CHILDREN BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE BY PASTOR (MRS.) OLANIKE BANSO
TOPIC: DON’T BE WASTEFUL
TEXT: John 6: 5-13
MEMORY VERSE: “Now gather the leftover… so that nothing is wasted” (John 6:12 NLT)
INTRODUCTION: God is the provider of all things and He wants us to use all He gives us well. He does not want us to waste the things He has blessed us with. There is a purpose for everything God gives us (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO DID NOT WASTE THINGS IN THE BIBLE
1.Jesus: After He miraculously fed 5000 people, Jesus told the disciples to gather all the remnants or pieces of food. Twelve baskets of food were gathered, which would have been wasted (John 6:12-13).
2. The disciples of Jesus: They were invited to come and follow Jesus to become His disciples and they followed Him. Some of them were fishermen who left everything to follow Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). They did not waste the opportunities given them to become the disciples of Jesus.
EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE WASTEFUL IN THE BIBLE
1. The prodigal son: He was a young man who collected his own share of his father’s possessions and travelled to a far country. When he got there, he wasted all his riches on food, drinks, parties and other useless things with his friends. Shortly after, there was a famine and he became poor and hungry (Luke 15:11-32).
2. The rich young ruler: He was a young rich man who came to Jesus to ask how he could enter the kingdom of God. When Jesus told him to go and sell all he had, give to the poor and come to follow him, this man became sad because of his riches and he went away. He wasted the opportunity of becoming Jesus’ disciple (Mark 10:17-22).
THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT WASTE
1. Your life: Your life is given you to glorify God and do His will on the earth. Don’t live your life in sin, disobedience, wickedness or pleasure (this refers to things that will perish with this world (1 Timothy 5:6).
2. Food: Take only the amount of food you can eat at a time. God does not even want us to overeat or be gluttonous. Always finish your food and don’t throw food away so that God does not take food away from your family. People who waste food now will lack later while gluttons will become poor (Proverbs 23:21).
3. Water: Take the amount of water you can finish. Our parents pay for the water we drink and use for other things. God Himself does not waste water. Have you learnt about water cycle in your Basic Science lessons? Ask your teacher to explain this to you. See how the Philistines took Isaac’s wells of water in 26:19-22.
4. Talents: Your talent is the special ability given you by God to do something excellently e.g. singing, drawing, cooking and playing musical instruments. Use your talents to serve God. Do you remember the parable of the Talents? (Matthew 25:14-30). David could play the harp and his music drove away evil spirits from King Saul (1 Samuel 16:16, 23).
5. Opportunities: These are the chances God gives you to excel or succeed. Attending this school is an opportunity. Some other children do not have this. Listening to this teaching is an opportunity. Some children do not have this. Some people are great today because they were sent to good schools, taught by good teachers and brought up by good and Godly parents. If your generation will salute you, make sure that you don’t waste the opportunities God gives you in life. Do you remember the rich young ruler? (Ephesians 5:16).
6. Your time: Don’t waste your time and don’t allow idle people to waste your time. Anyone who wastes your time is wasting your life. Any time wasted cannot be gotten back. No money can buy lost time back. Can any man bring back yesterday that is already past? Learn to save time and use the time you have to do the right thing. Time wasters will be failures in life. Do your school work and household chores on time (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
CAUTIONS TO TAKE IN ORDER NOT TO BE WASTEFUL
1. Be diligent: No one likes to waste what he or she worked for. Many people waste other people’s things.
2. Be a giver: Instead of wasting things, give them to people who need them and will appreciate them.
3. Learn to preserve things: Keep things from getting spoilt, so that they can be used again. e.g. leftover food.
4. Learn to recycle things: These include using empty containers or cartons as pencil cases and other uses.
CONCLUSION: We should always be grateful to God for the things He gives us. Let us devote ourselves to activities that matter to God and which God will never regard as a waste. These include giving to the poor, spending our time in the service of God, training children, helping people, setting good standards for others to follow, and correcting evil doers. All these good works have a reward from God. May you spend your time and life doing what will not be thrown into God’s dustbin in heaven in Jesus’ name. STAY BLESSED.
Pastor (Mrs) Olanike Banso is a servant of God in Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria. She has a ministry to children. Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
