Preschool (2yrs-PreK)

This month we focus on John 15:12 and encourage your preschooler to love their friends the way Jesus loves them!  That seems so simple right?  Typical church lingo that we all throw around.  Jesus loves EVERYONE!  So should we if we really believe what He tells us.

So who was Jesus sure to show his love to?  Not just the people who did good things.  Your preschooler will learn about Zacchaeus this week.  Luke 19:1-8 tells us that he was a tax collector and he was rich.  Now, neither one of those things are sins, but he was hated by society and called a “sinner” by the religious.  Zacchaeus did need salvation, but not because of his job.  Jesus sees the heart.  Society called Zacchaeus “unloveable”.  Jesus loved Zacchaeus because he recognized him as one of His children.  In that blameless love, Zacchaeus made the decision to follow Jesus!

What kinds of people do you encounter that society calls “unloveable”?  Create a Rhythm this week by taking time to pray with your child for some of those people.  And when you see them out, show them love.  Teach your child to love everyone, just like Jesus does!

Elementary (K-3^rd Grade)

Conviction – standing for what is right even when others don’t

 This month we will focus on making sure your children are ROOTED in God’s Word.  When we know what God says, we can stand for what is right no matter who is around or what circumstances we are facing.

 

We have a great example of this virtue in Daniel (Daniel 3).  Daniel and his 3 friends were told to conform.  They were supposed to be taught to be just like the Babylonians.  But they knew they were Israelites!  Daniel knew his God and he wasn’t going to worship anyone else.  You may have heard the rest of the story.  They were thrown into the fiery furnace and they were not alone!  King Neb realized Daniel and his friends had been rescued.  Not only did he release them from the furnace, but he declared that all would worship the one true God!

Your student will be faced with persecution and have to make their own choice about God at some point.  Make It Personal this week by talking to your student about how to make that choice as they live with Conviction.  Encourage them to “Never tire of doing what is right” (2Thess. 3:13).  Be proactive.  Don’t wait for them to be faced with the choice before you talk about why you choose God.  Make sure they are equipped to love people, but love God more.

Club 45 (4-5^th grade)

This week your student will about God’s unfailing love for us.  They will learn the importance of confessing their sin and receiving God’s forgiveness.  We know this because of scriptures like Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 32:5.

Let’s take that a step or two further.  It is important to have an awareness of our inability to obtain righteousness on our own.  It is important to understand that we will make bad choices.  Jesus doesn’t want you to focus on all the things you can’t do though!  There are far more verses about confessing that Jesus is Lord than there are about confessing sin.

So what does Jesus being Lord mean for your student? 

It means that they should be more aware of the righteousness he gives them than any sin in their life.  Why?  Because He is.  Hebrews 8:12 tells us that we have a new covenant with the Lord, one in which He remembers our sin no more!  Jesus doesn’t want us to live defeated in our sin.  He wants us to walk free because of His blood!  In many of the recorded encounters that Jesus had with people, he told them to “go and sin no more”.  It was the encounter with Him that motivated these people to make the right choice and “sin no more”.

Make It Personal this week by helping your student understand what Jesus has done for them.  Pray that they would have a personal encounter with Jesus that drives them to “sin no more”.  Encourage them in the fact that even if they mess up, Jesus still loves them and they have been forgiven!  They don’t have to focus on their sin… just focus on Jesus!