We can work diligently like the disciples because our Help comes from God
DILIGENCE: Consistently working with all your heart to bring glory to God
MEMORY VERSE: “Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 (NIV)
This Week’s Finish Line: God Gives Me what I Need for My Work
Just before Jesus went back to heaven He gave His followers a seemingly impossible task, to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. His followers were uneducated, lower class Jews, not the kind of people you would normally choose to change the world. However Jesus also promised to send a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to give them what they needed to do the work He called them to do. In Acts 2, we see the Holy Spirit work through Peter and the rest of Jesus’ followers and 3,000 people believe in Christ in one day!
The very same Peter whom God used on Pentecost, wrote 2 Peter 1:3 as an encouragement to all the believers who came after him. Just as God gave Peter what he needed to be diligent, once we trust in Christ, He will give us what we need to live a life of godliness. He gives us self-control to obey our parents, kindness to respond to a friend in need and courage to be a witness for Him wherever we go.
Family Questions:
- How did the Holy Spirit give Peter and the disciples just what they needed to do the work Jesus called them to do?
- What are some things God has called you to do? Where does He ask you to be diligent?
- When are you tempted to rely on yourself instead of trusting God to help you? Do you believe God is there to help you in the big things AND the little things? Why?
Bring It Home: 3 Activities to Teach Kids Where Diligence Comes From
1. Batteries Not Included
One night this week grab flashlights for each person but take out the batteries beforehand. Give each person a flashlight and go someplace dark, maybe outside. What is the flashlight supposed to do? Does it work without the batteries? Give each person the batteries to their flashlight. Now does it work? Just like batteries are needed for the flashlight to work, we need the Holy Spirit to be a light to the world and do the work that God has prepared for us to do. Read Ephesians 2:8-10.
2. Praying for Diligence
Make a list of the answers your kids give to Family Question #2 above. Let each person in your family pick 1 thing they want to work on being diligent in this week. Every morning pray with your kids and ask God to help you all to be diligent in these areas each day. At bedtime, ask them how they thought God helped them have diligence or where they struggled to trust Him. Pray and thank God for how He gives us what we need for our work.
3. Diligent Verse Memorization
Start off this month on diligence by diligently studying the memory verse this week. Here are suggestions for each day:
- DAY ONE: Read the verse talk about what it means to stand firm.
- DAY TWO: Read the verse and talk to your kids about the work God calls us to do
- DAY THREE: Have each kid write out the verse on a piece of paper and draw pictures over the words to help them remember the verse.
- DAY FOUR: Write the words to the verse on index cards. Scramble and put it in order.
- DAY FIVE: Write the verse on a dry erase board or mirror. Say it together. Erase 2-3 words. Say it again. Erase another 2-3 words. Continue until you can say it all!
- DAY SIX: At dinner have one person say the first word of the verse, the next person the next word and so on. Time yourselves and see how fast you can go.
- DAY SEVEN: Be ready to recite the verse in your ministry today!
Prayer: 2 Peter 1:3
Thank God for giving you what you need to do what He calls you to do. Ask Him to help you trust Him when what He gives might not be what you expected. Thank Him for the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit who lives in all the believers.
Looking Ahead
Next Sunday we will see how Noah showed diligence when God asked him to build and ark in Genesis 6-8. To be diligent means to focus on our work until it’s done.
Talk Back
Do your kids struggle with staying diligent when you give them a task? How do you teach them to finish what they start?
The post We can work diligently like the disciples because our Help comes from God appeared first on Watermark Community Church Blog.