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The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Unit 2, Section 2, Lesson 2: Forgive & Pray

The church is made up of people. As people being transformed into the image of Christ, we are by definition not finished products. This leaves us open to mistakes or offenses committed against one another. The question is not whether we offend one another but rather when it happens how do we respond in a way that is not of this world?

Forgiveness and prayer – this is the model we have in Christ. If we behave as the world behaves, we diminish our witness to the lost, inflict pain on the body of Christ, and damage our own walk with the Lord. As we take a look at the topic of forgiving one another and praying for one another, take personal inventory of your relationships in the church. Are you actively praying for those with whom God has brought you into relationship within the body? Are we keeping short accounts with our brothers and sisters in Christ? As you prepare for this week with the children, I encourage you to read the two articles on forgiveness and prayer, keep your kids before the Lord on your knees, and ask the Father to continue your extreme makeover in this critical area of our spiritual lives. (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ARTICLES.)

Thank you for giving to the Lord by serving His children. Your offering is making an eternal impact.


”Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship.”
 ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Here is my command. Love each other, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” – John 15:12-14

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Acts 4:33-35 | Phil 2:25
1 Corinthians 16:13-18

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Unit 2, Section 2, Lesson 1: Serve One Another

“You Should Do As I Have Done For You” – Jesus

The dusty and dirty conditions of the region necessitated the need for foot-washing. Although the disciples most likely would have been happy to wash Jesus’ feet, they could not conceive washing each others’ feet. This was because in the society of the time, foot-washing was reserved for the lowliest of menial servants. Peers did not wash one another’s feet, except very rarely and as a mark of great love. Luke points out (22:24) that they were arguing about who was the greatest of them, so that none was willing to stoop to wash feet. When Jesus moved to wash their feet, they were shocked. His actions serve also as a symbol of spiritual cleansing (vs. 6-9) and a model of Christian humility (vs. 12-17). Through this action Jesus taught the lesson of selfless service that was supremely exemplified by His death on the cross.

The foot-washing was an example, a pattern. Many groups throughout church history have practiced literal foot-washing as a church ordinance. However, present culture in many lands does not call for the need to wash dust from the feet of one’s guests. Whereas the Lord’s Supper was practiced by the early church, it apparently did not practice foot-washing as an ordinance in church gatherings. This passage emphasizes inner humility, not a physical rite. A Christian widow’s practice of “washing the feet of the saints” (I Tim. 5:10) speaks not of her involvement in a church ordinance but of her humble slave-like service to other believers. Not to follow the example of Jesus is to exalt oneself above Him and to live in pride. “No servant is greater than his master” (cf. John 12:26).

Take this time for some introspection. Have you ever, consciously or unconsciously, considered yourself “better” than someone else? Would you gladly clean the toilets in the church building or are your gifts or your “position” above that sort of thing? What was Jesus’ perspective on this subject? If we are His body then this is critical information.

Recommended Resource: Manners and Customs of the Bible by J.I. Packer & M.C. Tenney.

“Here is my command. Love each other, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” – John 15:12-14

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Galatians 5:13; 6:2
Romans 12:2-3 | James 2:1-12
Philippians 2:1-7

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Unit 2, Section 1, Lesson 3: Loving Your Family as Christ Loves the Church

As we started this section on loving our neighbor in the family, or “Family Ties”, we focused on how, in His wisdom, God created for us a physical picture of the spiritual family He had in mind for all who would call on the name of Christ. We’ve also looked at
 how that earthly family, whether biological or adopted, is a training and proving ground – bettering God’s children for life with our spiritual brothers and sisters.

This week, we’ll discuss caring for our earthly family, placing priority on them, and setting them before ourselves. This is yet another mirror image of what we’ll discuss in our next section, loving your neighbor in the church… God’s family. I pray that as you prepare this week you will take time to consider the relationships you maintain with your siblings and other relatives. How is Christ reflected in those relationships? For me, these questions have been convicting, comforting, and inspiring at the same time. Hopefully you will be challenged by God’s word as well.

What do you value? 
Read this “Dear Abby” letter and then replace “Mom & Dad” with other family relations.

Dear Abby: I am the most heartbroken person in the world. I could always find the time to go everywhere else, but never the time to go visit Mom and Dad. They sat at home alone and loved me just the same. It’s too late now to give them those few hours of happiness. I was too selfish and too busy to give. Now when I go to their graves and see the green grass above them, I wonder if God will ever forgive me for the heartaches I must have caused them when they were still alive. I pray to God that those who still have their parents to visit, do so, and show their love and respect while there is still time, for it’s later than you think. — TOO LATE.

“Everyone should provide for his own relatives. Most of all, everyone should take care of his own family. If he doesn’t, he has left the faith. He is worse than someone who doesn’t believe.” – 1 Timothy 5:8

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Matthew 15:4-6
Matthew 25:39-40

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Unit 2, Section 1, Lesson 2: Honor Your Parents (The Bridge)

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12.

‘Honor’ is a word that has fallen out of favor in our modern western culture. This is particularly the case when it comes to the giving of honor to parents by children, whether grown or still at home. The fifth command is the first of six commands that God gives concerning our behavior towards our fellow man. It is the “bridge” between the commands about loving God and those about loving our neighbor. So it is fitting that in our study we will begin here. This week, we will look at what it means to “honor” our parents. We’ll consider how this is a picture for how children relate to their Heavenly Father. As you prepare this week take some time to consider how you “honor” your own parents, even if they may not be very “honorable.”

As you prepare your heart and mind for this week’s lesson, take a fresh look at some of these verses and make a mental note of the ways in which we can honor our parents, our elders, and everyone else. God puts much value – or weight, as the root of the Hebrew word for “honor” indicates – on age and the elderly. Scripture is clear that special deference and care must be given to our parents and elders, especially those within our own family. Consider the ancient Chinese culture, which places great value on honoring parents, and their longevity as a civilization when you read anew this “command with a promise.”

“Everyone should provide for his own relatives. Most of all, everyone should take care of his own family. If he doesn’t, he has left the faith. He is worse than someone who doesn’t believe.” – 1 Timothy 5:8

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Lev 19:3 | Eph 6:1-4 | Prov 1:8
Prov 23:22 | Matt 15:4-6
1 Tim 5:8 | Lev 19:32 | Deut 5:16

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 4, Lesson 2: Know Your Strengths

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” There are many wonderful theological messages to be gleaned from the account of David’s defeat of Goliath. One message that should not be taken from it, however, is that David was a skinny kid, unprepared for battle, who despite his overconfidence was used by God to miraculously defeat an experienced warrior. Many times, the way we teach this to children leaves them with the idea that they to can face the metaphorical “giants” in their lives if they just believe. Let’s take a closer look at the account before we get the children in our care metaphorically body slammed by their giants.

The key to this account is not knowledge of God and His covenant promises to Israel. We know that King Saul and the soldiers of Israel would have known well these promises. So David’s advantage was not superior knowledge. What David had that set him apart was experience with God. David makes the case to Saul when he says, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” David had high confidence of victory because his experience with God had shown him that God was with him. But it should not be missed that David had significant skills and strengths. We know that David was a shepherd, and from our understanding of the Ancient Near East, we know that one tool of a shepherd for protecting his flock was the sling. We also know from scripture and other sources that a skilled slinger could be deadly accurate at distances of 250 meters (nearly 3 football field lengths!) Here is the math. David had been given strength and skill by God plus David knew God’s promises plus David had experienced God’s faithfulness equals one headless Philistine warrior.

Our children need to know God, know and develop the strengths He has given them, and put those into action to experience God’s faithfulness. Strength that comes from God can be trusted absolutely. That is a formula for changing the world for Christ.

Just for fun: Watch this Israeli sling demonstration on YouTube. You will never read David and Goliath the same
way again. http://youtu.be/xwlZJ5IlN68

“The Lord is my strength and my shield. My
heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.””    -Psalm 28:7a

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Matt 25:14-30 | Eph 6:10
Ps.139:14 | 1 Cor 10:31
Col 3:17,23 | 1 Samuel 17

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 4, Lesson 1: Strength Training

What is strength? How is the word used in scripture? It can mean our physical strength or energy, strength of character, strength of the will, perseverance, capacity or ability to perform work, or emotional strength. These are all different aspects of strength, but they all have two things in common: their source and their purpose.

“You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides” (1 Peter 4:11)

So what is it that God teaches us about strength? First, He is the fountainhead of our strength. Second, He stands ready to renew our strength if we will seek Him, trust Him, and wait on Him. Third, God gives us strength not for our own selfish interests or nonsense but to glorify Him and do the good works of the Kingdom that He has prepared in advance for us to walk in. In the coming weeks, let us help the children to understand that God, and only God, deserves all of our strength.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield. My
heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.””    -Psalm 28:7a

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Deut 8:17 |1 Chron. 29:12
Phil 4:13 | Is. 41:10
2 Thess 3:3 | Is.40:27-31

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 3, Lesson 2: Teach the Children Well

When we think of Daniel we think bravery, good looks, government leader, survivor of the lion’s den, prisoner of war, advisor to kings, child… What? Where did child come in? Let’s think about it for a moment. We know from Scripture that Daniel was a youth, probably about 14 years old (think 8th grader), when he was taken from his home in Israel and into captivity in Babylon. Upon his arrival he was offered the best food and wine in the palace, but thought of a plan to keep himself kosher.

Already as a young teenager, Daniel was knowledgeable about his God and his faith. I’m fairly sure that the King of Babylon didn’t have any Hebrew schools at the palace. So Daniel had to have had a very solid understanding of his faith, the food laws, the teachings regarding the worship of Yahweh alone, and most importantly a deep respect for the Lord BEFORE arriving in Babylon. When he came to Babylon he then was taught about, “all kinds of literature and learning,” but what he knew about his faith was already so ingrained that he held steadfast to the God of his fathers.

There are two important lessons for us here. 1.) The mind of a child is more than capable of taking in and assimilating deep truths about God, and 2.) What we believe about God and the world around us, our “worldview” and morality, are pretty well set in stone by the age of 14 and will not easily be changed. In short, we are working with young people in the most crucial time of life for the mind. Let’s help the children this week understand the aspects and power of the mind in our lives. How can each be renewed by the power of Christ?

“Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely  changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect.”    -Romans 12:2

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

Dan 5:12 & 14 | Col 3:2 ! 1 Sam.3 | Ecc.7:25 ! 2 Corinthians 10:5

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 3, Lesson 1: Mind Marinade

When we talk about our mind, what exactly do we mean? What are the functions of the mind? When we talk about the mind in the Bible we are talking thoughts, attitudes, imagination, will, purposes, convictions, intelligence, understanding, and memory. In the Bible, the mind and the
heart are closely tied together. Many times they are used interchangeably. They communicate and work together to influence our actions.

What would the mind of a Jesus follower increasingly look like? The transformed and renewed mind of the Christian will love God, seeking Him with the intellect, meditating on His Word in prayer, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ, deciding to fix its thoughts on Christ and the things of heaven, serving with the will, remembering who God is and what He has done, and employing all its power of imagination and creativity to glorify God. Worshiping God with the mind will have repercussions in the heart and soul.

Help the children understand that the life of a follower of Jesus is more than good works and nice words. It is a life of integrity that includes your way of thinking. This renewal happens as we marinate our minds in the Word of God.

“Don’t live any longer the way this world lives. Let your way of thinking be completely  changed. Then you will be able to test what God wants for you. And you will agree that what he wants is right. His plan is good and pleasing and perfect.”    -Romans 12:2

 

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

2 Corinthians 10:5 | Numbers 15:40 | Col 3:2 | 1 Chron. 28:9

The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend.  We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.

EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 2, Lesson 3: The Goal of the Soul

What is the goal of the soul? Our souls were built for relationship with God. That relationship, once founded in Christ, can either be cultivated or neglected. Remember back to your childhood for a moment. When you learned to turn cartwheels or dive headfirst into the pool, did you shout, “Daddy! Look at me”? How about when you got good grades, your first job, or got engaged? In a healthy father-child  relationship it is natural to want to please Dad.

How much more so our perfect heavenly Father? Cultivating our relationship with God means aiming to please Him out of love, not obligation. When we love God with our soul, we are pleased to please Him. Take a nice slow read of the following two passages and then prayerfully reflect on how we can help the kids cultivate their soul relationship with the Father.

“And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” – Jesus (John 8:29)

“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” – David (Psalm 40:8)

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress – I will never be shaken.”    -Psalm 62:1-2

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:

John 8:29| Ps. 40:8 | 1 Peter 2:25 | Ps. 35:9-10