2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
Your Story
Talk about a time when you felt like you stood firm in your faith. It could be something like trusting God when things seemed uncertain, or standing firm if someone made fun of your faith.
My Story and the Bible Story
A few years ago, we sang a song in VBS called “Stand Strong”. The lyrics say:
Stand strong when life changes
Stand strong through the ups and downs
Stand strong for you know that God is in control
The storms of life will push and pull
But we are standing on the Rock that never rolls
The storms of life will push and pull
We will keep standing
God is in control
Sometimes bad things happen in our lives. A loved one dies. Someone gets really sick. You have to move and leave your friends behind. Parents sometimes divorce. There’s a bully at school or on the bus. You start a new school and you don’t really understand what you’re trying to learn. There are times in life in things are really hard. And there are times in life when things are good. But this song reminds us to stand strong through the ups and downs. We can stand strong because we know that God is in control. 2 Thessalonians encourages us to stand strong.
Read 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17: Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends—so loved by God! God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ. So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.
“God picked you out as his from the very start.” Have you ever thought about that? You are God’s and God picked you out from the very start. You are God’s child and God loves you. God created you to be who you are and God included you in God’s plan of salvation. So stand strong and keep your head high, because the Creator of the Universe picked you from the very start! When people make fun of you and when bullies are there, remember that you are God’s. When things are uncertain like when you go to a new school, remember that God is with you. When your friends try to get you to do something you know isn’t right, take a stand because you are God’s and God will show you what’s right. Whenever anything happens, you can stand strong because God is always beside you. But even if you stumble and fall, even if you don’t stand strong, remember what we learned a few weeks ago: God can take our mistakes and turn them into something beautiful. So stand strong, because you are God’s. But if you stumble, know that you are still God’s. And God can still make something beautiful.
Discussion and Prayer
- Invite your children to share ways they have been standing strong. Celebrate what they have done.
- Talk about things that help us stand strong: making sure we have friends who believe what we do, going to church, reading our Bibles, praying to God, etc.
- Brainstorm ways to encourage one another to stand strong (post-it notes or notes on the mirror, lunchbox notes, texts, etc.).
- Pray, asking God for help in standing strong. Thank God that God chose all of you from the very start!
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.
