Topic: Living Life on Purpose [Joyce Meyer’s Devotional Friday June 29, 2018]

Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up. — Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Are you living the life you truly want to live? If not, is it because you allow your life to rule you instead of you ruling it? When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He instructed them to subdue it and be fruitful. God has given us a free will and He wants us to use it to choose His will for us. When we make choices according to the will of God, He empowers us to live a life that is truly amazing.

What do you want to accomplish today? Pray, make a plan, stay focused, and go for it! Put your time into what you want to do and don’t let circumstances and people derail you. Fight for yourself! Fight for your right to follow your heart instead of being controlled by outside forces.

Be determined; be strong. Don’t be vague and thoughtless, but have a plan and work your plan. God, through Christ, has provided a way for us to live an amazing life, but we need to continually make choices that agree with God. You have one life to live, so live it fully and refuse to drift along, letting other people and circumstances make your decisions for you.

Prayer Starter: Father, show me Your will for me and help me be courageous enough to make choices that agree with You. I want the life that You want for me! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional HERE’’

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

TOPIC: Life [Sunday, 1st June 2018]

OPENING PRAYER: Father, let my life be hidden in your life. Don’t allow the devil to snuff out my life. (Scroll down for SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN)

Bible Passage John 15: 5-19 (KJV)

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

MEMORY VERSE: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:6

LESSON INTRODUCTION:

From time immemorial, people have been asking: “Why was I born? Why did God make me? Why am I here? What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning of life? What is life itself?” Various people give various answers. Some say, “Life is the union of soul and body.” This may be true of humans, but not of plants. Some say it is the period between birth and death. This of course is not true, for life exists before birth and after death. Only Jesus has the answer-Jn. 11: 25;14: 6. The Bible speaks of three kinds of life: Physical life, which was given to man at the time of creation; Spiritual life, which is the new life that God gives to the believer in Jesus Christ. Eph. 2:1; Eternal life, which is the nature of the Lord God Himself.

LESSON AIM:
To study the origin, purpose and value of life.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

i. Discover the origin and purpose of life.
ii. Discover the length and value of life span.

TEXT REVIEW: John 15:5-19
BENEFITS OF ABIDING IN CHRIST.
Christ is the Vine, we are the branches. Those who abide in Christ have the following benefits to enjoy:

i. They will bring forth much fruit. John 15:5
ii. They will not amount to nothing. John 15:5.
iii. They will not be cast forth or cut down. John 15:6
iv. They will not wither. John 15:6
v. They will not be burnt in fire. John 15:6
vi. Whatever they ask the Lord will be done for them. John 15:8
vii. They shall be the disciples of Jesus. John 15:8.
viii. Jesus will love them. John 15:9.
ix. They will abide in Jesus’ love and keep His commandments. John 15:10.
x. The joy of the Lord will remain with them. John 15:11
xi. Their joy will be full. John 15:11
xii. They will be friends of Jesus. John 15:14.

TEACHING METHOD
Teacher should use Lecture Teaching method.

Lesson Outline 1
WHAT IS THE ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF LIFE?

A. ORIGIN OF LIFE
i. All lives come from God. Genesis 2:7
ii. The Lord Jesus is life. John 14:6; John 11:25
iii. The Lord Jesus gave life. I John 5:12-20
iv. Our parents are vehicles through which we came to this world.

B. PURPOSE OF LIFE
i. To accomplish our God-given assignment or destinies.
ii. To prepare for eternity with the Lord Jesus in heaven.
iii. To choose the final resting place for our souls.

CLASS ACTIVITY 1
Why should a believer avoid Satan and his work?

Lesson Outline 2
HOW LONG IS THE LIFE SPAN AND WITH WHAT CAN LIFE BE COMPARED?

A. LIFE SPAN
i. The Bible gave different life spans at different dispensations.
ii. Before the flood it was 846 years on average. Gen. 5.
iii. After the flood it was reduced to 393. Gen. 11.
iv. At the time of Moses it was between 70 – 80 years. Psalm 90:10

B. COMPARISON
i. Life is compared to a journey. Gen. 47:9 (From birth to death).
ii. Life is compared to a dream which comes in the night and disappears in the day. Psalm 73:20
iii. Life is like a shadow which is a poor imitation of real substance (compare 70 years to eternity. This is infinitesimal). Ecc. 6:12
iv. Life is like a vapour which vanishes away. James 4:4.
v. Life is like a tale (an interesting story). Psalm 90:9
vi. Life is like water spilled on the ground which is absorbed immediately.2 Sam. 14:14.
vii. Life is like a flower which fades away soon after budding. Job. 14:2

CLASS ACTIVITY 2
Why should life be carefully handled?

SUMMARY
Life is precious. Keep it in Jesus. Phil. 1:21

CONCLUSION:
Those who keep their lives on the shelves will soon see it expire or stolen. John 10:10

EVALUATION:
To what can you compare life?

CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, do not let me be careless with my life.

ASSIGNMENT:
From the Bible passage for today (John 15: 5-19), find ten reasons why you should keep your life in Christ or why you should abide in Christ (Answer Tip- See Text Review).

Read previous RCCG Sunday School Teacher’s Manual Here

SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN

1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth.

2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day, Thy friendship suits me well,
Both young and old will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School.

3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee.

4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessing on Thee.

5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School.

6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?

Topic: Truth About Character

Character is who you are when no one is watching you. Character is predictable. The first fundamental truth about character is that it is a matter of the heart. You must embrace godly character so that you can experience lasting success. The root of character is in the heart.

Mark 3:20-23 -And he said, that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Character cannot be changed until you change your thoughts. Whatever that has been displayed outside begins from within. So, your thoughts determine your actions and your actions determine your habit. If a man wants to change his character, he has to consciously work on his thoughts. Until the inside is taken care of, the habit will not stop. No habit can stop until it is dealt with on the inside. It is the heart that matters most in character.

The second fundamental truth about character is that it is your true beauty. Your true beauty is not in your clothes, make-up or look; it is much more in your character. That is why character is the most important part of lasting success. To lack character is to be naked.

Another fundamental truth about character is that character is not a gift; it is consciously cultivated. You cultivate, nurture and build character. It takes a conscious step because that is what determines your lasting success.

Below are attributes of a godly character:

Honesty: 2 Cor. 8:21 – Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
Honesty is the state of truthfulness. Nothing empowers people like truth. Honest people tell the truth. They are straight-forward and do not cheat. If you are found to be dishonest, you will lose respect with people. Let God trust you and let men also trust you. Let your boss trust you too.

Discipline: 1 Cor.14:40 – Let all things be done decently and in order.
1 cor. 6:12 – All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Discipline is bringing yourself under a law; it is self-control. Discipline is willingness to take orders. Discipline affects all aspects of life; even punctuality to duty. You have to discipline yourself in timing, attitude, and accountability. There is no serious minded man who will not respect time; don’t do business with anybody who does not have respect for time.

You should discipline yourself when it comes to money. You don’t use money meant for feeding to buy clothes; that is lack of discipline. If you are given money to keep, don’t touch it; keep it as it was given to you.

You should also be disciplined with sleep. I have never seen a successful man who sleeps too much. All successful men don’t sleep too much. Poor people sleep too much. Poverty is not about physical cash; it has to do with the mindset.

As you do these, may God cause you to succeed like never before in Jesus name –Amen!

Click HERE to read other Inspiring Messages by Pastor David Ibiyeomie

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