This is lesson 1 of 3 in the Sabotage kids sermonlink series. See also the adult edition of this lesson.
Hey kids, today we’re talking about two guys from waaaay back in the Old testament. But, before we get to the lesson, I have a joke for you. Joke: Why did the lobster lose all of his friends? Because he was shellfish! Get it? Shellfish sounds like selfish!
That’s what our lesson is about today – a guy who was selfish.
The story of Abraham and Lot is a story about selfishness
Abraham was a wealthy guy who had a nephew named Lot. They were traveling together to find a new land to call their own.
Let’s go to the Bible to hear about their story.
Genesis 13:1,5-6 So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned….Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together.
Did you catch that? Both men couldn’t live on the same land so one of them was going to have to keep traveling to find another spot.
Genesis 13:8-9 Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
Abraham was unselfish and gave Lot the first choice of land. Wasn’t that nice? Think about when you’re at recess and you’re picking teams for dodgeball. You want the first choice, right? You want to grab the best player first. That’s what Lot did, He chose the best spot.
Genesis 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.
Lot chose the land that was perfectly green and beautiful. But this choice was also a dangerous one because it meant living near a place known for doing naughty things. Lot learned a hard lesson in this story and we can learn from it, too.
[Related: Don’t Crack Your Friends Like an Egg]
Selfishness always gives you less than you think
See, Lot thought that choosing the best spot meant only good things would happen to him. But this spot was close to a wicked city named Sodom. It was famous for naughty people who did things that didn’t honor God. Lot didn’t care. He wanted the land and that’s all he cared about.
That’s what selfishness does to us. When we want something, we don’t care what it costs. Go back to dodgeball at recess. If all you care about it is getting the first pick, you might really hurt other kids’ feelings in the process…..
But Lot’s not the only one who learned a lesson in the story. Here’s what Abraham learned.
[Related: How Stuff Works – When You Have a Case of the Gimmies]
Unselfishness always gives you more than you think
Because Abraham gave Lot the first choice, God blessed Abraham’s unselfishness by giving him even better land.
Genesis 13:14-15 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.
When we choose to be unselfish, God finds a way to reward that because God wants us to be unselfish.
Mark 10:44 whoever wants to be first among you must be the servant of everyone else.
God want us to serve others before ourselves. That’s what Abraham did and he was blessed for it. Abe goes on to be one of the most famous people in the Bible, known for his great faith and love for God. He even has his own song!! (start singing song)
So kids, learn from the story of Lot and Abraham. Don’t be shellfish! I mean selfish!
Questions:
- What was your favorite part of the video? What is one thing you learned from the video?
- Share a time someone’s selfishness hurt your feelings. Share a time when your selfishness hurt someone else?
- Why were Abraham and Lot traveling together?
- Who made the selfish choice? How was Lot selfish?
- How did God reward Abraham for being unselfish?
- Read Philippians 2:3-4. What does this passage tell us NOT to do? What does it tell us we should do?
- How will you apply this lesson to your life this week?
Bonus Questions: Use these passages to have more conversations this week.
- Read John 15:13. How can you be an unselfish friend to people in your life?
- Read Romans 15:2. How can you help your friends to honor God? How can you encourage them to know God more?
- Read 2 Corinthians 8:9. How has Jesus been unselfish towards us?
