Following Jesus Series: The Riches of God's Children Part 1

This series called 'Following Jesus' is primarily written with young children in mind.   However, a parent, grandparent or interested adult will be most helpful in accompanying them. God calls us His children and He wants us to become once again like little children- not childish but childlike.  So with this in mind, whether we are a young child or an adult, this series may assist you in some way to follow Jesus.

How we follow Jesus our leader?

Today's post is about how rich we are as God's Children.

Scripture: Firstly let us see how God chose a shepherd boy called David to be King of His Chosen People.. We find this out by reading the Scripture. 

Our task therefore is to turn to the Old Testament section of the bible and open up at I Kings 16:12-13.

Meditate: After you have read this scripture, you may wish to stay quiet for a little while (meditate) to see what this passage means to you.  Most importantly, share with Jesus your thoughts and feelings about this story. You may wish to share your thoughts with mum/dad/ grandma/grandpa or your special friend.

Discussion: We may wish to think about why God chose a shepherd body to be a King.

Learning the Scripture:

We can know the riches of being a child of God  by reading the Scripture and seeing what is written about Him.

Today's important passages from scripture that we can learn and memorize are:

..." Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God and that is what we are" ( I Jn 3:1)

From the Catechism:
What does sanctifying grace do for us?

1. It makes us holy and pleasing to God.
2. It makes us adopted children of God and co-heirs with Christ.
3. It makes us temples of the Holy Spirit.
4. It gives us the right to Heaven.

What is actual grace?
Actual grace is a supernatural help of God which enlightens our mind  and strengthens our will to do good and avoid evil.

Action:

Knowing about Jesus is important but we need to put our desire to follow Him into action.

To follow Jesus, we must believe in Him and accept that we are God's children.

We may put this into action by:

• Praying that we may understand what being a child of God means and thanking God for this gift. We can make this part of our night prayer each night before we go to bed.
• Listening with attention to those who teach you about God.
• Being attentive when we go to Mass each Sunday.
• Attend a Baptism and imagine that you are the baby. Talk to my parents/ Godparents about your Baptism.  
• Learning and understanding what sanctifying grace and Actual grace are and how these graces can help us as children of God.

My decision: 

Every body's life is different and has different circumstances.  However, why not have a think about how you will be a child of God during this coming week.  Remember to be specific and keep it simple.

For example: I will be kind.  This is too general and therefore I may not carry out what I want to do.

However, if I am specific about my decision, then I am more likely to carry it out.

For example:  I will kind by allowing my sister/brother watch her favourite programme/video game  on Tuesday night.

Now think about how you will be a child of God and how you will put this decision into action in your life.

It is important to remember that we are not just putting into action our decision to feel good about ourselves. No, we are wanting to follow  Jesus and we want to do what Jesus Himself would do out of love for Jesus.