The focus for this lesson for Sunday school curriculum is on Elisha & Trusting God. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman was a great military leader of Syria, but was humbled, as he had leprosy, a rotting of the skin. Elisha told Naaman to wash himself seven times in the Jordan. (Teacher words in bold.)
Naaman felt the command was a joke, and his servants said: “If God asked you to do a great thing, would you not have done it? How much more this little thing?” If we want God to trust us with big things, we should be trustworthy with smaller things first.
Naaman was a very important guy. He was embarrassed to have leprosy, which makes you break out in scabs. He was even more embarrassed when Elijah told him to go wash in the Jordan. Naaman lived near some beautiful rivers and streams, but God told him via Elijah to go wash in the Jordan, which had a dead-fish problem and could totally smell.
Naaman was very grossed out, as if this disgusting disease weren’t enough. But his servants reminded him, “If God asked you to do something totally heroic, wouldn’t you do that? All he’s asking is for you to sit in, well, sludge water that smells. It doesn’t take any nerve”¦just belief.”
God does not often ask us to part the Red Sea, as he did for Moses in Exodus, or to build an ark, as he did Noah in Genesis. But he does ask us small things: Don’t lie, don’t steal, be as nice as possible to others, most especially your mom and dad.
How can we start to be obedient to our mothers and fathers? Let them discuss.
Prompts:
-When your mom and dad ask you to do chores, snap to.
-Go somewhere with your parents even though you’d rather be with friends.
-Drop a fight with your siblings instead of continuing on with it.
God asks us to do small things to prove we can be trusted with much bigger things. Let’s figure out some responsible things we can do as kids to prove that we’ll be ready to be adults in the Lord.
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