10 For Life

God has an amazing plan for the lives of every human being. He has a path that He wants us to follow in order to fulfill His plan for our lives. As we go along in life, we tend to “do our own thing” and follow our own plan until we find ourselves messed up and “off the path.” It’s only then that most of us call out for help and ask God to “fix our mess.” If we are going to stay on the path that God has for our lives, we must trust Him with ALL of our heart, not just in the areas that we choose. In today’s lesson, we will look at Proverbs 3:5,6 and learn what it means to put ALL of our trust in God and following His plan for our lives.

Nicodemus was a very smart man. He had studied the scripture all of his life and knew that God’s chosen people were the Israelites. He believed that the Israelites were the only ones who could receive salvation and go to heaven. But, Jesus blew that whole idea out of the water. He told Nicodemus that not only does God love the Israelites, but He loves the WHOLE WORLD. Every- thing changed from that moment in his- tory. For the first time, it was known that God’s plan was to save ALL of mankind by giving His Son as a sacrifice for their sins. In this lesson, we study John 3:16 and find out “the story behind the story” of one of the most famous scriptures.

Sadly, many Christians believe “There’s no hope for America!” They think we just have to accept the fact that the church no longer has a place of positive influence in our culture. That is the opposite of what 2 Chronicles 7:14 teaches us. God WILL answer our prayers and heal our land. He WILL bring America back to a place where she loves, respects, and follows after God. But, that promise of “I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” comes with a condition. God’s people (Christians) must first HUMBLE themselves, pray, seek God, and turn away from sin. In our lesson today, the kids will learn what they need to do to bring God’s healing and forgiveness upon America once again.

Ever been on a trip and played the “how much further can I go on this tank of gas without stopping to fill up” game? What a silly idea. What happens if we lose that game? We run out of gas and end up wasting all the time we saved by having to walk to the nearest gas station. Sadly, many Christians do the same thing in their spiritual lives. Too often we try to barrel down the highway of life while our spiritual fuel tank is on empty. If we would just stop and spend time in God’s presence, we would be filled with new strength for the trip ahead. In this lesson, the children will learn that waiting on God is not boring. It’s an energizing experience!

Joshua had taken over for Moses as leader of God’s chosen people, Israel. Moses was an amazing leader, and Joshua wasn’t sure he had what it took to do Moses’ job. God reminds Joshua that the Lord himself has commanded him to be the leader. He also reminds Joshua that God is with him wherever he goes, so there is nothing to fear. In this lesson, the kids will learn that when God is on their side, they have nothing to fear. They can be strong and filled with courage, not because of who they are, but because of who God is. When He is with us, there is nothing to fear!

Jesus had an ongoing battle with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were constantly trying to come up with riddles, questions, and other attempts to trap Jesus in his own words. Our Bible Lesson today deals with one of these exchanges. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment?” They hoped to trick Jesus into giving an answer that would discredit Him in front of the crowd. Instead, Jesus gave a very simple answer that is the blueprint for Christians today. 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'...'Love your neighbor as yourself.' In today’s lesson, we will learn all about the two greatest commandments.

Children can go through some very stressful and traumatic situations. Parents get divorced, friend or family member dies, being abused at home, being bullied at school, just to name a few. It can be very hard to think we will survive these kinds of hardships. We don’t think we have the strength to make it through. And we really don’t. But, God does. If we will learn the lessons from the Apostle Paul who wrote this week’s verse while facing a death sentence in prison, we will learn that God will give us the strength to make it through any difficult circumstance. We can do it THROUGH HIM, not on our own.

Today’s child has a very busy schedule. There are so many things to occupy their time—from sports to video games, homework to hanging out with friends. So many things are competing for their time, energy, and focus. Too often, God is last on the list of priorities for a child. They would never admit it or say it out loud. But, by the fact that they spend all of their time, energy, and focus on all these other things and leave God to “if they have time”, says it all. Today, the children will learn that if the will put God FIRST, then He will take care of all the other details in their life.

What am I supposed to be when I grow up? What am I supposed to do with my life? What is God’s will for me? These are questions that kids ask all the time. They are continually wondering what God has for THEM to do. In this lesson, we will answer the question of “What is God’s will for my life?” But, the answer will surprise you. We base the answer on our “Ten For Life” verse this week, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. “Be joyful always; pray continu- ally; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” God’s will for ALL of us is that we represent Him to the world. In doing so, we must make sure that we are always filled with joy, praying in all situations, and giving thanks no matter what we face. This is God’s will for our lives.

There are many religions that teach that there are many ways to get to Heaven. If you will give to the poor, make a pilgrimage to a holy city, or simply die trying to bring harm to those who don’t believe in your god—your chances for access into Heaven get more and more likely. Even in the Christian church world, there are many children who are confused as to exactly what is THE WAY to get into Heaven. Is it through going to church every time the doors are open? Giving in the offering? Memorizing scripture? In this lesson, the children will learn that Jesus is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. The only way to assure your place in Heaven is by putting your trust in Him—PERIOD!