Draw Your Own Conclusions

Which Way?

“Hi Jacob,” Kevin yelled out as he ran to catch up with his friend.

Jacob smiled as he approached, “Hey Kev, are you going to Sabbath school tomorrow?”

“Sure thing, Jacob!”

The next morning as Jacob and Kevin sat in Sabbath school together they wondered what Mr. Wilkinson would use for today’s story. After the song service Mr. Wilkinson shared with them a story about two friends.

“Luke was on his way home from school when his good friend Carl asked, ‘Hey Luke! Are you coming to the new video games store at the mall this afternoon? It’s their grand opening, and today only you can get Supreme Fighter 3 at 70% off! I’m going to get one so I can play it all night!’

“‘Don’t you remember that we have a Math test tomorrow, Carl?’

“‘Aw, I don’t really care. Math is so easy, anyway. Come on, Luke, aren’t you coming with me?’

“Luke thought to himself, ‘I need to study, but this sale only lasts for one day.’ As Luke thought over what he should do, a pleading voice interjected in his left ear, ‘Now you want Supreme Fighter 3. It’s been advertised a long time for $50, and now today it’s on sale for only $15!’

“Luke was about to go with Carl when a gentle-sounding voice whispered in his right ear, as secretly as the first, ‘Luke, your mom said Supreme Fighter 3 was too violent for you. It is M-rated and should only be played by adults. You’re only 13! Remember what the Bible says, “Obey your parents”’.

“The first voice chimed back immediately, ‘Your mom’s only trying to keep you from having fun. Come on, Mrs. Thomas doesn’t give tests that are too hard anyway. You don’t really need to study. You’re so smart!’

“The second gentle voice simply replied with the truth, ‘All the tests you didn’t study for, you’ve failed!’

“‘Are you coming Luke?’ Carl repeated impatiently.

“Luke had been lost in thought, but his friend’s question snapped him back to reality.

“ ‘I don’t think so Carl, I have to study I’m sorry.’

“‘Are you sure, Luke?’ Carl pleaded.

“‘Yes, I failed the last time I didn’t study. Gotta go. See ya later, Carl!’

Mr. Wilkinson finished up, “The Bible says that we should listen to our parents and always do what’s right. That isn’t always easy, especially when we have tough choices to make. Satan will try to tempt us into sin, but if we pray each day for God to help us do what’s right, He’ll always come through encouraging us to make the right choices.”

Written by: Wendell, from Maryland; Age: 15

Choose This Day Who You Will Serve...
“It’s hard to keep pure thoughts at a dance (Matt. 5:8). A lot of the dance moves are sexually suggestive or explicit, and the lyrics to many of the songs endorse the very sins for which Jesus died.”		“Why aren’t you at the dance? All your friends are there. Just go and have a good time—God wants you to have fun!”

	"Come to the retirement center with us. We're going to put on a program for the elderly residents."
“Are you kidding? That would be soooo boring! Who wants to go to a stinky old nursing home?”		“Imagine that one of those residents is your grandparent. Some of these seniors never get visitors. You would bring them so much cheer! Best of all, it’s like singing for Jesus Himself!” (Matt.25:40)

	“I w-a-n-t to watch this R- rated movie, but I’m really not sure...”
“Jesus loves you and He can give you the determination to say No to movies that promote violence, lust, or profanity.” (Ps. 101:3)		“Go ahead! It’s a great movie! You can’t shield yourself forever from profanity and violence. It’s life, man!

“u need 2 connect w/ ur friends. every1 is txting all the time. if u don’t, u’ll b left out.”		“u’ve done quite a bit of txting 2day. it’s eating up ur time & ur parents’ $. most of ur communication is gossip.”

“God wants to spend time with you. Your mom is tired and needs some help in the kitchen, and your dog hasn’t had any exercise in a week!”		“Forget the personal devotions! Play one more game! Don’t worry about your mom or the dog—what YOU want is what matters.”

	"Hey Jade, download this song on your iPod. It's sooooo cool!"
*“You’re gonna love this drummer! And you need* to listen to what your friends are, so you know what’s up.”**		“Can you imagine Jesus and the angels singing this song? Are the lyrics pure and God-honoring? Is the music a bedlam of noise?” (Selected Messages, book 2, p. 36)

“If you look at these images, they will be in your mind forever. Porn devalues women and will negatively affect a real-time relationship. God invented sex—within marriage—but Satan tries to pervert that gift through porn.”		“This is so easy to access and your parents will never know. Come on— break loose! Don’t be an L7!”