OUR LIVES REVEAL OUR GREATEST TREASURE.

SCRIPTURE | Nehemiah 8:1-12

CENTRAL TRUTH

God was rebuilding His people—internally, in their hearts and minds. They were starting over after exile and needed to remember their identity. They looked to God’s Word to reveal it, but more importantly, to tell them about God.

KEY QUESTION

WHY DO YOU THINK THE PEOPLE VALUED GOD’S WORD SO DEEPLY? WHY IS IT EASY FOR US TO TAKE IT LIGHTLY OR IGNORE IT?

KEEP IN MIND

Our students often don’t realize what they treasure, but we can help them see what matters most to them by encouraging them to look at where they invest their time and energy. Their priorities reveal their greatest treasure. Jesus even taught that our hearts belong to what we treasure (Matt. 6:21). If we say we treasure God, then not only do our hearts belong to Him, but our priorities reflect that He matters. Our time and energy are spent in an effort to know Him and make Him known. Though students often give the “right” answer and say they treasure Jesus, their lives say something else. (Our lives often say something else too.) Their priorities may reveal that what they treasure most is self—their time, their comforts, their desires. We can encourage them to consider if Jesus matters more than anything else—if He alone is their treasure.

APPLICATION

WHAT AREAS OF YOUR LIFE SHOW THAT GOD’S WORD MATTERS TO YOU? ARE THERE AREAS THAT SAY OTHERWISE? WHAT STOPS YOU FROM TREASURING THE WORD?

THE WIN

FOR THE STUDENT: Students’ daily lives reflect how much they value God’s Word­—in their language, their attitude, their behavior on social media. If they treasure Scripture, then they’ll commit time to reading it, studying it, and applying it. And this spiritual discipline will transform their lives.

FOR THE LEADER: God transforms our lives by the Word with the help of His Spirit. Treasure His Word and honor God’s commands. As we do, we overflow with the joy that comes from knowing God, from being His sons and daughters, affecting the students watching us.