Read: Joshua 1:1-9

So, today’s story is about Joshua and he was about to start something new! In fact, it was the whole nation of Israel that was going to enter the promised land. It was exciting because they weren’t going to have to wander around the wilderness anymore. They had been waiting for this moment for forty years! They would now be able to build their houses and plant gardens and do all sorts of good things, but it would also be difficult because there were battles that they were going to have to fight. God knew this, so he had a special message for Joshua.

Read Joshua 1:1-9, pausing to emphasize the following:

• vs. 2 – God gave Joshua the special responsibility of leading his people.
• vs. 5 – God promised never to fail or abandon his people!
• vs. 6-9 – It was very important that Joshua followed God’s word carefully and remembered that God was with him. That is the basis of God’s reminder to him to be strong and courageous.

Application

There are things in our lives that require us to be strong and courageous. We’ve already spoken about starting something new like school but it could also be doing the right thing when you know it’s going to be difficult. Something else that requires strength and courage is asking for forgiveness when we’ve done something wrong.

Jesus promised to be with us and that he would never leave us. After Jesus rose from the dead he gave us his Holy Spirit. Did you know that when you give your life to Jesus that he comes to be with you through the filling of the Spirit? No matter how difficult life gets you can remember that God is with you.

Crafts

Draw a line down the middle of the whiteboard. On the top of the left side write exciting and on the top of the right side write scary.

Make a list of things that are exciting about starting school and things that are scary about starting school.