Bible Bites ~ LOVE...week 3

Love (1 Corinthians 13: 1 - 8) ...Week 3

Click here to see Week One

Click here to see Week Two

BREAD: Aim to read 1 Corinthians 13: 1- 3 once a day to your tot during a meal or a snack. (This happens to be my favorite - or, most successful - tactic to increase my tot's attention span!) If this is a new habit for you, I suggest you choose a regular time and pattern for your reading and within a few days, you both will be accustomed to enjoying God's Word together.

BITE: "Without God's love, we have nothing; but with God's love, we have everything."

BELIEVING: Make the Scriptures come alive for your little one with these simple ideas:

• Sit on the kitchen floor with an assortment of pots and pans; wooden spoons and measuring cups. (and ear plugs, if necessary; you'll see why in a moment!) Script: "God loves us in a special way. He wants us to love Him and each other in that special way. If I do not LOVE God's way, I have nothing! But if I do love God's way, I have everything!" Read 1 Corinthians 13:1 aloud. "Even if I say really fancy words, but don't love God's way, I actually sound JUST AWFUL! It's kind of like this: If I say 'I love you because you give me presents and give me lots of attention.' I'm not loving the way God wants me to love and I really sound like this: (Say the words again, but clang pots and pans all over to totally cover up your words. The more alarming you make this, the better your point will be!) Didn't that sound JUST AWFUL? That's not God's way of loving each other." And then - you guessed it - help your tot come up with other "unloving" examples and excuses to bang those pots and pans! It'll be lots of loud fun! Remember to drive home the point that without God's love, we sound JUST AWFUL!


• Write 1 Corinthians 13:2 on a post-it-note. Dust off your biggest, heaviest book and show it off to your tot. (Try this: Can he hold it with both arms? How about with one arm?) Script: "There's A LOT of knowledge in this book. It would take me days and days and days to read and memorize all of this knowledge! If I understood everything in this book, I would be very proud of myself! Wouldn't you think I was so smart?! Maybe you'd call me THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE WORLD! But God says that even if I knew all of the stuff in this book, but didn't love God's way, I'd be NOTHING! Not the SMARTEST PERSON IN THE WORLD, not even the HALF-smartest person in the world... I'd be NOTHING."
  Stand up with the book propped in your arms like the stereotypical sage. Attach the post-it note to the front of the book. Read 1 Corinthians 13:2 aloud. Drop the book with a thud hen you read the word "nothing" and hold your hands open, empty. Let your tot imitate the skit with a line like, "I am SO smart, but without love, I am (THUD!) nothing!" Wrap it up with, "God loves us in a special perfect way. He wants us to love Him and each other in that special way. If I do not LOVE God's way, I have nothing! But if I do love God's way, I have everything!"
  
• One morning, set up a bunch of your own valuable things in the living room alongside a big cardboard box or plastic bag. (Your purse, jewelry, your fly reel, whatever.) Invite your tot over to handle some of these things and talk briefly about how much you value these things. Read 1 Corinthians 13: 3.
  Script: As you pack each item into the box or bag, explain to your tot, "What if I packed up all of these wonderful things and gave them away JUST BECAUSE I wanted everyone to know how generous I am; JUST BECAUSE I want to be famous for giving away all of my favorite things? What if I did it without God's love?"
  Once you have everything packed up slide the box behind the couch or out of the room so that it is out of sight and sorrowfully say, "I'd give it all away, and I'd have NOTHING in return." Open your hands, empty.
  "But, we both know that when we give gifts WITH God's love, we get so much happiness in return. Today, let's each find one of our favorite treasures to give away... but let's do it with love in our hearts so that we get happiness in return."
  Together, find something that you each can give away in love. Be sure that the delivery and the "return of happiness" happens in the same day. And because you have it memorized by now, conclude your Situation with: "God loves us in a special perfect way. He wants us to love Him and each other in that special way. If I do not LOVE God's way, I have nothing! But if I do love God's way, I have everything!"