DAY ONE - God is Love!
Read: 1 John 4, verses 7 to 21
Memory Verse: “God is Love” (v16)
Think about:
- What is love?
- Are there different types of love?
- Who is the person you find the hardest to love?
Thought: There must be different kinds of love – we love people differently. There is the love we have for friends, the love we have for girl or boy friends, the love we have family, for teachers, for subjects, for sports, for all sorts of things.
These are all different kinds of love, but God’s love is more than that. God has such a love for us that he sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us. He loves us so much that he wants to hear from you every day. He wants to talk to you, have a relationship with you and to show you real love. He also wants us to show real love to everyone. The show God’s love through what we do, what we say and by what we think and feel.
Challenge:
- Talk to God – PRAY!
- Think of the person you find hard to love…
- Pray for them,Try and see past the issues you have with them
- And try to show them some of God’s Love!
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DAY TWO - Do not be afraid!
Read: Isaiah 41, verses 9 to 10
Memory Verse: “Do not be afraid. I am with you. Do not tremble with fear, I am your God.”
Think about:
- What are you afraid of? Why?
- What do you do when you are scared?
- Do you feel special when you are chosen to do something out or the ordinary?
Thought: We all like to think that we are in control, that we know what we are doing and that we are incharge. Of course, we sometimes are, but other times we are just pretending or sometimes not in control at all. In this passage, God shows us that he is in control (if we let him). God has chosen us, selected us and knows us indidually. If we trust in God he will always be there for us. He will always be here for us, even when thins seem really bad.
Challenege:
- Do you trust God? If not, why not?
- When you are scared or in trouble - Pray, asky God to help you
- Try telling someone you know about what you have learnt in this session?
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DAY THREE - Trouble
Read: Psalm 42, verses 1 to 3
Memory Verse: “God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble”
Think about:
- The times you have been in trouble
- Was it your fault you were in trouble - if so, why?
- When has something or someone got you into trouble?
Thought: Everyone, no matter what their age or status gets into trouble from time to time. Trouble comes in many forms - sometimes we cause the trouble ourselves, and sometimes we find ourselves in trouble through no real fault of our own. Regardless of why we are in trouble, God will always be there for us. Even if we brought the touble on ourselves, we can always ask God for help. We probably need to say sorry first, but He is always there for us. Sometimes God will answer straight away and get us out of danger. Sometimes God will show us a path out of the situation and other times he may show us why we are in trouble and what we need to do to avoid getting into it again.
Challenege:
- This week, try to avoid getting into situations where you know you will get into trouble
- Pray for others who always seem to be causing or geting into trouble
- Pray for those who are suffering around the world.
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DAY FOUR - Jesus and Heaven
Read: John 3, verses 16 to 20
Memory Verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Think about:
- Do you live anyone or anything so much you would die for them/it?
- Why do you think it had to be Jesus that died for the things that we do wrong?
- What makes us do bad things?
Thought: God loves each and every one of us. He was to know us, for us to know Him, and for everyone to have a good and real relationship with Him. But there is a problem - God is perfect and cant stand sin (the things we do wrong). We are all human and we all sin. We cant help it - no matter how hard we try, we will always make a mistake. Because God does not want sin to be a barrier beteen Him and us, he sent His son Jesus to earth, to take away all our sins for us. Jesus’ death allows us to have a proper relationship with God - as long as we say sorry to God, and really mean it, we will be forgiven and go back to having a real relationship with God. And through that relationship we have some clear promises. Not only will God always be there for us, but we will have a new life with God in heaven, when we die!
Challenge:
- What is it we do that is a sin? Really think about how your actions affect the lives of others.
- Jesus’ is death was a ‘once and for all’ event - think about what that means - look it up - ask someone!
- Try avoiding the places, people or things that cause us to do wrong
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DAY FIVE - The Spirit
Read:Ephesians 1, verses 15 to 23
Memory Verse: “The spirit will make you wise and let you understant waht it means to know God.”
Think about:
- What is the ’spirit’ in this passage?
- Who are the saints?
- Do you need help understanding who God is?
Thought: This passage is talking about how the Holy Spirit helps us in our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit gives us the knowladge and the power to know God and to communicate with Him. The Spirit also helps us when we tell others about God - the Spirit is sometimes called the ‘helper’ or perhaps a ‘force’ that supports us and guides us. Because God is so awesome, it is really hard to grasp even a little bit about what and who God is. But the Spirit is there so that we CAN have an understanding, so that we CAN talk to Him. The passage also talks about the ’saints’ This refers not only to those who we deem to be really ‘holy’ but to all belivers in Jesus. We are all of God’s saints, and we must all tell others about Him!
Challenge:
- This week, tell someone that Christ loves them (tell them in a way that both of you will understand!)
- Ask your friends or family who the Holy Spirit is
- Pray that you will be filled with God’s Holy Spirit, so that you can be an awesome saint for Christ!
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DAY SIX - Thirsty for God
Read: Psalm 42 verses 1 to 2
Memory Verse: “As a deer gets thirsty for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God ”
Think about:
- What is the thing or person you are most passionate about?
- What to you long for or dream of getting?
- What stops you from being pasionate about God?
Thought: This passage is not about deer, or other woodland animals. It is about being thirsty - not just for water, but for truth and love. God wants us to be really passionate about him - to be really keen on reading the Bible, praying, helping others, telling people about Jesus and being sorry for the things we do wrong. We need to be thirsty for the truth - the truth about life, about God and about our faith. How can we do this - we can do it by putting the effort in and not getting distracted by other stuff. We should put God above everything else, and focus on Him first! We all want things, and all have dreams about what we hope to achieve - and thats fine - but we need to remember but we need to make God the top of the pile - He is the bigger picture!
Challenge:
- This week, think what God would want before making decisions about what you are gong to do this week
- Set aside a little time each day to pray
- Write down the things that stop you being passionate about God - think about them and try to voercome them. Ask for help!
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DAY SEVEN - Open the Door
Read: Revelation 3, verse 20
Memory Verse: God says “Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, i will come in and we will eat together”
Think about:
- Has God ever spoken to you?
- Do you spend time praying AND listening to God?
- What things stop you talking to God?
Thought: In this passage, we see God calling us to attention - he says “Listen!” God is ready and waiting, He is standing there, ready to be part of our lives, ready to come in and be part of our future. And all we have to do is let Him in. Sounds easy? Well it is! Part of being a Christian is about acecpting Jesus as God, that he died to take a way our sins, and that we need to make our lives about God. Making the decision and telling God about it is the easy bit - making it a life long commitment may be harder. God will always be there, happy to forgive, as long as we say sorry, and al long as we try to follow Him at all times.
Challenge:
- Pray - if you are ready, make a commitment to God - tell Him you want to live for Him for the rest of your life.
- Tell - Find someone who doesnt know God and tell them about Him.
- Rest - You have done well reading these studies! Rest, think and take time to consider your faith.