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LESSON 9: WISDOM BRINGS BLESSING

“What difference can I make? I’m only one person.” I’m not sure if God laughs out loud at this statement or shakes his head in frustration. It could not be a more absurd thing to say. In the hands of a sovereign God, who works all things together according to His will, every life wisely lived in faith is a powerful tool. Let me give one astonishing example of how your life, lived with the wisdom that comes from God, can have staggering impact.

Now I could rattle off a list great people in history who made significant impacts, but that is too easy to argue against because such people are few and far between. I’d rather we look at a person like Edward Kimball. Mr. Kimball was a volunteer Sunday school teacher who in 1855 humbly and obediently exercised his God given wisdom to speak with a wayward teen about Jesus Christ and then vanish into history. That teen gave his life to Christ that day. His name was Dwight L. Moody. Young Mr. Moody then dedicated his life to leading others to Christ. His example so blessed one pastor named F.B. Meyer that he went on an evangelistic tour of America. His challenge at a conference moved another young pastor named Wilbur Chapman to begin conducting evangelistic campaigns of his own. He recruited former baseball player Billy Sunday to join him and Sunday became one of America’s most successful evangelists. A group that came to Christ at one of Billy Sunday’s campaigns, put together their own event and invited evangelist Mordecai Ham to speak. At that event another young man gave his life to Christ. His name is Billy Graham. For me the story doesn’t end there. In 1952 Billy Graham held an event at Forbes field in Pittsburgh. A father and son who were present at that event came forward in response to the gospel and gave their lives to Jesus Christ in faith. Their names are Frank and Richard Meyers. My grandfather and father. So, you see, one ordinary man like us, a Sunday school teacher, simply lived in godly wisdom, and more than 100 years later is still leaving a legacy of blessing.

Never underestimate the power of the witness of your life. God told Abraham, “through you all nations of the earth will be blessed.” Solomon reminds us that doing what is wise will lift up those around us, while the unwise bring only grief and ruin to their family, their community, and themselves. God told
the returning Israelites in Zechariah 8:13 that they had been saved in order to be a blessing among the nations. We were saved for the same reason; to be a blessing. Wisdom recognizes our purpose and lives in it joyfully. Thank you Mr. Kimball!

BIG IDEA: When we do what is right, we bless those around us.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 14:34
Jeremiah 29:7
Psalm 67Proverbs 14:34
Jeremiah 29:7
Psalm 67

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
Doing what is right lifts people up. But sin brings judgment to any nation. – Proverbs 14:34

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read and discuss Prov. 14:26-35.
• Can you think of a time when you or someone else got everyone in trouble by doing the wrong thing?
• How can your right actions bless those around you? In your family, school, country?
• Mom or Dad, can you trace your history of faith to faithful servants of God? Why not share that story?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

LESSON 8: WISDOM DELIGHTS IN THE LORD

Does God really want us to have the desires of our hearts? A quick reading of Psalm 37:4 seems to point us in that direction. Proverbs 13:12 lays out the very common sense principle that a longing or desire fulfilled is a blessing, while hope deferred is discouraging. We can all relate to that. But what of our ungodly desires? Here in lies the danger of reading any scripture in isolation, disconnected from its context and from the whole counsel of God on any subject. Let’s look at Psalm 37 a little closer and then at the words of Jesus regarding this subject.

In its context, Psalm 37 is a call to patience before the Lord when it seems like the wicked are prospering. Specifically the child of God is called to active waiting. “Trust in the Lord and do good” (vs 3), “Take delight in the Lord” (vs 4), “Commit your way to the Lord” (vs 5). Receiving the desires of your heart is set in the context of this attitude of the heart. I will ask you, if you are trusting in the Lord and doing good, delighting in the Lord, and committing your way to the Lord, what kinds of deep desires do you think will take root in your heart, the godly variety or the worldly variety? When we delight in, find our joy in, the Lord, He becomes the desire of our hearts and there is nothing that the Lord wants to give us more than Himself. When we have Him, we begin to share His desires. Jesus reinforces this point in Matthew 6 where he exhorts his followers not to worry about the needs or wants of this world, but instead to desire first God, His Kingdom, and His goodness. The Father will take care of our needs, but He wants to be our one desire. In His presence there is fullness of joy. His presence is the good in the good news.

This is my cry, my one desire
Just to be where You are, Lord
Now and forever it’s more than a song
My one desire is to be with You
Is to be with You Jesus
(Songwriters: Joel Houston, One Desire lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group)

BIG IDEA: Wisdom desires the things of God.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 13:12
Psalm 37:4-6
Psalm 145:19
Proverbs 11:23
Romans 8:27

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read and discuss Prov. 13:12 and Psalm 37:4-5.
• What are some of your desires?
• What is God’s desire for all of us? (relationship w/ Him, peace, joy, love, purpose,…)
• On what should we base our desires?
• How can you apply what you learned in Quest this week?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

LESSON 7: WISDOM CONTROLS THE TONGUE

Sitting in a small Indian village in Brazil with a half dozen other men under a thatched roof shelter, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. We were about to have the opportunity to hear from an Indian pastor with more than forty years of experience preaching the gospel in some of the most remote parts of Brazil, in tribal communities where a white man like me would never be allowed to set foot. His grandfather had been one of the first of their tribe to come to faith in Jesus. This man had stories to tell and I was anxious to hear them. Unfortunately, a younger, less experienced brother that we had brought with us from the city, thought that this was his opportunity to “one up” the pastor by sharing secondhand missionary stories he had heard at a missions conference! It was all I could do to guard my own tongue to keep from telling him to just shut it. How foolish he was making himself look. What an education he was missing out on, but he continued undeterred. My embarrassment for him made me squirm in my seat. Lesson number one: the wise listen and add to their learning. You know what you know. Repeating it out loud simply to have something to say or to attempt to impress others is the height of foolishness and adds nothing to your understanding.

Sadly the tongue can do even more harm than just to stifle our learning. It can cut down those we love, destroy relationships, cause division, foolishly commit us to an unwise course, and heap dishonor on ourselves, our family, and the people of God. I could go on. James says, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire.” This same tongue we use to sing praises, to pray, to profess our love for others, and preach the gospel, is a dangerous piece of equipment to ourselves and those around us, if not kept in check by the Holy Spirit.

So the next time you are at a dinner party make it your goal to listen and add to your wisdom. And when you do speak you “should do so as one who speaks the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11). Words that build others up and bless our Father in heaven.

BIG IDEA: Wisdom listens more than it speaks.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 13:1-3
James 3:1-11
Proverbs 10:19, 12:15, 17:27, 19:20, 29:20

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
People who are careful about what they say will save their lives, but those who speak without thinking will be destroyed. – Proverbs 13:3

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read Proverbs 13:1-3 out loud and discuss, verse by verse. Repeat with James 3:1-11.
• Have you ever said something you wish you hadn’t?
• How can we guard our mouths? How?
• Why is it better to listen than it is to speak?
• How can you apply what you learned in Quest this week?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

LESSON 6: WISDOM IS HONEST AND DILIGENT

It is easy to complain about having to work when you have unpleasant work to do, but become unemployed or be completely idle without anything meaningful to accomplish and the attitude changes dramatically. We were created to work. Work is a blessing, not a curse. In Genesis 2:15 we see God’s plan before the fall, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Work includes your vocation, as well as your studies, your chores around the house, and your service in the body of Christ, the church. If work is a blessing from God then we should expect to see some instruction regarding the quality or character of our work. As with other blessings, there is a principle at work in work. When our work is done diligently, with excellence and honesty, we, generally speaking, will enjoy success in our endeavors. “Work hard and become a leader, but laziness will end in forced labor.” “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”

It seems like a lot of rules to keep track of and follow. Be honest. Be diligent, Be hardworking. The good news is that God provides us the key to unlocking the blessing of work and it is a key that we can and should pass along to our children. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving,” Colossians 3:23-24. Wisdom recognizes that it is God who has ultimately blessed us with the work we have to do. Wisdom recognizes that He is the one we desire to please with our integrity, our honesty, and our diligence. When you are a child of the living God there is no secular work. Our studies, our vocation, our chores, and our service to the body has been set apart, sanctified, to honor our heavenly Father. Wisdom recognizes the joy and victory to be had in working as unto to the Lord and rejoices in the blessing.

BIG IDEA: Wisdom is honest and hardworking.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 10:1-9
Proverbs 12:24
Colossians 3:23-24

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. – Proverbs 10:9

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read Proverbs 10:1-9 out loud and discuss, verse by verse. Do the same with Colossians 3:23-24 and Proverbs 12:24.
• How do you feel when you finish a job well? Not well?
• How can doing all your work for Jesus change how you feel about work?
•  How can you apply what you learned in Quest this week?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

LESSON 5: A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Have you ever woken in the night and, not wanting to wake anyone, left the lights off while you groped your way around the house to the bathroom or to get a glass of water? Your eyes are adjusted to the darkness so you can get around reasonably well, for the most part not smashing your shins on anything, and find your way to familiar rooms. However, if you have had small children you probably also remember them leaving sharp and pointy objects in places they don’t belong. Your eyes, even with your night vision, aren’t sharp enough to pick up those dangers lurking in your path. Nothing hurts quite like a lego on a barefoot under your full body weight. Of course turning on the lights would have averted all of that danger.

In life we can deceive ourselves into believing that we are in the light because we are not “living like the world,” when in fact we may be walking in self-imposed darkness. Because we have lived so long in this present darkness, that is the fallen world, our spiritual eyes may have adjusted, giving us the false sense that we can see clearly. The apostle John tells us to “walk in the light as He is in the light.” God is “light” he goes on, and in Him is no darkness at all. Not even a little. How do we turn on the lights and keep them on? First by recognizing our condition before our Father and then by having fellowship with Jesus, the Light of the world, the living Word of God. David says as much in Psalm 119:105, “your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path.” All wisdom begins and ends with submitting to God’s word, His plan, His sovereign will. Every other thing that sets itself up as wisdom is a cheap imitation “for the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.” As we offer our bodies and our minds to God in the word and in prayer he is faithful to transform our darkness into His light, “for even darkness is as light” to our God. Having the very mind of Christ means having a divinely illuminated mind that sees the world and all of its pitfalls through the eyes of the Creator. Turn on the lights and help our children to do the same.

BIG IDEA: Wisdom is a light in the darkness.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 6:12-23
Psalm 119
Psalm 1:1-3

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life. – Proverbs 6:23

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read Proverbs 6:12-23 out loud and discuss, verse by verse.
• What are the consequences of sin and wickedness?
• What are some of those things God hates?
• What should we do with God’s wisdom?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

LESSON 4: WHAT ARE YOU STORING UP?

Guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. A guard has two functions. The first is to keep out anyone or anything that will cause harm or does not have the owners permission to enter. The second is to allow in those persons or things that the owner has authorized. Why is a guard on the heart so critical? We’ve all used the expression, “garbage in, garbage out,” and are familiar with its implications in any type of analytical task. It can be equally applied to our heart (the biblical center of the will and emotions). How about this positive version of the expression, “Jesus in, Jesus out”? Both are biblical principles are they not? Regulating what goes in to the heart is directly connected to what will come out.

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. (Luke 6:45)

How does a person guard or protect their heart then? One would be correct to say, “Flee the evil desires of youth!” (2 Tim 2:22) However that is only half of the truth. We are taught by God’s word that lasting heart health can only be achieved when we flee FROM those things of lesser value and TO some One of infinitely greater value. The passage cited above continues, “and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.” Flee and pursue. How? We flee by creating distance between ourself and temptation, by turning our backs on the twisted values of the world. We pursue by “looking on” Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, by setting our hearts and minds on things above, by thinking about whatever is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.” Finally, this call to flee and pursue is meant to be carried out in community. Let’s look again at our passage in full, “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Let us encourage the children to guard their hearts with us.

BIG IDEA: Wisdom guards my heart.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 4:20-27
2 Timothy 2:22
Philippians 4:6-8
Psalm 101:3
Colossians 3:1-2

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. – Luke 6:45

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read Proverbs 4:20-27 out loud and discuss, verse by verse.
• How can we help keep our heart clean?
• Name some things that are not good to put in your heart. How about some good things?
• How can you apply what you learned in Quest this week?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

LESSON 3: GOD IS A TRUSTWORTHY GUIDE

Spiritual G.P.S. The God Positioning System. Just like our geographical GPS requires three parts to function correctly, a satellite system, a receiver, and a reliable digital map, so does our spiritual GPS. It begins by having a connection to our heavenly Father through his Son, Jesus. The next piece is the indwelling Holy Spirit to quicken our conscience and open our spiritual eyes. Finally we need a reliable map; God’s living and powerful Word. With these 3 pieces our guidance system is complete.

Any GPS system is only useful if we have it turned on and actually follow the instructions given. However, while global positioning systems have gotten very sophisticated and much more reliable, they can still fail. Not so with our God guidance system. It is completely dependable and rejecting its guidance is the height of foolishness. Why you say? Let’s go back and look at its parts. The character of our heavenly Father, his all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, and all-loving nature make Him 100% reliable over and against our “own understanding” of our circumstances and the world around us. His thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than ours. Then there is the submissive obedience of the Spirit to the Father and Son. This reassures us that He will only provide the guidance that the Father has spoken. Because they are one in three persons there is no chance of a communication breakdown. Finally, the living and active Word of God, divinely inspired, infallible, and protected through the ages, is given to us as God’s primary means of transforming our hearts and renewing our minds into the image of the Son. We have a reliable road map.

This spiritual GPS is worthy of our complete trust. Don’t second guess it with your own “understanding.” Put it to the test and you will see that it is truly wise to place our faith (confide = with faith) in the guidance of our God. Better yet, encourage the children to do the same and you will have an impact on eternity!

BIG IDEA: Trust in God’s wisdom and He will guide you.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 3:1-12

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read Proverbs 3:1-12 out loud and discuss, verse by verse.
• What are we told to do with God’s words?
• What does it mean to trust? Who is someone you trust? Why?
• How can you apply what you learned in Quest this week?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

LESSON 2: DON’T BE A FOOL, LISTEN TO THE WISE

What is one of the most often lamented or joked about attributes of youthful thinking? We all know the old adage, “The older I get, the wiser my father becomes.” The foolishness of youth leads us to believe that we know everything and that our way is better. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.” Sadly, this foolishness, if not lovingly corrected in our children, often continues on into
adulthood and creates ever increasing heartache along the way as the consequences of our foolishness grow more serious. “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to
death” (Prov. 14:12).

How is this foolish tendency remedied? What is God’s plan for His children? There are two main parts; the content and the delivery mechanism. The first part, the content, is the revealed word of God. If a Christian ever hopes to share the mind and attitudes of Christ then they must immerse themselves in knowing Him. “Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who
meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). The writer of Hebrews tells us we must be “transformed by the renewing of your mind,” in order to understand and share the mind of Christ.
This occurs through exposure to His Word. But there is a second piece of the puzzle.

“Turbulence ahead.” Have you ever wondered how pilots know ahead of time to have you buckle up in preparation for turbulence? The answer is simple. Pilots talk to one another. Pilots further along a flight path will report turbulence back to those who are following behind. In a very real sense they’ve been where the other pilots are heading. God places us in families, both biological and
spiritual, for many reasons. Not least of these is for the purpose of imparting wisdom to those following behind us. Those of us who are more wise and experienced are able to lovingly point out
the coming turbulence and, more importantly, the solution to life’s turbulence in the living Word of God. It is vital that we echo and magnify the Bibles’ exhortation to the young to “pay attention and turn your ears to the sayings of the wise.” Do not be discouraged. Though it will often seem like you are talking to an impenetrable wall, God’s word is “sharper than any two-edged sword,” and can be trusted to penetrate the heart of our kids if we are faithful and do not give up in our task of graciously and lovingly pointing them to the way, the truth, and the life.

BIG IDEA: Listen to the wise and wisdom will protect you.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 2:1-11
Proverbs 22:17-19
Proverbs 1:8-9
Psalm 1:1-3

SECTION VERSE:
Then you will understand what is  right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. – Proverbs 2:9-10

LESSON VERSE:
Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach. – Proverbs 22:17

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read aloud Proverbs 2:1-11
• What does God want us to do with His wisdom?
• Where does wisdom come from? (verse 6)
• What good things will wisdom bring us?
• How can you apply what you learned in Quest this week?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 4: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR GUIDE

How many times have you heard something like this, “God first, others second, I’m third,” or, “God, country, family.” Maybe you’ve even said something similar or worn the t-shirt. I know I have. At first glance it seems like a godly enough thing to say and it sure feels good to think we have our priorities straight.

Unfortunately it is not at all what God’s Word teaches us. God’s place isn’t first in a list of other lower priorities. He is the center and essence of every priority. We need to make sure that our children are not subjected to this wrong thinking. Whenever love for God is mentioned in scripture it is with all encompassing phrases like, “with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” or “in all your ways acknowledge Him,” or “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” or “all things have been created through Him and for Him.” There is no sacred and secular for the Christian.

“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, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11)

Now matter what we do, we are called to do it as a representation of Christ. What would Jesus be like as a schoolteacher, a lawyer, an IT professional, or a manager? What would Jesus be like as a parent, a son or daughter, a husband or wife, brother, or friend? In all our ways, in all our decisions, in all our activities, in all our roles and thoughts, acknowledge Him. This is not an acknowledging in the shallow English meaning either. The Hebrew word means to know intimately by experience. Search your heart this week. Are you knowing God intimately by experience in all your ways?

BIG IDEA: Make God the center of everything and He will guide you on the best path.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
1 Peter 4:11
Mark 12:30
Ephesians 4:5-6
Colossians 1:16, 3:17
Psalm 34:8

SECTION VERSE:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember Him. Then He will make your paths smooth and straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

LESSON VERSE:
There is one God and Father of all. He is over everything. He is through everything. He is in everything. – Ephesians 4:6

PRAYER:
Ask God to help you give Him control of every part of your life, and to trust His guidance.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What does it mean to acknowledge God in all your ways?
• How do you make Jesus the center of your life?
• How can you learn to trust God? (knowledge + experience = trust)
• What things do you let take Jesus’ place on the throne?

LIVE IT OUT!

• Have a family sharing time to talk about when you should be seeking God’s guidance.
• Make a list of your gifts, talents, possessions, and hobbies. How can you dedicate each of these to the Lord?

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 3: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR GUIDE

“Already There” by Casting Crowns
(written by Bernie Herms and Mark Hall; Copyright: Songs Of Universal Inc., Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, G650 Music)

From where I’m standing
Lord it’s so hard for me to see
Where this is going
And where You’re leading me
I wish I knew how
All my fears and all my questions
Are gonna play out
In a world I can’t control

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
Cause You’re already there
You’re already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You’re already there
You’re already there

From where You’re standing
Lord, You see a grand design
That You imagined
When You breathed me into life
And all the chaos
Comes together in Your hands
Like a masterpiece
Of Your picture perfect plan

Amen!

BIG IDEA: What God thinks and does is always BEST.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Isaiah 46:10
Isaiah 55:9
Deuteronomy 32:4
Jeremiah 29:11
James 1:5-7
Jeremiah 33:3

SECTION VERSE:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember Him. Then He will make your paths smooth and straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

LESSON VERSE:
The heavens are higher than the earth. And My ways are higher than your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:9

PRAYER:
Thank God for the guidance He gives us in His Word and through His Spirit. Ask Him for the courage to trust Him and obey.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Who helps you make decisions at home? At school?
• Why do you ask for their help?
• If you had to fix a computer who would you ask? (an engineer)
• What is it about God that makes Him our best teacher? Read James 1:5, Jeremiah 33:3.

LIVE IT OUT!

• Read Mark 12:30, Ephesians 4:5-6, and Colossians 1:16. Talk about them together for next week.
• Think of a way you can obey God’s guidance today and do it.

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 2: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR GUIDE

My mother is infamous for her sense of direction. Or should I say, lack there of. She once followed a car for some distance out of her way because, “they looked like they knew where they were going.” She has driven almost out of state before realizing she had taken a wrong turn. Mom was sure she was going in the right direction. She even thought she had recognized some landmarks. It took some time but Mom has learned to lean not on her own understanding when it comes to directions. Nowadays she makes sure she either rides with or follows someone who knows the right path.

How many times have you headed down a path that you were sure was right and wise only to find out that you were on a road to heartache? When we depend on our human discernment and worldly understanding they will fail us in the end. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

We can contrast two great men of scripture in this regard. Saul, the first anointed King over Israel, when pressed, did what he discerned to be the wise thing when Samuel was delayed and an attack seemed imminent. He took it upon himself to sacrifice to the Lord. It might seem to us, on the face of it, to be an intelligent move. Samuel hadn’t shown up on time, they were in great danger, and they needed God’s favor. But Saul had been told to wait. He did not inquire of the Lord and he did not trust the command he had been given by the man of God. He was leaning on his own understanding. By contrast his successor, King David, inquired of the Lord for almost every big decision he made, with the exception of a few that famously went badly for him. God has given us a trustworthy spiritual GPS system; his Word and his indwelling Holy Spirit, ever present to guide us. Inquire of the Lord and He will make your paths straight.

He is our trustworthy teacher and guide. This is a promise of God.

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Corinthians 1:20)

BIG IDEA: Depend on God and not on what you THINK you know.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 14:12
1 Corinthians 1:20
1 Samuel 13
1 Samuel 23:4

SECTION VERSE:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember Him. Then He will make your paths smooth and straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

LESSON VERSE:
But I will bless any man who trusts in me. I will show my favor to the one who depends on me. – Jeremiah 17:7

PRAYER:
Thank God the Father that Jesus laid down his glory, his power, and his life so that He could become one of us and show us what God is like. Ask
Him to help you make Jesus the center of your life every day.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Who do you trust? Why?
• Do you trust God? Why/why not?
• How can you learn to trust God? (knowledge + experience = trust)
• How can we experience God’s will? (Read Romans 12:1-2)

LIVE IT OUT!

• Read James 1:5, Jeremiah 33:3, and Isaiah 55:9. Talk about them together for next week.
• Pray together. See the prayer focus.
• Think of a way you can obey God’s guidance today and do it. Write it down and talk about the results together.

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 1: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR GUIDE

The work of the Holy Spirit – To manifest (make known, show) the active presence of God in the world and especially in the church.

Isn’t GPS a great thing? It amazes me that a satellite high above the earth can see me, and when combined with digital mapping software, can tell me how to get from point A to B in the quickest way possible. It amazes me even more to consider that this system can see if there is heavy traffic or an accident along my route and re-direct me around it. If I take a wrong turn, it quickly notifies me. “Rerouting.” But as amazing as this system is, it is only as good as its underlying data. How many times have you followed your GPS directions only to find out that its map data is incorrect and you are at a dead end or the address data is incomplete and you end up in a business park when you wanted to be at a friend’s house? Even when the data is good, it isn’t fool proof. An overcast day or poor cell coverage can knock your GPS out completely.

But there is a guidance system that is 100% trustworthy, 100% of the time. Its data is perfectly reliable. It works no matter how dark it gets because to it, “darkness is as light.” It is an integrated system that lights your path, turns your darkness to light, guides you on the best path possible, reroutes you when you make a wrong turn, and even provides roadside assistance when you break down along the highways of life.

That is our triune God. God’s living Word, breathed out by the Father through the Son is its database. It is empowered by his Holy Spirit whose job it is to make known the active presence of God in the world and especially in his children by guiding us into all truth. Our students need to learn early that they can depend, with ALL their hearts, on their failsafe guidance system. “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16)

BIG IDEA: We can trust God to guide us.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 42:16
John 8:12
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 23:1-3

SECTION VERSE:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember Him. Then He will make your paths smooth and straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

LESSON VERSE:
Guide me in your truth. Teach me. You are God my Savior. I put my hope in you all day long. – Psalm 25:5

PRAYER:
Thank God that Jesus laid down his glory, his power, and his life so that He could become one of us and show us what God is like. Ask Him to help you make Jesus the center of your life every day.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What did you learn today?
• From our memory verse, what 3 things should we do? What will God do in response?
• Who is a leader you admire? What makes God the best leader?

LIVE IT OUT!

• Read Psalm 32:8, Romans 12:1-2, Jeremiah 17:7 and talk about them together
• Commit to spending 15 minutes each day this week to just be quiet and think about God.

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SPOTTER, LESSON 4: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE

“Be imitators of GOD, therefore, as dearly loved children” (Ephesians 5:1)

The Bible makes plain that, when we are reborn in Christ, we are called to be “imitators of GOD,” that is, imitators of his communicable character attributes, those attributes GOD “shares” with his adopted children. We can know the character of our GOD because it is clearly revealed in scripture. Among his many qualities we find that God is loving, patient, kind, good, joyful, faithful, righteous, generous, courageous, creative, and, not least of all, forgiving. These are traits we should strive to imitate. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Forgiveness is sweet and grace is a great virtue when we are on the receiving end. It is something to rejoice over. But how things change when we are the “offended” party. Suddenly justice takes center stage and we begin to entertain thoughts about whether the offender “deserves” our forgiveness. We focus on our wounds and wallow in our injuries. We think that the kind of forgiveness Jesus offered his enemies on the cross, “Forgive them for they know not what they do,” is impossible for us to imitate. After all He is God. But this excuse falls apart when we look a few pages further on into the book of Acts and we see Stephen imitating his Lord in the face of a brutal death by stoning. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Can we hope to attain to this level of forgiveness? I’ll let Jesus answer that one. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” With God’s indwelling Holy Spirit all things are possible.

As we close out this section on forgiveness, we should seek to help the children understand that, on this side of heaven, we are striving to imitate Christ, knowing we will stumble and fall, trusting in his forgiveness when we do, and letting Him pick us up and urge us on to continue the climb He has called us to.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

BIG IDEA: Forgive others as God forgives you.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Ephesians 4:32
Ephesians 5:1
Matthew 6:8-14
Matthew 18: 21-35
Philippians 3-12-14

SECTION VERSE:
But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure. – 1 John 1:9

LESSON VERSE:
Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done. – Ephesians 4:32

PRAYER:
Thank God that He is faithful to forgive us when we choose sin instead of Him. Ask Him to forgive you today for where you have fallen short of His standard. Thank Him for his abounding love for you.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• During our study has God shown you any sin in your life? What should you do?
• Share a time when someone was unkind or unfair to you. Your response?
• Read and discuss Matthew 18:21-35.
• What does it mean to imitate someone? How can we imitate Jesus?

LIVE IT OUT!

• Practice your memory verse (1 John 1:9).
• Check with your family members to see if you need to forgive or be forgiven by anyone.

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SPOTTER, LESSON 3: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE

Propitiation (Greek – hilasmos, meaning an offering to appease an offended party.)

How can a God who hates sin so much just let it go unpunished? When He looks at his creation and sees how scarred and polluted sin has made it, He is greatly offended. How can He not pour out his anger on the guilty? How can God let wrongdoers go free? It doesn’t seem fair. Unless, of course, I am the wrongdoer and then my math changes dramatically and forgiveness seems a rather wonderful thing. But the questions are still valid. How is it just to leave sin unpunished?

The short answer is, it wouldn’t be just, if that is what God actually did. But sin has been punished. The sins of God’s people going all the way back to Adam accumulated and accumulated. All the while God in his great mercy withheld punishment, looking forward to a day when One would pay for it all and wipe out the debt once and for all for those who believed in his coming. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.” (Romans 3:25)

The best news is that, not only did Jesus receive the just wages of the sins of all who went before Him, He also made available that credit of righteousness to all who would believe and receive Him in faith in the future. He became our Passover Lamb. The Lamb was slain, that work is done. It is a historical fact that happened completely outside of us and was purely an act of God. The only question that matters now is have you, by faith, applied the blood of the Lamb to the doorposts of your life? Have your students?

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
(Elvina Hall)

BIG IDEA: Jesus’ death paid for all our sins and He can make us clean.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Romans 3
Psalm 86:5
Ephesians 1:7
Hebrews 10:12,17

SECTION VERSE:
But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure. – 1 John 1:9

LESSON VERSE:
Lord, you are good. You are forgiving. You are full of love for all who call out to you. – Psalm 86:5

PRAYER:
Thank God that He is faithful to forgive us when we choose sin instead of Him. Ask Him to forgive you today for where you have fallen short of His standard. Thank Him for his abounding love for you.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Read Psalm 86:5. How has God like this for you?
• Why did Jesus have to die for our sins?
• What does it mean to, “hate the sin and not the sinner?”
• When God forgives your sin, what does He do with it?

LIVE IT OUT!

• Practice your memory verse (1 John 1:9).
• Check with your family members to see if you need to forgive or be forgiven by anyone.

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SPOTTER, LESSON 2: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE

Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” I think the same thing could be said about sin. If we attempt to hide sin, to cover it up, to “regard” it in our hearts, it is only a matter of time before it will begin to stink up the place. Numbers 32:23 tells us that we can be sure that our, “sin will be discovered. It will be brought out into the open.” In Hebrews 4:13 we are reminded that, “Nothing God created is hidden from Him. His eyes see everything. He will hold us accountable for everything we do.”

So how does sin begin to stink? King David, the subject of our case study, gives us detailed insight into the very real physical effects of un-confessed sin in the life of a believer.

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. (Psalm 32:3-4)

Only when David, after being confronted by Nathan, recognizes his sin for what it is and despises it as God does, does he find forgiveness.

Then I admitted my sin to you. I didn’t cover up the wrong I had done. I said, “I will admit my lawless acts to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)

Belonging to Christ involves a change of mind, the adoption of a new worldview in which sin is seen through the eyes of God for what it is. Confession begins with seeing and hating our sin. Don’t let sin be a guest in your house.

BIG IDEA: Confession begins with seeing and hating your sins.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Psalm 32:3-5
Psalm 38:18
Psalm 139:23-24
Numbers 32:23
Proverbs 28:13

SECTION VERSE:
But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure. – 1 John 1:9

LESSON VERSE:
I admit that I have done wrong. I am troubled by my sin. – Psalm 38:18

PRAYER:
Thank God that He is faithful to forgive us when we choose sin instead of Him. Ask Him to forgive you today for where you have fallen short of His standard. Ask Him to help you see sin as He does.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What is your attitude toward sin?
• How do you feel when you sin?
• God says He will forgive you now matter what. How does that make you feel?
• How do you feel when confronted with sin?

LIVE IT OUT!

• Practice your memory verse (1 John 1:9).
• Read Psalm 19:12-13 and 139:23-24 as your own prayer.
• As a family adopt an RBC missionary to pray for and encourage.

– – –

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader.  In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.