THINK TOGETHER
Have you ever tried to be like someone else?
READ TOGETHER
Have you ever been sad or hurt or afraid and somebody came alongside you and told you that "everything is going to be alright."? Romans 8:28-29 is God's way of coming alongside us when we are sad, hurt, or afraid and saying to us "everything is going to be alright."
Romans 8:28-29. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
These verses are one of the greatest promises in all the Bible. But before we talk about what this promise says, let's point out what it doesn't say. It doesn't say that all things are good. You probably have already figured out that some things in life are really bad. Some things are painful and difficult. God doesn't ever say that bad is good. This verse also doesn't say that everything will work out the way we think it should, or that we will always get what we want.
So what is the promise of Romans 8:28-29? The promise is that everything in this life, good and bad, happy and sad, it all makes us more and more like Jesus. Everything conforms (changes) us into the image of God's Son. Yes, you might still be sick. You might always be bad at math. Your team might lose the big game. Your big sister might still be mean to you. Your family might go through hard times. But God's promise to you, if you are connected to Jesus, is that he will use everything, good and bad, to make you more like Jesus. More kind. More understanding. More compassionate. More trusting. More loving. Think about Jesus. God used the worst thing ever, the cross, to raise Jesus from the dead and make him able to share his life with us through the Holy Spirit. God used the evil thing for good. Can God do that in your life too? Yes, he can! And he is.
Because of Jesus God is using everything to make us more like him.
With Jesus we can trust God and care for others like he does.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Play Simon Says together (or a game that requires imitation). Talk about how God is making us to think and act like Jesus – "Jesus Says"
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, I want to be like you. And I know that God is doing it. He is making me like you. Thank you! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment