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Psalm 138

Of David.

¹ I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
² I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness.

Object Lesson

ITEMS NEEDED:

A bag full of jelly beans

Begin this lesson by holding up the bag of jelly beans and asking if any kids can guess how many jelly are in the bag?

There’s an actual number of jelly beans in this bag. I don’t know the number myself, but if we wanted to find that number, we could rip open the bag and count them. I doubt we could get very far. These are jelly beans, not marbles, and it wouldn’t be long before we went from counting jelly beans to enjoying them.

That’s exactly what happens when we start to count the things God has done for us. When we start to count God’s blessings, we eventually lose count. We stop thinking about numbers and we start thinking about just how loved we are. God sent his son Jesus to die for us, and God has given us countless blessings on top of that. He’s given us families, friends, the beauty of nature, awesome music, and so much more.

God loves us, and he made this amazing world filled with blessings to show us we are loved. Let’s love God back by counting our blessings and thanking him every day for all of these reminders that he loves us. God’s love, as well as a good way to work your way out of a sour mood. Next time you’re feeling down, count your blessings. See how high you can count before you break into praise for all God has done.

Memory Verse

Thankfulness

BOTTOM LINE:

We can thank God by giving back.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will think of one way they can show thanks to God by giving this week.

KEY PASSAGE:

Luke 19:1-10, The Story of Zacchaeus

MEMORY VERSE:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

God can use us to share his love with others by showing them what he has done for us. We can thank God by giving of our time and our gifts.

LESSON SNAPSHOT: THANKFULNESS

BOTTOM LINE:

Be thankful for God’s plans.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will choose one talent, gift, or trait God has given them that they are thankful for.

KEY PASSAGE:

Jeremiah 1, God calls Jeremiah

MEMORY VERSE:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”
1 Chronicles 16:8 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

God is our creator, and he has a special plan for all of us. That’s a great reason to be thankful, and a great reason to be obedient.

OBJECT LESSON

ITEM NEEDED:

An apple

Apples are part of God’s creation. God created apples for our enjoyment, and for our nourishment. God put seeds inside apples so that we could plant and grow apple trees, and he created apple trees to grow more apples.

What are some of your favorite treats that include apples?

Every part of God’s creation – from the sun to the tiniest insect – has a purpose. It’s all part of the amazing creation God made for us. He gave us apples, flowers, animals, the sun, moon, and stars to show us that he loves us. And just as God has a purpose for all these things, he has a purpose for us.

God has given each of us talents and gifts that are unique. He has made plans for each one of our lives. He wants us to play a part in sharing his love with our friends. Let’s thank God for those blessings and ask him how we can use our gifts to glorify him.

CRAFT ACTIVITY

Have the kids draw a picture of themselves using one of their gifts to serve Jesus.

The Final Lesson in this Series, Join us again next week for a new one!