Connecting Church and Home

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Treasuring Christ :: Year 1: The Pentateuch

Connecting Church and Home Quarter 1, Week 9 :: God Chooses Noah

What do you do when the project you had been working on descends into utter chaos? According to Genesis 6:8-7:24, this is exactly the scenario that God was in with His creation. Man had sinned against God and that sin was getting worse. Instead of wiping out all of mankind, God had mercy. This mercy was demonstrated in His choice to preserve Noah and his family from the flood. God is a just God who punishes sin. Yet even in His justice, He shows mercy. The ark that carried Noah and his family in our Treasure Story is a symbol of that mercy. God has showed His mercy in an even greater way by sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Yes, God’s judgment can make us fearful. But His mercy should make us hopeful.

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“God tolerates even our stammering and pardons our ignorance whenever something inadvertently escapes us; as indeed without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray.” – John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol.1, Book III, pg. 872

Showing mercy to others is not an option. Today’s Treasure Story reminds us that the very God of the universe had every reason not to be merciful but was so anyway. In light of His extraordinary mercy for huge offenses, we should show others mercy for their offenses against us. Here are a couple of suggestions to help your children understand the importance of mercy:

• Read the parable of the unjust servant in Matthew 18:21-35. Talk with your children about how God wants us to show others mercy because He has been so merciful to us. • Find an opportune moment when your child has done something wrong and is deserving of punishment. Explain to them that you are going to withhold punishment that they rightly deserve because you want them to understand mercy in action. Encourage them to go and find someone else to whom they can show mercy.

My Mission As Parent

• This week, seek out opportunities to show mercy to your children. Sometimes it is easier to dispense punishment rather than give mercy, but we have to show our kids the same mercy God has shown us. • Be mindful of showing mercy to others in front of your children. Are you a merciful driver or shopper? Showing mercy is sometimes hard, but God can use any small act of mercy to inspire your children and glorify His name.

Prayer Points

• Ask the Lord to constantly remind you of the great mercy He has shown you by sending Jesus. • Pray that the Lord will give you opportunities to show mercy to your children and to others. Pray that your children will learn from you what it truly means to be merciful.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © Providence Baptist Church, 2013. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for reproduction only for the study of Life Bible Study curriculum by a licensed church during the licensed year. No online or other duplication is permitted