Be A Cheerful Giver A
Posted by: Buffalo Dream Center
Topic: Christian Character
Verse: ...For God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Props:
Marker
Toilet paper tube
Hairdryer
Ping-pong ball
Instructions:
Discussion:
Introduction:
-Today we are going to learn another characteristic of a Christian
Be A Cheerful Giver
-What do you think it means to be a cheerful Giver?
-To be generous
-To have a good attitude about giving things to other people
-To be willing to give our time, money and lives to God
Illustration:
What to do:
1. Use a marker to write "GOD" on a toilet paper tube.
2. Plug in the hairdryer and point it so that its nozzle is facing upward.
3. Turn on the Hairdryer.
4. Place the ping-pong ball into the airflow. It will hover there.
5. With the hair dryer still on, use your other hand to move the tube into the airflow. As soon as you get in the airflow, the ping-pong ball will launch upward through the tube.
What to say:
Giving is very important to God. As Christians we are to be giving people. There are lots of verses in the Bible about giving. The first one I think of is when God gave something to us. Most of you have heard this verse: "For God so loved the world that He GAVE His one and only son." Another verse I can think of is our memory verse for today, which says, "God loves a cheerful giver."
God first gave to us, and He wants us to be able to give back to Him and to others.
The cool thing is that when we give God is able to multiply our gift and use it to do really awesome things. That makes our gift greater than we could ever even imagine. Who remembers the story of the little boy who gave the loaves and fish? What did God do? God took what He gave and multiplied it to feed more than 5,000 people.
Let me show you how it works. This hair dryer represents me. This ping-pong ball is my gift to God. (Turn the hair dryer on and put the ball in the airflow) Here I am offering my gifts to God. My gifts could be my time, money, service, and my life.
Now this tube represents God. I am going to put his tube over the ping-pong ball and show you How God takes our offering and uses them in a powerful way. (Put the tube over the ball in the flow of the air. The ping-pong ball will go through the tube and be launched. Turn off the hair dryer)
If we are going to live the way Jesus wants us to it is important that we are a giver. It doesn't matter how much you have to give, what matters is that in your heart you are willing to give and that you give cheerfully to God and others.
Bible Story:
Introduction: Today I am going to tell you a story about a lady who was willing to give everything she had. That is the same attitude that we should have.
There was a man alive before Jesus named Elijah. He was a prophet. He told people about God, and how to live in a way that pleased God. When Elijah was alive there was a period of about three years when it didn't rain at all in Israel. Think about how hard that would be. Everything was dying, plants, animals, and people.
God told Elijah to go to a certain city, and when he got there he would meet a widow who would feed him. So Elijah obeyed God. When he got to the city (Zarephath) there was a widow at the gate of the city collecting sticks. He asked the woman for a drink of water (water was hard to find because it had not rained in 3 years), and something to eat. The woman was very willing to help Elijah only she didn't have really anything to eat.
She explained to Elijah that she was gathering sticks, so she could cook the last of her food, which was flour and oil. She was going to feed her son and herself, and then she thought they would die because they would have no food left.
Elijah told her this, "When you prepare the food, prepare a little cake for me first, and use the rest for yourself. This is what God want you to do, and if you obey Him then your flour will never be used up and your oil jar will never run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land."
The widow did exactly what Elijah said to do. She was willing to give what she had to Elijah even though she didn't have very much. Sure enough there was food everyday for Elijah, the woman and her family.
Conclusion:
This woman is a perfect example of a cheerful giver. She was willing to give everything she had just as the Lord had asked. When she did God blessed her and took care of her just as He promised. When we give the way God wants us to, He will always use what we give in a great way, and He will always take care of us.
Pledge:
I promise to do my best to be a cheerful giver. I will not be greedy but generous. I am willing to give my time, my money and my life to God.
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