Scripture
Have you ever had a wrestling match with
someone? Was it hard? Have you ever run a race or been in another
competition? Have you ever won a prize for completing? What was it like
getting a prize? (Let the children respond) Today’s bible lesson compares
following God to competing and finishing a race. Let’s read it now!
Read 2 Timothy 4:7 & 8
7 I have fought a good
fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize
awaits me -- the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me
but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.
Lesson
Say: When a person wins a race
by running faster than the others in the race, that person gets a blue ribbon.
It is a real honor to get a blue ribbon. It means that person is the champion.
Some races are such big races that just to complete the race is something very important. I think of a marathon as an example of a race in which anyone who completes it has done something important. Does anyone know how far a marathon is? (Give time, then answer yourself by comparing the 26 miles of a marathon with a similar distance in your locality.) Anyone who can run that far deserves a ribbon!
The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a young man named Timothy, telling him that he has completed a great race. The race he speaks of is not really a race, but it's like a race -- a long race! It is the race of faith -- believing in Jesus. Like the marathon race, sometimes life can be hard and there are times when a person wants to forget about Jesus and living the Christian life. A person can get tired of being Christian sometimes. Sometimes people get bored with church. Sometimes Christians question the power of prayer -- we wonder if God hears us. Like a long, long race where you get tired and thirsty and wonder if you can keep going, our Christian faith can sometimes be hard. Just as some people give up and don't complete the marathon race, so some people give up on our Christian faith. When they get to the end of their lives, they no longer believe.
I am glad you believe and I hope you live a long, long time. I hope you always keep believing like Paul did. Our Christian faith can be hard, but it is worth it! God gives us the gift of heaven!
Some races are such big races that just to complete the race is something very important. I think of a marathon as an example of a race in which anyone who completes it has done something important. Does anyone know how far a marathon is? (Give time, then answer yourself by comparing the 26 miles of a marathon with a similar distance in your locality.) Anyone who can run that far deserves a ribbon!
The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a young man named Timothy, telling him that he has completed a great race. The race he speaks of is not really a race, but it's like a race -- a long race! It is the race of faith -- believing in Jesus. Like the marathon race, sometimes life can be hard and there are times when a person wants to forget about Jesus and living the Christian life. A person can get tired of being Christian sometimes. Sometimes people get bored with church. Sometimes Christians question the power of prayer -- we wonder if God hears us. Like a long, long race where you get tired and thirsty and wonder if you can keep going, our Christian faith can sometimes be hard. Just as some people give up and don't complete the marathon race, so some people give up on our Christian faith. When they get to the end of their lives, they no longer believe.
I am glad you believe and I hope you live a long, long time. I hope you always keep believing like Paul did. Our Christian faith can be hard, but it is worth it! God gives us the gift of heaven!
Memory Verse
7 I have
fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.. – 2 Timothy 4:7
Big Idea
God made a promise to send Jesus to save the whole
world. God kept that promise, and Jesus
was born!
Prayer- Ask for Joys and Requests
Take a minute to see if
the children have any prayer requests of joys.
Say short prayer thanking God for loving us and sending us his son.
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