LESSON 8
CHOICES
lNTRODUCTION: Bottom Line:
There are things about ourselves and others that we struggle to accept.
God chose you because He loves you for who you are, Just as He made allowances for your faults, He expects you to make allowances for the faults of others.
Bible:
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Use this lesson to help students in your ministry make good choices.
Students are often blinded by what molds and shapes the decisions they make. This lesson helps peel back the "why", "how" and "what" behind their choices. This lesson really has the power to help your students in a big way.
Especially if you create some space at the end of the message, allowing students to reflect and go to God with the choices they make.
Doing that allows room for God to move in their hearts and minds.
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OPENING GAME - Choices Game: Choices / Silly Behaviour copy Have the students stand in a circle. Tell them to do what you say, not what you do. Then tell them to do what you say. Have them do things like clap their hands, stomp their
feet.
After the game, discuss these questions: Do you normally follow what you see? Would you rather follow tradition or truth? What about after we played the game - Would you like to think more about what is said by God or by man?
After the game, say:
Have you ever had an experience where a decision was based on man made traditions rather that GOD's word? |
TEACH Say: Ever think about the everyday choices we make? Like for real! Why do we dress the way we do? Why do we talk and act the way we do? Why do we hang around the people we hang with? Why are we sitting in this room right now? ·Who makes my choices?
Who Makes Our Choices? Who or what pressures us to do what we do? Wear what we wear... If we are honest with ourselves, we would say that the culture around us has a huge saying what we do, what we wear, how we act, and how we talk. I'm talking about technology, books, and whatever social class people put us in. Maybe your parents make all the choices for you. Either because they are afraid that you are going to turn into a heathen, or because they want to "protect you"! Maybe your friends make your decisions for you. Because they are the closest family you have, and you're afraid you will lose them too! Maybe money makes your choices. Because you don't have any, and you are tired of living broke! Or you have a lot of "stuff" and that's what drives you. That's a few examples of what could be making your choices. Let’s look at how we are making our choices. How are we making our choices? How can music influence the choices you make? How does it influence how we act, talk, and what we wear? (Get responses)Most of you have probably heard the phrase "YOLO”, you only live once. Now what happens when you live like there is no tomorrow? Then all of a sudden, tomorrow comes. Telling people what's on your mind, because you know they deserve it. Maybe you started gravitating towards drugs and alcohol. Skipping school and sleeping in. What happens then? What happens when someone disrespects you and you're like “YOLO"! What happens when you are tempted to steal from the mall, knowing the police is in there, knowing they have people watching you, knowing they have cameras... but you're like “YOLO”! What happens when your boyfriend or girlfriend is pressuring you to have sex, and you’re like "YOLO”. Then a month later someone is pregnant! That's just one example of the culture around us can influence our choices. The idea is to be aware of what is influencing you and how you make the choices you do.
What is the "why" behind our choices? Again, if we are honest-music, money, friends, movies, sports shape the choices we make for two reasons: Acceptance and fear! Pretty much any choice we make hinges on those two things. We chase money or "stuff" because we FEAR that we won't live a good life and have good things. We fear that we won't be ACCEPTED if we don't have a lot of money or “stuff". We flirt and sleep around because we FEAR that we are not good enough for someone to love us, and we want to be ACCEPTED by our boyfriends and girlfriends. We get drunk at parties and do drugs because we FEAR that people will label us "goody goodies", and goody goodies are not ACCEPTED by the circles we run in. Listen to what Romans 12:1-2 has to say about choices. Read Romans 12:1-2 (MSG). So, here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you,and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you Note to leader: Talk a little about the meaning of this passage in your own words. Let me give you a choice to make. Live free following Jesus! Or.. Be enslaved to FEAR and ACCEPTANCE Who's going to make that choice for you? How are you going to make that choice? Why will you make that choice? I hope you're inspired to ask God to show you the source of your choices, how you make them, and why you make them. Note to leader: End the message with a time of reflection for students. Have the worship band (if you have one) come up and play a song. If you don't have a worship band, play a worship video or song. During the worship song encouragestudents to reflect on the message, bringing their choices before God. AllowingHim to speak to them about the choices they make. |
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SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Say your name, grade, and if you prefer Apple or Android. 2.How easy is it to cruise through a day and not even think about the choices we make? 3. Why is it so easy? 4. How do things like music, media, celebrities, sports, etc. influence the choices we make? 5. How / why do we allow our friends to influence the choices we make? 6. What does "the renewing of your mind in Romans 12:2 mean to you and how can your mind be renewed?
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