Going for the Gold

This lesson is geared toward 4 - 6 graders, and can be used for Sunday school, home school, or private Bible study with your children.

The Olympics will soon be happening, and millions of people will be glued to their televisions each evening to watch the exciting events.  Athletes from all around the world will compete for the ultimate prize, which is the gold medal.

As Christians, we are also in a race.  Our prize is even more important and more exciting than the gold medals of the Olympics.  We are running toward eternal life with God in Heaven.  Let's take a look at how this race compares with the Olympics.

1.  The Goal

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."  (1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV)

All Olympic athletes have a goal.  If not, they would not be successful.  After all, they need to have a clear picture in their minds as to what they are working for, and how they plan to accomplish it.

They make achieving this goal a priority.  When a young person wants to compete in the Olympics, training for his sport is of utmost importance.  He puts a lot of other things on hold while he trains.  He may want to play video games or sleep in, but instead he practices and works out.  For the time being, he must get rid of anything that holds him back.

Our first goal should be to make sure we have accepted Jesus into our hearts to take away our sins.  Then, we want to live each day in a way that pleases him.  We don't want to let anything hold us back.  We want to get rid of bad attitudes, disobedience, wrong choices, and anything else that can block our relationship with God.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)

2.  The Preparation

When an athlete trains, she must practice.  She can't be good at a sport unless she spends hours working at it.  She is constantly trying to improve her skills. 

She must also eat nutritious foods and get the right amount of rest so she will always be in peak condition.

The athlete must give her best effort and not be half-hearted.  No lazy young man or woman will be a gold medalist.  She may get tired, she may get discouraged when she messes up, but she keeps going and doesn't quit.

As Christians, we improve our skills by studying the Bible, praying, and attending Sunday school and church.  We "feed" on the Word of God by reading the Bible and putting into practice what we have learned.

Also, we don't want to be half-hearted Christians.  And we don't want to give up when things aren't going well.  Pray to your Heavenly Father, and he will help you.

3.  The Reward

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
(2 Timothy 4:7 NIV)

Winning the gold medal is worth all of the hours and hard work the athlete has put in to his sport.  So he keeps his eye on that prize. 

Our reward is eternal.  We not only will have God's presence and protection with us as we are on earth, but we will live eternally with him in Heaven.  That goal is definitely worth everything we put in to it!

"And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain." (Philippians 2:16 NIV)

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What's Coming Out of Your Mouth? A Bible Lesson for Kids

By Rosalie Price Davisson

Here is a Bible lesson for kids that you can use for Sunday school, homeschool, or your personal devotions with them.  It is geared to fourth and fifth graders.


INTRODUCTION  (Say to the children)

We are always communicating with other people in one way or another.  We talk to our parents, brothers or sisters, friends, teachers and the list goes on.  With today's technology, it's even easier to connect with a lot of people using cell phones, the computer, and social network sites.

We probably talk so much that we don't give a lot of thought to what we are saying.  How many times has something just popped out of your mouth and you wished you could take it right back?  Maybe it made you look foolish or hurt someone's feelings or got an argument started.

Well, today we're going to see what the Bible says about our words.  The scripture actually has a lot of warnings about what comes out of our mouths.

SCRIPTURE READING

Let's read James 3:3-12
Have them practice finding it in the Bible.  Help them as needed.  I like to use a version that is easy for them to understand, such as NIV or The Message.

LESSON

A.  What are the facts?

1.  Why are bits put in the mouths of horses?  (to control them)

2.  What is something that is small, but can steer a ship?  (rudder)

3.  What is a small part of the body, but it can have a lot of power? (tongue)

4.  How do verses 5 and 6 compare a forest fire to our tongues?
(It only takes a spark to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it.  The Message Bible)

5.  Look at verse 9.  What two totally different things can the tongue do?
(With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! The Message Bible)

B.  What does this passage mean?

We can see from these verses that the tongue is a small part of the body, but it can cause a huge amount of problems.  How can we praise God with our mouths, but turn around and speak hateful words to other people?  That just doesn't add up!

Words can make us happy or they can really hurt us or other people.  More and more we hear about kids who have bullied other kids on the internet.  Sometimes these kids don't even want to go to school anymore because of the lies that have been started about them, or people making furn of them.  So the words don't have to be spoken.  Written words can do damage, too.

C.  What should I do?

Now that we have seen how powerful our words are, what can we do about it?  Here are three suggestions.

1.  Ask Yourself Why

When you are tempted to gossip, make fun of someone, or say something mean, ask yourself why you want to say that?  Do you think it will make the other kids like you better? 

Maybe you are thinking, "I'll make people laugh."  You might make people laugh, but you are going to hurt someone in the process.

Possibly you don't intend to be mean at all.  You just say something without thinking.  But someone may end up embarrassed by your words.

2.  Consider the Consequences

Remember, there are always consequences for everything we do, good or bad.  It's the same way with our words - there will be consequences for us and also for the person that is the target of our words.

So before you say something, consider the outcome.  Is someone going to be made fun of because of what you are about to say?  Will they be offended?  Once those words are out of your mouth, you can't take them back!

Stop and think before you speak.  Have a quick prayer to God in your mind.  It's easier to think about it when we are texting, emailing, or talking on a social network.  But when we're right there with other kids, we have to be careful we don't say something quickly that we'll regret later on.

3.  Put Yourself in the Other Person's Place

How would you feel if someone said that to you or about you?  If that thought bothers you, you'd better not say it.

MEMORY VERSE

Ephesians 4:29 (The Message) 
Watch the way you talk.  Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth.  Say only what helps, each word a gift.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please forgive us for times when our words have hurt others.  Help us to stop, think, and pray before we speak.  Don't let any wrong words come out of our mouths.  Help us to say only what helps.  May our words be a gift to others.

In the name of Jesus we pray,
Amen