6th Grade Devotional 1 Rites Of Passage Experience

Read Genesis 1:26-27 & Psalm 139:13-16 In the confusion of the crowd that was
exiting the city, Jesus was left behind.
When you look around at all of creation, do When His parents realized it, they hurried
you believe that God knew what He was back to the city and spent three days
doing when He created the earth? How searching for their son. They finally found
about the animals and the birds? How about him in the spot he had been all along,
you? That's right! Do you believe God knew sitting with a group of old men in the
what He was doing when He created you? temple who were hanging on his every
word! When his parents expressed their
Over the next few years, as your body exasperation for their three-day search,
begins to change and mature, you may be his reply was simple and direct. "Didn't you
tempted to ask, “God, what were you know that I had to be in my Father's
thinking?!" When your feet feel too big or house?" Kind of difficult to stay upset
your legs feel too long. When pimples show given the circumstances. But here's the
up and your voice begins to change, just point of this whole story for us. At the
know that those who came before you conclusion of the story, Luke 2:52 says,
experienced all the same things and they "Meanwhile, Jesus kept on growing in
survived! t's all part of growing up and wisdom and maturity, and in favor with
becoming the person that God intends for God and his fellow man."
you to be.
If you will keep your focus on growing in
One thing that will help you tremendously is wisdom and maturity, and in favor with
to stay focused on the right things. If all you God and the people around you, you'll
think about is being awkward or feeling out come through this season of your life with
of place, guess what? You'll be awkward flying colors!
and feel out of place. Luke 2 gives us a
glimpse into the life of Jesus when He was
about your age. His family had made their Parents:
yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the
Passover Festival. When the festival was As you spend time with your student
over, the entire family started for home. At studying through these devotionals, take
least they thought they had the entire family. the time to begin to teach them how to
study their bible so that they may grow in
wisdom and maturity. There are several
great resources listed in the parent helps
section of the website.

 
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6th Grade Devotional 2

Rites Of Passage Experience

Read 1 Samuel16:1-13 After Samuel looked over all of Jesse's

sons who present, and none of them where
I remember picking teams for dodgeball. who God had chosen to be king, he asked
Every kid worries about being picked last. I Jesse if he had any other sons. Jesse
remember one particular time when a new called for David, his youngest son. God
kid came to my school. He didn't look very revealed to Samuel that David was to be
athletic. In fact, he was the shortest kid in anointed. At that moment the spirit of the
class and as a result he was picked last. It Lord rushed upon David. Even though he
didn’t take long once we started playing to was just a boy, not the biggest or most
realize that this kid was super fast! He was all handsome of his brothers, God had chosen
over the gym picking kids off one by one. him for great works.
Even when he was the last one left on his
team, he wiped out the other side in no time As you get older there will be times when
flat. The next time we played dodge ball, he you feel awkward or out of place. You’ll start
was first pick. to care about what other people think about
you or how you look. There will be times
The old saying goes, "You can't judge a book when someone telling you that, "it's what's
by its cover." In 1 Samuel, Saul had been on the inside that counts" won't be of much
rejected as king by God for disobeying His comfort. Remember that what matters to
commands. Samuel was sent by God to God is your heart. God looked through the
Bethlehem to anoint a new king of God's outer appearance of David to his heart and
choosing. Samuel obeyed and found Jesse, saw a king!
who God instructed Samuel to invite to
sacrifice to the Lord.
Parents:
When Jesse arrived with his sons, Samuel
immediately saw Eliab who was tall and All children are beautiful in their parents’
strong. Samuel assumed this is who God eyes and it's easy for us to focus on those
wanted to be anointed, but God told him that things when it comes to our kids. Take a
he shouldn’t look at his appearance. He tells moment to express to your student the
Samuel that the Lord doesn’t look at the things you see in them that are on the
outward appearance of someone like man inside. Focus on things that are important to
does, instead He looks at his heart. God. Pray with you student and encourage
them to draw closer to God so that they will
be ready for the works God has for them in
the future.
  
6th Grade Devotion 3
Rites Of Passage Experience

Read Proverbs 15:1-5 The time is coming when talking to your

mom or dad can become more difficult than
You've heard it before, “Sticks and stones you've experienced before. You’re having a
may break my bones but words will never hard time expressing what you're feeling
hurt me." This is usually uttered by the kid partly because you don't completely
who's headed home in tears. Words do hurt. understand it yourself. Your parents are
The bible refers to the tongue as fire (James having a hard time because they want to
3:6). It can be very useful, but if taken for help since they've been through the same
granted it can be incredibly destructive. So thing you're going through, but it's not
how do we tame this savage beast?! always easy to know the right thing to say
at the right time to make you feel better.
Most of the times the first words out of our You may not realize it, but the bible has
mouths are based on what our emotions are instructions for both you and your parents.
telling us instead of what we know to be
right. This can be very challenging when you Read Ephesians 6:1-4
have all sorts of new emotions that are
super intense and you don’t even know what God has given your parents the job to
they are about! teach you and help you grow into the
strong Christian man or woman that God
Read James 1:19-20 desires for you to be, in a loving and caring
way. In Proverbs 15:5 it says, "Only a fool
When James talks about being quick to despises his father's instruction". Just like
hear, he's talking about hearing God’s word. you, your parent's emotions can get the
By taking the time to get past our emotions, better of them and there may be times
we can calm down and think about how God when their words aren’t so gentle either.
would have us respond. When we learn to Keep in mind that by controlling your
do this, we can see that the tongue can be tongue and being slow to speak, your
very powerful in a good way. It can turn parents will begin to see in you the growing
away anger. It can instruct, comfort, or be Christian that they long for you to be.
used for healing broken hearts.
Parents:
Notice how in Proverbs 15 each verse
compares how the tongue can be used both You can help your student learn to express
the right way and the wrong way. For their feelings to you with respect by
example in verse 2; the tongue of the wise showing them patience and a genuine
commends knowledge (The Right Way), but interest in what they have to say. Make
the mouths of fools pour out folly (The sure you take the time to talk with them
Wrong Way). without distraction in a loving caring way.

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6th Grade Devotional 4 Rites Of Passage Experience

Read Ephesians 4:11-16 That's a big responsibility as well! Paul goes on

to say in Ephesians that as we mature in our
Don't stick your fork in the wall socket! Never faith we shouldn’t be like children.
take candy from a stranger!!! Up until now you
have probably seen the world as a list of do's I have a younger brother, and growing up if my
and don'ts handed down to you by your parents older sister and I were worried about getting in
like they’re pulling them from a giant reference trouble for something, we knew we could
book that all parents are given the day their first convince our younger brother to go do it for us.
child is born. Well they don't come from a secret That way he would get in trouble instead of us.
book and most likely your parents heard the As he got older something changed. He knew
same sort of things from their parents. So now that he would get in trouble if he did what we
you're getting older and you are beginning to were telling him and we couldn't convince him
understand the reasons behind some of these anymore. No matter how much candy we
rules. If you stick a fork in a wall socket, you’re offered him! Likewise, when we are immature
going to get shocked. If a stranger offers you in our faith we can easily be pulled off course
candy, they might be trying to get close enough by what the world says is true. But as we
to kidnap you. As we get older, our ability to mature in our faith through reading and
understand things grows. We stop wanting to understanding God's Word, it will be much
simply be told things, we want to understand harder to pull us off course.
them as well. This is a good thing and is part of
growing up, but with this new inquisitiveness Your parents are not perfect and will not
comes new responsibility as well. always have the answers to every question at
the time you ask, but keep in mind the
In Ephesians 4:11-16, the Apostle Paul starts responsibility that God has given to them. At
off with a list of people God has appointed the same time, they are coming to the
including the apostles, prophets, preachers and realization that you are changing and are
teachers, whose job it is to teach Christians and developing the ability to understand things at a
help them grow in their faith. In the same way, deeper level. That's not always an easy
God has appointed parents as teachers for their change for parents to make. If you’ll show them
children. some maturity by asking questions in a
respectful way, showing them your desire to
Read Deuteronomy 6:6-7 understand things from a biblical perspective,
you’ll be surprised with how quickly they come
That's a pretty big responsibility given to your to the realization that you are growing up.
parents. But now here’s what begins to change.
Instead of you simply memorizing scriptures, or Parents:
being given a list of rules, now you have the
ability to understand what they mean. You can help your student by encouraging
them to set aside time to study God’s word and
to guide them as they begin to have a deeper
understanding of scripture.
  

6th Grade Devotional 5 Rites Of Passage Experience

Read Philippians 4:6-7 & Proverbs 4:23 We don't know if he felt unappreciated,
unloved, or had just decided that his father
There is one thing you can count on during was not a very smart man, but for some
this season of your life…your emotions will reason, this young man decided it was time
be totally unpredictable! You will experience for him to ask for his inheritance and leave.
feelings that are totally unfamiliar and the
feelings that you recognize will be so intense Away from the discipline and structure of
you will sometimes think you are going to home, he made some really bad decisions
explode. Sometimes you will act out because and it wasn't long before he was out of
you want to be seen. At other times you will money and living in squalor. He had spent
want to crawl under a rock because you feel little time asking God for help or even
like everyone is staring at you. That is why thinking about guarding his heart. Following
you always need to rely on God's Word for his feelings and own desires had led to
direction in these unpredictable times. nothing but trouble. He was so far in...What
could he do?
When you feel anxious, nervous, or self-
conscious, remember that God tells us to He decided to humble himself, ask his father
ask Him for help and He will give us peace. for forgiveness and seek a position as a
We don't have to understand it. In fact, He servant in his father's house. Finally! A wise
tells us it's beyond what we can understand. decision based on God's Word! When he
We just need to have faith and be thankful returned, his father was so glad to see him
for the way He helps us. that he had a huge celebration to announce
the return of his son. Yes, I said the return of
In Luke 15 we read the story of a young his SON, not the addition of a new servant.
man who had apparently grown anxious over There is forgiveness for the times we mess
his situation at home. up. But the best thing is to make the
right choice to begin with; to "guard our
heart, for it is the well spring of life."

Parents:
You can help with this. Psalm 78:4 says,
"We will tell the next generation the
praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power
and the wonders He has done." Make sure
your student knows how God has worked in
your own life and the wonderful things He
has done for your family.