Every Good and Perfect Gift
Find and recite James 1:17
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Find and recite I Kings 17:7-16
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ ”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
Find and recite 2 Corinthians 9:7
7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Find and recite 1 John 3:16-18
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
What good things has God given you?
Accept multiple answers
What do you have to give?
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How do you feel when you give?
Accept multiple answers.
When has someone been generous to you?
Accept multiple answers.
What relation was James to Jesus?
James was Jesus' half brother
Elijah was a prophet.
What is the job of prophets in the Bible?
A prophet is someone who tells people things that God wants them to know.
2 Corinthians 9:7
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
Does God expect us to give because we should feel guilty when we don't?
Accept multiple answers.
The kind of giving Paul was talking about is the kind where we make up our minds to do it. And we don't give because we feel like we HAVE to. We give because we WANT to.
What do you think it means when John says that "we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters"?
Accept multiple answers.
Give your life through serving others.
What is the "greatest" gift that God has given us?
Jesus
In 1 Kings 17, what did God use to provide Elijah with food - bringing him both bread and meat?
What are Ravens
Find and recite 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
Give an example of how you can "see a need and meet a need"
Accept multiple answers.
The more you look, the more you'll see things that other people need. Unfortunately, we live in a broken world, and you can't fix everything. But what you CAN do is make a big difference to those around you. You can choose each day to give a helping hand or share your time.
God gives us _ _ _ _ things.
What is "good"
In 1 Kings 17, what does the Bible tell us that lets us know that the widow at Zarapeth was about to eat her last meal?
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
How can you give with a good attitude?
Accept multiple answers.
Once you've made up your mind to give your time or your stuff, don't focus on what you're giving up. Instead, focus on how God can use what you are giving to bless His people.
Jesus showed us how to _ _ _ _.
What is give