Dear parents....This week we began a new series on relationships during our Sunday mornings. Fitting for February! We'll see what the Bible says about our relationship with God, and we'll look at some insights on dating relationships from Scripture, too. In our first lesson, we read through portions of the Old Testament book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet who delivered a lesson to Israel about God's radical, crazy, passionate love-a preview of the intense love Jesus has for us. God asked Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman, and even after she left Hosea for another man, God instructed the prophet to return and love her again. We used this story to discuss the intimate and unique way that God loves us and God's desire to be more than just a master or ruler in our lives. Hosea 2:16 tells us, "When that day comes," says the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband' instead of 'my master.'" We also talked about our tendency to stray from God's love, and we examined how not to stray-and how to respond when we do stray. When the opportunity presents itself this week, perhaps in the car or at the table, I encourage you to ask your teen about the story of Hosea and Gomer and what this story means in their life, especially when thinking about God's passionate, radical love. Here are some questions you could use to get the conversation going (and don't forget to share some your own responses, too):
- When did you most recently not "feel" like following God? What caused that feeling? How do you handle days like that?
- What's the difference between conditional love and unconditional love?
- How long do you think most people can go without sinning? Why?
As always, thanks for your prayers for our High School Ministry. The topic of relationships is one of the most popular and most relevant ones for our teens, and I pray this series has a positive impact on our students lives. Have a blessed day! ...Jason
