Who invited you to church? You can probably think of somebody. And even if you were in church from the time you were a little kid, chances are somebody helped you along the way. A pastor. A small group leader. A volunteer. Somebody. It’s true for all of us. Anytime you hear a story about someone’s journey toward God, you always hear about a relationship, not only with God but also with another person.
God uses other people to help us propel forward in our faith. But how do you make that happen? How do you get those kinds of people in your life? The book of Proverbs gives us an idea of exactly the kind of person we need in our lives in order to move forward spiritually. And if we’re willing to do what it says, not only will we find ourselves around the kind of people who help us grow, but we may also find that we become the kind of person who helps others grow as well. Below is an article from Orange, our curriculum provider. Take a minute a read up on what we'll be learning over the next month!
We’re Teaching This: When you were a kid, what did you look forward to most? Was it taking off the training wheels? Being tall enough to ride whatever you wanted at the fair? Getting to wear makeup? Or driving a car? It seems there’s something in every little kid that loves the idea of growing up. That doesn’t really go away as we get older. Middle school makes us wish for high school. High school makes us wish for college. And most of the time, we know what it takes to get from one level to the next, but what about spiritually? How do we know we're moving forward in our faith? And what are the things that help us get there? The good news is that, like any good Father, God wants us to grow. He wants to see us move forward. So, He doesn’t make it complicated. In fact, as we look at four things God uses to propel our faith, we may find that growing up spiritually can be simpler than we ever imagined. Think About This: When was your last growth spurt? No, not your teenager. You! Chances are it’s been a while since you hit a growth spurt and your height changed, but we all go through spurts or periods of time where we grow, and learn, and change. Maybe you’ve experienced a time when you were stretched and challenged to learn new things at work. Or maybe in your marriage. Or maybe with friends. And, that’s a good thing. We all need growth spurts in our lives, or time where we focus on propelling an area of our lives to a new level. That’s why so many companies provide professional development classes. It’s why gyms have fitness training programs. And, parenting is no different. Just like the rest of life, there will times when we need to stretch and grow our parenting. During this series, your students are learning about four ideas that can propel their faith forward, and the same four things they’re hearing about—but with a slight twist—have the power to propel your parenting. Four Ways to Propel Your Parenting.
Sometimes the best way to propel an area of our life forward is to figure out where we are now. Take a look at each of the four areas above and…
52 days. It’s not a long time. Less than two months. Less than half a season of your favorite tv series. Less than two units in your chemistry class. That’s how long it took Nehemiah to build a wall around his entire city—not with cranes, but with bricks and human hands. It’s really amazing. But Nehemiah didn’t do it alone. There are lists in the Bible of different people, different families who pitched in. Some of them used their specific talents. Others just jumped in where they were needed. And, in doing so, they became a picture of what the Church was meant to be. People of various talents and abilities working toward one goal—unique but unified. And we have the opportunity to do the same – to work as one body, toward one goal. As we do, we may just discover that we are becoming the people we were meant to be all along.
What is God calling you to do? |
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