Pride Bubble
Key Verse
Proverbs 16:18
Additional Verses
Proverbs 11:2; Galatians 6:3; James 4:6
Materials Needed
- Bubble gum. You can give everyone a piece if you want. (You could also use bubbles or a balloon for a similar effect).
Object Lesson
(Take out a piece of bubble gum and put it in your mouth and begin to chew it. You could also get a volunteer if you wanted to.)
Does anyone here like bubble gum? What is your favorite kind? (Wait for responses.) Do you know how to blow a bubble? Did you know that some people can blow huge bubbles!
I can’t blow a really big bubble, but I will show you how big of a bubble I can blow. (Blow the bubble until it pops.)
Did you know that some people are just like this bubble? They get really puffed up. Do you know what it means when you are puffed up? You are full of yourself or you are prideful.
Being proud means that you think that you are more important that others. God does not like it at all when we are full of pride.
Do you know what happens when we get full of pride? In Proverbs 16:18 it says that pride comes before destruction. That is just like a bubble gum bubble. It gets puffed up as it becomes more and more proud and then finally…POP! It is totally destroyed.
God’s Word tells us that pride will lead us to destruction. Let us put other people and God before ourselves. Let us not boast about things that we have. Let’s make sure that we don’t have a big ego.
Let us walk with humility before our God.
Friction or Peace
Key Verse
Matthew 5:9
Additional Verses
Romans 12:18; Psalm 34:14; Galatians 5:22-23
Materials Needed
- Just your hands
Object Lesson
Everyone show me your hands. Now clap them together and hold them firmly. (Demonstrate this as you go along.) Now rub them back and forth. Faster! Faster!
(Have everyone keep rubbing their hands together until they start to heat up a lot.)
Do you feel your hands heating up? Do you know why they heat up like that? It’s because the friction between your hands. As you rub them together the friction generates heat.
This is what happens when two people are around each other. They start rubbing each other the wrong way. They start irritating each other and they get frustrated. As their frustrating and friction increases the heat builds up. Not the kind of heat that warms up your hands, but this heat comes out with anger or being a hot head.
If you are in a situation that causes friction with someone else you should try to bring peace instead of bringing anger. The Bible says in Matthew 5:9 that God blessed those that work for peace. Peace is also one of the fruits of the spirit.
Maybe you see two other people who are rubbing each other the wrong way. Being a peacemaker means that you step in and try to bring peace to the situation. Some people just sit back and don’t try to help, but God blesses you when you try to bring peace.
Follow the Leader
Key Verse
1 Peter 2:21
Additional Verses
Matthew 16:24; 1 Corinthians 11:1-2; Luke 9:23; Mark 8:34
Materials Needed
- Train set
Object Lesson
(Show everyone the train set.)
Have you ever played with a model train before? Some people get really excited about model trains. They will build elaborate train sets with mountains and towns and train stations. The trains will travel over the mountains and through tunnels and over bridges. Do you know what every train has in common? They always follow their leader!
Have you ever played follow the leader before? (Play a round of follow the leader with everyone following you around the room.)
Trains will always follow their engine. What do you think would happen if one of the train cars decided to not follow the leader engine anymore? (Wait for responses.) It wouldn’t go anywhere! If you were a passenger in that car you would be very upset! A train car is not very useful if it isn’t following its leader.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:21 that we have to follow a leader too. Do you know who that leader is? (Wait for response.) That leader is Jesus Christ! We need to follow him with all that we are.
Through the mountains and valleys that we go through in our lives we need to stay close to our leader, Jesus, and follow him wherever he leads. If we decide that we don’t want to follow him anymore we won’t be able to make any progress in our life and our life will not have the meaning and purpose that God has for us.
Let us always remember that Jesus is our leader and that we need to continually follow him wherever we go in our lives.
Feeling Stuck?
Key Verse
Proverbs 6:6
Additional Verses
Proverbs 13:4; Colossians 3:23; 2 Thessalonians 3:10
Materials Needed
- Plunger
Object Lesson
Have you ever felt stuck in your life? Maybe you are supposed to learn something new, but you just don’t feel like studying it. Or maybe you are supposed to do a big job or a chore, but you don’t want to do it. Maybe you are working on a big project, but for some reason you just can’t figure out what to do next. You feel totally stuck.
When we feel stuck we might need something to help us to get unstuck. Like this?
(Take out the plunger.)
Do you know what this is used for? It helps get your toilet unstuck. Has yours ever been stuck before?
Sometimes in our lives we need something that will help us to get unstuck too. Not like this plunger but something else. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 6:6 that we should not be lazy.
When we feel like we are stuck we should remember that God does not want us to be lazy. We should start moving forward and do the things that we feel are holding us back.
Unlimited Mercy
Key Verse
Lamentations 3:22-23
Additional Verses
Luke 6:36; Matthew 5:7; 1 John 1:9; 1 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 4:16
Materials Needed
- Bucket of water
- Eyedropper
Object Lesson
In Lamentations 3:22-23 it says that God’s mercies are brand new every morning. Do you know what mercy is? Mercy is not getting a punishment that you deserve.
Imagine that you did something wrong and you are about to get in trouble from your parents, teacher, boss, or maybe even the police. How would you fee? Probably pretty scared. You know that what you did was wrong and you know that you deserve to be punished for it. Instead of punishing you though, they forgive you and don’t punish you at all. How would you feel about that? That is mercy.
We all love mercy, but sometimes we begin to wonder how much mercy God really has. Will he run out? One day will he stop giving us mercy? That’s why Lamentations 3:22-23 is such an encouraging verse because it tells us that God’s mercy is new each and every day.
(Show everyone the bucket of water.)
How much water do you think is in this bucket? (Allow for some answers.) Well, I don’t mean in gallons or cups. (Show the eyedropper.) I mean in drops! How many drops of water do you think are in this bucket? Let’s count them together.
(Start taking some water out and slowly letting it drip while you count them out loud. You can count up to 15 or 20 or whatever you want.)
We have barely even taken any water yet! There are thousands of drops of water in here. But do you think that God has more mercy than the drops of water in this bucket? YES!
In fact, we might be able to understand it a little better by taking this eyedropper to the ocean and then counting all the drops of water in there. How many drops of water do you think the ocean has? I don’t even think you could count them all. But guess what? God has more mercy than even that!
His mercy and forgiveness is brand new for us each and every day.
Guard Your Heart
Key Verse
Proverbs 4:23
Additional Verses
Luke 6:45; Matthew 12:34-35; Proverbs 23:19
Materials Needed
- Blindfold or bandana that you can tie around your eyes
- Ear plugs, or shooting muffs
Object Lesson
Do any of you have a heart? Of course you do! We wouldn’t be alive if we didn’t have a heart. A lot of times when we talk about our heart though, we aren’t just talking about the organ in our body that pumps blood. We are talking about our emotions and the things that drive us. That is what we are referring to when we tell someone who we love them with all of our heart.
In Proverbs 4:23 it tells us that you need to guard your heart. That means we need to protect it. How can we protect our heart?
(Take out the blindfold and put it over your eyes.)
We can protect our heart by controlling the things that we see. Maybe you have watched a movie that you shouldn’t have? Maybe you saw a picture that wasn’t good. Or maybe you read something that you know didn’t please God. We need to protect our heart by controlling the things that we see. If something comes on the TV that isn’t pleasing to God, we need to put a blindfold on! OK, maybe that wouldn’t work well, but we can change the channel or walk out of the room.
(Show the ear plugs and put them in.)
Do you know what these are? (Wait for a response.) I can’t hear you, you will have to speak up. (Make everyone yell. Then take out the earplugs.) Maybe I should take these out? I can hear you so much better now. We can also protect our heart by controlling the things that we hear. Maybe you hear someone telling a joke or story that is not good, you can just walk away. Or maybe all of your friends like to listen to a certain band of type of music that you know doesn’t please God. Well, you need to control those things and not listen to them!
Why is it so important that we guard our heart? The Bible says that it controls every thing that we do. If we are always watching and hearing things that are bad then it is filling our heart with bad things. If our heart is full with these bad things, that is what will be coming out in our actions and the way we speak, and that does not please God.
Boundaries
Key Verse
James 4:17
Additional Verses
1 John 3:4; 1 John 1:8; Psalm 119:11
Materials Needed
- Fence. You can use a piece of a fence or if you are unable to get that you could simply use a photo or drawing.
Object Lesson
(Show the piece of the fence.)
Do you know what this is? This is a piece of a fence. Do you know what fences are used for? (Allow for some answers.) They are used for boundaries and protection. They help keep thing good things in and bad things out. If you have some pets that you don’t want to run away you will often put up a fence so that they don’t escape.
Fences are important to have in our lives too. Not a real fence like you would put up around your house. But these fences are the boundaries that we put in our lives to keep us safe.
The Bible tells us in James 4:17 that if someone knows something to be sin and then goes and does that they will be sinning. When we read God’s word we learn the things that please God and the things that make God unhappy. We need to make boundaries in our lives that help us to stay away from those things.
If we are always tempted to steal something then you should make a boundary for yourself to not go into a store alone or you could make sure that you are with someone who will help you. Or maybe you are tempted to tell a lie to someone but if you have fences in your life then you will know that telling a lie would not please God.
Some people think that fences and rules are bad but they are there for your protection.
Self Control
Key Verse
1 Peter 4:7
Additional Verses
Galatians 5:22-23; Proverbs 25:28; 1 Corinthians 9:27; Titus 1:8; Titus 2:12
Materials Needed
- Dog leash
Object Lesson
(Take out the dog leash and show it to every one.)
Does anyone know what this is? That’s right, it is a dog leash. Do you know what it is used for? (Wait for responses.) You clip it to a dog’s collar so that way they can’t get away from you.
Have you ever walked a dog before? Most of the time they don’t just walk calmly by your side. They are running around and sniffing different things and leaving their “mark” on other things. That is why you need to use a leash. If you didn’t have a leash your dog might be running all over the place and it might get in all kinds of trouble. The leash helps you to control the dog and not let it get to far from you.
In 1 Peter 4:7 it says that God wants us to have self-control. Self-control is kind of like this leash that you would put on a dog, except it is putting a leash on yourself. Have you ever worn a leash before? When we have self-control we don’t let our self just go any do any and everything we want to. We make sure that it is something that would please God. Just like a dog would like to run wild, our sinful nature wants to run wild and do whatever it wants. But God wants us to have self-control.
It is not always easy to control ourselves when we are tempted or when we are angry but this is what God wants us to do. The more we read and study God’s word we can learn the things that please Him. So don’t just let yourself run wild! Put a leash on yourself and exercise self-control!
Resist the Devil
Key Verse
James 4:7
Additional Verses
1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11-12
Materials Needed
- Pair of running shoes
Object Lesson
Many times the devil will come to tempt us. He will put bad thoughts in our minds. He will try to get us to do things that don’t please God. He will try to discourage us. He will try to tell us that God does not love us. Whenever we get thoughts like these we need to recognize that it is the devil bringing those thoughts.
The Bible tells us in James 4:7 that we need to resist the devil and he will flee from us. How do we resist the devil? We choose to not listen to him. We quote Scripture verses that we have learned. We rebuke him and command him to leave in the name of Jesus.
(Show the running shoes.)
When we begin to quote Scriptures and use the name of Jesus the devil begins to get scared! He cannot stay around when we are speaking God’s Word and talking about Jesus. Do you know what that devil does? He grabs his running shoes and puts them on! Then he runs as fast as he can to get away from you!
That devil cannon tolerate the name of Jesus. When we resist the devil and tell him “NO” he will run away like a scared little child. He may try to discourage you, but when you rebuke him he will take off!
Whenever we feel like the devil is beginning to speak evil thoughts into our lives we need to resist him and make him put on his running shoes that could be waterproof shoes or many other types.
How is Your Attitude?
Key Verse
Philippians 2:14-15
Additional Verses
Philippians 4:8-9; Philippians 2:5; Proverbs 17:22
Materials Needed
- Two identical balloons tied to string. One is filled with air and one if filled with helium. If you want to you can draw a smiley face on the back of the one with helium and a sad face on the other one, but that is not necessary.
Object Lesson
(Hold the string close to the balloon to they both look the same as they are resting on your hand.)
Does anyone know what I am holding in my hand? Yes! I have a couple of balloons. These both look the same, but you will find that they are actually very different.
In Philippians 2:14 it says that we should do everything without grumbling and complaining. Do you ever complain about anything? Maybe you don’t like working hard? Maybe you don’t like a certain kind of food? Maybe you complain about the weather? God doesn’t want us to do this.
When we grumble and complain it actually drags us down. In Proverbs 17:22 it says that a merry heart is good like a medicine. When we are positive and have an uplifting attitude it build us up. This kind of attitude pleases God.
So many people always walk around with a bad attitude. Sometimes you can’t even tell, but deep inside their attitude is bad. How is your attitude? Is it good or bad?
One of these balloons has a good attitude and one of them has a bad attitude. Can you tell which is which? One of them if very uplifting and the other one is always down, down, down. Let’s see which is which!
(Let go of the balloons. You may want to make sure you hold on to the end of the string so the helium doesn’t fly away. One balloon should now float up and the other one will sink down.)
Which one do you think has the uplifting and positive attitude? That’s right! This one that is floating. Which one do you think has the bad attitude and is always down? That’s right, this sad one hanging here.
Which balloon are you like? The one with a good attitude or a bad attitude?
D5 Creation