For the Love of Liz
Liz really wants to be elected to student council, and he’s got a secret weapon to win. Will his plan work?
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Trust in the Lord.
1. Proverbs 3:5 tells you not to depend on your own understanding. Why might it be wrong to think and make decisions based on our own understanding?
2. In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells a story about two men who went to the temple to pray. One of the men was a tax collector. Most people in Israel hate tax collectors because they worked for the Roman government and charged much more than they were supposed to for taxes. This man knew he was a sinner and asked God for mercy. The other man was a Pharisee who spent his time trying hard to obey all the laws and thought he was very important in God’s eyes. The Pharisee thanked God that he wasn’t like the tax collector or other evil doers. He even bragged to God about how good he was. But Jesus said that the tax collector’s prayers were better than the Pharisee’s. This is because the tax collector was trusting God while the Pharisee was trusting his own goodness. As you listen to this episode, think about the importance of trusting God instead of relying on our own thinking.
After you listen
Memory Verse
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
Quiz
A: Marty Taurus had to stay home for 4-6 weeks due to an injury.
A: The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego.
A: He promised a soda machine in the cafeteria, comic books in the library, and chocolate-covered grasshoppers with lunch.
Reflect
In this episode, Liz learns that God won’t give him whatever he wants just because he wants it or prays about it.
Sometimes, it’s easy to know what we should pray for because the Bible tells us. For example, if you have a friend who hasn’t trusted Jesus Christ, you should pray for him because the Bible tells us that God wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).
But other times we can’t know for sure what God wants. In fact, the Bible says we don’t know what we should pray for (Romans 8:26). That’s where trusting God comes in. We should talk to him about the situation and read his word, the Bible, and then we should wait to see how he works to accomplish his will in our lives.
Want to dig deeper and learn about trusting God and prayer? Check out Psalm 17:6; Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6.
Challenge
Ask a parent or other trusted adult to tell you about a time when they prayed for something and didn’t get what they wanted. Did they realize what God’s will was for them in the situation? How did it help them understand more about trusting God instead of trusting themselves?
