Home \ Resources \ Little Talkers \ The Gift of Love | |
|
Parent Guide Why is this study so important? There is great importance to this story of God's Live. It begins with Creation and goes on to Bethlehem and the birth of the Christ. The story continues with the life of the Son of God who performed many miracles, healed the sick and raised the dead to show the world who He really is. His power and majesty unfold in this story of the Creator of the Heavens and the earth. When our Lord entered into Jerusalem on the triumphant Sunday just before the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, He know the great purpose for which he came and what is waiting for each of us in Heaven if we trust in Him. That is why He became God's Gift of Love. How to use this study As you read this Story to or with your children, point to the pictures that illustrate the story so your children begin to associate the words with the actions. By reviewing the Video with your child and by asking questions and reinforcing the truths and values in the film as detailed in this guide, you will be placing these concepts into your child's mind so that they are reinforced each and every time your child watches and enjoys this film. The Audio can be copied to your computer where you can then transfer it to a CD or a portable media device such as an MP3 player. Then you can take the story with you. Remember to make this learning experience fun for you and your child. The Coloring Book and the activities in the Student Guide are also designed to teach and reinforce those same Biblical truths. The Quiz will allow you the opportunity to see what your child has learned from experience, so that you will be able to apply these truths to your child's daily walk with God. These questions can be asked in a conversational manner rather then like a test if you so desire. Talk with your child about this Biblical story and what it means to them in order to reinforce these truths. This will lead to a proper understaning and application of this story to your children's daily walk with the Lord. What are we learning? As we learn about the life and death of Jesus we are also learning about how much God loves us. God sent His only Son to die for our sins that we might live for Him. When Adam ate of the fruit in the garden, sin entered in to the world and a gap was developed between God and man. Though man has tried every way possible to bridge that gap, Jesus God's Son, is the only way. He lived a perfect life and demonstrated that God's standards could be lived up to by being in perfect fellowship with Him. It is the result of the life of Jesus that we can once again have that fellowship with God and therefore live our own lives in accordance with God's standards, as Jesus did. Only through the acceptance of God's gift of salvation can we truly experience God's love in our lives. As God tells us to live for Him and to obey Him, we need to do it. Sin can only be conquered through God's Son, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit which we receive when we believe in Christ and accept God's Gift of Love. When we accept God's gift and obey His command, we are doing God's will, which is the only wise way to go if we are to grow in the Lord. After all true wisdom comes from God and is gained by following Him each day, jsut as Jesus did, and by being faithful to His Holy Word. This truth is what we must apply to our lives on a daily basis. Learning Objective To understand the depth of God's love; a love that was so deep He sent His own Son to die on a cross. A cross that was the most excruciating and painful death, which Jesus did not deserve. The death was meant to be ours, but by sending His Son, God provided us a way to know Him and regain the fellowship we lost when sin entered into the world. Only in applying God's gift, in accepting God's provision of salvation can we experience the joy and peace that God wants each of us to enjoy.Scripture References: John 3:16-18The Application When we consider why the Lord came to this earth to save us from our sins that we may live with Him forever in Heaven, we can then understand the importance of thie great Gift of God's Love to Mankind. So often we think of so many reasons why we can't accept the Lord or serve the Lord, but when we think of the great sacrifice of our Lord on the cross and the power of His resurrection, all doubts and fears on our part should vanish. God spoke to us through His On and told hus what do do. He even gave His son to die for us to that we may have eternal life. If we would only learn from God's great Gift and live for Him, how much better would our service for our Lord be? We need to be obedient, to be ready and willing to do what God wants us to do each and every day. We truly need to apply God's Gift of Love to our own lives so that the power of the Creator will truly fill our lives with the Gift of His Love. Performance Objective To see this truth live in our children we must teach by both word and example. We need to remind them of God's Gift of Love. To see a true change in our children's actions we must make these stories real in our own lives. We must also keep the application alive by constantly reinforcing this concept whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. Then we will achieve our goal of a life-changing attitude geared toward eternal values for which we will all be held accountable when we stand before God. Spiritual Application Our purpose of making the Scriptures come alive can only be accomplished if the application is kept simple and these truths are understood. Thus we accomplish our spiritual objective by explaining the eternal consequences of our daily actions. The Gift of Love shows the depth of God's great love for Mankind. In giving His Son, Jesus Christ, He has provided a means for everyone to come into fellowship with Him. We must teach the consequences of sin and apply the results to our own lives so that our children will know importance of obeying God and the dangers of sin in their lives. But we must also emphasize how much God cares for us. By watching this film and using the Student Guide children will learn by repetition and reinforcement. You will have the opportunity to explain, discuss and apply these spiritual truths in a real and meaningful manner that will truly have an eternal effect on your child's life. Vocabulary Words As an added learning objective, a vocabulary test or quiz can be created from the story. Such a test could be difficult using words like "begotten" and "sacrifice" or very simple using words like "gift" and "love", depending on your child's age. The "words to live by" section of the Student Guide provides an excellent beginning point for a vocabulary test as well as a way to test your child's comprehension of the subject at hand. Spelling Words A similar test or quiz could be given on the vocabulary words mentioned above or on different words to challenge your child's spelling ability and to enhance the learning process. The level of difficulty and the number of words selected is up to you, but the more you utilize the tools provided in this series and reinforce these truths, the more you can expect living results in your child's actions and attitudes. It is not necessary to force these activities on your child as tests in the formal sense, but you can make a game of it as somthing new to learn or a special fun time. These tests on vocabulary words or spelling do not need to be given at the same time or all at once. A few words each day while riding in the car or even while waiting in a line at some event, not only provides your child with an additional learning experience, but also opens the door to further discussion and allows you to emphasize again the important Biblical truths related to us by the story "The Gift of Love". Some things to remember The following questions are given to help your chilren understand the truths that are presented in "Gift of Love" and why it is so important that we remember these truths and obey God each day. Discuss these questions with your children and have them write down their answers on a separate piece of paper or talk about them with you. Be sure that they understand how to apply these truths. How does God show His love for us? What was the result of God showing His love toward us? What happened as a reuslt of accepting God's gift? How does this gift affect you in moder times? How was Jesus different that people of His day? What did Jesus do for us by dying on the cross? How does the life Jesus lived relate to our salvation? How should you live your life each day? What did you learn from "The Gift of Love" that will help you to be faithful? How will this help you each day as you obey God and live for Him? |