It’s just after Christmas and we’re looking ahead to March. I can’t help thinking about how much changed because God sent His son to be born here and live among us. Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to Earth and He lived a perfect life. When the right thing meant hanging out with tax collectors, Jesus did it. When the right thing meant blessing the little children, Jesus did it. When the right thing meant forgiving someone who had done wrong, Jesus did it.
I would imagine it wasn’t always easy for Jesus to do the right thing, and I know it wasn’t always popular. In fact, doing the right thing often made Jesus stand apart from some of the richest and most powerful people of His time. But Jesus never let the crowd persuade Him to go against His Father’s will.
By the time we teach about conviction in March, we’ll be just weeks away from Good Friday and Easter. Even when it meant going to the cross to die, Jesus knew that it was the right thing, and He did it. People with conviction have a clear sense of God's will and what their decisions could mean in the future.
Jesus was able to live with conviction because He knew the will of His father, and that gave Him strength and courage. In the same way, God has given us the ability to know what is right and the ability to do it. You see, when we are fueled by the character of God, we can stand up for the things that matter to God.
Let’s be honest. Most of the time when we choose not to do the right thing, it’s not because we don’t know better. It’s because we just don’t want to. Maybe it seems too hard or would make us unpopular.
But doing the right thing is important to God. Proverbs 21:3 says, “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” It’s important to keep doing what God has asked us to do because God’s way is the best way and by doing the right thing, you are pleasing your God who loves you.
That’s why this March in 252 our theme is Rooted: Standing strong in God’s truth. It’s really just another way to say that we want kids to show Conviction. Showing conviction is a natural response as we get to know who God is and what He’s done. So this month, we’ll also be talking about a different faith skill each week to help kids grow strong and able to stand up for the things that matter to God.
We chose to study the life of Daniel. Ironically, Daniel was uprooted early on and taken far from home, but he was still able to survive—even thrive—because of his strong relationship with and dedication to his God. Getting rooted in conviction isn’t a quick thing that happens in an instant. Instead, we build our conviction and set down roots over time as we get into the habit of doing the right thing. That way, when we come across opportunities to show conviction, we’re ready!
In Week One, we’ll talk about how Daniel is trained in Babylon with his three friends (Daniel 1). Bottom Line: When you know what God says, you can stand for what’s right. Daniel had studied God’s Word and was able to apply it when the time came, so we’ll also focus on Personalizing Scripture in our own lives.
In Week Two, the heat is really on. Daniel’s three friends choose not to worship anyone other than their God, even if it means dying in a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). Bottom Line: When you stand for what’s right, others can see God. We’ll talk about how we canWorship God with our Lives.
In Week Three, Daniel is put on the spot and has to tell the king something terrible but true, in the middle of a party (Daniel 5). Bottom Line: You can stand for what’s right, even when it’s not popular. Another skill we want to build up is our kids’ ability toArticulate their Faith.
In Week Four, Daniel ends up in the worst situation yet—the Lions’ Den (Daniel 6)—because he disobeys and continues to pray like he had his whole life. Bottom Line: Get in the habit of standing for what’s right. We’ll highlight how we too can be known for our faith if we take time to Dialogue with God.
Daniel didn’t show conviction just one time; he was able to stand for what’s right over and over because his conviction was rooted and fueled by God. Our relationship with God helps us live out this month’s memory verse: “Never tire of doing what is right,” 2 Thessalonians 3:13, NIV.
We pray that the kids who are learning to get ROOTED this March will be “like the person planted by streams of water, producing fruit in just the right season, with leaves that don’t wither—so that whatever they do prospers,” (paraphrase of Psalm 1).
By Cara Martens. ©2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.WhatIsOrange.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.