Testing, testing
Children's sermon
Object:
a quiz
"God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." (v. 13b)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you are in school? (show of hands) How many of you have taken a quiz at school? (show quiz; allow answers) Sometimes teachers give their students quizzes or tests to see how much the students have learned. When you take a quiz, you prove how much you have learned in a class or about a subject.
Usually a test is on paper, but sometimes it is not. For some things, your test might be to do a task instead of writing an answer. For example, what if you were taking a class in dancing? Your test might be to see if you can do a twirl or a certain dance. There are lots of different ways we can take tests!
Our Bible verse today talks about tests. It says: "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." That sounds a little bit scary. What kinds of things might God throw at us that we would think we couldn't endure? (allow answers) Wow. But even though the verse says that we will experience hard times, it also reassures us. God won't make our challenges so hard that we can't make it through. He will test us, but only in order to teach us.
That's why our teachers test us, too. They are not giving us tests to punish us -- although sometimes it sure feels that way! Instead, they are giving us tests to help measure what we have learned, and to help them know what things we still need to work on. Our teachers usually test us each time they teach us a new section of learning. Maybe in math class, you will have a test after you learn how to add numbers, then a test after you learn how to subtract numbers. Tests go step by step to make sure we have mastered one lesson before we can move forward to the next lesson.
God does the same things in our lives. When we face difficult choices or challenges, God is testing us. He is testing us in order that we can learn life lessons -- one lesson at a time. Can you think of any lessons that God might be teaching you? (allow answers) If you have a baby brother or sister, sometimes they can be a test of your patience! God may be teaching you patience. Maybe God is teaching you to share with your friends and family, or maybe he is teaching you how to be a friend to someone else. Whatever the lesson, God teaches each of us at our own speed. And he never gives us a test that we aren't prepared to take. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you are in school? (show of hands) How many of you have taken a quiz at school? (show quiz; allow answers) Sometimes teachers give their students quizzes or tests to see how much the students have learned. When you take a quiz, you prove how much you have learned in a class or about a subject.
Usually a test is on paper, but sometimes it is not. For some things, your test might be to do a task instead of writing an answer. For example, what if you were taking a class in dancing? Your test might be to see if you can do a twirl or a certain dance. There are lots of different ways we can take tests!
Our Bible verse today talks about tests. It says: "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." That sounds a little bit scary. What kinds of things might God throw at us that we would think we couldn't endure? (allow answers) Wow. But even though the verse says that we will experience hard times, it also reassures us. God won't make our challenges so hard that we can't make it through. He will test us, but only in order to teach us.
That's why our teachers test us, too. They are not giving us tests to punish us -- although sometimes it sure feels that way! Instead, they are giving us tests to help measure what we have learned, and to help them know what things we still need to work on. Our teachers usually test us each time they teach us a new section of learning. Maybe in math class, you will have a test after you learn how to add numbers, then a test after you learn how to subtract numbers. Tests go step by step to make sure we have mastered one lesson before we can move forward to the next lesson.
God does the same things in our lives. When we face difficult choices or challenges, God is testing us. He is testing us in order that we can learn life lessons -- one lesson at a time. Can you think of any lessons that God might be teaching you? (allow answers) If you have a baby brother or sister, sometimes they can be a test of your patience! God may be teaching you patience. Maybe God is teaching you to share with your friends and family, or maybe he is teaching you how to be a friend to someone else. Whatever the lesson, God teaches each of us at our own speed. And he never gives us a test that we aren't prepared to take. Amen.
