Romans 5:1-5
Your Story
Talk about a time when you struggled with something. Do you feel like God taught you anything through that experience? Did you grow stronger in your faith?
My Story and the Bible Story
When we were kids, my sister hated school. She didn’t want to do her homework or study, so there were many times when she didn’t understand the material. When she was in middle school, though, she had an especially hard time with math. I was in college by that time, and my college roommate tutored her. Once she understood, it was like a light bulb came on. All of a sudden, she got it, and she (somewhat) wanted to do her work because she finally understood it. She grew stronger in math and realized that she could actually do well in the subject.
Read Romans 5:1-5.
When we have a hard time, like my sister did with math, it sometimes feels easier to give up. It can feel that way as a Christian too. There are times when being a Christian is hard—maybe when your friends are trying to get you to do something you know you shouldn’t do, or you know you should stand up for someone but you’re afraid everyone will make fun of you. For some Christians around the world, there are times when someone threatens to put them in jail because of their beliefs. There are times when it feels easier to give up. Paul reminds us in Romans that if we continue to follow God even when it’s hard, our troubles will give us patience. That patience can turn into good character or perseverance.
How do we keep going? Thankfully, we don’t have to try to keep going alone. God helps us. When we become a Christian, God fills our lives with the Holy Spirit. We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit helps us know what is right. The Holy Spirit also helps us know what we should do and can give us the strength we need to keep going. When you are having a hard time with school or someone is bullying you, remember that God can use the Holy Spirit to help you. Don’t give up!
Discussion and Prayer
1. Ask your children about times when school has been hard or they have had a difficult time dealing with other people. What did they want to do? What did they do? Did they ask for help from God?
2. Talk about how we can always ask God for help. Share examples of times when God has helped you.
3. Talk about ways we can know that God is with us.
4. Pray, thanking God for always being there for us and for helping us when things are hard. Ask God to help you and your family remember that God is always there!
Rev. Jessica Asbell is the Minister to Children and Families at First Baptist Roswell, where she has been serving since 2012. She has written the children’s curriculum for Smyth & Helwys’s Annual Bible Study for the books of Daniel; Ezekiel; Luke; Jonah; 1 Corinthians; 1, 2, 3 John and Jude; Colossians; The Story of Israel’s Ancestors: Living toward a Promise; and Where Faith & Family Meet: A Book of Weekly Devotions. She has also written for CBF’s Spark and Form and for Affect in CBF’s fellowship! magazine. Married to Jonathan Oravec, Jessica reads every chance she gets.
