10 lessons · Intermediate
This set of ten lessons are based on the teachings of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, and his ministry.
Dear Intermediates,
Have you ever experienced so many failures and disappointments in a week that you stopped expecting anything to go right in your life? Maybe you feel that you are doomed to fail. There are reasons why bad things happen. And there is hope for those who have Living to Win as their goal. Teens who are winners have to make it happen. You have to follow certain principles that will ensure you are a winner.
We can’t make excuses by saying, Everyone Does It. That’s not going to hack it. There are a lot of losers included in the “everyone.” Losers don’t systematically follow the principles that turn losers into winners. Doing what they do doesn’t get you where you want to be. Take a good look at lesson one and you’ll find things that will help you in Living to Win.
God gives us everything we have – our life, our looks, our money, our intelligence, our parents, our friends, our home. . . Without these things you really would begin to feel like a failure. But God is good. He is big hearted. He is generous. If you want to be like Him, you must also experience The Joy of Giving.
Yes, if you want to be like God, you’ll have to make those Eternal Connections. Nothing good happens without the right kind of effort. Learn in lesson three how making the connections with the Almighty is the most desirable thing you can do to become a winner.
Relationships are important to teens. For you to be a winner, your relationships must include people other than the ones you hang out with at school or in the mall. Lesson four, My Neighbor, will help you understand your responsibility to others and the joy that comes from helping them.
When someone hurts you or does you wrong, it may be hard to forgive them. It’s oh so easy to hold a grudge. But what does it gain you? Does a lack of forgiveness improve relationships? Does it make you happy? If God didn’t forgive us, where would we be? Living to Win is forgiving. Winners Forgive!
God has so much more planned for you than what this world can ever give you. Yes, this world has a lot of good times and fun things to do. But it also has a lot of pain, suffering, sorrows, and disappointments. Living to Win will take you from Here to Eternity where there are no disappointments – there will only be winners. To get there you must Ask - Seek - Knock. But it’s worth all the effort, because there will be no comparison in lifestyles. And you will be Happy Ever Afterwards.
Each YEA lesson is designed to get you started on the path to be a winner. But It’s Not How You Start that counts. In every race you must cross the finish line. In life, the same as in school, there will be a Test Day to ensure that you are Living to Win. Read each lesson carefully and learn your memory verse. Winners are never satisfied with only doing the minimum. So read your Daily Devotional every day. Be an enthusiastic participant in class. Then you’ll be showing yourself, God, and your peers that you are Living to Win.
Allie Dart
Managing Editor