Earlier we learned that as followers of Christ our job is to think and act just like Jesus.  This can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us, whom we receive once we have committed our lives to following Jesus. 

• What are ways we can learn how to think and act like Jesus? (Answers: study my Bible; listen to our pastor’s sermons and teachers’ lessons; pray and ask God to show me how to do it, etc.)

Becoming like Jesus isn’t something we do by ourselves.  The Bible says the amazing mystery of our salvation is the fact that the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us once we are saved, to teach us how to live!  As we read the Bible, His Spirit strengthens us and teaches us just what to do. 

Read Philippians 4:8-9 with your students.

Paul says in order to be like Christ we have to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. Write each of these words on the whiteboard.

With your students, review the definitions of each of these words.  You can simply write the definitions as stated below on the whiteboard or split the words up and have teams find the definitions using their smartphones or dictionaries and then share as a group.

DEFINITIONS
True:                      fact or reality
Noble:                    possessing excellent qualities; grand or impressive
Right:                     just, good or proper; genuine, real
Pure:                      spotless, stainless
Lovely:                   delightful for beauty, harmony or grace
Admirable:             deserving the highest esteem
Excellent:               very good of its kind; first-class, superior
Praiseworthy:          laudable (worthy of praise, commendable)

When we learn the definitions of what Paul wants us to think about, all of these meanings sound a lot like Jesus, don’t they?  Jesus is real; He possesses excellent qualities; He is genuine, spotless, beautiful, superior, and worthy of our praise.  When Paul tells us to think about these things, we’re thinking about the qualities of Jesus.  We’re filling our minds with Jesus.

Hand out blank paper, markers, and writing utensils to your preteens.  Have them create a poster using decorative fonts to illustrate the qualities listed in Philippians 4:8-9.

The way to become just like Jesus, is to get more of Jesus in us!  We must meditate on His Word and ways.  Put your poster somewhere you can view it often and let it remind you of all the ways to focus your mind on Jesus and His ways.   Think about the excellent things He does, the truth He teaches in His Word, and the right things He is doing in your life right now. 

When your mind starts wandering toward the things of this world, do something about it.  Pray and ask God to change your thoughts and then purposely change your thought pattern.  Think instead on the things you drew on your poster.  Get into the habit of immediately changing the course of your thoughts when they start to wander down the wrong path.  The more Jesus fills us, the more we’ll begin to act just like Him.  So, fill your soul with Jesus this week!

Pray to close.

Additional resources:
Definitions true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/