Deal or No Deal

In today’s society, we are taught to “look out for number one”. Even in the church we often hear Christians saying, “I would love to give money to God’s work, but only after I pay for all my bills and other things I need.” We end up giv- ing God our leftovers instead of giving Him the “first fruits” of our labor. God has a plan for our lives. That plan also includes our finances (our money). If we will put Him first in our finances, then He will take care of our needs. In this lesson, the children will learn that we shouldn’t put money before God in our lives. If we will give to God first, then He will make sure we have all that we need. It’s God’s amazing deal! It’s our choice...Deal? Or No Deal?

King David had everything he ever could have possibly wanted. He was the ruler over Israel with piles of money, jewels, and possessions. He had everything at his disposal. When he was nearing the end of his life, however, he realized just how empty all of those possessions were if he did not use them for God’s purposes. He set out to build a mighty temple of worship. When King David began to give of his possessions toward building the temple, he had the mindset of “how MUCH can I give”, not “how LITTLE can I give?” As a result, he inspired his entire country to give sacrificially as well.

The world has a very different way of keeping score than God does. The world says, “The more money and possessions you have, the more impor- tant you are! If you want to win, GET as much as you can!” God says the opposite. He says, “The more you learn to give, the happier you will be!” The world says, “GET!” God says, “GIVE!” Greed is a very powerful thing that can ruin a person’s life and their relationship with God. That’s why God tells us to run from greed and seek to live a life of generosity. In this lesson, the kids will examine a passage of scripture that teaches the dangers of greed.

We’ve all seen people who think that having nice cars, nice clothes, a nice house, and other expensive things make them just a little more important than the rest of us. That’s not an attitude that God is pleased with. Last week, the children learned the dangers of a life of greed. Using the next few verses in the same scripture passage, we will learn some important principles that, if applied, will keep us from falling into the trap of greed. There’s nothing wrong with having “stuff.” But, when your “stuff” begins to make you think you are “big stuff,” then we have a problem that needs to be corrected. That’s what we will talk about this week.