Lessons for the Week (May. 2)

Jealousy
Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Getting Started
Jealousy is often called “the green-eyed monster.” Why green? Because hundreds of years ago, there was a very strong poison that was green in color. Jealousy is like a poison. It can kill friendships, and destroy families. The Bible tells us jealousy is like a sickness. It grows inside us and slowly destroys us from the inside out. How can we stop jealousy from controlling our lives? How can we learn to be happy with what we have?

Vocabulary
jealousy (n) – fear of losing position or affection; unhappiness because someone else has something you want
robe (n) – a type of clothing like a coat
slave (n) – someone forced to work without pay
famine (n) – an area where there is not enough food for the people
recognize (v) – to know who someone is
consequences (n) – the results (usually bad) of an actioninterpreter (n) – a person who translates one language to another so others can understand

Reading God’s Word

This is the story of a man named Joseph and his family. Joseph’s father was named Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons, and Joseph was his favorite.

Genesis 37: 3-4

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they hated their brother so much that they would not speak to him in a friendly manner.

Joseph’s brothers were so angry they decided to kill Joseph. But one brother, Judah, had another idea.

Genesis 37: 26-27

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up the murder? 27 Let’s sell him. . . then we won’t have to hurt him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

The brothers sold Joseph as a slave into Egypt. They told their father that Joseph was dead. When there was a famine in Egypt, Joseph became a powerful leader there. He saved enough food for the whole country to have enough. But Jacob and his other sons did not have enough food. They went to Egypt to buy food. In Egypt, they met their brother Joseph, but they did not recognize him.

Genesis 42:21,23 (the brothers speak)
21 They said to one another, “Yes, now we are suffering the consequences of what we did to our brother; we saw the great trouble he was in when he begged for help, but we would not listen. That is why we are in trouble now.” 23 Joseph understood what they had said, but they did not know it, because they had been speaking through an interpreter. Joseph left them and began to cry.

Joseph forgave his brothers. His whole family moved to Egypt to be with Joseph, and he gave them enough food to live through the famine.

Taking a Closer Look
1. Why were the brothers so jealous of Joseph?
2. What did they decide to do to him?
3. Do you think the brothers were sorry for what they did?
4. How many people were hurt because of the brothers’ jealousy?
5. What would have been a better way for them to solve the problem? A way that wouldn’t have hurt so many people?
6. How did God use this bad situation for good?

Taking Action
1. The memory verse tells us true love is not jealous. But sometimes, jealousy is a big problem between people who love each other, often because they do not trust each other. How can we increase trust in our relationships?
2. If we are jealous of someone, we are only thinking about what we want. We are not being thankful for what we have. Write down some blessings you are thankful for.


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Chinese Translation
Past Lessons

Keven's Riddle Time (Apr.25)

1. 斷腸謎 宋 朱淑真

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下樓來, 錢卜落; 問蒼天, 人在何方?

恨王孫, 一直去了; 詈冤家, 言去不回;

悔當初, 吾錯失口; 有上交, 無下交;

皂要白何需問; 分開不用刀;

從今莫把仇人靠; 千種相思一撇清!

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2.The alphabet goes from A to Z .

What goes from Z to A?

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s*The answers are in the comment section.*

Lessons for the Week (Apr. 25)

Temptation
He can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered. (Hebrews 2:18)

Getting Started
We all have temptations. Giving in to them may seem harmless. Cheating on a test or telling a lie might not seem like a big deal. But giving in to temptation can sometimes have ugly consequences. Giving in to some temptations can lead to strong habits that are difficult to break. Do you ever feel like you are powerless to resist temptation? How can you overcome temptations? How would your life be different if you could conquer your worst temptation?

Vocabulary
temptation (n) – desire to have or do something, especially something bad or wrong
consequence (n) – the result of our actions
resist (v) – to say no to something tempting; to refuse to give in
conquer (v) – to overcome something difficult
retreat (v) – to back away, usually from danger
besiege (v) – to surround a place with an army in order to capture it
mourn (v) – to express grief or sadness
contempt (n) – a total lack of respect for someone

Reading God’s Word

2 Samuel 11:2-5

2 One day, late in the afternoon, David got up from his nap and went to the palace roof. As he walked around up there, he saw a woman taking a bath in her house. She was very beautiful. 3 So he sent a messenger to find out who she was, and learned that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. 4 David sent messengers to get her; they brought her to him and he made love to her. . . 5 Afterward she discovered that she was pregnant and sent a message to David to tell him.

At that time, David’s army was at war. Joab was the commander of that army. Uriah was a soldier.

2 Samuel 11:14-17

14 David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. 15 He wrote: "Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed." 16 So while Joab was besieging the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew the enemy was strong. 17 The enemy troops came out of the city and fought Joab's forces; some of David's officers were killed, and so was Uriah.

2 Samuel 11:26-27

26 When Bathsheba heard that her husband had been killed, she mourned for him. 27 When the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to the palace; she became his wife and bore him a son. But the Lord was not pleased with what David had done.

2 Samuel 12:7b-9 and 13
And this is what the Lord God of Israel says: "I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul. 8 I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much. 9 Why, then, have you disobeyed my commands? Why did you do this evil thing? You had Uriah killed in battle; you let the Ammonites kill him, and then you took his wife!

13 "I have sinned against the Lord," David said. Nathan replied, “The Lord forgives you; you will not die. 14 But because you have shown such contempt for the Lord in doing this, your child will die.”

Taking a Closer Look
1. What was David’s temptation? (2 Samuel 11:2-5)
2. What are some things David could have done differently? How do you think he could have resisted the temptation?
3. What was David’s plan to hide his sin? (2 Samuel 11:15)
4. David’s first sin led to another, and then another. Has this ever happened in your life?
5. Who suffered because of David’s sin? (2 Samuel 11: 17)
6. What did the Lord say he had given David? What else would he have given him? (2 Samuel 12:7-8)
7. Did David admit his sin? How do you think he felt about it? (2 Samuel 12:13)
8. Did God remove the consequences of David’s sin? (2 Samuel 12:14)

Taking Action
1. To avoid giving in to temptation, ask God to help you make the right choices. Stay away from places, people or situations that might bring temptation.
2. Tell a trusted friend about your struggle with temptation, and ask them to help you resist temptation when it comes.
3. If you have given in to temptation, confess your sin to God and ask for his forgiveness and help. This is an important step in overcoming temptation when it strikes again.

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Chinese Translation
Past Lessons

Keven's Riddle Time (Apr.11)

01. What do you get if you cross a clock and a chicken?

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An a _ _ _ _ c _ _ _ k

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2. What holiday does Dracula celebrate in November?

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F _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ y

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3. What is a musical pickle?

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A p _ _ _ _ _ o

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s*The answers are in the comment section.*

Lesson For The Week (Apr. 11)

Grief and Comfort
“Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!” (Matthew 5:4)

Getting Started
When we are grieving, we might feel like nobody understands what we are going through. Perhaps we don’t want to be with our friends. But, at the same time we may not want to be alone. When we are grieving, we sometimes lose hope. It is hard to imagine a time when we will be happy again. But people who have gone through grief can tell us that it helps us grow into better, stronger people. And our times of grief can help us to comfort others.

Vocabulary
grief (n) – sadness or suffering caused by misfortune, disaster or loss
grieve (v) – to experience or express grief
pledge (v) – to promise wholeheartedly
rebel (v) – to fight against a government or leader in charge
overcome (v) – to win over; to be overpowered by
sorrow (n) – very great sadness
mourn (v) – to feel or express grief

Reading God’s Word

King David knew a lot about grief. He experienced the death of many loved ones. Perhaps his most painful grief was over his son, Absalom, who tried to steal the kingdom from him.

2 Samuel 15:13-14

13 A messenger reported to David, "The Israelites are pledging their loyalty to Absalom." 14 So David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "We must get away at once if we want to escape from Absalom! Hurry! Or else he will soon be here and defeat us and kill everyone in the city!"

2 Samuel 18: 5b-7

"For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom." All the troops heard David give this command to his officers. 6 David's army went out into the countryside and fought the Israelites in Ephraim Forest. 7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men; it was a terrible defeat, with twenty thousand men killed that day.

2 Samuel 18:31-33
31 Then the slave arrived and said to the king, "I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!" 32 "Is the young man Absalom all right?" the king asked. The slave answered, "I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you." 33 The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, "O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
1 Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. 2 He sets the time for birth and the time for death, the time for planting and the time for pulling up, 3 the time for killing and the time for healing, the time for tearing down and the time for building. 4 He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy, the time for mourning and the time for dancing.

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope

Taking a Closer Look
1. Did Absalom plan to kill David? (15:13-14)
2. What order did David give his troops? Why? Was this a wise decision to help win the battle? (18:5b)
3. Was David happy about his victory? What was the one thing he cared about? (18:32)
4. What would he have preferred to happen? (18:33)
5. Does anything happen by accident? Does anything happen for no reason? (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)
6. Psalm 34:18 tells us that God, “saves those who have lost all hope.” How can we find new hope in the Lord?

Taking Action
1. We know from Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 that everything happens according to God’s timing. Sometimes this is very hard to accept – we would prefer things to happen according to our timing. How can we learn to accept that God is in control?
2. How can we help others who are grieving?

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Chinese Translation
Past Lessons