Leader Guide

Teaching

Who can tell me what the word tithe means? A tenth, 1/10. 

 

Show the children the plate of ten pennies. Here’s a plate with 10 pennies. How much is one-tenth of 10 pennies? One penny. 

 

A tenth of 10 pennies is 1 penny. Let’s say that you received 10 pennies for your allowance; and before you spend anything, you set aside a penny to give to God first. This is called tithing.

 

So, how is this different than an offering? Take two more pennies off of the plate.

Offerings are anything above and beyond our tithe. For example, I could choose to give 2 cents more than the tithe as an offering to a mission or a food bank.

 

The Bible tells us that the purpose of tithing is to teach us always to put God first in our lives. Deuteronomy 14:23 tells us:.  

 

 

By putting Him first, we show that we understand everything we have is from God, and we trust Him to provide all we need.

 

Let’s say our SuperVerse, Proverbs 3:9, together:

 

 

This verse in the Old Testament of the Bible instructs God’s people to bring the best, or first part of their grain, vegetable or fruit crops to God. This was their tithe or one-tenth of their harvest.

 

Was this reasonable? Without a doubt! God asks us only for the first part, only 10%, and He allows us to keep 90% for ourselves to save, give or buy what we choose.

 

King David in Psalm 24:1 said:

 

 

Everything we have comes from God. God could have said, “Tithe 90% to Me because it belongs to Me anyway, and you can keep 10%.” Yet He generously gives us all we need and only asks that we give Him 10 percent.

 

King David prayed in 1 Chronicles 29:14:

 

 

The only reason we can give to God is because He first gave to us! So we should have a humble heart of thanksgiving and honor Him by giving Him our first and best gift.

 

Tithes provide money for the various ministries, outreaches and expenses of the church or other missions. Let’s read what God tells us in Malachi 3:10:

 

 

When we tithe, it shows that we trust God—not just with our money, but with our lives. And God says that if we do, He will open the heavens and pour out blessings—more than we have room for! He even tells us to try tithing and put Him to the test to see if His Word is true! This is the only place in the Bible where we are told we can test God!

 

Let’s says today’s SuperTruth together: “I will give first to God.”    

 

Before Chris’s Superbook adventure, he said he would give a donation whenever he had extra money. In other words, God got the leftovers if there were any!   

We should never give God our “leftovers”—only the first and the best!

Hold up the pretzel bowl. Take some “perfect” pretzels from the top and show the children.

These look good don’t they? They’re fresh and unbroken. They look exactly like the picture on the bag! These are the ones I want to eat first!

Transfer the “perfect” pretzels into the empty bowl so only the broken pretzels and crumbs remain in the bowl. Show the contents to the children.

These pretzels don’t look as good as the others. They are broken with a lot of crumbs. How would you like it if when you were hanging out with a friend, you brought a bag of pretzels to share, and your friend ate all of them and gave you a few crumbs left at the bottom of the bag? Children respond.     

Not so good, right? Especially since you brought the bag in the first place!  

 

God is worthy of our first and best gift—every time—not our leftovers!

This isn’t the example God modeled for giving. God never changes; He remains constant, giving us good and perfect gifts every time. (See James 1:17.)

God sent Jesus, His only Son, the best gift He could give. Jesus was perfect and without sin.

1 John 3:5 says:

 

 

Sending His perfect gift was the only way God could save us; anything less would not be acceptable!      

 

Conclusion: So, are you ready to take God at His word, giving Him what is first and not what is left over?

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33:  

 

 

When we put God first in our living and giving, we will have everything we need. He is the source of everything we have now, tomorrow, and forever!   

 

It’s now time for the Discipleship Challenge.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application 

Give the Discipleship Challenge materials to each child who missed Lesson 1; see Lesson 1 for details.

 

Display the model craft of the Giving Bank. Encourage the children to complete their craft at home so they can participate in the Discipleship Challenge.

 

The first Cheerful Challenge verse was 1 Chronicles 29:14; was anyone able to learn the verse; and if so, would you like to say it for us now? Everything we have has come from You, and we give You only what You first gave us! 

 

God never stops giving to us; He is our loving heavenly Father who delights in being generous! He is our source for all we have and will have now and forever; we can only give because He gives!

 

Raise your hand if you were able to drop coins into your Giving Bank in the first challenge. Children respond.  

Would anyone like to share an opportunity you had to give to God or others? Children respond.

 

Challenge #2 of the Cheerful Challenge is listed on your bookmark and Coin #1. Read and try to learn 2 Corinthians 9:8 and continue to be generous with God and others! He has given us more than enough to provide for our needs with plenty left over to share! Pray for opportunities to share and always remember to thank God for His love and care!     

 

Optional: read 2 Corinthians 9:8:

 

 

When we meet again, you will have a chance to share your experiences with this Cheerful Challenge!