POINT #2 – PURSUING THE PROMISE
READ
Joshua 14:11-12 NLT – “I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.”
Many years later, after God promised the Israelites the land of Canaan, Caleb is reminding Joshua that God made him a promise, and he remembers the promise, and He wants that promise to come true, to happen. He’s asking Joshua to give him the land promised to him by God. He is ready to drive out the people living there so he can possess the land. He’s ready to PURSUE the promise God made him.
Discussion Questions
- What does the word PURSUE mean? (allow your child to anwer: to try to get or do over a period of time, to follow after in order to catch, to follow up or proceed with).
- Have you ever had something you worked hard at for a very long time to accomplish? (allow your child to answer. Here are a few examples: maybe riding a bicycle without training wheels, learning to swim without floats, doing chores and saving money to buy something or do something, etc).
- Why did you work so hard for a long time to do that thing or get that thing?
While you were working hard over a long time to get that thing or do that thing, you were PURSUING that goal. Caleb knew where he was going and what he wanted. He had DIRECTION for what he was pursuing. It is important that we have good direction and that we are PURSUING the right things in life, which are the PROMISES of God. The Bible tells us that we should RUN/FLEE from evil and worldly things and focus on GOd and His promises. His Word says that we should RUN TO the things of God, run towards who He created us to be. We can’t just run away from the bad, we also have to run TO to God. 1 Timothy 6:11 (ESV) tells us, “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”
Sometimes we see what other people are doing, maybe our friends or our siblings and we want to do what they are doing, live how they live, dress how they dress, say what they say, and act how they act. But, the Bible says we are to run our OWN race. When we run on a track, for a competition, we have to stay in our own lane. If we cross over into someone else’s lane we are disqualified and out of the race. We lose our chance to win. Just like in a running race, we can’t PURSUE our friends or our siblings gifts, or talents, or who God has created them to be. We have to run our OWN race. We have to PURSUE OUR gifts, OUR talents, who God says WE are. We can’t wait for others to start running their race either. If we do that we lose. When we hear “GO!” we have to take off running as fast as we can and stay in our own lane to win the race! If we wait for others to start before us, we lose our chance to win. We want to be winners in OUR race for God!
Scripture Memory Verse
“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” – Acts of the Apostles 20:24 NLT
Prayer
Jesus, we are so thankful for this example we see in Caleb, and how he PURSUED your promises to him. It gives us great courage to know that we can do the same. Holy Spirit, help us to see the race in our own lane. Help us to see the gifts, talents, skills, plans and purposes that are specifically just for us. Help us to see who you’ve created us to be. We desire to work hard to PURSUE the promises that you have for us, Jesus. Help us to not only realize that we need to run away from the enemy and evil things, but to always be running towards you and after you, Jesus. We want YOU. We want your presence, we want YOU, Holy Spirit. We want Your will, and Your Way. Help us to run our race the best we can! We pray all of this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
Coloring Page
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/bb/26/67/bb2667b485e35d17e3605b9e4991bbbe.jpg
Worship Song
“Fireblazin’”