Advanced Level, Block 8—Remnant Standing Properly
Week 73
Willingly Offering for God’s House
Point to Emphasize: We need to learn to give willingly to God.
Reference Reading: Ezra 1:6b; 2:68-70; 3:5, 7
Memory Verse: Each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Story Sample
Let’s say each of you has $10 that you have earned. When you go to a candy store, what would you do with your $10? [Let some children answer and in conversation with them ask them if they are spending it all on themselves or if they would buy candies for someone else.] It is interesting to hear what you would do with the money. I wonder how many of you deep down inside had the thought of spending the money all on yourselves but didn’t say it out loud. For the ones who said you would buy candy for someone else, how much of the $10 you would use to buy candy for others? Do you have the heart of a cheerful giver? The truth is that most of us don’t like giving. In our hearts, we are greedy and stingy. It is almost impossible for us to be generous.
There is a story in the book of Ezra about the children of Israel returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the house of God. It shows how generous some people were in their giving. First, there was King Cyrus who gave all the Jews their freedom. Even though he was not a Jew, he made a proclamation and let the children of Israel return to their land. Also, he was generous in that he returned all of the precious gold and silver that the Babylonians took from Jerusalem when they carried away the children of Israel into captivity. The value of all those vessels in today’s money would be in the billions! Cyrus did not keep these things, but he generously gave them back to the Israelites.
In the same story, we find that some of the leaders willingly offered their precious things to God for the rebuilding of the temple. Interestingly, the Bible uses this adjective, “precious”. Precious means something of great value; something not to be wasted or treated carelessly. What is a precious thing to you? Would you be willing to give up a “precious thing” that belongs to you? [Discuss these questions with the children.] The children of Israel not only offered to go and help with the rebuilding, but they also offered what they had. They did not give out of a sense of duty or because it was demanded of them. They saw the need and they just offered their “precious things” to God for the rebuilding of the temple. These ones were definitely generous in their giving.
Here is an example of giving. When I was about 13 years old, the church needed to buy a bigger place to hold meetings and conferences in the city where I grew up. It was going to cost a lot of money. So, there was a need for some to go and help with the building work and for some to give money. Well, my family had been saving money for a couple of years for a family vacation. But, when my dad heard of this need, he immediately considered that we could offer what we had saved. So, he called us into the living room and presented the situation to the whole family. In his heart, he was willing to offer all of it. But, as he was speaking to us, I realized I was greedy. I did love God and wanted God to have what He needed for this property. But, I was not willing to give up the money we had saved for our vacation. I was being selfish and wanted to keep the money for our family. I was happy that my dad didn’t force us to make a decision right then and there but asked us to consider it. At that moment I realized I loved money and I loved the vacation that money could buy. So, I began talking to God about this. I also had many conversations with my parents. They helped me to see that it was not good to be selfish and greedy. They helped me to see that greedy people are never satisfied and always want more and more. They helped me to see that it was much better to give to God than to want to keep something for myself. I came to realize that giving to God was the best way because God would always take care of all my needs. [Storyteller, give your own example of offering your time or things willingly but having a hesitation within you due to being greedy or stingy. The example should lead to a discussion of what the children would have done.]
You know when you look around, you might see examples of people you know who are cheerful givers. There is this grandpa who doesn’t like to buy things just for himself. When he needs to buy a tie, instead of spending all the money on one expensive tie, he uses the money he has to buy two ties. He keeps one for himself, and he gives the other one to someone who needs a tie. He is a cheerful giver! There is a mom, who whenever she cooks her favorite meal, takes some to her neighbors. She is a cheerful giver! Boys and girls, when you have an opportunity to give of your “precious” things, do you have the heart of a cheerful giver? Or, do you resent giving because you are selfish and greedy? I want you to think about it and be honest with yourself. Since you were a toddler you have been told that you need to share with others. But, even now, why is so hard to willingly give others what you have and especially to give of your “precious” things? The truth is that most of us don’t like to give. We have to admit that most of us want to keep things for ourselves. We often want more than what we need and it is almost impossible for us to give generously. Even though we are 4th and 5th graders, we all need to learn to give. Our parents can help us on how to talk to God about this and to learn how to be generous, giving willingly to God and others.