Lesso 9 93 Lot ad Abram Divide the Lad Geesis 13 T hird-ad fourth-graders have best frieds who ca easily tur ito worst eemies, depedig o the day of the week or the hour of the day. At this age especially, feeligs are easily hurt ad subs woud deeply. But you ca help kids discover ways to restore ad maitai relatioships. Use this lesso to help kids develop strategies for treatig others as they wat to be treated as the Bible says to do. LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Gettig Started Hads-Full Relay (about 10 mi.) Compete i a relay with too may items to hold. various items from aroud the room such as books, toys, balls, ad markers Place various items o oe side of the room. Bible Poit God wats us to put others first. Key Verse Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31). 2 Bible Exploratio O the Road Agai (about 25 mi.) Travel with Abram through Geesis 13. Bibles, maskig tape, aimal crackers, roud crackers, pes, gree ad brow costructio paper, paper plates, cups of water, chairs, atibacterial gel (optioal) Use maskig tape to mark a circle o your floor just large eough for everyoe i your group to sit iside, but small eough that kids will feel cramped. Also set aside extra aimal crackers. Weavig Faith Ito Life Childre will put others first i specific ways. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Grades 3 & 4 Lesso 9
94 LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Do to Others (about 10 mi.) Discuss situatios that require puttig others first. Bibles, Bible Truth Sleuth, pes Tear out the Lesso 9 pages of each Bible Truth Sleuth studet book. Weavig Faith Ito Life Friedship Bracelets (about 10 mi.) Work i pairs to make bracelets, ad thik of ways to live out the Bible Poit. CD player, resealable plastic bags, several pairs of scissors, 5 craft beads per child Teacher Pack: CD, eo lacig Cut the eo lacig ito three 8-ich legths for each child. The i each resealable bag, place 6 legths of eo lacig, a pair of scissors, ad 10 craft beads. 4 Lastig Impressios Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Bible Truth Sleuth Bracelets from the Friedship Bracelets activity Lesso 9 Grades 3 & 4
95 Lot ad Abram Divide the Lad Geesis 13 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Abram ad Lot Go to Egypt Abram ad Lot had goe south ito Egypt because of a famie i the lad of Caaa (Geesis 12:10). I Egypt, Abram preteded to be Sarai s brother because Sarai was beautiful ad Abram was afraid Pharaoh would kill him ad take her. Pharaoh did brig Sarai ito his palace, but he treated Abram very well, givig him sheep, cattle, servats, ad a lot more. But the God bega to iflict diseases o Pharaoh s household because of Sarai. Whe Pharaoh realized what was happeig, he set Abram ad Sarai away. Abram Returs to the Promised Lad Abram ad Lot headed orth, back to the lad God had promised to Abram s descedats. This was aother log jourey of hudreds of miles. The travelers would travel from oe source of food ad water to the ext, but they would have to stay at each place log eough for the flocks ad herds to recover. As Abram retured to Caaa, he agai called o the ame of the Lord. Perhaps the icidet i Egypt remided Abram of who God is ad of how blessed he was to be chose by God. So Abram s offer probably shocked Lot. Abram, to keep peace withi his family, was willig to give up what was rightfully his. Lot, thikig oly of himself, made a choice his etire culture would have deemed uthikable. God Reaffirms Promises to Abram After Lot left, God spoke agai to Abram, expadig o the promise made earlier. God s commad to Abram to walk aroud the lad likely came from the custom that a ew ladower would walk the boudary of the lad he was purchasig. God was tellig Abram that he had give Abram that lad. The Jesus Coectio Jesus message of a uselfish ad servat heart is cetral to improvig our relatioships. Thak Jesus for showig us how to be servats to all, for his sake. Thik about a relatioship that s importat to you. How would it improve if you put each other first? Look for a opportuity i the comig week to put that other perso first, ad see if it chages aythig. You ca pray for that perso ad write your prayer here. Abram Cocedes the Best Lad to Lot I Geesis 13:5 we discover for the first time that Lot was wealthy. It became apparet that a sigle area was t sufficiet to support both of their families flocks ad herds. I this situatio ad culture, etiquette dictated that Lot allow Abram to take whatever he deemed was rightfully his, because Abram was the more powerful ad wealthy as well as the respected elder. Grades 3 & 4 Lesso 9
96 GETTING STARTED Hads-Full Relay various items from aroud the room such as books, toys, balls, ad markers Hads-Full Relay Easy Prep Place various items o oe side of the room. Hads-Full Relay What You ll Do Welcome kids warmly as they arrive, ad ask them how their week wet. Whe everyoe has arrived, have kids form two teams, ad direct both teams to lie up o the side of the room opposite where you placed the items. Demostrate the game as you say: The first player i each lie will ru to the opposite side of the room ad pick up oe item. The those players will each ru back ad had the items to the ext people i lie. Those team members will ru, carryig their items, to the opposite side of the room ad will each pick up a additioal item. Cotiue the relay, with each player addig a additioal item to carry back ad forth. If ay items are dropped, the player must pick up the items ad cotiue the race. The goal is to fiish the relay first while tryig to hold all the items. At the ed of the game, cogratulate both teams for their efforts. The have kids sit with their teams to discuss the followig questios. Talk With Kids Lead kids i this discussio. What was it like tryig to carry all those items? What would have made this game easier? What are some thigs people try to have a lot of i our culture? Say: I this activity, there was too much stuff for two teams to carry. I the Bible today, we ll lear about two families who also had too much stuff. I fact, they had so much stuff they could t live with each other aymore. As we lear about these families, watch carefully how they hadle their problem. Their actios will give you clues about how GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST. Lesso 9 Grades 3 & 4
97 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION O the Road Agai What You ll Do Have kids sit i a circle. Have kids clea their hads before you begi, ad make sure everyoe has a Bible. Say: I the Bible, a ma amed Abram obeyed God s directios ad wet o a log jourey with his family to a ew home. Let s joi Abram ad his family o the road. Ivite a willig child to read aloud Geesis 13:1. Ivite someoe to be Abram ad to lead the etire group aroud the room oce. The have kids sit dow agai. Ivite aother willig child to read Geesis 13:2. Say: Sice Abram had become wealthy i livestock, we d better brig some aimals ito our group. Give each child a hadful of aimal crackers. Ad sice Abram was wealthy i silver ad gold, I d better give you some moey. Give each child a few roud crackers, ad tell kids ot to eat ay of the sacks yet. Ivite a willig child to read Geesis 13:3-4, but this time say: Sice your hads are so full, I ll hold the Bible for you. Hold the Bible so the child ca read the passage. Say: The tape circle o the floor represets the place where Abram ad his family settled. Everyoe sit iside the circle. Ivite aother willig child to read, ad hold the Bible while he or she reads aloud Geesis 13:5. Say: We ca t forget all about Lot! He was travelig with Abram, ad he was rich too! Give each child a few more aimal crackers ad coi crackers. Say: Tur to the perso sittig closest to you, ad aswer the followig questios. After each questio, ask willig pairs to share their aswers with the rest of the group. What do you like or ot like about sittig smooshed together with your hads full of stuff? What do you thik about the way Abram ad Lot crowded together with all their families, aimals, ad belogigs? Tell about a time you felt like someoe was takig over your space. O the Road Agai Bibles maskig tape aimal crackers roud crackers pes gree ad brow costructio paper paper plates cups of water chairs atibacterial gel (optioal)! ALLERGY ALERT O the Road Agai Easy Prep Use maskig tape to mark a circle o your floor just large eough for everyoe i your group to sit iside, but small eough that kids will feel cramped. Also set aside extra aimal crackers. Say: Let s see what happes ext. Hold the Bible as aother willig child reads aloud Geesis 13:6-7. Uh-oh, it souds like there s trouble betwee Abram s people ad Lot s people. Discuss this questio with a ew parter. Grades 3 & 4 Lesso 9
98 What makes it hard to get alog with others whe everyoe s ucomfortable? Ivite willig pairs to share their aswers with the rest of the group. Say: Let s fid out what they did to solve the problem. Ivite aother willig child to read aloud Geesis 13:8-9. Say: Everybody scoot aroud i the circle util you fid a ew parter. Make sure you do t lose ay of your aimals or gold or get outside the circle. Pause while kids scoot aroud to fid ew parters. The have kids discuss the followig questios with their ew parters. After each questio, ivite willig pairs to share their aswers with the rest of the group. Do you thik Abram s solutio was fair ad peaceful? Explai your aswer. Abram gave Lot first choice of where to move. What do you thik about Abram s kidess? Say: Abram was Lot s ucle, so Abram was techically the head of the family. Because of that, Abram was etitled to the best lad. I fact, he did t eve have to give Lot ay lad, ad defiitely ot first choice. Have kids aswer these questios with their parters. The ivite willig pairs to share their resposes. Tell about a time someoe let you choose somethig first. What did you like about someoe allowig you to have your first choice? Were you satisfied with your choice? Say: Before we go o, I thik this would be a perfect time to discover what the Bible says about puttig others first. Our Key Verse, Luke 6:31, may explai why Abram acted the way he did. Sice your hads are so full, I ll read the verse: Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31). Let s see if Lot treated Abram as he would like to be treated. Hold the Bible, ad ivite aother willig child to read aloud Geesis 13:10-12. Say: Lot chose the better lad for himself ad left Abram with the lad of Caaa a dry, desertlike lad. What differeces do you otice betwee Abram s actios ad Lot s actios? Based o their actios, describe both Abram s ad Lot s persoalities. Say: The Bible says Lot ad Abram separated, so we d better separate, too. Give kids paper plates to hold their crackers. Help kids form two ew, evely umbered groups ad sit i circles o opposite sides of the room. Give each group a Bible. The Lesso 9 Grades 3 & 4
99 give oe group a sheet of gree costructio paper ad a pe. Give the gree group chairs to sit i, ad provide them with extra aimal crackers ad cups of water. Do t provide these thigs to the other group. Say: The gree group will write Lot at the top of the paper ad make a list of all the thigs that make your side of the room better tha the other side. Lot s side looked better tha Abram s because it had fresh water ad gree grass. Give the other group a piece of brow costructio paper ad a pe. Say: Brow group, you ll write Abram at the top of the paper ad make a list of all the ways your side of the room is ot as good as the other side. Whe groups have fiished their lists, have them compare what they wrote. The ask the gree group to thik of ways to show kidess to the brow group ad put them first. At this poit, the gree group ca share the extra sacks ad had out extra cups of water. Say: Eve though Abram did t get the best lad at that time, God had other plas to bless Abram. God had t missed the kidess Abram had show to Lot, ad God was pleased with Abram. Let s read about what happeed ext. Ivite a willig child to read aloud Geesis 13:13-18. Say: Now that you ve settled i your ew homes, go ahead ad ejoy your treats as we discuss these questios. Talk With Kids Lead kids i this discussio. I what ways have you see people i our group put others first durig this experiece? Explai whether the way you ormally act is more like Abram or Lot. Give a example from the past week. God blessed Abram s choice to put Lot first. What does that tell us about God? Say: God promised Abram that he d bless Abram ad that all the lad he could see eve the lad Lot had chose would evetually belog to him. God was pleased with Abram because he treated Lot as he would like to be treated. Let s fid out how GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST, as Abram did. Grades 3 & 4 Lesso 9
100 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Do to Others Bibles Bible Truth Sleuth pes Do to Others Easy Prep Tear out the Lesso 9 pages of each Bible Truth Sleuth studet book. Do to Others What You ll Do Have kids form pairs, ad have the pairs umber off by threes. Give each pair a Bible. Say: Our Key Verse is very importat i our ext activity. Let s take a look at it agai to make sure we remember what it says. Help kids fid Luke 6:31, ad ivite a willig child to read it aloud. The lead the kids i repeatig the Key Verse: Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31). Distribute pes ad today s Bible Truth Sleuth pages, ad have kids fid the Do to Others sectio. Say: GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST. Ad as we discovered with Abram ad Lot, that meas doig to others what we would wat them to do to us. We re goig to talk about some situatios where we ca do exactly that. Oes will follow the directios for Story #1, Twos will follow directios for Story #2, ad Threes will follow directios for Story #3. You ll have five miutes to work, ad the you ca share what you wrote with the rest of the group. Ready? Go! Circulate aroud the room to offer help ad ecouragemet as eeded. After kids fiish, allow pairs to share what they wrote for their stories. Talk With Kids Lead kids i this discussio. How did these stories remid you of experieces you ve had? What did you do i those situatios? Whe is it hardest for you to put others first? What helps you remember to thik about thigs from aother perso s perspective? Say: Like Abram, we ll have opportuities to put others first ad it s up to us to decide whether or ot we ll do it. It s easier to say we ca treat others the way we wat to be treated tha it is to actually do it. But GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST, so let s make somethig to remid us to do that this week. Lesso 9 Grades 3 & 4
101 Friedship Bracelets What You ll Do Have kids form pairs, ad give each pair a resealable bag cotaiig the prepared craft supplies. Say: Just as Abram ad Lot had to decide how to divide the lad, you ll have to decide how to divide the supplies i your bag so each perso ca make a bracelet. Sice GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST, try to help each other i this activity. For example, each of you ca hold the strads of eo lacig while your parter threads beads oto the lacig ad ties kots to make sure the beads do t fall off. As kids work, play Do to Others (Luke 6:31) (track 16 o the CD). Whe kids have fiished makig their bracelets, have parters talk about how they could use the bracelets they made to put someoe first. Talk With Kids Lead kids i this discussio. What did you do to treat your parter as you d like to be treated durig this activity? What did you like or ot like about beig treated that way? What did you like or ot like about treatig someoe else that way? What did you decide you d like to do with your bracelet to put someoe else first? Friedship Bracelets CD player resealable plastic bags several pairs of scissors 5 craft beads per child Teacher Pack CD: Do to Others (Luke 6:31) (track 16) eo lacig Friedship Bracelets Easy Prep Cut the eo lacig ito three 8-ich legths for each child. The i each resealable bag, place 6 legths of eo lacig, a pair of scissors, ad 10 craft beads. Say: You eeded your parter to be able to make your bracelet ad as you put each other first, your project was successful. Whe Abram put Lot first, their separatio of lad was successful ad they avoided fightig. We ca work that way with the people aroud us: our brothers ad sisters, our parets, our frieds, ad everyoe we meet. Noe of us lives aloe our actios affect other people s lives. That s why our actios are so importat. Ad that s why GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST. Grades 3 & 4 Lesso 9
102 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Bible Truth Sleuth Daily Challeges What You ll Do Say: Let s thik about how GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST this week. Have kids fid this week s Daily Challeges o their Bible Truth Sleuth pages ad choose oe to do this week. They ca choose oe or more of these three optios: Help a family member with a chore. Say somethig ice to or about someoe who you do t ormally get alog with very well. Let a fried play with oe of your favorite possessios, such as a toy, a game, or tradig cards. Make sure you choose a Daily Challege as well, ad tell kids what you chose. Kids will be more iclied to follow through o their commitmets whe they see you doig the same. Talk With Kids What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Share a time, a place, or other ideas. Allow time. Say: What Abram did for Lot is a great example of how to put others first. It ca take some practice, but GOD WANTS US TO PUT OTHERS FIRST, too. Let s practice doig that as we follow through o our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Bracelets from the Friedship Bracelets activity Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage kids to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about puttig others first. Kids ca also do the activities i the HomeCoect sectio of their Bible Truth Sleuth pages with their families. Talk to your Director about emailig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families. Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer. Have kids each hold their bracelet ad thik of the perso they d like to give it to i order to put that perso first. The pray aloud: God, we kow you wat us to put others first. Please bless (ivite kids to say the ame of the perso they d like to give their bracelet to) as we give them our bracelets as a gift today. Help us keep practicig puttig others first. I Jesus ame, ame. Lesso 9 Grades 3 & 4