Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L. Hamilton All Rights Reserved. Responsibility Preparation Lesson 4 of 4 Responsibility Answers (Responsibility is accountable and answers unreservedly for what it did.) Scripture: So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12 Print on cardstock one copy each of the pictures on pages 4 and 5. Print one copy of the age-appropriate activity sheet for each child. NOTE: No responsibility without accountability. Never separate responsibility from accountability. Never give responsibility without requiring accountability. Think of the two as permanently conjoined. Review Display all pictures from Lessons #1, #2, and #3. Say: Let s review. (1) Responsibility inspects. You show responsibility when you make sure you understand what others expect you to do. (2) Responsibility finishes well. You show responsibility when you finish a duty or task completely, and as well as you possibly can. (3) Responsibility never dodges. You show responsibility when you refuse to dodge a task or duty, and refuse to make excuses for not doing things. Introduction Say: Today we re going to learn something that many adults don t know! Hold up the picture of the girl and teacher, reading the caption, Responsibility Answers. Say: As you listen to our story, see if you can decide what that means. How does responsibility answer? Tell this story in your own words, changing it to fit your listeners. Theresa had to do a science project. She bounced a ball as she told her younger brother, Juan, about it. Miss Bush said I should find out if beans will germinate if you soak them in a liquid other than water. What does germ germ-i-nate mean? Juan stumbled over the word. Can we do it right now? You little kids call it sprout, Theresa told him. It s when a bean first starts to grow. I m supposed to try to sprout beans in four things: water, milk, juice, and vinegar. But I don t want to do it right now. Juan forgot about the beans, but Theresa didn t. She kept telling herself she d start tomorrow. Even when Miss Bush reminded the class that they had only one week to complete their projects, Theresa decided to wait until the next day to begin. Then, on Thursday, Miss Bush told the class, Remember to bring your completed projects tomorrow.
NO!! Theresa hadn t even started! She raced home, found beans, little purple paper cups, milk, and water but no juice or vinegar. Oh well. She put three beans in each cup. She added water to the first cup, and milk to the second. She put oil in the third cup, and something green in the fourth. Then she sat down to watch television. By morning, the beans hadn t change. Theresa threw them and the empty cups in a box, and went to school. I hope you exercised responsibility in your work, Miss Bush told the science class. Now it s time to answer for your responsibility. Please put your project and your written description on your desk. I ll look at each project, asking you a few questions about it. Your answers will tell if you showed responsibility. The teacher walked around the room, looking at each project: Sandy s candles, David s moldy bread, Joshua s dead cockroaches. Theresa dumped her beans in a pile, pushed the purple cups to one side, and scribbled on a paper as the teacher looked at each project. She was just erasing a word when the teacher got to her desk. Miss Bush smiled. Theresa, do beans germinate if you soak them in a liquid other than water? She looked at the pile of beans and frowned a little. Let s see what you wrote. Theresa mumbled, I I think they germinate. I must have used old bean, though. I guess... Miss Bush looked at Theresa s paper. How long did you soak them, Theresa? Why only two sentences? I well you see it was... Theresa could only stammer. She had no answer. She knew she had not exercised responsibility. The teacher and the other students knew it, too. Miss Bush gave Theresa the consequences of not showing responsibility a failing grade on her project. Bible Story: II Kings 5:19-27 -- Gehazi God tells us in His Word about a man named Gehazi (gay-khah-zee'). Gehazi was a servant. His master s name was Elisha. Gehazi s responsibility was to do exactly what his master wanted him to do. Gehazi s responsibility was not to do anything his master did not want to have done. Usually, Gehazi seemed to show responsibility. But one day! A man named Naaman offered Elisha a big reward because Elisha had healed him of leprosy, a terrible disease. Elisha refused the reward. As the Lord lives, he told Naaman, I will receive none. Naaman urged him to take it, but Elisha refused again, so Naaman and his servants started the long journey home. They d already gone quite a distance when, back at Elisha s house, Gehazi said to himself, My master was too easy on Naaman! I ll just run after them and get that reward he offered! Gehazi didn t tell Elisha, of course. He knew that his responsibility was to do just what Elisha had decided. His responsibility was not to go and get the reward Elisha had refused. Gehazi was greedy, however, so he hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running toward him, he stopped the chariot. He got down to meet Gehazi. Greeting him politely, Naaman asked, Is everything all right? Yes. Everything is all right, Gehazi answered. Then Gehazi told Naaman a whopping big lie. He said, My master just sent me to say this to you: Two young men from the prophets group just came to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing. Certainly! Naaman said, believing Gehazi s lie. Here. Take two talents of silver, not just one!
At first, Gehazi pretended that was too much, but Naaman urged him to accept them. Naaman got two bags from his baggage. He put one talent of silver and a set of clothing in each bag. Then he tied the bags shut, and handed them to two of his servants. He said good-bye and sent the servants ahead of Gehazi to carry the bags. It was a long walk back to Elisha s house on the hill plenty of time for Gehazi to plan what he d do with the reward. When they came to the house, he thanked Naaman s servants, and took the two bags. He put the bags away in the house. Then he sent the men away. When they d gone, Gehazi went to his master s room to see if Elisha had a job for him. Hold up the picture illustrating a seated Elisha and standing Gehazi. Display it to the end of the account. No sooner had Gehazi entered the room than Elisha asked, Where have you been, Gehazi? Gehazi pretended to look surprised. I didn t go anywhere, he lied. But God had already told Elisha the truth. Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? he asked. Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? God revealed that Gehazi was so greedy he d have taken much more as much as he could get! Elisha knew that Gehazi had not shown responsibility. Elisha waited, but Gehazi had no answer. He didn t even try to stammer an answer. He knew that responsibility is accountable it answers easily. He could not answer easily. He could not answer at all. Elisha looked hard at his servant and gave him the consequences of not showing responsibility. Naaman s leprosy will cling to you and your children forever. You will never get rid of the terrible disease. No! Gehazi ran out the door, and when he looked at his skin, he saw leprosy. It was already a very bad case of leprosy! Now Gehazi couldn t be Elisha s servant. He couldn t be anyone s servant. He couldn t even live among other people. He and his family would have to move and live alone until they died of the sickness. Gehazi had not shown responsibility, and he must take the consequences. Apply the stories in age-appropriate words. Hold up the Page 5 picture, and read, Responsibility Answers. You show responsibility when you can answer freely for your work. If you have a school assignment, you do it completely, on time, and as well as you can. Then you can answer without excuses when the teacher checks to see if you did your homework. If your mother or father gives you responsibility to clean your room, you do it completely, on time, and as well as you can. Then you can answer without excuses when Dad or Mom checks your work. Hold up the Page 6 picture, and read, Responsibility Is Accountable. Gehazi s greed made him dodge his responsibility. He thought Elisha would never find out what he did. He thought he wouldn t have to answer for what he did he wouldn t have to give an account a he wouldn t have to explain. BUT! When you are given a responsibility, you must be able to explain whether you did it or not. You must be able to answer that you did your very best, and finished the responsibility completely. God gives you and me a big responsibility and we must be ready to give an answer to God. The responsibility is in the verse right before our memory verse. God says, Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Your responsibility to God is to believe Him, turn from your sin, and be his servant. You must be ready to give God an answer an explanation as to how well you do that responsibility. Close by handing out assignment sheets.
Responsibility Answers
Responsibility Is Accountable
First and Last Name: I show responsibility when I can answer freely for my work. Make an Answer Puppy Follow the directions to make your Answer Puppy. Then make him answer about our responsibility to God. Cut out the square on the next page. Fold and color it as shown below. Lay your paper this way. Be sure the white side is up. Fold it in half as shown by the yellow line. Match 2 corners. Lift just the top layer of the bottom corner. Fold it up a little bit. Fold as shown by the yellow line. Open your paper again. Keep the white side up. Fold the top corner down to the bottom corner as shown by the yellow line. Lift the top layer of the fold you just made. Fold it over again as shown by the yellow line. Draw eyes on the brown face. Add a nose on the folded white and a tongue on the bottom white layer. Fold the 2 top corners down as shown by the yellow lines. Fold toward points about where the 2 stars would be. Make your puppy answer. Hold his ears where you see the stars in the picture. Push and pull the way the arrows show. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Responsibility #4 Ages 3 to 7 Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L Hamilton For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com
Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Responsibility #4 Ages 3 to 7 Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L Hamilton For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com
First and Last Name: I show responsibility when I can answer freely for my work. What did you learn about the sentence above? On a separate paper, make a design for a tee shirt. Make the design show what you learned about the sentence in blue above. Use words from your Bible memory verse and a picture in the design. When you like the design, do it again on the tee shirt below. Use color. Work carefully. Be ready to answer freely for your tee shirt design. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth L Hamilton Responsibility #4 Ages 7 and up For more information, visit www.character-in-action.com