Leader Guide

Additional Activity

Two tall, clear plastic drinking cups or storage containers - 32 ounce size is ideal
Table
Paper: approximately 20 sheets
Bibles or the Superbook Bible app

Crumple each sheet of paper into a loose paper ball; don’t compress tightly.

Place the paper balls in a pile on the table.

Put the two tall drinking cups on the table near the paper balls.

When we give freely and cheerfully to those who cannot repay us, we are actually giving to God, and He promises to bless us! Proverbs 19:17 says:

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD—and He will repay you!

Everything belongs to God, so everything we have comes from God. We don’t actually own what He gives us; He trusts us to wisely manage and use what He has given us. This is called stewardship. Yet even though all we give is His, He still promises to repay us, especially when others can’t!

Jesus talked about the benefits and blessing of giving. He said in Luke 6:38a:

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.”

Jesus wasn’t just speaking about giving to our family and friends, He was talking about being generous even to our enemies and those who cannot give back to us. This verse applies to money and also to anything else that we freely give to others—things like forgiveness, mercy, kindness, love, and compassion.

Let’s take a look at how God gives back to us according to what Jesus said in Luke 6:38.

Stand behind the paper balls and the tall containers/cups.

Place one cup (Cup #1) toward the front of the table. This cup represents God or someone with a need.

The paper balls represent things we give. It can be a tithe or an offering to God. It can be a donation to a foodbank, or anything given to someone in need.

Raise your hand to guess how many of these paper balls will fit into this cup. Children guess.

Let’s see if anyone guessed correctly. Count aloud as I place the balls in the cup.

Slowly place balls into the Cup #1 as the children count. Add only enough to fill to the rim—not over.

Raise your hand if you guessed {correct number} balls. Children respond.

Now, it is important to remember Jesus said the widow’s offering of two mites was greater than what the wealthy people gave. More is not necessarily better!

Empty Cup #1 and place the empty second (Cup #2) next to it.

Point to Cup #2. This cup represents us. Raise your hand if you think this cup will hold the same number of balls since they are the same size. Children respond.

Ask the children to count aloud as you add one ball at a time. Begin to place paper balls into Cup #2 as you did with Cup #1. However, each time the balls reach the rim of the cup, press them down and tap the bottom of the cup on the table to make room for more.

Repeat, adding and counting until there is no more room to add more and the balls overflow the cup.

This time, {number} balls filled the cup until it ran over! This is how God promises to give back to us—pressed down, shaken together, and running over!

So, why is God generous toward us; is it so we can keep everything to ourselves? No.

Read 1 John 3:17 (NKJV):

But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Hold up Cup #2. We have so many things to share, even if we don’t have money! We have other possessions, spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, forgiveness, mercy, hope, the Good News of salvation, and the other countless blessings God gives to us through Christ.

Begin to take the balls out of Cup #2, reform them and place them into Cup #1 until it reaches the top. He gives generously to us so that we can generously and cheerfully share what we have with others.

Conclusion: We should never give just so we’ll get something back. We want to give freely, cheerfully and generously. And God will bless our lives abundantly in countless ways!