Picture Putting Others First!
It's easy to put ourselves first. Our smartphones, selfie sticks, and social media profiles all encourage us to do just that. But Jesus tells us that's not God's way. We can follow Jesus' example and put God first and serve others.
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Deny Your Selfie Children's Ministry Curriculum Lesson Overview
Memory Verse:
“Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must say no to themselves. They must pick up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 (NIrV)
Lessons:
God First
Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40, The Greatest Commandment
Jesus tells us that the greatest thing that we can do is put God first and love him with all our heart and strength. When we do that, we then have the ability to love other people. The most important step in denying ourselves is focusing on God.
Objective: Kids will learn that denying myself means putting God first.
Great Service
Scripture: Mark 10:35-45, The Request of James and John
James and John put themselves first. They wanted to have the greatest place of honor among Jesus' friends. But Jesus told them that they must seek to serve others, and not to be important.
Objective: Kids will learn that a great person serves others.
Good Neighbor
Scripture: Luke 10:25-37, The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Doing good things for our friends and family is easy. But Jesus calls us to be a good neighbor to everyone, even people we don’t know or don’t get along with.
Objective: Kids will learn that we can be a good neighbor to everyone.
Be A Sheep
Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46, The Sheep and the Goats
Serving other people isn't always the easiest or most comfortable thing to do. But when we deny ourselves and go the extra mile, we serve not only other people but Jesus as well.
Objective: Kids will learn that when I serve others, I am serving Jesus too.
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