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Faithfulness

Character Goal: Faithfulness is having or showing true and consistent allegiance or loyalty to God.

Biblical Character: Anna

Scripture Readings: Luke 2:1‑7, 21‑32, 36‑38

Discussion Questions:

• Where did Mary and Joseph go to present Jesus before the Lord?
• Who was Simeon and what was he waiting to see?
• After he took Jesus in his arms, Simeon praised God. What did his words tell us about whom he believed Jesus to be?
• Who else was in the temple courts?
• How does the passage describe her?
• As a single woman, where and how did Anna spend her time? What does this tell us about what she believed about God and her relationship with Him?
• Anna was faithful to prioritize her time growing her relationship with God and advancing His kingdom through prayer. As a single woman, where and how do you spend your time? What changes do you need to make in order to be consistently growing in your relationship with God and advancing His kingdom?
• Who did Anna also get to see? Why do you think God revealed Jesus to her? What does this tell us about whom God reveals Himself to?
• How did God act on behalf of Simeon and Anna? According to Isaiah 64:4‑5, why did God do this? According to the verses in Isaiah, what three things should we be faithful to do in our waiting?
• After Anna had a personal encounter with Jesus, what two things was she faithful to do?
• Anna was one of the first evangelists, sharing the hope of Christ with the people around her. In what ways can you be faithful to share about the hope we have in Jesus with those God has placed in your life, like your teammates, peers and family members?
• Compare Simeon and Anna. What did they have in common?
• What characterizes faithful people? How do the examples of these two people encourage you as you think about living and leading a life marked by faithfulness?
• What kind of woman do you want to be at the age of 84? What can you be faithful to begin today that would put you on the path of becoming that type of woman?
• What does this story teach you about God? Women? How can you apply these truths to your life
• What is one thing I learned from this story that I can apply to my life before the next lesson?

Core Truths:

• The way you spend your time directly reflects who or what you are faithful to.
• God reveals Himself to those who wait for Him, gladly do right, and remember His ways.
• Faithfulness to God and His kingdom puts us in a place to receive God’s blessing in our lives.
• A life of faithfulness begins with decisions we make today.

Training for Godliness:

One of the many great things about sports is that it teaches us things about life outside of sports, such as dedication, self‑control, discipline, consistency, and loyalty (or faithfulness) to a particular team. It is clear to see how these character traits translate into growing athletically but what about how they translate into growing us spiritually? Take a minute to discuss each one of the character traits above. (You can also add your own!) What do they look like in an athletic context (i.e. loyalty to my team means I cheer for them over other competitors, do my part to win, and take pride in my school)and in a spiritual context (i.e. I am loyal to Jesus,forsaking all others)? How do these character traits help a team? (That team may be your sports team but could also be God’s Team!)

Memory Verse: “Many women have done noble things, but you surpass them all!” -Proverbs 31:29