Kid's Ministry Coffee Break | A Few Minutes of Spiritual Refreshment for Children & Youth Ministers.
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
"THE BIGGER PICTURE" Kids Ministry Coffee Break 20: Our Good News is that the battle is already won for all of Creation. Sometimes we get wrapped up in smaller battles when we shouldn't.
I’m a big fan of football. I love to watch it, play it, talk it and learn it.
Something happened several years ago that I come back to time and again.
There was a team that had battled all the way to the end of the game. They were up by 1 point with less than 10 seconds to go in the game. They had the other team backed up about 30 yards out of field goal range meaning the game was all but over.
Just stop the team for one or two more plays and get the win.
But what happened next was just mind-boggling.
The opposing team ran a play and were stopped. So…victory was even closer…EXCEPT…there was a penalty.
This means that the clock is stopped preserving time for the opposing team.
AND…the penalty was an unsportsmanlike conduct—basically…someone lost their cool and let their emotions get the best of them which led them to do something that had nothing to do with the game.
Not only did the clock stop, but the opposing team got to move the ball 15 yards.
Just a few seconds left to run one last play.
They stopped them again…EXCEPT…they got another unsportsmanlike penalty.
The clock was at zero, but a game cannot end on a penalty, so they moved the ball forward another 15 yards which means the opposing team got to run one last play IN field goal range.
They kicked the winning field goal.
The team who had the lead gave the game up because a couple of guys were getting into fights on the field instead of playing the game.
Victory was theirs…but they lost sight of the game and got into little games that had nothing to do with their team.
All they had to do was remember the bigger game and they would’ve won.
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We do this sometimes, don’t we?
https://sundayschool.works/bible-verses/bible-verses-for-anxiety/
We are Christians who know that the ultimate outcome of Creation has already been determined by our faithful God through our obedient Lord, Jesus Christ.
One day, the Apostle Paul says, “Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” The revelator says in the bible’s final book that the earth and heaven will be united and come down in the form of a new city. All of the nations will be healed by the new Creation.
The victory is won.
But we know of plenty of people who get wrapped up in other little games that have nothing to do with the bigger victory.
We lose our heads at times about what we do or don’t agree on.
We contemplate being divided over things that don’t really matter.
We have trouble keeping dogma and doctrine clearly distinguished.
Maybe you struggle with this.
Maybe some of your peers or colleagues do.
Maybe your church is struggling with this.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in it all…
to lose sight of the bigger victory.
Today, my hope is that you will remember to take a breath and look up at the scoreboard—to use the football game metaphor. Look at the score…see the victory already secured…remember it’s just a matter of time.
Keep your mind and heart focused on the bigger matters you are called to work towards.
Let the smaller stuff remain small.
Trust in Jesus Christ who trusts in you to be a disciple and minister. The fight we needed fought is already won.
Praise God!
Message brought to you be Rev. Joseph Sanford of Sanford Curriculum (Student ministry resources available on The Sunday School Store written by he and Lauren Sanford). https://sundayschool.store/collections/the-sanford-curriculum
Music by The Muse Maker
https://10bibleverses.com/scripture-quotes/earth-day-scriptures/
https://ministryanswers.com/
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