Dig In to the Bible
· Read:Galatians 5:22; Nehemiah 8:1-3, 10-12
· In This Passage: After they finish rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah and his friends read from God’s Word. They’re sad to realize they haven’t been obeying God, but Nehemiah tells them to celebrate because the joy of the Lord is our strength.
· Bible Point: Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.
· Summary Verse: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Dig Deeper
· Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Sometimes Christians mistakenly portray the message that if you love God, you’ll never be sad or go through a hard time. Sadness is a normal human emotion, and it’s what the Israelites felt in today’s story! But joy isn’t rooted in our circumstances. Help your kids see that even when sad things happen, the joy of the Lord is their strength.
· Think About: What brings you joy?
Dig In to Prayer
· Ask God to fill your kids with so much joy, it bubbles over in their lives.
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