REAL LOVE WEEK 3: I can show God’s love even when it’s hard
WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
Loving Your Enemies: Matthew 5:40-48
“We are always teaching our kids that we need to love God and love one another, but often times neglect to give them tangible ways to do so. In this series, we are going to examine a few of Jesus’ teachings in depth and discover practical ways we can demonstrate our love for God, family, friends, and enemies, too! Our hope is that by the end of this series, every family will be able to say, because God loves everyone, I can show God’s love by being kind, I can show God’s love even when it’s hard, and that ultimately, love is the best choice!”
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February 20: “I can show God’s love even when it’s hard”
Loving Your Enemies: Matthew 5:40-48
Memory Verse
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11
Experience this lesson through family worship:
Read Matthew 5:40-48; after reading the passage, show your kiddos one bunch of bananas.
“What are some things you like about bananas? What are some things you don't like about bananas?
Regardless of how you feel about bananas, they are actually very good for you because they contain many things we need to make our bodies healthy. But you know what might not be so good for you? People who are mean to you, treat you poorly, or hurt your feelings–people who drive you bananas!
But wait! Look at verse 44 again. Jesus tells us to "love our enemies"–that is, the people who drive us bananas–and He even says to pray for them! It is so much easier to show love to people who we enjoy being around and who are also kind to us, but today's Bible verse tells us that anyone can do that. The real challenge is to show love to those who, in your opinion, don't deserve your kindness. Because that is exactly what God did for us –God showed us love by sending Jesus to save us when we didn't deserve saving at all! That's why we should also love everyone –even our enemies –even when it's hard.”
Activity: Scratchy Sandpaper
Show your kiddos a rough piece of sandpaper and let them feel how scratchy it is. “Some of the people we know are kind of like sandpaper. They can be a little rough and hard to get along with. Their words, actions, and personalities might seem "scratchy" to us, and may hurt our feelings or make us mad. But we learned God loves everyone, and that we can also show God's love to everyone by being kind. "Everyone" includes our sandpaper friends. While it's definitely challenging to do so, we can show God's love to them, especially through kindness.”
Additional Discussion Questions:
What does the Bible say about how we should treat our enemies?
How does loving our enemies show we are God's children?
Should we love only those who are kind to us? Why or why not?
Read Romans 12:20-21… What are some ways you can "heap burning coals" of kindness on someone this week?
Why do you think God wants us to love our enemies?
Describe a time when it might be hard to love someone.
How can you still show God's love and be kind in that situation?