Forgive Me My Sins

Speaker A: Don't go away, kids.

Speaker B: It's story time, boys and girls, for Jesus. This our earnest prayer, boys and girls, for Jesus. Home and school and playing everywhere. We'll tell the world of life in Jesus. He is a light song.

There is a unity. Jesus, once you come along.

Speaker C: Well, hi there. Come on in. Uncle Charlie here. The program children's Bible hours storytime. You know why we call it storytime? Because on every program we have a story. Absolutely right. Our story today is called forgive me my sins. And it's written especially for the children's Bible hour by Agnes Livesey. Let's get to our story right now.

No one could be happier than Debbie and Tommy Barnes. They were going to spend a whole week with Aunt Millie. And Uncle Teddy owned a small farm and kept some livestock.

Their aunt and uncle picked them up early one Monday morning in the car, Debbie and Tommy were having a great time.

Speaker A: How long will it take us to get there, Uncle Ted?

Speaker C: Oh, about an hour or so.

Speaker D: Debbie, how many miles do we have to go?

Speaker C: About 50. We'll be there before lunch. You can count on that.

Speaker A: I'm anxious to see all the puppies queen has. Do they look just like her aunt Millie?

Speaker E: Most of them do, Debbie. Two of them are quite different. We haven't named any of the puppies yet. You and Tommy can do that if you wish.

Speaker D: Oh, boy, that will be great. I know it. I'll name one of them princess, the daughter of queen. How's that?

Speaker A: Good. And we'll name one prince.

Speaker D: I can hardly wait to see the pony. How far is it now, Uncle Ted?

Speaker C: We've only gone a short distance, Tom. We can't make much time till we get on the freeway.

Speaker D: Can I ride the pony this afternoon?

Speaker C: We better put that off until tomorrow time. You can get acquainted with him today, and then you can ride him the rest of the week.

Speaker A: Me, too, I want to ride him. What's his name, Uncle Ted?

Speaker C: We call him Flash. He took off like a flash the first time I put a saddle on him, so we thought that was a good name for him.

Speaker E: Oh, I have some pictures of flash in my purse if you'd like to see them.

Speaker D: Oh, boy.

Speaker E: Here. This one we took as he came down out of the truck the day we got him.

Speaker D: Let me see. Oh, boy, is he me.

Speaker A: Let me see. Tommy, wait a minute.

Speaker D: Oh, he's really sharp. Quit pulling it, Debbie. You'll tear it.

Speaker A: Well, you've seen it long enough. Give me a turn. Come on, Tommy.

Speaker D: Let go, Debbie. Oh, there.

Speaker A: That'll teach you Tommy, hit me.

Speaker E: Just a minute, just a minute. Let me have the picture. Now, Tom, you sit back in your corner. Debbie, stop crying and get over in your corner. You are both to blame. Well, he hit me and you were about to tear the picture.

Speaker C: I'm wondering if we did wrong right by getting the pony. Aunt Millie, do you suppose they'll tear him apart by fighting over him?

Speaker A: I'm sorry, Uncle Ted. I won't fight over him.

Speaker D: I won't either.

Speaker C: Are you willing to share him and take turns on him?

Speaker D: I will. I won't fight over him.

Speaker A: I won't either. I'll be good. I promise, Uncle Tad.

Speaker C: Fine. Hey, let's play the Alphabet game. Aunt Millie and Debbie, you take the right side of the road, and Tom and I will take the left. Now remember, you can only get your letters from road signs. No license plates or street names. You ready? Uh, go.

Speaker D: There's an a.

Speaker A: There's another. I've got one, too. And a b.

Speaker E: There's a c and a d.

Speaker C: Oh.

Speaker D: Boy, this is great. Where's the pony, Uncle Tad?

Speaker C: I left him in the barn. We'll walk out and see him after a while. Let's get your things carried in and we'll wash up for lunch. Then after lunch, we'll look around a bit.

Speaker A: Oh, good. I can hardly wait. Oh, I'm so glad we can visit you, Aunt Millie.

Speaker E: We are too, Debbie. Here, each of you take a suitcase and we'll bring the other things.

Speaker A: That was such a good lunch, Aunt Millie. You're really a good cook.

Speaker C: She sure is. I married the best cook in the county.

Speaker E: Well, thank you, sir. And now I'll show you what a good dishwasher I am.

Speaker A: I'll help, Aunt Millie. These are such pretty dishes. I love to wash them.

Speaker E: All right, but you will be careful, won't you? They break very easily.

Speaker A: I'll be careful. They're so pretty, I'd hate to break one.

Speaker E: Well, there aren't very many, so if you want to wash them, I'll get the clothes from the line. I got up early and washed them before we left.

Speaker C: Oh, she was hanging clothes out before breakfast. Well, Tommy, you can come help me in the barn. We have a few chores to do out there. As soon as you're through, you come on out. Debbie.

Speaker E: Are you through washing dishes, Debbie, you worked fast.

Speaker A: They weren't very dirty. It was easy. I just have a few left to dry. Where does this dish go, Aunt Millie?

Speaker E: Oh, up on the second shelf, dear. Can you reach it? Here? I'll get it for you.

Speaker B: No, I.

Speaker A: Oh, Aunt Millie, I'm so sorry.

I didn't mean to do that. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to break your pretty dish.

Speaker E: I'm sure you didn't mean it, Debbie, but you should have let me put it up here. Let's clean up the pieces.

Speaker A: Can you get another one? One? To match the set?

Speaker E: Oh, I think so. They're supposed to carry them at the store where I bought the set.

Speaker A: I hope so. And I'll pay for it. Aunt Millie, I'll be real careful with your dishes after this.

Speaker E: I'm sure you will, Debbie. Now, let's go out and see what Tom and Uncle Ted are doing.

Speaker D: Look, Debbie, isn't flash a beauty?

Speaker A: Oh, he's beautiful. Let me feel him.

Speaker D: Flash is a good name for him, Uncle Ted. We're gonna be real pals, aren't we, Flash?

Speaker A: Look how he nuzzles me. And he never saw me before. I'll never forget our visit here this time, having a beautiful pony like Flash to ride. Where are the puppies? I want to start naming them.

Speaker C: I have them over here in this stall.

There they are.

Cute, aren't they?

Speaker D: Oh, yes. May we hold them?

Speaker C: Yes, but be careful. Now, lift them gently.

Speaker D: Here, puppy. Oh, he's so soft and nice. Queen is a good mother, isn't she?

Speaker C: Yeah, she is.

Speaker D: Let's look them over, Debbie, and name them.

Speaker A: Oh, Tommy. You stepped on that little puppy there.

Speaker D: Where? Oh, puppy, I didn't see.

Speaker C: What happened, Tommy.

Speaker D: I stepped on this puppy. I didn't see him. I'm sorry, Uncle Ted. You don't think I broke his paw, do you?

Speaker C: Here, let me see him. No. No, I guess not. But do be careful. Queen isn't going to like it if you hurt them.

Speaker D: I'll be careful. Here, puppy. I'll hold you.

Speaker C: It was a full and happy day for Debbie and Tommy when bedtime came. Because of all the things they had done that day, they were more than ready for a good night's sleep.

Uncle Ted and Aunt Millie read from the Bible and then took some time to pray with them.

Speaker A: Thank you, Lord, for your blessings. Forgive my sins for Jesus sake. Amen.

Speaker D: Bless mom and dad and all my friends. Forgive my sins, for Jesus sake. Amen.

Speaker C: Do you children pray this prayer every night?

Speaker A: Yes, we always do.

Speaker C: Do you pray every day that God will forgive your sins?

Speaker D: Oh, yes. We want him to forgive us.

Speaker C: What sins do you want him to forgive? What did you do wrong?

Speaker A: I. I don't know, but God does. If I did anything wrong, I want him to forgive me.

Speaker E: But Debbie, are you sorry for what you did wrong?

Speaker A: Yes. If I did anything wrong, I'm sorry.

Speaker E: Well, how can you be sorry for something if you aren't sure it happened?

Speaker A: I don't know.

Speaker C: Can you think of anything you did today that you shouldn't have done?

Did you tell a lie?

Did you steal?

Quarrel maybe?

Speaker D: Oh, well, yes, we quarreled in the car, remember? Debbie, I'm sorry about that.

Speaker C: Have you told God what you did wrong?

Speaker D: I guess I figured he knows.

Speaker C: Oh, he knows all right. But we need to be aware of our sin too. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But you haven't confessed your sin to God, have you?

Speaker D: No, I haven't.

Speaker E: Debbie, remember you broke one of my dishes today. You were really sorry and you told me so. You offered to make it right with me. But if you had just waited until to night and said if I've done anything wrong, forgive me. I wouldn't know if you were really sorry, would I?

Speaker A: No, I guess you wouldn't.

Speaker E: Then don't you think God wants you to be aware of the things you do that displease him and to confess each wrong to him just as you did to me?

Speaker D: Yes.

Speaker A: Yes, I. I see what you mean, Aunt Millie. I didn't even think of our quarreling as displeasing God. In fact, I didn't even think about God.

Speaker C: Now, last year you and Tommy told us you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, didn't you?

Speaker A: Yes. We believed he died for our sins.

Speaker D: We both asked him to be our savior and to take away our sins.

Speaker C: And he did. But that doesn't mean you can just forget about what he has done for you and just brush off anything you do that is wrong.

Speaker A: Tommy, we better start praying for real. When I do something wrong, I'm going to let God know that I know it's wrong and that I'm sorry about it.

Speaker D: Me too. When we start confessing our sins, we probably won't sin so much.

Speaker A: I want to pray again. Let's both pray, Tommy, and really talk to God this time.

Speaker B: I often say my little praise, but do I really pray? And do the wishes of my heart go with the words I say? I may as well kneel down now and worship God's a stone as offered to my savior. A prayer of words alone. So father, help my friend life to be sincere and true. Then may my words have meaning so there be heard by you for words without real meaning I know you will not hear, but will you really listen? If there's I sincere teach me to pray, lord, teach me to pray this is my heart cry day unto day I'd like to know thy will and I wait teach me to pray, lord, teach me to pray living in thee, Lord, and thou in me cast in abiding this is my plea bring me thy power bondless and free, power within and power with me.

Speaker C: Hey, let me share a reminder of what praying is all about. Using the letters p r a y p praise begin your prayer by thanking and praising God for all of his blessings for who he is. R repent. Ask God to forgive your sins and cleanse your heart so you can really have fellowship with him. The a ask don't be afraid to ask the Lord for specific things you need, but then let him decide what he going to say in answer to that prayer. That brings us to the why yield yourself to God and his answer to your prayers. Sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says no, and sometimes he says, wait a while. Well, you've been listening to Storytime, a listener supported production of CBH ministries, PO Box 1001, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49508. We're here because God loves kids.