Lesson 6 Bragging about Jesus

Promise of the Week: I will not boast about myself but only boast about how great God is. Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:31, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Leader Note:

We live in a world where boasting (bragging) is prominent. It also seems to come naturally to teenagers. We like to find something that sets us apart and then build our self-image around that thing. Is can be possessions (the newest IPhone or Kate Spade wallet), abilities (making Varsity basketball, cheerleader or the highest grade in the class) or friends (popularity, ‘followers’ on Instagram and Twitter).

Our girls need to know that their significance in life needs to be deeper then fleeting external things. If they build their self-esteem around making cheerleader or having the trendiest clothes, then that is both short-lived and shortsighted. If they build their self-esteem on their looks then they will be crushed when a pimple appears or someone else looks nicer than they do. If they build their self-esteem on money or where they live or where their parents take them on vacation, then they are in for a rude wake-up call if the economy takes a dive.

Last week we explained that their self-worth was based on the fact that the God of the universe loves them. This week we will reinforce a deeper meaning in life. God is great and created us to reflect his image. When we do great things or receive praise for being successful, we need to point it back to God. God is GREAT and we are GRATEFUL.

You can personalize this lesson if you have examples of pride and boasting from your days as a teenager. Share how God showed you what was important or if you ended up hurting others because of your boasting. Let the girls see that this is an issue that affects all of us. As women of God, we should be setting the pace for the younger girls in finding satisfaction in our relationship with God and how we love others, not by the things we own or the way we look.

Lesson 6: Bragging about Jesus CAPTIVATE: You’re going to pop! Props - Deflated balloon Who loves balloons? I do! Balloons always bring a smile to my face. My all-time favorite balloon was at Disneyworld. This man was holding probably 25 clear balloons, all with a different colored Mickey Mouse head inside them. It was amazing! I brought a balloon today and I’m going to blow it up for you. (*Start blowing up the balloon.) Every few breaths, stop and ask the girls if it has enough air. You should always conclude that it needs more and keep blowing. Eventually it should be so big that it might pop at any minute. Whew! I think it might need more air. What do you think? The girls should say STOP because it’s going to pop. You disagree and try to add more air. (*If it pops then great! Be brave, you can do this!) CONNECT: At this point, are all of you thinking what a pretty color this balloon is? No, you’re probably cringing because you’re nervous thinking it might pop at any minute. Right? This is like boasting. Adding more air and more air. Instead of blowing enough air to fill the balloon, you’re blowing too much air just to see how big it can get. Everyone around you is thinking “Oh no, she’s going to pop!” but you just keep on going. DEFINE: Boasting means to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride about oneself.

The world is constantly telling you to do this! Post more selfies and take pictures of everything you do that’s great (food you eat, places you go, people you’re with, stuff you buy). Don’t ever admit to being bad at something. Get in with the popular crowd so you can get invited to the right parties where you can then take the perfect pictures of yourself with all the popular people so other girls will be jealous of what you got to do! More air and more air and more air… For you it’s a constant race of trying to be better than the next person. Make my balloon bigger = make my life better! For others, it’s scary and makes us cringe. Instead of focusing on the beauty of your talents and you as a person, we are focusing on your need for a bigger balloon and waiting for you to pop. CULTIVATE: Props – Peanut M&MS (or any M&M with something in the middle like

pretzel, crispy, mint, etc.) Plain M&MS * Enough to hand out some to each girl Do you know anyone that is constantly boasting about himself or herself? They always make the conversation about them and constantly tell you about their accomplishments, awards, and anything great they did. How does it make you feel when you’re around someone like that? It probably makes you feel less talented, less popular and left out. Or it might make you frustrated because you don’t feel like that person cares about you. You might even feel like they’re using you to make themselves look better. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches…” 3 areas ! Smarts, Strength, Stuff God’s Word tells us to avoid boasting about ourselves, especially what we know, what we do and what we have. What are some things that you think the world says are important? (clothes, money, popularity, success, beauty, having a boyfriend, being liked on social media, etc.)

James 4:1-3 (NLT) says, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” The Bible says that all of us want what we mentioned earlier – clothes, money, popularity, etc. We want what the world says is important because again, we think the world makes the rules. If the world says ‘likes’ on Instagram is cool then I have to post a great picture that gets lots of likes. If the world says Kendra Scott is the trendy jewelry than I need more of it. It actually makes us fight with each other because we’re jealous. When we’re jealous we gossip about each other because we think by putting them down we make ourselves feel better. None of us ask God for cool clothes or popularity because we know we’re asking for things that aren’t right. And yet, we still want things that make us feel good and bring us pleasure. Sometimes we start to find our identity in these ‘worldly’ things. We talked about this last week when we said we feel superior if we are successful and pretty but inferior if we’re not. We are allowing our worth to come from outside ‘stuff’ and not the Jesus who created us and lives inside us. It’s not what you have but WHO you have. Let’s read the second part of Jeremiah 9:24, “…but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” I have 2 kinds of M&M’s – plain and peanut. What’s the difference between them? The only difference between the two is what’s on the inside. The M&M is really not defined by it’s wrapping – they both are brightly colored and have a chocolate coating. They are defined by what’s on the inside. One has peanuts and one is plain. When you invite Jesus to live in your heart then he puts something different on the inside of you. The Holy Spirit lives inside you and gives you understanding and power to love, seek justice, and do right. Just what Jeremiah 9:24 said! These are the things in which God delights.

Romans 5:5b – 6, 8 says, “…God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly…but God shows his love for us in this that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God didn’t look at the material things we had or the clothes we wore or how many followers we had on Instagram. The Bible says God sent his son to die for us because he loved us. He loved us even when we were still sinning. He took a plain M&M and made it a peanut M&M by putting something on the inside. That something is Jesus! You have Christ in you. There’s no need to boast about your clothes, or your stuff, or how good you are at soccer, or how many friends you have or how many A’s you get or what your parents bought you for your birthday or how many boyfriends you’ve had…what matters is what’s on the inside. (Hand out M&Ms to girls) COACH: The world will always be screaming the same message, “It’s all about you! You are the most important! Put yourself first.” God is always whispering the same message to our hearts. “I loved you even when you were a sinner. I love you no matter what you have or don’t have. I love you on your worst hair day and best hair day. I love you because I made you and the Holy Spirit lives inside you. I love YOU.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” The Bible says that God didn’t choose us because we were ‘all that and a bag of chips’ (definitely a phrase from the 90’s). He chose what the world thought was unimportant and useless to show HIS might. And guess what? Because we have Jesus inside of us, we actually get the stuff we’re searching for – wisdom, right living, holiness, and value. For this we boast in the Lord, because in him we have ALL things. Stop boasting about yourself and how great you think you are.

Stop judging others based on what they have or don’t have. Stop loving the world and chasing its rules and priorities. Look inside yourself and focus on your relationship with Jesus. Share Jesus with other girls and help them focus on their inside too. * You could hand out snack size M&M bags to each girl and challenge them to give it away to a friend today and tell them what they learned at Girlz 4 God. Promise: I will not boast about myself but only about how great God is. Leader Note: Ask the girls to raise their hands and make the following promise: Girlz 4 God Promise of the Week: I will not boast about myself but only about how great God is. Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:31, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

EMAIL to the Parents: Re: Girlz 4 God Lesson 6 – Bragging about Jesus Dear Girlz 4 God Parents, Thank you for allowing your daughter to attend Girlz 4 God this week! This week we examined the idea of boasting. We decided to never boast about ourselves and how great we are, or what material possessions we have or how much we’ve accomplished. We should boast only in the Lord and what’s He’s done in our lives. We read in scripture that if you have Christ in you, there is no need to boast about yourself to make yourself better than the next girl. Christ died on the cross for each of us and extends his grace and love to us regardless of what we do. We agreed to stop judging others based on what they have or do. What’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside. Girlz 4 God Promise of the Week: I will not boast about myself but only about how great God is. Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:31, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”