God Never Changes

CHILDREN SITE

BIBLE STORY

Theme
“God Never Changes”

Goals : The children trust the Lord and obey Him
Story : Jonah
Action Verse : I the Lord do not change (Malachi 3: 6)

Hook

It’s amazing to see how you all grow bigger every week! Did you know you’ve been growing every day since you were born? You have changed in so many ways. As you keep getting older you will keep change even more. I’d like you to draw three pictures. (Distribute paper and allow time to draw the picture between each instruction.)

First, draw picture of yourself as a tiny baby. Then draw picture of yourself as you are right now. Last, draw picture of what you think you will look like when you are older like me!

All of you drew great pictures. You did a good job of showing how you changed as you grew. Can you tell me about your pictures? How did you make your picture different to show that you changed? (Let children respond.) What are some things that you have changed you that you can’t see in the picture? (You’ve learned a lot, you moved differently now.)

Did you know there is someone who doesn’t change? That someone is God. We can always count on Him to be the same. He will always love us. He will always do what he decides to do. He always keeps His promises. Nobody else is like God. As you grow and change, not everyone will always love you. People will change their minds about what they want you to do and sometimes people will not keep their promises. We cannot always count on people to be the same but we can count on God. He will always be the same, wonderful God as He is today. God never changes.


Book

One day God called His prophet Jonah to show his love to a wicked country, that is Nineveh. God loved this wicked country as big as he loved the Israelites. Jonah did not want to do what God asked him to do. Jonah had changed. He did not obey God anymore. He ran away from God’s presence. But God still loved Him. God sent a big thunder to the ship. And other passengers threw Jonah into the sea to make it calm down. God still loved him. He sent a big fish to catch Jonah. God wanted Jonah to change his heart. He wanted Jonah to learn to love other people. God wanted Jonah to know that God loves all people the same. Jonah then prayed to seek God. He asked forgiveness from God.

God gave Jonah the second change to do God’s will. Jonah obeyed. God used Jonah as His instrument to save the people of Nineveh.

Look
You know, we can change. We can change to be nicer or to be worse. But his love to us never changes. He will help us to learn to change to be a better person. As God has loved Jonah and the people of Nineveh, God also love you and want you to change to be what God’s meant you to be.

Took
Stand up with me and let’s practice today’s Bible verse. (Say the verse aloud two times; then have the children say it with you several times with the following motions.)

I the Lord (point up on each word, alternating hands)
Do not change (move the palms of the hands backward)
Malachi 3 : 6 (stand completely still with hands at sides, like a soldier)

“Let’s change the way we sat this verse. (Have them say the verse loud, soft, slow and very fast.) You can change the way you say the verse, but it doesn’t mean the verse changes or that God changes! God will stay the same no matter what you say or do.”

Repeat after me:
As God’s love to me never changes no matter what, I will change to be more loving to God and to others.