Serving Challenge Kids: An 11-Day Adventure to Serve Like JesusSample

What Do We Do by Serving?

The famous writer C.S. Lewis once compared faith and actions to a pair of scissors. The blades of scissors are both important. If you didn’t have both edges, how would scissors even work? Faith and actions are like those two blades working together.

When you have faith and understand you are saved by grace, you will be heartbroken for the poor. All “things” belong to God; they’re not yours. So, God expects us to share what He has given us—just like your parents teach you to share with your brothers, sisters, and friends.

Sometimes it's easy to think that God cares only about spiritual things like heaven, angels, and our souls. But from the beginning, God has cared about the world and everyone and everything in it. He called the world “good” after speaking the stars, earth, and animals into being. (He said “very good” after creating people.)

Our Heavenly Father loves it when people can go to school and use their talents to help others. He hates sickness, war, and weather disasters. Those were never part of His plan. So, Jesus doesn't just care about people's hearts. He cares about their bodies too.

“But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love of God abide in him?” 1 John 3:17 (ESV)

These are serious words. If you don’t love the poor, you don’t love God.

“Poor” doesn’t just mean not having money. The word “poor” in the Bible can refer to people who are old, mentally handicapped, depressed, refugees, immigrants, natural disaster victims, unemployed, single parents, widows, or orphans. All these people are called “poor” in the Bible.

We are to love people as if they are Jesus. And one way to love them is to take care of their needs. When we give someone a drink of water, buy extra groceries, or lend a helping hand, we share Jesus with them.

Challenge:

Many different organizations help people. Choose one to get involved with today. Talk with your parents, guardians, or pastor about ways to help your community through your church.

If you or your child enjoyed this 11-day challenge to serve like Jesus, consider taking it a step further with the 40-day Serving Challenge Kids available here. Or talk to your pastor, children's minister, or teacher about using this 40-day resource with an entire church, ministry, or school. More info is found here on using this resource in this powerful way.