Listen. Listen to the pre-recorded Children’s Message together. 

You can find it at pacificunionchurch.org/churchsmall

Review

If we are going to train to run a marathon, why is self-control so important?

What kind of prize did marathon runners get in Paul’s day?

[Hint to parents: In case you didn’t catch it, they won a crown of olive leaves.]

Let’s find out what kind of prize God has for us.

Lesson

[Activity: Play a game like red light, green light. Play until you have one winner. And then give the winner a small prize.]

Ask the person who won, what was it like to win a prize?

Name a prize that you would do anything for. [Have the kids share their ideas]

In Paul’s day runners ran in front of big crowds and the winner had the whole crowd cheering for them as they received a crown of olive leaves.  Can you imagine what it would be like to wear a crown and to have everyone cheer for you? This was enough to make these athletes train hard and use a lot of self-control. 

Did you know that God gives prizes too?

Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 together.

How are God’s prizes better than the prize the runners got in Paul’s day?

[Hint to parents: God’s prizes last forever.]

If the athletes trained hard and used self-control, how much more should we do the same?

Respond. Runners eat right, exercise regularly and practice in order to win a prize. This takes a lot of self-control, because there are times runners would rather eat a big triple death-wish chocolate cake, or sleep in the morning, or skip practice because they don’t feel like it.

What kinds of things do we do to stay in shape as a follower of Jesus?

What kinds of things do we need to stay away from in order to be healthy followers of Jesus?

Why do God’s prizes make self-control worth it?

Share. What is one simple thing you learned this week that you can share with someone else? Who will you share it with? Make a plan to share what you learned this week with this person.