Think about the longest amount of time it’s taken you to do something. Maybe it was renovating your home or a landscaping project in your yard. Or maybe you helped your kiddos with a really intricate Lego set. Those may have taken a while, but imagine relying on God to help you on a project that took a bit longer. Maybe 100 years? That’s about how much time Noah spent constructing the ark! Even though it was hard to understand why before the flood came, Noah knew he could trust God’s plan for his work. This week’s Finish Line says we can focus on our work until it’s done but we can only do that with God’s help. We can bring God glory by diligently working with all our heart!
DILIGENCE: Consistently Working With All My 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 for the Lord is not in vain!" 1 CORINTHIANS 15:58
This Week’s Finish Line: We Can Focus On Our Work Until It’s Done
Genesis recounts the story of Noah, a righteous, blameless man who “walked in close fellowship with God,” while the rest of the world “had become corrupt and full of violence” (Genesis 6:9, 11). God had in mind to judge the earth’s wickedness and sin through a destructive flood, and He chose Noah and his family to be the lone survivors. God gave Noah specific instructions about how to build an ark of wood that would carry him, his family, and many animals safely through the impending disaster. This was not going to be easy, but Noah consistently worked with all his heart to obey and give careful attention to each detail concerning the work God gave him. Noah focused on his work of building the ark until it was done, and in so doing, God was glorified. God used Noah’s diligence and obedience to provide a means of salvation, in this case a wooden ark, foreshadowing another wooden instrument that would provide a means to salvation for us today: a wooden cross.
Family Questions:
- Read Genesis 6:9-16. What work did God give Noah to do? (Build an ark) God gives us what we need for the work He wants us to do. What did God give Noah to help him build the ark? (He gave Noah the instructions he needed and enough time to finish the ark before the flood came. God didn’t just want Noah to build just any boat; God wanted him to do it the way He told him to.)
- What could have tempted Noah to stop working? (People around him may have made fun of him, discouragement because it took so long, tiredness because of the hard work)
- Do you think Noah’s relationship with God helped him work with all his heart? Why? (Noah trusted the Lord and had faith to diligently follow the task he had been given even when it was hard or if he ever thought that what he was doing was useless.)
- Why did God give Noah such specific instructions? What if Noah had built the ark however he thought was best? (God’s instructions were perfect. If Noah tried to make the ark smaller, it wouldn’t be big enough for all the animals. If he didn’t seal it with pitch to make it waterproof, it would leak. If he didn’t bring the food, they would have starved.)
Bring it Home Conversations & Activities:
* Check out our vision for parents and how to use these activities each week.
Teacher: Meal Time
At dinner this week, take time to talk to your kids about what they think it means to focus on their work until it’s done and why that’s important. God is glorified when we choose to do the work He gives us to do, no matter how long it takes, if it’s easy or hard, or if you’re tempted to get distracted by other things. Ask them if they think it was important for whoever made dinner to focus until they were finished. How might their food be different if someone hadn’t diligently prepared it for them? We can glorify God even in the small tasks He has for us when we focus on our work and do it for Him. Remind your family of our memory verse this month, 1 Corinthians 15:58, and that God will help us focus on our work until it’s done.
Friend: Drive Time
See how many animals you can spot as you drive with your family this week. Name the animal and see if anyone in the car knows a cool fact about that animal. Take some time to thank God for saving each type of animal you spot all those years ago on the ark!
Counselor: Bedtime
What is one thing you know you need to have diligence to focus on and finish this week, even in the summer? Remember: God cares more about our hearts than our task and the time it takes to do it. Pray for the task and for God to give you the right heart before you start the activity and to help you focus on it until you’re done.
Coach: Anytime
Check out the Significant Summer Calendar and Activity Book for this week’s National Selfie Day challenge! See who in your family can come up with the most creative challenge or activity for National Eat Your Vegetables Day (June 17th), National Turkey Lover’s Day (June 18th), and National Onion Ring Day (June 22th) and do that activity as a family! For example: who can name the most vegetables in one minute, who can stack the most onion rings on their ring finger, etc.Prayer
Thank God for the work that He has given you to do. Ask Him to help you stay focused on what He wants you to do when you’re tempted to be distracted, give up, take shortcuts or think it’s worthless. Thank Him for walking with you no matter how long the road is or where it leads.
Looking Ahead
Next week we will continue the month of June with the godly character trait, DILIGENCE. We will learn that God's work through us is never useless.
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