Gods Word Is a Gift to Be Treasured

Gods Word Is a Gift to Be Treasured Lesson 1

Bible Point The Bible teaches

us how to live.
Bible Verse
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

Growing Closer to Jesus

Students will n try to follow secret instructions,
n realize that the Bible can guide them in times of trouble,
n recognize that the Bibles instructions are valuable, and
n commit to follow Gods Word as it lights their way.

Teacher Enrichment
Bible Basis
n Gods Word is a gift to be treasured.
Psalm Psalm 119 is not only the longest psalm in the book of Psalms but also the longest
chapter in the Bible. Although many psalms were meant to be sung, this onebecause
119:11, 105 it is so longmay have been read instead of sung. Most of the psalm expresses
thoughts directly to God, telling of the authors commitment to Gods Word.
In Psalm 119:11 the psalmist refers to hiding Gods Word in our hearts. What
exactly does that mean? Some say hiding Gods Word in our hearts means memorizing
verses, and that is no doubt part of the meaning. However, the meaning of this phrase goes beyond
memorizing to making Gods Word the guiding force in our liveshaving its principles flow from our hearts
into our actions because we have so immersed ourselves in Scripture.
Before the invention of the electric light, nights were extremely dark for travelers unless the moon was
shining brightly. Remembering that depth of darkness helps us understand the image in Psalm 119:105 of
a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. An oil lamp with a small flame would give off enough light for
a person to see the next step on the path. In the same way, Gods Word provides the light and guidance we
need to take the next steps in our lives.
Other Scriptures used in this lesson are Deuteronomy 6:5; Psalm 27:1; Proverbs 21:3; 25:21; Matthew
6:1-4, 7-8; John 14:25-26; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Ephesians 4:25; 6:1-3; Colossians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians
5:22; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; 2 Timothy 3:16; and 1 John 4:20-21.

Prayer
Read Psalm 119:12-16.
How do these verses help explain the main verses for today?
How can you help your class to treasure and live by Gods Word?
Pray: God, help me to use your Word as my guide in leading the children youve placed in my care as I

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 11

 Lesson 1

Before the Lesson

n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab
Supplies listed on the chart.
n Make photocopies of the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your
students.
n Pray for your students and for Gods direction as you teach the lesson.

This Lesson at a Glance

What Students Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies
Attention Secret InstructionsTry to Bible
Grabber follow secret instructions before
reading John 14:25-26.

Bible Gods Little Instruction Bibles, newsprint, marker, tape,

Exploration & BookCreate a book of Bible scissors, pencils, Gods Little
Instruction Book (p. 19), visitor
Application advice by reading Deuteronomy
6:5; Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 21:3; with a baby
25:21; Matthew 6:7-8; Ephesians
6:1-3; and 1 Thessalonians 5:22;
then read 2 Timothy 3:16 and
explore how the Bible is Gods
instruction book for us.

Turn On the LightFollow Bibles

instructions in the dark, read
Psalm 119:105, and investigate
how Gods Word is like a light.

Owners ManualRead Psalm Bibles, CD player

27:1; Matthew 6:1-4; 1 Corinthians
13:4-7; Ephesians 4:25; Colossians
3:13; and 1 Timothy 6:9-10; then
listen to scenarios and share how
the Bible could help those people.

Closing Passing the Good Word Bible, flashlight

Read Psalm 119:105, shine a light
on a Bible in a darkened room,
and commit to follow Gods Word
as it lights their paths.

Welcome
Warmly welcome kids as they arrive. Then gather everyone together and explain
that whenever you sound the hand groan tube, they are to stop talking, raise their
hands, and focus on you. Explain that its important to respond to this signal quickly
so the class can do as many fun activities as possible. Practice the signal two or three
times.

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 Gods Word Is a Gift to Be Treasured

Attention Grabber
n Secret Instructions
SUPPLIES: Bible
Set out the basket, glitter tie, and bendable noodle.
Form two groups, and designate them Group 1 and
Group 2.
Ask: How many of you can read minds?
Pause for kids to respond. Then say: Hmm, not too
many of you seem to be able to read minds. I hope
you dont have trouble with this activity. Heres how
it works. Group 1 will have 30 seconds to huddle
together and decide what it wants Group 2 to do with the gizmos Ive set
out. Group 2 will have 30 seconds to figure out how Group 1 wants it to use
the gizmos. But the two groups cant communicate with each other in any
way. Then Ill sound the hand groan tube, and well all come together.
Have Group 1 huddle apart from Group 2. If kids need ideas for ways to use the
gizmos, you may suggest placing the basket on someones head as a hat, using the basket
to pass notes, using the glitter tie as a scarf, or using the bendable noodle as a belt or a
jump-rope.
After 30 seconds, sound the hand groan tube, and have both groups gather in the
middle of the room. Encourage members of Group 2 to experiment with the gizmos
in hopes of finding the actions that Group 1 thought of. After 30 seconds, sound the
hand groan tube, and have Group 1 tell whether or not Group 2 guessed correctly.
Then have groups switch roles and play again.
Then form a circle, and ask:
What was it like trying to guess what the other group wanted you to
do? (Fun; frustrating; we didnt know what they wanted, so we were just guessing.)
What would have helped you perform the other groups action? (They
could have told us what they wanted us to do; they could have showed us.)
Have you ever tried to do something without any instructions? What
happened? (It was a disaster; it didnt work; I figured it out on my own.) Its important to say the Bible Point
How is doing something without any instructions like trying to follow God just as its written in each activity.
without reading the Bible? (We make it up as we go along; we guess; we do what Repeating the Bible Point again
we think is right, even though we dont know for sure.) and again will help kids remember
it and apply it to their lives.
Say: In this activity, you tried to guess what the other group wanted you
to do. But its not like that with God. We dont have to try to read Gods mind
or guess how God wants us to live.
Ask: How can we know how God wants us to live? (We can read the Bible
and pray; we can talk to older Christians.)
Say: In the Bible, God tells us how he wants us to live. If we dont read the
Bible, we wont know what God wants us to do. In fact, understanding the
Bible is so important that God even gives us help to understand the Bible.
Ask a volunteer to read aloud John 14:25-26.
Ask: Who does God send to help us understand the Bible? (The Holy Spirit.)
Say: The Bible teaches us how to live. Lets learn more about how the
Bible guides us in our lives.

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 13

 Lesson 1

Bible Exploration & Application

n Gods Little Instruction Book
SUPPLIES: Bibles, newsprint, marker, tape, scissors, pencils, Gods Little Instruction
Book handout (p. 19), visitor with a baby
Before class, photocopy Gods Little Instruction Book for each student. Use the
illustrations on this page to make an instruction book to use as an example. Tape a
sheet of newsprint on a wall where kids can easily see it.
Also before class, arrange for a visitor to bring a baby into your classroom.
Invite your visitors into the classroom. Say: We have an unusual visitor in our
class today. This is [name of baby]. As you can tell, he [or she] doesnt have a
lot of experience being a third- or fourth-grader. Please form a line, and
one at a time give this visitor some good advice to remember during the
next few years. Your advice might be about how to get along in school or
with family or friends. For instance, maybe youll want to share that youve
noticed its smart to raise your hand in school before you give an answer.
Share one tidbit of wisdom with our visitor now, to help him [or her] be a
great third- or fourth-grader some day.
Have kids form a line, and let each student walk up to the baby and share some
advice. Encourage everyone to participate.
When students have all offered advice, thank the parent and baby for visiting.
Then say: I think all that advice will come in handyif the baby remembers
it later! In fact, you gave such good advice that I think each of you should
write a bookan instruction book full of wise advice. Let me show you how.
Distribute the handouts, pencils, and scissors. Demonstrate how to fold on the
dotted lines and cut on the solid line. Show kids how to fold the paper the long way
and then grasp the ends and push them together to form an eight-page booklet. The
title, Gods Little Instruction Book, should appear on the cover. When everyone has
made a booklet, say: Now lets find some really wise instructions to put in our
books. Put your books aside for a moment.
Help kids form pairs, and give each pair a Bible. Ask each pair to look up and read
one of the following Bible passages:
Deuteronomy 6:5
Psalm 119:11
1 Thessalonians 5:22
If you cant recruit a mother or
Proverbs 21:3
father to bring a baby to your class, Proverbs 25:21
consider asking the church nursery Matthew 6:7-8
if someone could bring a baby to Ephesians 6:1-3
the door for some drive-through
advice from your students. Or
Ask students to work in their pairs to summarize the wise advice from the Bible
bring a doll or a picture of a baby passage in their own words. Have each pair write the verse reference and sentence on a
to class. page of the Gods Little Instruction Book.
When kids have finished, ask pairs to share what they wrote. Write kids responses
on the sheet of newsprint. Ask students to copy down the references and sentences so
their own books are filled with wise advice from the Bible.

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 Gods Word Is a Gift to Be Treasured

Then have kids form a circle, and ask:

How is the advice you gave the baby in our activity different from the
advice God gives in the Bible? (Our advice was only for kids, but the Bibles advice
is for everyone; the Bibles advice is about all of life, not just about school and stuff.)
How can the advice you found in the Bible help you this week? (I can If you have more than 14 students,
make God happy by doing whats right; I can make my life longer and better by let some of them form trios instead
of pairs. If you have fewer than 14
obeying my parents; I know how to pray better.)
students, assign some pairs to look
up more than one verse.
What are some wise instructions you remember
from all that Jesus said? (Treat others the way you would
want them to treat you; dont worry about tomorrow; pray Bible Insight
about everything; love our enemies.) Psalm 119 is often referred
to as a poem of revelation,
especially revealing Gods
Word as an historical and
eternal communication
How did God know what instructions to put in the Bible? (God knows with Gods people. In this
everything; God created us, so he knew what instructions we would need for life.) specific psalm, the author
stresses our restoration and
How did the people who wrote the Bible know what to write? (The Holy acceptance before God and
Spirit told them; the words came from God.) delights in the importance
Ask a volunteer to read aloud 2 Timothy 3:16. Then say: Gods Word comes and relevance of Gods Word.
from God. God led the people who wrote the Bible to share his story and
his instructions about how to live. Thats why knowing whats in the Bible
is so important: The Bible teaches us how to live. Its Gods instruction
book for us. But when we ignore the words in it or dont even take the
time to read it, the Bible cant help us! This week, as you look through the
little instruction book you made, remember that the Bible is a much bigger
instruction book filled with Gods Word!

HANDS-ON BIBLE
Give each student a piece of yarn or string at least a foot long.
Make sure children have their Hands-On Bibles.
Say: The Bible teaches us how to live. In your Hands-On
Bible, turn to the Its Knot a Problem activity found in
2 Timothy. Children will do an experiment to demonstrate the value of having
instructions to follow.
Encourage kids to show the knot trick to three people in the coming week
and to explain the Bible verse to them. Also encourage kids to look to the Bible
this week for instructions on how to live.

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 15

 Lesson 1

n Turn On the Light

SUPPLIES: Bibles
Before this activity, set the critter poppers in a line near one wall.
Say: Remember our opening activity? You would have had
to be a mind reader to succeed. So Ill make this activity
easier by telling you exactly what I want you to do, but youll
have to close your eyes until I say you can open them. To
make sure no one peeks, Im going to turn off the lights, too.
Turn off the lights, and have kids close their eyes. Give the following instructions,
If students start bumping into
each other, remind them to walk
pausing for 30 seconds after each statement to give kids time to respond:
slowly as they attempt each task. Line up from tallest to shortest.
And make sure kids keep their Find someone wearing blue and give him or her a high five.
eyes closed. You may even want to Pop a critter popper.
provide clean blindfolds.
Pause long enough to allow kids to attempt each task, but dont wait more than 30
seconds. When youve read all of the instructions, turn on the lights and tell kids they
can open their eyes. Have kids sit down, and ask:
Was this activity difficult or easy? Why? (Hard because we couldnt see; not
bad because I remembered what people are wearing and where the critter poppers are.)
How could we have made following the instructions easier? (You could
have let us open our eyes; we could have had guides who could see.)
Say: Being able to see helps us know what to do and where to go. Lets
play againthis time with our eyes open and the lights on. Repeat the
instructions, but this time with the lights on and students eyes open. When youve
given all of the instructions, collect the critter poppers. Have kids form a circle.
Ask: How did being able to see clearly help in this activity? (We could see
who was shorter and taller, where the critter poppers were, and who was wearing blue.)
Remember that kids learn in
different ways. Dont shy away from When have you needed more light? (When I was at a sleepover and had to
an activity just because youve find the bathroom; when I was camping and couldnt find my way back to the tent.)
never done anything like it before. What difference does light make in our lives? (It helps us to find our way; it
It may be just whats needed to lets us see what things are.)
help one of your students get the
Say: In the Bible, the author of Psalm 119 compared something to a light.
point.
Form pairs, and look up Psalm 119:105 with your partner to discover what the
Bible says is just like a light.
Distribute Bibles, and have pairs read Psalm 119:105 together: Your word is a
lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Then ask:
How is having the Bible like having a light? (The Bible helps us see which
way to go, so we dont go the wrong way and get lost; the Bible is a guide.)
In what specific situations would third- or fourth-graders need the light
of Gods Word to help them stay on the right path? (When we feel like lying to
get out of trouble; when we might want to cheat or gossip.)
Collect the Bibles, and say: The Bible teaches us how to live. Gods Word
lights up the dark places in life where we may not be sure what to do. By
following Gods words in the Bible, we can be sure were walking in the light.

16 Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4

 Gods Word Is a Gift to Be Treasured

n Owners Manual
SUPPLIES: Bibles, CD player
Say: When you buy a new bike or a game system,
tracks 2-7
theres usually a little book that comes with it: an owners
manual. The book has helpful information about how
to take care of the product, what not to do with the
product, and instructions for using the product. If you
follow what the owners manual says, you can expect the product to work
well and last a long time.
The Bible is like an owners manual. God, who created us, tells us how to
take care of the life hes given us, what to do and not do with it, and how to
make sure our lives can last forever with him.
Help kids form six groups, and distribute Bibles to each group. (One student can be
a group.) Assign each group one of the following Scriptures:
Psalm 27:1
Matthew 6:1-4
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Ephesians 4:25
Colossians 3:13
1 Timothy 6:9-10
Say: Choose a Reader to read your passage aloud for the class. Listen
carefully to what he or she reads from the BibleGods owners manual.
When all groups have read their passages, say: Im going to play several
messages left on an imaginary answering machine. Ill pause between
messages. If your group thinks your passage in Gods owners manual will be
helpful for the person who left the message, raise your hands.
Play Owners Manual, Part 1 on the CD (track 2). Pause the CD after the
message. Ask the groups that respond to explain how their passages apply. Then play
the rest of the messages, pausing between each to invite participation.
After the last message, ask:
How was the Bible useful for all of these people? (The Bible gave helpful
advice; it told people where to turn and what not to do.)
How can the Bible help you in your life? (The Bible tells me what to do and
what not to do; the Bible gives lots of good advice.)
How well do you know whats in the Bible? How could you learn more?
(I could read the Bible more; I could study the Bible, especially a childrens version; I
could go to church and Sunday school and stuff like that.)
Say: The Bible teaches us how to live. Without it, wed be lost. Lets take
a few minutes to thank God for giving us his special instructions.
Choose a few volunteers to pray and thank God for his Word.
Return the CD to the Learning Lab for future lessons.

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 17

 Lesson 1

Closing
n Passing the Good Word
SUPPLIES: Bible, flashlight
Turn off the classroom lights or go into a darkened room for this closing activity.
Have kids form a circle. Turn to Psalm 119:105, and shine the flashlight on the verse as
you read it aloud. You might want to ask a student to hold the flashlight for you while
you read.
Then say: The Bible teaches us how to live. Gods Word lights our way.
Without it, wed be in the dark. This week, lets commit to look to the Bible
Encourage kids to bring their for guidance and light instead of staying in the dark. If youre ready to
Bibles to class with them next make that commitment, take this Bible and this flashlight when they come to
week. Bringing their own Bibles you, and say, The Bible will light my path.
will help kids become familiar with
Give the student standing next to you the Bible and the flashlight. Have that
using and turning to the Bible.
student shine the flashlight on the Bible and then pass the Bible and flashlight to the
next person. When everyone has held the Bible and flashlight, say: Gods Word is a
lamp to guide our feet and a light for our path. Lets live in Gods light!

Growing closer to Jesus extends

beyond the classroom.
Photocopy the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at
the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home
with your kids. Encourage kids and parents to use the
handout to spark meaningful discussion on this weeks
topic.

18 Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4

 INSTRUCTION
LITTLE
GODS

BOOK
!

Permission to photocopy this handout from Groups Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 granted for local church use.
Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 19
 LESSON 1

The Bible teaches us how to live.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path

(Psalm 119:105).

Does your family regularly read the Bible together?

Every day? If not, why not start today?
Read Luke 4:1-12.
Whats your goal? Do you want to read through the entire Bible? If so, you might
want to try a one-year Bible. How did Jesus knowledge of
________________________________________________________________ Scripture help him in a difficult
Would you rather concentrate on individual books of the Bible one at a time? situation? What decisions or
Some very practical books to get you started are James and Proverbs. After that,
some great reads include any of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), situations would knowing
Acts, Psalms, Ruth, Esther, Galatians through Titus, and 1 Peter through 3 John. Scripture help you with?
Enjoy!
________________________________________________________________ Read 2 Timothy 2:16.
What kind of godless chatter
do people your age say? How

ETC. Youll need two similar po

does knowing Scripture help
tted houseplants.
Place one near a well-lit win you avoid it?
dow and the

ETC.
other in a dark closet or cab
inet. At the end
of the week, compare the Read James 1:22-25.
colors of the two

ETC.
plants. With your family, tal
k about how the What parts of the Bible
light of Gods Word helps
us grow healthy
and strong as Christians. are the hardest for you to
remember? What could help
you remember them?
Make a Bible bookmark to
remind you how important the
Bible is. Cut a 1x5-inch strip from an
For the next
old map. Write, My Bible, a map for my
month, keep
life, on both sides. Cover both sides with adhesive- a journal
coated clear plastic and trim the edge. As you of Bible reading. Read one chapter of the book of
read your Bible, think how the words youre Proverbs each daythere are 31, so you should
reading are like a map, showing you have one for each day of the month. After youve
the right way to go. read each chapter, write one or two things youve
learned from that passage. How can what youve
learned help you each day?
Permission to photocopy this handout from Groups Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 granted for local church use.
20 Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com