Pursue
WELCOME TO WEEK 3
Have you ever made a bad decision? A mistake you wish you could take back or change? This week we will see how Samson made a big mistake and wanted to fix his mistake. We often can’t undo the mistakes we’ve made, but God can help us learn from those mistakes.
BIBLE STORY
God has given each one of us a measure of strength. Some people are stronger than others and sometimes we have to wait until we are older to get more strength. We can use our strength for good such as helping mom carry in the groceries or holding open the door for someone else. We can use our strength for bad such as hitting our sibling or breaking something of value. God wants us to use our strength for Him by helping others! Let’s see how strong we are by completing the following exercises.
-do 10 jumping jacks
-Jog in place for 2 minutes
-do 10 crunches
-do 10 arm curls with canned food
-get in a punching stance and do cross punches for 20 times
-do 5-10 push-ups
-lay on your back and do bicycle legs for 1 minute
Were you able to do all of those exercises correctly without getting tired? Did you make any mistakes while you were doing the exercises? We all make mistakes sometimes. We may make a bad choice by saying the wrong thing, treating someone poorly or telling a lie. God wants us to do our best in making good decisions, but He can also help us learn from the mistakes we make. When we make a mistake we can admit we did something wrong, ask for forgiveness and try to make it better or try not to make the same mistakes again. In our story this week we are looking at Samson. God gave Samson a lot of strength but He forgot that his strength was from God. Samson made mistakes and didn’t always make the right choices, but God was still able to use him and help him see his mistakes. God can help us learn from our mistakes as well.Materials: items from around your house
Read or listen to the Bible verse for this week: Judges 16:4-30
Who did Samson fall in love with? (Delilah)
What did the Philistine leaders ask Delilah to do? (Persuade Samson to tell her where his strength comes from, so they can tie him up and overpower him)
What did the leaders offer to give her for this information? (1,100 pieces of silver)
What was the first way Samson said his strength could be lost? (Tied with seven fresh bowstrings that have never been dried)
After Delilah tied up Samson with the seven fresh bowstrings, what did she do? (Called to Samson that the Philistines were there, while the men in ambush were waiting in her room)
What did Samson do? (Snapped the bowstrings like a piece of yarn)
What did Samson tell Delilah was the secret to his strength the next time she asked? (If he was tied up with new rope that had never been used)
What happened after Delilah tied him with the new rope? (He snapped the ropes like a thread)
What did Samson tell Delilah was the secret to his strength the next time she asked? (If you weave the seven braids on his head with he web of a loom)
What happened when Delilah told him the Philistines were there? (He pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.)
After Delilah cut Samson’s hair, what happened? (The Philistines captured him and Samson did not have the strength to stop them because God had left him.)
How did Samson destroy many of the philistine leaders? (When he was brought into their banquet to entertain them, he was places between two pillars. Because some of his hair had grown back, He had some strength and asked God to give him strength to defeat them. He defeated more in his death than he had during his life)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
Samson made some mistakes in his life and often made bad choices. He used His strength for God but He sometimes used his strength for himself. Even though Samson made mistakes, God still used him to help the Israelites fight against the Philistines. We all make mistakes but those mistakes do not keep us from being used by God if we are still willing. God can help us see our mistakes so we can learn from them and make better choices in the future.
Activity
Create an obstacle course in an open area. Create areas to crawl under, jump over and areas to stop and do push-ups biceps curls using canned food. Time each child as they go through the obstacle course several times. God gives each of us strength and the ability to run jump and move heavy things. Samson had a lot of strength to push over strong pillars that held up a building. Just as Samson received his strength from God, we receive our strength from God too. If we forget our strength comes from God and we make mistakes, God can help us learn from those mistakes.
Materials: items around your house for an obstacle course
Alternate
Read or listen to the story “Beautiful Oops” Then use a white sheet of paper and add a few random drops of paint so that it looks like it was spilled accidentally. Give your child a pen, pencil, marker and other paint colors. This looks like this paint was spilled here accidents but we can turn this spilled paint into something new. Use your imagination to create a new picture from the paint that is already here. You can add more paint to make the picture larger or use crayons and markers to trace around the paint and define the outline. God can take our mistakes and turn them into somethings beautiful. We don’t have to be afraid to admit when we have done something wrong, we can ask for forgiveness and ask for God to help us learn from our mistakes. He wants to help you!
Materials: white construction paper, crayons, markers and/or paint
Independent activity:
Complete the following activity sheet
Materials: printed activity sheet, pen/pencil, crayons
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Create a banner that says “I can do all Things through Christ who gives me strength” Add stickers and words of encouragement on the banner.
Materials: white construction paper, large straws, scissors, glue
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
Where did Samson get his strength?
Why did Delilah want to know where Samson’s strength came from?
Did Delilah really love and care about Samson?
How can we be sure we are not led the wrong way by other people?
Did Samson make the right choice in telling Delilah about his hair?
How could Samson have made a better choice?
Do you have friends that try to convince you to make bad choices?
How can you resist following after friends who are not following God’s instructions?
Practical Application at Home
Following friends who are not making good choices can lead us to forget that our strength comes from God. Samson listened to Delilah instead of remembering God’s instructions. When we are faced with tough choices we can be prepared to stand up for what is right and make the right choices. If we make a mistake, we can trust that God can forgive us and help us learn to make a better choice next time. Think of the following temptations and say what you would do if you were faced with these choices.
What should you do if you think about…
-sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar before dinner
-taking your brothers Lego toy to play with when he is not home
-bringing home your friends toy without asking because you want to play with it more
-not taking out the trash when your mom or dad ask you to
-pushing around the little kid in your neighborhood because he annoys you
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Donate to a local food shelter or toy drive this Christmas season. As a family, volunteer together or pick out toys you think another child your age might enjoy.