January 3, 2021
Rules for Life: Play well. Finish Strong
LIFE APPLICATION | Responsibility—Showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you
MEMORY VERSE | Suppose you can be trusted with something very little. Then you can also be trusted with something very large.
Luke 16:10a, NIrV
Grove Kids | Sunday Notes
BIBLE STORY
The Greatest
Greatest Commandment | Matthew 22:36-40
BASIC TRUTH | I should treat others the way I want to be treated.We kick off the New Year in Matthew 22:36-40. The religious leaders were always trying to trap Jesus with His own words. This moment was no different. They asked Jesus, out of hundreds of laws they were to follow, which were the most important. Jesus simplified everything, and made love the top priority. The most important responsibility is to love God, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Bottom Line: Love God. Love others. These are four simple words, but they are not always simple to put into practice. We hope that, as kids discover more about responsibility, they start to understand the ways they can love God and love the people God has put in their lives.
Message to Parents
Every year we watch our kids excitement as they run down the stairs on Christmas Day and throw themselves into their presents after weeks of anticipation. As parents we have the opportunity to just gaze and enjoy this day as the happiness exudes from their faces. The next thought that goes through our minds is, “I just want them to stay this size forever’ and ‘they’re growing up too fast!”…but what if we could keep them from doing that. Here’s an article that might help…
Now for your Kids...
Grab your Bible, a Sharpie, a quarter and get ready to experience Jesus with your kids! Here’s your theme…Responsibility means showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you.
Read Matthew 22:37-40
Tell them, “When Jesus answered the religious leader’s question about the most important commandment, He didn’t stop with “love God.” He quickly added the second, equally important part: Love others.”
“When you think about it, loving God and loving others are like two sides of a coin.” Take your quarter and write “God” on one side and “Others” on the opposite. Now say to them, “Who are we supposed to love?” Flip your coin a few times.
Say to them, “You can’t really say you love God and then turn around and be unkind to your brother or the kid at school. And you can’t really love your brother or the kid at school without loving God. Why? Because God is love. The only reason you know how to love is because God loved you first.”
Give them the coin and ask them to carry it in their pocket this week to remind them of the most important things we’re supposed to do. Ask God to help you love Him and love others, even when it’s hard.
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