June 7, 2020
Scripture : Romans 8:28
This verse is often quoted and possibly the most comforting verse in the Bible. It is a beautiful promise specifically given to those who know and Love God Someone had described this verse as “a soft pillow for a tired heart”. However, this verse is often misquoted and misunderstood. As we teach our children, we strongly believe that we must pass on the kind of faith that is not just a feeling, but the truth of the Gospel. Here are three common ways that this verse might be misunderstood:
- God works for our good, not for our comfort- The greatest good for us is that as we walk through difficulty He will mould us into Christ’s likeness.
- God works according to His purpose, not ours- God is working all circumstances not so that our purpose for our lives can be fulfilled, but to fulfil His purpose through our lives, and that is to bring glory to God.
- God works in all things, not just big things: ALL things means not just those life changing events, but events which are happening now that we might not be aware of.
Follow up object lesson: Holy Pokes
Find out what happens when you puncture a bag filled with water.
You’ll need:
- a 1 extra large resealable plastic bag,
- a pitcher of water, and
- four very sharpened pencils
You’ll need an extra set of hands to assist with this experiment. Fill the resealable bag with water and seal it.
Hold up the bag and a pencil. Ask:
- What happens if you poke a pencil through a bag of water like this?
- Will the water pour out? Why or why not?
Say: Let’s see what happens. I’m going to stick this pencil right through the bag. I hope you don’t get wet!
Hold the bag right over kids’ heads. Stick the pencil through one side of the bag and out the other, and leave it in place. The pencil will act as a plug so water won’t leak through.
Say: What do you think will happen if I keep sticking in pencils? Let’s try it with the rest of the pencils to see if it always works.
Poke the rest of the pencils through the bag in the same manner, leaving them in place. The bag won’t leak.
Debriefing the Lesson
Can you explain why the bag isn’t leaking?
Say: The pencils work like a plug to stop the water from pouring out.
Sometimes bad things happen in our lives. Kind of like these sharp pencils, they seem to poke right through us and hurt us.
Read aloud Romans 8:28.
Say: God doesn’t cause bad things, but he uses even bad things for our good. Like the bag uses the sharp pencils to block the holes so they don’t leak, God takes the bad things in our lives, the things that hurt us, and uses them to help us be stronger.
Tell about a time when God used a bad thing in your life for good.
Say: Just like it’s hard to understand why the bag didn’t leak, it’s hard to understand how God can possibly bring good out of some of the bad things that happen to us. Sometimes we don’t understand it for a long time to come, but we can trust that God loves us and is taking care of us.
https://childrensministry.com/science-object-lessons/