Endurance
As we teach our families to finish strong, we must think about endurance. The race we are running is not a short one, but a life of obedience and faithfulness. This is a wonderful opportunity to share some of the ways you have seen God’s faithfulness in your own life over the years. Sharing these testimonies allow us to remind even ourselves how God has always been faithful.
These five chapters give you a good scope of this month’s themes in a scriptural context. They can be used for your own reading, or you can invite your whole family to join you throughout the month. By the end of the month, you will have read 20 chapters in God’s Word.
Gal. 6, Rom. 5, Heb. 11,12,13
Parents, this is a Scripture-inspired prayer that we encourage you to pray over your family each day this week.
Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up (Gal. 6:9).
Lord, help me always do what is right and good. I know that it will always pay off if I don’t give up. Help me teach this faithfulness and endurance to my family.
This conversation starter is designed for you to read one verse of Scripture on your own in order to invite your child into a conversation with you. The goal is for your child to see you studying the Word and working to apply it to your own life.
And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom. 5:3-5).
I was reading in Romans 5, and it shares that endurance produces character and character produces hope. How do you think having endurance through hardship can produce in us a better character?
Parents, this conversation starter is designed to help you open the Bible as a family and start a conversation that leads to the application of the Word.
Who do you look to as an example of what being a Christian really looks like? What can you learn from them?
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:1-2).
How does someone lay aside every hindrance and sin that so easily ensnares?
When you think about running a race set before you, what images does that place in your mind?
What is keeping you from setting your eyes on Jesus?
What do you think it means that Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith?
Because of Christ, we can experience true joy and freedom found only in Him. We want to provide you with a way to apply this month’s theme and experience joy as a family.
Often, our families are going ninety miles an hour in every direction. Taking time just to connect and see what is going on in each other’s lives does not happen enough. We want to encourage you to take your teens out for coffee or a soda and just sit with them. Ask what high and low moments they have experienced in the last month. Do not be quick to give your input; simply listen and ask questions.