C is for…Courage
By Shelly Burke
(The posts for the A to Z Blogging Challenge will focus on teaching
kids lessons from selected Bible verses. Adapt your teaching to the age of the
kids you’re talking with.)
Ask your kids what
they fear. They might mention:
*The first day of
school (whether kindergarten, middle school, high school, or college!).
*Fear is a
component of peer pressure—both fearing giving in and doing what is wrong, as
well as fearing ridicule if they
take a stand.
*Older kids might
fear the future—deciding what they want to do after high school
It takes courage to face what life has for us, whether as a
child or as an adult (you can read an adult-oriented devotion about “Courage”
at Nebraska Family Times).
What can kids do to be courageous, and not be afraid? They might mention “go by mom!” or “ask dad!” but there will be times when mom and dad aren’t around.
Read Joshua 1:1,9 to
your kids. After the death of Moses, the servant of
the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua…”Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with
you, wherever you go.” Joshua 1:1, 9
Explain the setting;
after Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, he led them in the wilderness
for 40 years. Now Moses was dead, and Joshua had the task of leading, according
to some sources, more than a million people into the Promised Land. First,
though the Israelites had to kick out
the people who lived there (they didn’t believe in God and God didn’t want them
to be a bad influence on the Israelites).
What do you think
Joshua was afraid of? (Answers may be, that the people would not listen to him, fighting the people who were already
there, the Israelites fighting amongst themselves, finding enough food, etc.)
But God told Joshua not to be frightened or dismayed, but to
be strong and courageous. How could he be strong and courageous? By remembering
that God was with him, wherever he might go.
When God says something more than once in the Bible, it
means that it’s very important. What does God tell Joshua three times in Joshua
1:6-9? (Read the verses together.)
*”Be strong and courageous…” Joshua 1:6
*”Be strong and very courageous…” Joshua
1:7
*”Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
courageous…” Joshua 1:9
God wants us to be strong, and to be courageous, in whatever
we face. We can pray to him for this courage, for strength, and for His
guidance to do what will please Him. We can learn what He wants to do in all
situations, by studying the Bible.
Then God gives Joshua a promise:
*”…the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 9b
Tell your kids that they can be confident that God is with
them wherever they go! He will be with them to guide them in any situation in
which they find themselves. They only need to follow His instructions, found in
the Bible, and they can be strong and courageous, as God commands.
Dear God, thank You for Your promise that you will be
with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. Please give us courage to do what
You want us to do. Amen.
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