Romans 10:8b-13
Your Story
Talk about a time when you and everyone else won a trophy. How did it feel knowing that everyone was getting a trophy? Conversely, if this hasn’t happened to you, talk about a time when you saw someone, who perhaps didn’t deserve a trophy, receive one. What was their reaction?
My Story and the Bible Story
My granddad loved to fish. And I wasn’t a fan of fishing. In fact, I thought fishing was pretty boring. But one day he talked me into going fishing with him for a tournament. We have pictures to prove that I caught a fish that day (that I wouldn’t touch), but the best thing about that day was that I got a tackle box that had a big sleeve of rainblo gum in it. It was a package of about ten huge gumballs and I was so excited to get them. Every child got a tackle box that day with gum in it. It didn’t matter whether or not we caught a fish; we were all considered winners.
In the book of Romans, we find that everyone can be a winner in God’s eyes too. Read Romans 10:8b-13. From the NIV: The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In God’s eyes, everyone can be a winner. It doesn’t matter if you are the fastest or the slowest. If you are the best speller or the worst. It doesn’t matter if you are a liar or a thief, if you do great things or terrible things. No matter who you are, if you call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved.
That’s both great news and not so great news. It’s great news because all of us do things that are wrong. We all make mistakes. We all sin. But God says that anyone who believes in Him will be saved. It doesn’t matter what you have done, God will forgive you and God will save you. But that also means that people who we don’t think deserve God’s love, who have done really bad things, can still be saved. Sometimes that’s hard to think about, that none of us really deserve God’s love but that all of us can be saved. But the good news of God is that everyone who calls on Him will be saved. Everybody can be a winner with God. All we have to do is call out to Him. And the God who made us will also save us.
Discussion
• Have your children talk about any bullies at school. Then talk about what it means that God loves everyone, even bullies.
• Talk about ways to share God’s love with others.
Prayer
Thank God that the good news of Jesus is available for everyone. Ask God for help in remembering that He loves everyone, even bullies and people who constantly do the wrong thing.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
