FOCUS OF THE MONTH: WHAT IS FULFILLMENT?

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“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Jesus tells us that the greatest treasure of all is Himself and the future He has planned for us with Him in Heaven. This treasure is available to all who seek after it, and those who seek after it feel longing for it, a heart for God, even if they don’t yet know that is what they are seeking for. What are the desires you and your children have that can only be fulfilled in God? For week one, ask the first question over an unhurried meal. Let the children think about it and then offer their own answers. The children should talk more than the parents. Throughout the week, offer the different reasons highlighted and let the children discuss them. (Parents, read through the relevant Bible passages in advance.) Challenge the children to look up other verses addressing the question. Do the same for the following questions each week for the month.

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOUR FAMILY GROW

Week One:

How does God let us know that He is there? 

Read: Psalm 19:1, John 5:39, Romans1:19-20

• Through His creation.
• Through His Word.
• Through the longings He plants in our hearts.

Week Two

How do we know that we need God? 

Read: Acts 17:23-28

• We desire something beyond what this world can offer.
• We cannot achieve righteousness without His help. No matter how hard people try to be good, how much we admire certain ideals and try to live up to them, we can never reach perfection apart from God. Paul writes about this in Romans 7:14-25.
• We can sense God’s presence, and long for a closer relationship with Him, to see Him in all the fullness of His Glory in Heaven.

Week Three:

Why did God give us these longings?

Read: Psalm 139:5-18, Romans 2:13-16

• To enable us to search for Him.
• To show Himself to those in dark places who do not yet believe in Him.
• To help us to understand how He seeks and loves us, because we long for Him as well.
• To sustain us through our time in this world, doing His work here before we reap our eternal reward in Heaven.
• To strengthen our character and commitment to Him—people appreciate their blessings more when they have longed for them before they have found them.

Week Four:

What should we do about our longings for God?

Read: Psalm 46:10, Romans 8:21-28, 1 Peter 1:3-13

• Spend time with Him in the Word and prayer.
• Obey Him and follow Him wherever He leads us.
• Know that He is always near, and that He can answer our deepest longings, even when we feel hopeless.
• Remember that the right things we long for will be accomplished in His perfect time and righteousness—either in this world or in the world to come.
• Wait and hope for His Coming Again, when all shall be fulfilled in perfection for eternity.
  

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