River Ridge Kids:
Dig In to the Bible
· Read: Exodus 20:13; Genesis 4:1-16
· In This Passage: God says not to commit murder. In a brotherly feud between Cain and Abel, Cain is jealous of his brother, Abel. God warns Cain not to fall into sin’s trap by being angry and dejected. But Cain doesn’t listen and kills his brother. God punishes Cain by making him a homeless wanderer who can’t grow good crops.
· Bible Point: We don’t hurt others.
· Summary Verse: “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind’ ” (Matthew 22:37).
Dig Deeper
· We don’t hurt others. At face value, the commandment not to murder may seem like an easy one for kids to follow. You most likely don’t have any murderers in your class! But this commandment goes beyond simply not killing; it’s about valuing life. That means instead of hurting others with our words and actions, we make choices that show the value of all people.
· Think About: What do other people do that makes you angry? How can you respond with kindness?
Dig In to Prayer
· Ask God to create an environment of uplifting and encouraging words, rather than hurtful words, in your ministry.
Bold:
Lesson 8: The Bible Is Trie
2 Timothy 3:16
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches is to do what is right.”
- Prophesies in the Bible are inspired and initiated by God. 2 Peter 1:20-21
Each day you encourage your kids that they matter. They do, and their thoughts and feelings do. But that doesn’t mean their thoughts-or yours- matter more than the truth shared in the Bible. There will be times that you will have to gently confront a preteen whose thinking is clearly contrary to a Biblical worldview. Tread carefully; invite your pretten to consider what God says rather than delivering a lecture on how the preteen is wrong. And in those moments when your own thinking is challenged by Scripture, say so. Model what it’s like to let God transform one’s thinking.
Pray for your preteens
Preteens are constantly scanning the culture for heroes to emulate. Ask God to give your preteens wisdom about where to find inspiration.
* DIG IN lesson content copyright © Group Publishing, Inc.