SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON - JULY 24TH

Week of July 24 - Settle Down

LESSON PASSAGES OUTLINE
1. Reestablish Normalcy in Your New Situation (Jer. 29:1,4-7)
2. Reject Unrealistic Dreams (Jer. 29:8-9)
3. Remember the Lord Is in Control (Jer. 29:10-14)

BIBLICAL TRUTH - The Lord’s people can trust He has a plan for them in life’s unsettling experiences.

Introduction - by Dr. E. LeBron Matthews, Pastor of Eastern Heights Baptist Church in Columbus, GA.
For years, Jesse and Lynette had wanted to open a restaurant. They had worked long hours, scrimping and saving their money in the hope of achieving their dream of owning a business. Finally the day arrived when the corporate office they worked for notified the couple they had qualified for franchise ownership and were being awarded the opportunity to open a new restaurant in a town less than 50 miles from where both spouses had grown up.
Jesse and Lynette were ecstatic; their dream seemed to be coming true. After years of moving from one state to another as the corporation requested, they finally could settle down in one place with their own business. Living close to extended family members only sweetened the deal.
Soon after the couple relocated to their new town and began preparing for the restaurant’s opening, word came from the corporate headquarters that building construction had been postponed. Jesse reluctantly transferred temporarily to a franchise in yet another state. Then the bottom fell out of their dream.
The corporation announced that the new restaurant would not open after all. Jesse’s and Lynette’s hopes were dashed and their lives upended. The couple felt confused and angry.

What unsettling experiences have you faced? How did you respond to the changes brought by those experiences?

Change is an inevitable part of life. Life consists of an ongoing series of changes. Sometimes the changes impact us positively; at other times they affect us negatively. Some changes occur as a consequence of specific behaviors on our part; other changes are an inevitable part of being alive. Regardless of the cause of the changes we experience, they can be quite unsettling. They often leave us with a sense of lacking roots and direction. The Lord wants His people to live with confidence that He has a plan for them even in the midst of life’s unsettling experiences.
...the Lord has a good plan for His people and is always working for their well-being.