READ ROMANS 8:5-6

Don’t think about an elephant. Don’t think about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots. Don’t think about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots standing on a stool. Don’t think about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots standing on a stool, balancing a red ball on its nose.

Let me guess—you’re thinking about a purple elephant with pink polka-dots dots standing on a stool, balancing a red ball on its nose. Am I right?

It’s easy to think of self-control as just the things that you DO (or don’t do), but your thoughts are the beginning of self-control. You may think you don’t have any control over your thoughts, but if you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you have the help of the Holy Spirit! Don’t try to have self-control all on your own—ask for help!

KNOW that God gives us the ability to control our thoughts with the help of the Holy Spirit.

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR HEAD. WHO IN YOUR LIFE:
1) Are you most like?
2) Do you struggle being kind to?
3) Do you find is easiest to love?
4) Are you most different from?

Are your answers for one and three the same? And you probably got the same answer for two and four too, didn’t you? It’s natural to find it easier to be kind to the people that we relate to the most, the people who we “get,” and who understand us. But Jesus taught us that true kindness means being kind to everyone. Think of the Good Samaritan. He was considered an outcast, but he was kind to someone who was very different from him.

Today, find a way to reach out and be kind to the person (or people) you thought of for questions two and four. They don’t even have to know it was you—it could be a secret act of kindness—but do something kind to remind yourself how life is better when you’re kind to everyone.

We begin tonight's First Lights Live with a game of Peep Jousting.

To do this at home:

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 Peeps (or large marshmallows)
Microwave
Microwaveable plate
Toothpicks
Markers or Sharpie

WHAT YOU DO:
One half of the family challenges the other half to a Peep-jousting duel by melting Peeps in a microwave. You’ll need toothpicks to serve as the arms or jousts.

DIRECTIONS:
First, divide the room into two teams. Next, take two PEEPS® and assign them to a team. If you don’t have any PEEPS®, no worries, big marshmallows will work as well.
Team A gets Peep A, and Team B get Peep B. You can come up with cooler names like Lord Sugarcoat, or Sir Sprinkles… you get the idea. You can also use a marker or a sharpie to decorate your PEEPS® to give them some personality. Draw a moustache on your Peep, give them some mean eyebrows, or a fancy outfit…let your creative juices flow.
Next, you need to prepare your PEEPS® for battle. Stick a toothpick in each Peep to prepare them for battle. Think of the toothpick as a joust, a lightsaber, or sword – just depends on how serious your family is about the competition. Make sure the toothpick is facing forward, toward the other Peep. Place the two combatants on a microwaveable plate. No social distancing necessary – you want the Peeps to be close together and facing one another.
Finally, time for the big event. Gather around and put the plate in the microwave, setting the timer to 45 seconds. You won’t let it run that long. In fact . . . don’t let it run that long! Then, press start. Watch at a safe distance until the peeps drop their toothpick-sabers and one touches the other. The toothpick that touches the other Peep first, wins!

Imagine the wealthiest king, sitting on a tall throne, crowned with jewels, surrounded by servants bowing down at his feet. What might happen if that king stepped down from the throne, took off his royal robe and jewel covered crown, and lined up with the servants instead?

That’s what Jesus did. He left the beauty and perfection of heaven behind to become like a servant. Jesus chose to enter our world as one of us, completely human, able to feel and experience all the things we experience so that we could know Him. Jesus chose to put you first.

Grab a piece of paper and draw a picture the night Jesus was born. Think about how Jesus left heaven for you, in order to put you first. Underneath your drawing write the words “Jesus put me first.”

Spend some time today thanking Jesus for choosing to leave heaven and come to earth so that He could put you first. Ask Him to help you follow Him this week as you choose to put others first, too.