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Leader Guide

Object Lesson

  • Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
  • Four volunteer readers
  • Brick or large, flat rock
  • Duct tape
  • Scissors
  • Two shallow pans
  • Pitcher with water
  • Towel for spills  
  • Craft stick—jumbo size is ideal
  • Permanent marker
  • Table

Assign one verse from James 1:5–8 to each volunteer.

Use the permanent marker to draw a sad face on one end of the craft stick.

Cut two pieces of duct tape. Form each piece into a loop by putting one end on the other, with the sticky side facing out. Trim as necessary so the pieces can form a cross. One loop should about the length of the brick or rock, and the other loop about the width of it.

Optional: use the permanent marker to draw a smiling face on the brick or rock.

Practice the presentation so you know how much you can move the pan without allowing the rock to slide.  

Place the two pans on the table, along with the pitcher of water, craft stick, rock, duct tape loops, and scissors. 

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. 2 Chronicles 16:9a:

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Raise your hand if you would like God to show Himself strong in your life.

Raise your hand. I want Him to be strong in my life! What does our SuperVerse tell us to do if we want God to be strong in our lives? Our hearts must be loyal to Him.

Let’s learn a little more about what God says in the Bible about being loyal.

Have the four volunteers read aloud James 1:5–8:

5If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

The Bible compares divided loyalty to waves tossed about by the wind.

Hold up the craft stick, showing the sad face on it. Let’s say that this craft stick represents a person with divided loyalty. He can’t make up his mind about whether to trust God or something else. We can be like that if we’re not careful. We may go back and forth, first deciding to obey God, then changing our mind and going along with the crowd instead. The Bible says that anyone who does this is unstable and should not expect to receive anything from the Lord! Let’s see what happens when he faces a storm. 

Place the craft stick in the pan and pour in a little water until the stick floats. Move the pan gently back and forth so the stick is tossed about as you speak. No wonder this person looks so unhappy!

Hold up the rock. Now, let’s say this rock represents someone who is loyal to God. We want to firmly commit ourselves to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to obey all of His ways. Even so, we cannot trust in our own strength. This rock could still slide around in the pan of water and make a big mess, couldn’t it!

What is the key to staying loyal to God—anyone want to guess?

Trust in Jesus. He is the only person who ever lived a completely perfect life. He never wavered in His commitment to God, and He obeyed every one of God’s commands—even when God asked Him to die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. And because Jesus loves us so much, He shed His blood to wash away our sins.

As you speak, firmly place both duct tape loops on the bottom of the rock, forming a cross. We can’t trust our own commitment to God because we are sinful and weak, but we can trust Jesus’ commitment to God—and we can trust His commitment to us! Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can have a close relationship with God, no matter what storms of life may come.

Firmly place the rock with the duct tape onto the bottom of the dry pan. Pour in some water and gently move the pan back and forth, creating little waves. Now look—what is the rock doing?

Even though the water is moving in different directions, the rock is stable—it’s not being tossed back and forth. This is what happens when we trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

God is scanning Earth to find people who are loyal to Him, even in difficult situations—and He will firmly hold onto us, no matter what happens!

Today, let’s say our SuperTruth together as a commitment to Him: “I will trust God with all my heart.”