During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide and Student Page, can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10
For most of us, life does not go as planned. Our days are so filled that we do not enjoy peace and contentment. We let daily worries and everyday responsibilities steal our joy and destroy our peace. But the Bible tells us that this is not how Jesus wants us to live. His way is not just surviving—it is living life abundantly, to the full.
Do you allow worries, hardships, and pain to rob you of the life-giving joy that comes from the Lord?
Or are you experiencing God’s peace and contentment despite what life may be like for you? Think of 1 area of your life where you need God’s abundance. For example, ask Him to help you face hardship with resilience. Invite Him to help you see possibilities and have a grateful attitude. When you trust in Him, He will sustain you through difficulties and fill you with the peace that passes all understanding. The true joy that comes from following God can never be stolen from you.
Encourage the teens to ask their family members,“What brings joy to your life?”The students can then share that true joy comes from trusting in God.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome your students, and ask them to share something they are joyful about. Celebrate their joys with them!
Have the students sit or stand in a circle in an area where it is okay if it gets wet. Fill 4 cups completely with water so they are almost overflowing. Give them to 4 students at different places in the circle. Tell the teens that when the group begins singing, they will quickly and carefully pass the cups to the left, trying not to spill the water. Tell them that when you hold both of your hands high in the air, they should stop singing and passing the cups. The students holding the cups when the song stops will be out of the game.
Lead the class in singing a short, fast-paced song that everyone knows. Stop the game a few times during the song by holding your hands in the air. Students who are holding cups should give the cups to others and leave the circle. Then continue the song. Repeat this process until only 4 students are left holding the 4 cups.
Gather the students in a dry area to discuss the activity.
Students may say that they spilled the water because they were rushing.
Students may say they would not have spilled as much water.
Sometimes our lives are like this game. We may have responsibilities that take up all of our energy. We may have worry or pain that squeezes out all feelings of happiness. We may live with sorrows that darken our lives, blocking out the joy. Sometimes our lives are so filled with hard things that we think that is all there is in life.
These kinds of concerns steal the joy from our lives. They cause it to spill out like the water spilled from our cups. When we were passing the cups, we were not thinking about what was in them. Instead, we were more worried about passing them. Our lives can be like that sometimes. We are so busy or hurt or fearful or angry that we lose sight of the joy in life.
But when we let our joy spill out like the water spilled out of the cups, we do not feel peace or contentment. Our joy is stolen from us, and our cares, burdens, worries, and other difficulties consume us. But God loves us so much that He wants our lives to be filled to overflowing with joy. When we trust in Him, we can live abundant lives.
The Bible is filled with stories of people who overcame difficult circumstances with God’s help. Joshua was 1 of those people. And because of this, Joshua lived an abundant life. Listen to what Jesus said about what kind of life He wants us to have.
Have a student read John 10:10 aloud from the Bible. If that is not possible, the verse is printed here for you.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10
Jesus said this when He was describing Himself as the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep. He protects us and loves us. He knows each of us by name. He will never leave us. We can always trust Him to do what is best for us. A thief tries to steal or kill the sheep. But Jesus gives us life to the full.
Living life to the full is having an abundant life. Living abundantly does not mean having everything you want or even having happiness or riches as the world expects. It does not mean a life without problems. Instead, it means a life filled with joy and peace and the strength to overcome difficulties through faith in God. You can live abundantly even when your circumstances are difficult.
If possible, show the images of Joshua from The Action Bible as you tell the story.
Joshua is an example of someone who lived in difficult circumstances, yet he still lived abundantly. Remember when we talked about Moses and the Israelites in the desert? Joshua was one of those Israelites. Before God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He promised to take them to a land of plenty. In that land, they would have good land to farm and plenty of water, a place where they could live in peace and prosperity. God’s plans were good, and His promise was true. All that the Israelites had to do was trust Him.
But, instead of trusting God, the Israelites complained. They let their problems change their attitudes and separate them from God. They did not want what God had given them. They focused on what they did not have instead of all that God had provided. They showed God they did not trust Him or His plan for them.
Joshua had to go through the same difficult situations the other Israelites did. He spent his young life as a slave in Egypt. He then wandered with the rest of the Israelites in the desert for nearly
40 years. After that he led the Israelites in many battles so they could live in the land God had promised them. In spite of all these difficulties, he trusted in God.
We can live peaceful and joyful lives by learning from Joshua. One thing we can learn is to have a thankful attitude. Joshua showed his thankfulness to God by building a memorial with 12 stones, 1 for each of the tribes of Israel, as a reminder of what God had done. Joshua knew God’s goodness. He had seen God’s miracles. He knew that God’s promises were true. And he wanted the Israelites to remember these things and love God forever.
The Bible tells us that we can be thankful no matter what our circumstance. Listen to this verse in 1 Thessalonians.
Have a student read 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 aloud from the Bible.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Answers might include that it keeps us focused on the positive or it reminds us that God is in control and we can trust Him.
The Israelites should have had joy and contentment as God provided for them in the desert, but many of them became unhappy and bitter. They wanted their lives to be different.
The way we talk about things reflects the way we feel about them. The more we complain, the worse we will feel. On the other hand, the more we express gratitude, the better we will feel. This does not mean we do not acknowledge the difficulties. But it does mean we choose to focus on the positive and be grateful for those things instead.
Joshua’s story also teaches us to see the possibilities. When the Israelites were in the desert, Moses sent 12 men into the Promised Land to spy out the land. He wanted to know what the land and the people were like. Joshua was 1 of those spies.
Ten of the spies saw only obstacles. But Joshua and a man named Caleb saw the possibilities. Joshua trusted what God had said in spite of how things looked. Where others saw only the road to defeat, Joshua saw a land of promise.
Many years later, when Joshua became Israel’s next leader and was about to lead the people into the Promised Land, this is what God said to Joshua that helped him to see the possibilities.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
It can be a challenge to be joyful in difficult circumstances. It requires strength and courage. But when you see possibilities instead of defeat, you will experience greater joy. And when you trust in God, He will give you the strength to withstand even the greatest difficulties.
Finally, Joshua also teaches us to let God lead. No matter what seems to take the joy out of your life, God can restore it. When the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land, they had to fight to win the land God had promised to them. The first battle was at the city of Jericho. The Israelites probably expected a great battle because Jericho was a great city. But God had a different plan. God instructed Joshua and his army to march around the walls of Jericho once each day for 6 days. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city 7 times and then shout as loudly as they could. If they did this, God promised that the walls of Jericho would fall.
God’s instructions might have sounded strange to some, but Joshua trusted God. So he did what God told him to do, and the walls of Jericho fell.
Joshua faced many difficulties. He was a slave in Egypt with the rest of the Israelites. He spent nearly 40 years wandering in the desert. He led many challenging battles. Through all of it, he was grateful, saw the possibilities, and trusted God to fulfil His promises. Joshua lived abundantly by overcoming the things that can steal the joy from life by trusting in God to give him the strength to overcome his difficulties.
Just as we see in Joshua’s life, we can overcome the attitudes that steal our joy, such as complaining about our circumstances, being ungrateful, or having a negative outlook.
Fill 1 of the cups used in the Connecting activity almost to the top with water. If you have a large class, fill more than 1 cup. Give each student 1 pebble.
Remember the lesson we did a few weeks ago about God’s guidance? We read some Bible verses about how Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. We learned that abiding in the love of Jesus can help us to have wisdom.
Help the students to remember that abiding in Jesus means to obey and worship Him, to talk to and listen to Him, and to honour Him with our lives.
Abiding in Jesus can give us wisdom. But it can also give us something else—joy! We will read the last verse we studied in the earlier lesson and the verses that come after it. They tell us what Jesus said about the joy found in abiding in Him.
Show the Memory Verse poster, if you are using it.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9–11
With Jesus, you can live a life that is joyful, meaningful, and eternal. He promises you a life that is more than you can ever imagine. Wealth and power are not God’s priorities. But when you trust in Him, you will find that your life can be filled to overflowing with peace, joy, and contentment.
We learned from Joshua that we can live an abundant life by having thankful attitudes and seeing the possibilities. But our joy will only be complete if we also let God lead by loving and trusting
in Him.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, give the teens time to respond on these pages.
If you would like your life to overflow with God’s peace and joy, think about the attitude or behaviour you will change and carefully drop your pebble into the cup. Even if you are not sure you can trust God, you can still experience more peace and joy in your life. As you drop your pebble into the cup, think of ways you can change your behaviour to live more peacefully and joyfully.
Invite the students to come to the front of the teaching area and carefully drop their pebbles into the cup, 1 at a time. As more students drop their pebbles in, the cup will overflow and the water will spill out, but the cup will still remain full.
Your life can be like this cup, full with joy to overflowing. As you learn to trust even more in God, He will continue to add more and more joy and peace! Celebrate these gifts that show His love for you!
Close with a blessing based on Romans 15:13:
Blessing: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lead the teens in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
