all the other musical instruments. And you must be ready to bow down and worship the statue I made. That will be good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown quickly into the blazing furnace. Then no god will be able to save you from my power!”
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king. They said, “Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves to you. You can throw us into the blazing furnace. The God we serve is able to save us from the furnace and your power. If he does this, it is good. But even if God does not save us, we want you, our king, to know this: We will not serve your gods. We will not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king told the soldiers to throw them into the blazing furnace.
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were tied up and thrown into the blazing furnace. They were still wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes. The king was very angry when he gave the command. And the furnace was made very hot. The fire was so hot that the flames killed the strong soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego there. Firmly tied, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was very surprised and jumped to his feet. He asked the men who advised him, “Didn’t we tie up only three men? Didn’t we throw them into the fire?”
They answered, “Yes, our king.”
25 The king said, “Look! I see four men. They are walking around in the fire. They are not tied up, and they are not burned. The fourth man looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went to the opening of the blazing furnace. He shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, come out! Servants of the Most High God, come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. 27 When they came out, the princes, assistant governors, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies. Their hair was not burned. Their robes were not burned. And they didn’t even smell like smoke.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Their God has sent his angel and saved his servants from the fire! These three men trusted their God. They refused to obey my command. And they were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god other than their own. 29 So I now make this law: The people of any nation or language must not say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
