After completing this Sunday school lesson, the children will learn that God always has been and always will be infinitely good. Children will also learn that any of the good they have comes from God.
TOPICS
Blessings, Happiness, Knowing God, Thankfulness
AS KIDS ARRIVE (10 minutes)
What Is Goodness? (Activity) Click here
OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISE (5 minutes)
Further info? Click here
MEMORY WORK (12 minutes)
"‘For I am a great king,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and my name is to be feared among the nations.’"
Malachi 1:14b NIV
Have children sit in semi-circle of chairs with the whiteboard in front of them. Write the memory verse on the whiteboard leaving room in between each row. Tell them that this will be our memory verse for today's unit on the Attributes of God. Have the children say the verse out loud all together.
Draw a picture above each / most of the words to help the children remember that word. Click here for an example
Have the children say the verse out loud all together again using the pictures. Then, erase the words leaving only the pictures, and have the children say the verse out loud again.
SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION (15 minutes)
Introduction:
God's goodness is everywhere, and we can be thankful for having such a wonderful God. As we read from Psalm 145, listen to all the different ways God shows His goodness.
Read Psalm 145 (The Praise of David)
Discussion Questions:
1. Who can fathom God's greatness according to verse 3? (No one.)
2. According to verse 7, what should we do because of God's abundant goodness? (Celebrate.)
3. Look at verse 10, what will everything God made do? (Praise Him.)
4. Where is God for all those who call on Him in truth (verse 18)? (He is near.)
5. What does God do for those who fear Him (verse 19)? (He fulfills their desires.)
6. What does God do for those who love Him (verse 20)? (He watches over them.)
7. In what other ways have you seen God's goodness take place today? (Allow for discussion.)
Optional Study
Give each child a copy of the assignment "God Is Good" Click here for Answer Sheet
This can be completed during class, or as a homework assignment. Read the directions at the bottom of the page and ask if there are any questions about the assignment.
Depending on the age of the children, take a few moments to discuss what a Bible concordance is and how to use it. As time permits, look up several of the passages using a concordance in class. If doing this during class, have the children find supporting verses for at least one statement from each category. If doing this as a homework assignment, have them find at least two supporting verses. Ask the students to bring their finished assignments back next Sunday for further discussion.
CLASS EXERCISE (10 minutes)
God's Goodness (Object Talk) Click here
ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (5 minutes)
What's Inside? (Object Talk) Click here
APPLICATION (4 minutes)
God is good and loving. Because of God's goodness, we should worship Him daily. Without God, there would be no good in the world. Take time each day to look around and thank God for all the good you see. As you do, you will see that God abundantly blesses us with His goodness each and every day.
Discussion Questions:
1. What did you learn today about God's goodness? (Allow for discussion.)
2. How will you share what you learned about God's goodness? (Allow for discussion.)
NEXT WEEK
Come back next week to find out why it is okay for God to be jealous. In addition, remind the children to return their completed homework assignments next week.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Further info? Click here
TAKE HOME PAGE
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Click here for NIV or KJV [PDF]