Can you name all your neighbors? What about everyone on your street? According to Jesus, our “neighbors” extend beyond the people in our neighborhood. It may require us to step a little out of our comfort zone, but loving our neighbors can be as easy as seeing a need and meeting a need, like our Finish Line says!
SERVICE: Seeing a Need and Meeting it Out of a Heart For God
MEMORY VERSE: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many." MARK 10:45 (NLT)
This Week’s Finish Line: See a Need. Meet a Need.
We find in Luke 10 a familiar parable about the “Good Samaritan.” Jesus tells this parable in response to a question He is asked by a really religious man, “who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:39 NLT). Jesus tells about a Jew who, while on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho, gets beat up and robbed. While lying half dead on the road, a priest and then a Temple assistant pass him by. We know they see him lying there because they purposely cross over to the other side of the road in order to avoid him. Ouch! The third to come upon him is a Samaritan man, and the bible tells us that when the Samaritan saw the injured man, “he felt compassion for him” (Luke 10:33 NLT). This would have been shocking to Jesus’s original audience, because Samaritans and Jews were NOT friends. Wow! The Samaritan cares for the man’s wounds and takes him to an inn. He leaves money to cover the cost and even plans to return to check on things later. Jesus then tells the really religious man whose question prompted this story to “go and do the same” (Luke 10:37).
Family Questions:
READ LUKE 10:30-37
- What happened to the man traveling to Jericho? (He got beat up and robbed.) What was his need? (He needed water, food, clothes, medicine, and someone to care for him.)
- Who were the first two people to come by? (A priest and a Temple Assistant) What did they do to MEET the need? (They walked by and did nothing.) If you were to ask them why they didn’t stop to serve the man, what do you think they would say?
- Who was the third person to come by? (A Samaritan. They normally didn’t get along with the Jews.) Did he SEE the man’s need? (Yes!) What did he do to MEET it? (He bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn, cared for him and paid the innkeeper to take care of him too.) What did it cost the Samaritan to serve the man? (Money, time, resources)
- Look at verse 37. What did Jesus tell the man He was talking with to do? (He told him to do what the Samaritan did, to meet the needs that he sees, no matter when or where.) Based on this story, whom does Jesus want us to serve? (ANYONE who crosses our path)
Bring it Home Conversations & Activities:
* Check out our vision for parents and how to use these activities each week.
Teacher: Meal Time
Read 1 Peter 4:8-11 and talk through the following questions with your family:
- What does God give us to help us serve others? (He gives us physical things like a home, money, or a family and He created each of us with unique talents. To believers, He gives spiritual gifts like mercy, wisdom, speaking, and the strength to serve.)
- What are some of the God-given gifts you have? How can God use you to serve others by using those gifts?
- Reread verse 11. What’s the point of us serving others? (We should not do it to draw attention to ourselves but to point people to Jesus and give God the glory. It’s not about us; it’s all about Him!)
Friend: Drive Time
Learn the memory verse as a family while you’re in the car. Write it with wipe off markers on your car window. Practice “popcorn style,” where each family member says one word until the entire verse is completed. Write it on an index card and keep it in the car. As you’re learning it, let each person explain what they think it means in their own words.
Counselor: Bedtime
There are many ways we can meet the needs of others. Sometimes being a friend, listening and praying for someone is a great way to meet their need for love. Think of someone you know who has a need you could pray for (maybe they are sad, have a broken arm, or their family is having trouble getting along). Spend some time praying for that person, asking God to meet their needs in ways that only He can. Maybe He’ll use to do it!
Coach: Anytime
Did you take part in Give & Go Summer 2017? There’s still time so check out the Give & Go website! You can also visit External Focus’ Resources page for some family friendly resources for seeing a need and meeting a need in your community!
Prayer
Thank God for being our perfect example of service & unconditional love. Ask Him to help you see and meet the needs of those around you.
Looking Ahead
Next week we will continue the month of August with the godly character trait, SERVICE. We will learn that service is a matter of the heart.
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