Heart Motivation

Heart Motivation

 (Bible Overview #8 of 54)

One Main Truth:  Good motivations please God, bad motivations displease God

New to GameLife 123 Bible Discovery?  Click here to see lesson essentials & how to use the “Three Thirds Method.” 

1 GAME: Gator Gorge

Game / Bible / Life Connection:   In the Game 100% Obedience Only / Cain’s Wrong Motivation in the Bible Displeased God / Wrong Motivations in your Life Displease God

This is Step 1

1. Divide the Players into two teams behind the starting line.
2. Make the finish line only half a meter in front of the starting line.
3. Explain to the Players the small space between the two lines is “Gator Gorge” and Players must fully jump over the finish line to make it safely across. Any Player that does not fully make the jump is out and must sit down well behind the starting line off to the side.
4. After each successful jump, have the Players go back to the starting line and then move the finish line 25 centimeters further away to make “Gator Gorge” wider.   Repeat this step until the end.
5. The winning team is the one with the last 3 team members making the jump.

(leaders, do not give away the lesson, yet it is important that only players making it 100% across the line continue the game, touching the line is the same as missing completely, this will help reinforce the important principle of 100% obedience Not partial obedience). 

     
     To Use GameLife with your Family at Home using Online “Family Games”  or with your Children’s Ministry during a lockdown using “Online-Zoom-Games”

2 BIBLE DISCOVERIES: Gospel & Truth - Proverbs 21

 Game / Bible / Life Connection:    In the Game 100% Obedience Only / Cain’s Wrong Motivation in the Bible Displeased God / Wrong Motivations in your Life Displease God

Cain and Abel::When you get told to do something, do you sometimes think that you would rather do something your own way, instead of the way you were told to do it? The historical events we will discuss today is about someone who decided to do something his own way, instead of the way God said to do it! It was a terrible terrible mistake!!  He disobeyed God and thought his way was good enough!

After Adam and Eve had to leave the beautiful garden of Eden. Do you remember what happened in that story and why they had to leave the garden?? Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree He had told them not to eat from . But it wasn’t long before one of their sons also disobeyed God!

Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel.  Cain was a farmer. He grew a crop of grain that they could grind into flour and make bread. Abel was a shepherd. He looked after sheep, which they were able to eat. Adam and Eve taught their children that they had to sacrifice something to God to please Him, and ask for forgiveness for any sin they may have knowingly or unknowingly committed. (leader: be aware of the age of your children, yet it is important that children understand the seriousness of sin and the need for a blood sacrifice)(leader: the Bible is not clear exactly why Cain’s offering is reflected.  It could be God’s Sovereignty, not blood, not quality first fruits, or God knew Cain’s heart motive) From their parents Adam & Eve, Cain and Abel knew the sacrifice for sin ~ it needed to be a blood sacrifice ~ in other words, an animal had to die. There are lots of stories in the Bible about how God’s chosen people, the Israelites, offered sheep and goats and even big cows as sacrifices to God for their sins.

We will hear later on about the greatest sacrifice ever made for sin! Do you know what or I should say who that was? It was our Jesus, God’s son, who gave His own life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world! We are going to learn more about that amazing grace sacrifice later on. 

Now, back to Cain and Abel.

We know that God never punishes us for doing things that we did not know were wrong, so we know Cain and Abel both knew the sort of sacrifices that pleased God.

However…..Cain, the older brother did something terribly terribly wrong! He decided to make his own rules instead of following God’s rule! He sacrificed some of his grain crop to God. Now God showed Cain that his sacrifice did not please Him. But his brother Abel offered one of his lambs to God, and God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice.

How do you think Cain felt? He became angry. So angry that he did something very very bad! He killed his little brother!!! This was the first murder in the Bible. 

Now you can see that if Cain had just obeyed, and done what God had asked of him, this tragedy, which ruined Cain’s life, ended Abel’s life, and made his parents Adam and Eve sorrowful, all this would not have happened if Cain had obeyed God.

Let us remember to always be careful to obey God 100% in attitude and action, and to only do the things that please God!

3 LIFE CONNECTIONS

  Game / Bible / Life Connection:    In the Game 100% Obedience Only / Cain’s Wrong Motivation in the Bible Displeased God / Wrong Motivations in your Life
  Displease God

Memory Verse:  “The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.”  Prov. 21:27  Extra “Peter said, we must obey God rather than men” Acts 5:29b

Leader, ask God to connect to the children’s minds, the children’s hearts, and in the prayer to connect to the children’s soul.

1. Game 
Was the game easy at first?
Why way it more challenging at the end?
In the game today what happened if you did not cross the all the way, 100%? (the gator would grab my toe and I would lose the game).

2. Bible
Did Abel want to please and obey God? (yes)
Did Cain want to please and obey God? (no)
We know Cain did not please God, because God said “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?’ Genesis 4:7.

 

3. Life
Repeat after me: “God help me to listen to you through your Holy Word, help to please you God, show me how I can please you God *pause*.  Jesus please give me courage to obey and share this truth.”

4. Worship Song
Ask the children what is their favorite worship song and then sing several worship songs with hand-motions
(click here for worship songs “GameLife Strong & Powerful Worship Motions”)

5. Reinforcement 
Use local resources and common objects.
(Optional)
Teach the children to share. Ask them to bring any one item for a classmate.

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