The following lesson is from a Proverbs series our entire church is studying. The lesson was used for a small group of children ranging from 6-10. The children discover that we can have an attitude of generous giving when we remember that God has given us everything.
Bible Story Title: Proverbs-God gives us everything
Scripture: Proverbs 11:24-25; Proverbs 10:22 and other selected Scripture passages
Target Age Group: Ages 5-11 (K-5th Grade U.S.A.)
Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes
Original Teaching Context: Sunday School
Supply List: Bibles, copies of word search and coloring page, journal (from week one of proverbs study), pens, crayons, markers, construction paper, writing paper,
Learning Goal: Students will learn that we will freely give to others when we understand that God has given us everything.
Learning Activity #1: Word Search Coloring page
Learning Activity #2: Journal (After the lesson provided enough time for students to write in their Proverbs journal about what they learned in the lesson today.) For younger students they can draw a picture or copy the Memory Verse/Big Question.
Learning Activity #3: Have students make a card/write a letter to encourage someone in their life.
Test: Review Questions
Memory Verse: Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honor the LORD with your wealth and the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
Bible Lesson: Proverbs-God gives us everything
(Begin with prayer)
Think about all of the things that you have. What is the most special item that you “own”? (Allow students to share) Suppose you were asked to give ________ away. What would you say?
Most of us would ask “why should I give my most treasured possession away”? Our answer to our own question can be answered in our lesson today.
Today our question is “Why do we give?” We give because God has given everything to us.
We are still learning from the Book of Proverbs. A few weeks ago we learned that wisdom is taking our knowledge of God’s Truth and putting it into practice. Today we will learn how we can use wisdom with what God has given us.
Turn to Proverbs 11. Let’s read verse 24. This verse is talking about 2 kinds of attitudes about giving. What attitudes do you see? We see someone who gives freely and someone who holds back from giving.
Can you think of a word that describes a person who gives freely? (Generous, sharing, unselfish, giving, big-hearted, open handed, charitable)
What word comes to mind when you think of a person who doesn’t give or holds back from giving? (Stingy, not generous, close-fisted, greedy, selfish, uncharitable, ungenerous, tight-fisted,)
1. We give because God has given everything to us.
Genesis 1:1-“In the beginning, ______ created the heavens and earth.” The rest of Genesis 1 tells us about all that was created. Who created all things? (God)
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 2:7 “Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
Who created you and me? (God) God created people differently than all the other living creatures. He spoke the other living creatures into existence. He created people in His image or likeness. He created the first man from the dust and breathed His breath giving him life. Who gives us the breath in our lungs? (God)
2. We give because God has given us salvation through the death of His Son Jesus.
(Genesis 1:26, 28-29) God created all things. God gave Adam and Eve everything on earth to take care of. He gave Adam and Eve every plant and tree with fruit for food to eat. There were many trees for Adam and Eve to choose from to eat. God told them there was one tree that they could not eat from. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the only tree that Adam and Eve could not eat from. If they ate from it, they would die.
God had given Adam and Eve everything. The one thing they could not have they wanted. They wanted to be god and ate fruit from the one tree they were told not to eat.
Adam and Eve sinned against God by trying to be their own god and brought death into God’s perfect creation. Every person that has been born after Adam and Eve was born with a sinful heart. Our sinful heart separates us from the True God because we want to be our own god. As sinners we are enemies with God fighting against Him (Romans 5:10). We want to act like we own the things God has given to us.
When we try to be god instead of honoring the One True God we say things like, “It’s my life. I am going to live the way I want to.” “I am going to do what makes me happy.” “This is my money. These are my things. I will use them how I want to use them.”
Sin keeps us from a proper view of God. Sin makes us put ourselves first and God second. A proper view of God has Him first and us second. Sin keeps us from praising God and honoring Him with every aspect of our life.
Every person has a sin problem that separates us from God. Sin keeps us from having a proper view of who God is and who we are. Sin keeps us from using our lives to please God.
We have a sin problem that we can’t fix. That is bad news. We can’t fix our sin problem by going home today and cleaning out our room and giving away all our favorite toys. We can’t fix our sin problem by emptying out our piggy banks and putting it all in the offering plate. We can’t do anything to take away our sin. That is very bad news!
There is Good News! God, who created all things and gave all things to us, has even given us a free gift that allows us to be forgiven and cleansed from all our sin. Who can tell me what is the free gift that God has given us? Jesus! God sent His Son into this world. Jesus took on the form of a man and lived in the world He created. He lived a perfect, sinless life (Hebrews 7:26-28). He came to take away the sin of the world. In order for Jesus to do that He had to suffer and die on a cross in your place, in my place. Jesus died on a cross taking on the sins of every man, woman, boy and girl. He was buried in a tomb and 3 days later God raised Jesus from the dead. God was satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice. Because He was without sin all who put their faith in what Jesus has done in our place is forgiven and cleansed from all sin.
Why do we give? God gives us everything-God’s Son Jesus gave His life so we could have eternal life.
3. We receive God’s blessing when we give.
As we prepare to finish our lesson, let’s look at Proverbs 11:25 and Proverbs 10:22. (Choose 2 students to look up these verses)
Proverbs 11:25 “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”
A person who freely gives will enjoy God’s blessings. It doesn’t necessarily mean that if you freely give you will be rich with money and things. It does mean you will live a life that pleases God. He rewards us with spiritual blessings like peace and joy on this earth and eternal blessings or rewards in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-20, Colossians 3:23-24)
Our motive to give needs to be out of our thankfulness for all that God has given us not so that we can get a prize or reward. Why do we give? God has given us everything!
When we understand that the truth that God gives us everything (knowledge), we will put into practice an attitude of freely giving. (Wisdom)
(Close in prayer.)
Review Questions:
- What were the two attitudes in Proverbs 11:24? (One who freely gives and one who withholds)
- Why do we give? (Because God has given us everything)
- Based on what we have learned about God giving us everything, why do we struggle to give? (We don’t have a proper view of God and think that the things we have are ours)
- What did God give us so that we can have our sins forgiven? (Free Gift of eternal life through the death of His Son Jesus)
- What is the most difficult thing for you to give/share? (Allow responses) Let’s pray for each other that God will help us to remember that when we have a hard time giving or sharing that whatever we have belongs to God and we need to be obedient to give/share what belongs to Him.
For more ideas, be sure to compare our Love of Money Bible lesson. We also have several giving object lesson for kids.