The Point of the Lesson:
The students will learn it really matters to God what we do and say each day.
The Power of God’s Word:
Foolish people let their anger run wild.
But wise people keep themselves under control
Proverbs 29:11 (NIRV)
The Prayer for Each Child:
Our prayer is that each child will learn to take the time always to talk to God in prayer, read the Bible, and to seek God’s help with self control.
Lesson in a Word - Self Control
The Story (4-5 minutes)
Adam and Eve had two sons. The first son was named Cain. Their second son was named Abel. Abel was in charge of the animals, and Cain was in charge of the land. God’s Spirit was with Cain and Abel. One day Cain and Abel gave an offering to God. God was very happy with the offering that Abel brought. It was a great sacrifice. God was not happy with the offering that Cain brought because it was so little. Cain was sad and angry. God spoke to Cain and said, “Why are you sad and angry? If you do the right thing then all will be fine.” Cain was jealous of his brother Able. One day Cain said to his brother, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. God spoke to Cain and said, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain pretended that he didn’t know. Cain said, “I don’t know, I don’t take care of my brother.” But then God said, “What have you done? Have you killed your brother? You will be punished now, and you will never be able to grow food again. You will spend the rest of your life looking for food.” Cain said, “How will I survive? What if someone tries to kill me? Then God said, “I will put a mark on you so that no one will try to harm you.” So Cain left the good land. God’s Spirit was no longer with Cain.
Genesis 4
The Big Questions?
What we do matters to God. God is concerned about our actions and our reactions. That’s why we need to pay attention to our actions each day. Are our actions showing the love of God? That is also why we need to take a look at our reactions. When things don’t go our way, how do we respond? Self control is the key to this lesson and we must use self control in our actions and reactions each and every day.
Lead the students in these discussion questions.
When something happens that you don’t like how does it make you feel?
When something happens that you don’t like how do you treat the people around you?
What is self control?
How do we ask God to help us with self control?