RELIGIOUS VIRTUE GROUP

Because I value my relationship with God, I choose to know His character and respond to Him in my worship and life.

 

How To Be Like Jesus

Grace

God gives me blessings far beyond what I deserve or imagine. He sees my troubles and helps me.
I choose to show grace and mercy to others.

Definition

Grace related virtues: Mercy.

Grace means: God forgives us and treats us lovingly even when we don’t deserve it.
Treating someone better than he deserves because that is the way God treats us.
Treating someone kindly even when they don’t deserve it.
God pays your debt that is beyond your ability to ever pay it.
Giving you something wonderful because of love that you don’t deserve
Unmerited favor. Getting an extravagant gift. Philanthropy
Being entertained beyond what you deserve
Being kind to someone who has hurt or cheated you, instead of retaliating
God is full of mercy. That is how He acts. Then we in turn can treat others with more loving-kindness than they deserve.
God loves us even if we have done something wrong that we cannot undo.

 
Artwork Music

See flipchart

See picture below. Click to enlarge.

 

The Lord Bless Thee
Amazing grace, SDAH 108

Marvelous grace, SDAH 109
Make me a blessing
Come, Come Ye Saints, SDAH 622
His Sheep Am I
I’ve Got a River of Life

Student Life Applications

1. Helping a fellow student prepare for an examination even though she hurt your feelings at school by saying mean things about you.
2. Bringing extra food in your lunch so you can give it to students you see who may not have enough to eat;
3. When you go with your friends to a football game and you also invite a student who can’t pay but you tell him you will pay for him.
4. When you ask a student to be on your team because you want him to have a good time even though he can’t play very well.
5. Doing more than your parents ask you to do, for chores, even though you would rather be doing something else.
6. Giving your brother the larger portion of the dessert than you have.
7. Giving the credit for winning the game to the other players even though you were the one who made most of the points.
8. Giving his jacket shirt to a needy student
9. Taking time to place a bandage on the wounded knee of child
10. Any “Good Samaritan” deed that students can do:
a. handing out food to the poor
b. handing out clothes to the poor
c. handing out water to the poor

 

Bible, E.G. White

Psalm 89:1 Sing the mercies of the Lord
Matthew 20 Parable of workers who were paid for all day when they only worked a few hours
Luke 23:43 Thief on the cross
Romans 6:23 For the gift of God is eternal life. .
Ephesians 2:4 Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy. . . .
2 John 3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son . . .
Romans 5:8: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.-grace
1 Corinthians 1:3, 4 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 12:9 ‘‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“The grace of Christ received into the heart, subdues enmity; it allays strife and fills the soul with love.” MB 27
“The grace of humility will mold our words into expressions of Christlike tenderness.” 7T 267
“Let the tenderness and mercy that Jesus has revealed in His own precious life be an example to us of the manner in which we should treat our fellow beings, especially those who are our brethren in Christ.” 5T 612

 

Reinforcing Stories

“Unconditional Acceptance” Charlotte Elliot, the hymn writer.
Teaching Your Children Values, pg. 224, by Linda & Richard Eyre

 

Student Activities


1. List what wonderful things God has done for us that we:
a. Don’t deserve
b. Couldn’t do ourselves
c. Makes us very happy
d. Is an example of what we should do for others.
2. List what nice thing we can do for our neighbors on each side of our house that they
a. Don’t deserve
b. Couldn’t do themselves.
c. Would make them happy
d. Would be a good example for others.
3. List 3 ways you can be merciful to your brothers or sisters
4. Explain how you can be merciful while playing football/soccer
5. Discuss how fairness and mercy fit together. Is mercy fair?
6. Can a person be truly merciful apart from God?
7. Talk about how a family can be merciful to helpers who work in your house.
8. Write a prayer talking to God about your need for mercy considering your sins that crucified Jesus.
9. Make up a poem about how someone showed mercy to you.
10. Check in the Bible concordance to find how mercy is used in the Bible
11. Find songs in your songbooks that talk about mercy.
12. Make new rules to one of the games you play at recess so mercy is included.

 

Links to the Curriculum
Biology: Muscles cover and protect the bones as grace and mercy cover and protect God’s law.
English: We are the dependent clause, God is the independent clause.
Health: AIDS weakens the immune system, sin weakens our defense against more evil. Only grace saves us.
History: Examples of how war could be avoided if leaders were not proud but more gracious.
Government: In heaven’s government, the Ruler is the One Who shows the most grace!
Math: As multiplication make more and more, Jesus gives us more and more.
Physical Education: Coach talks with team to have mercy and supporting each other when they miss a point.
Science: As air, sunshine and rain are free to plants, so God’s grace is free to people.
Social Studies: Society sometimes needs to help people who don’t know how to help themselves such as illiterates or world refugees.

 

Resources

Teaching Your Children Values, by Linda & Richard Eyre, Simon & Schuster, 1993

Evaluation

After singing “Amazing Grace” ask the students if the song had new meaning for them after studying Grace.
Ask the students to tell what acts of grace they have seen in their classmates. Tell them you will ask again in a few days.
Are the students treating each other with more mercy that before the lessons?
Do you see a spirit of mercy rather than retaliation on the play field?

Primary:
Tell or write two ways that show that God has grace.
Tell or write about a time when you saw someone show grace.
Tell or write about when you showed grace like God would do.
Tell two ways that you can show grace.
What is the opposite of grace? Who makes us act that way?
Tell or write about when you saw the hurt and unhappiness when someone didn’t show grace.
How do you think God feels when He sees people who show grace?
How do you feel when you show grace?
What makes you want to show grace?
Finish the sentence: We can show grace when we..........

Middle:
Why does God care if I show grace?
What difference does it make whether I show grace or not?
What effect would it have on my future if I did not choose to show grace?
How would people treat me differently if I did or didn’t choose to show grace?
How would I feel about myself if I did or did not choose to show grace?
Give some reasons why you think it is best to show grace. Why would someone do differently?
What makes choosing to show grace better than the opposite?
List some ways that a person might show grace without anyone noticing?
List 3 situations where a person could show grace at work, home, or at the shopping mall.
Is it possible for a person to get better at showing grace? Explain.
Can you think of someone who seems good at showing grace? What makes them better at it?
How could you learn to be better at showing grace to others?
How often do you show grace? Think of the last three times and tell me.

High school:
Would you practice grace if no one was checking on you? Your parents, school, or the law?
What is the alternative to grace and what do you see as the results of that choice?
Are you proud to show grace and willing to tell others how you feel?
If someone in a group spoke out against grace would you speak up to give the other side?
Can you say that showing grace has become a habit? How often are you that way?
What effect do you think grace will have on your future?
Do you see your family practicing grace? How about your church, city, or nation?
What do you think should be done to promote grace in your family, friends, church, city, and nation?