Why Do We Give Thanks?

Memory Verse

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Day 1-In Everything Give Thanks

  • Pray.
  • Look up the memory verses (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) in your Bible.
    • Point the verses out to your children.
    • Have older kids look them up in their Bibles and highlight them.
    • After opening to 1 Thessalonians, challenge your younger kids to find chapter 5. Then have them try to find the “tiny verse” numbers.
    • Talk about how 1 Thessalonians is in the New Testament. That is in the back part of the Bible. Remind them that the Old Testament takes place before Jesus was born, and the New Testament is about Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and the first Christians.
    • Much of the New Testament is instructions to believers written by Paul, including our memory verses this month.
  • Read the verses aloud, then have them repeat you a few times. If you have younger kids, you may just want to memorize verse 18.
  • Think of a little song or motions to add to help them remember them. I will come up with something and add it to the page ASAP if you need help thinking of ideas.
  • Break the passage apart and discuss it in “chunks”.
    • “Rejoice always”
      • What instruction are we given to follow?
      • What does it mean to rejoice? Hint: what word do you hear in the word reJOYce?
      • When are we to rejoice?
    • “Pray without ceasing”
      • What instruction are we given to follow?
      • How often should we pray? I like the commentary in my Bible for this verse: “This does not mean repetitiously or continuously without a break, but rather pray persistently and regularly.” (NASB MacArthur Study Bible)
    • “In everything give thanks”
      • What instruction is given for us to follow?
      • When can we be thankful? Explain that some translations of the Bible say, “give thanks in all circumstances”.
        • Discuss with your kids how, no matter what is going on, we can still give thanks to God because of what we know about Him.
          • What are some truths you know about God that you can always thank Him for?
    • “For this is God’s will for you”
      • What does “God’s will” mean?
      • What does God want for you? Hint: see instructions from verses 16-18.
    • “In Christ Jesus.”
      • Explain that we can do all of things- rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything-because of Jesus. Jesus died so that our sins could be forgiven, and He rose again to give us a new, everlasting life. We will always have something to rejoice over, pray about, and be thankful for.
  • Fun Activity
    • Type in “Thanksgiving Following Directions Activities” on Pinterest. There are lots of fun worksheets that your kids might enjoy doing while you are cooking dinner or needing something for them to do.

Day 2-The God of gods and Lord of lords

  • Pray.
  • Practice the memory verse. Have your kids write it down or trace it. Hang it in a place where they can see it many times throughout the day. Even if they are too young to read, seeing it up will remind them of what the verse says.
  • Read Psalm 136:1-3.
  • Ask
    • Why should we give thanks to God?
    • What do these verses say about Who God is?
  • Read Exodus 1:1-7.
    • Have your children help you find it in the Bible if they are old enough.
    • Talk about what the Word Exodus means; hint- what word do they hear in Exodus (exit)? As you are finding the book, explain that Exodus takes place in the Old Testament, the second book of the Bible. It starts a little over 400 years after Joseph was the second in command in Egypt. Remind them that because of the famine Joseph eventually brought his family (11 brothers, Jacob their dad, and all of their families)- the Israelites, descendants of Abraham, God’s chosen people, to live in Egypt. The family started out with about 70 people who came to live in Egypt, but the family kept growing until there were so many of them that they became a whole nation.
  • Read Exodus 1:8-22.
  • Discuss
    • Why did the Egyptian king make the Israelites slaves (verse 10-11)?
    • What did he do to try to stop the growth of the Israelites?
    • Explain that Egyptian pharaohs were treated and thought of as gods by their people. They had great power over their country.
    • How do we see God showing that His power is greater than even the greatest king’s power (verse 20)?
    • Reread Psalms 136:1-3 or remind them about what it said. If they are school-aged, show them in the Bible that God has a capital G and gods has a lower case g. Do the same with Lord and lords.
    • Explain that the God who we worship is above and rules over all others in authority, no matter how powerful they might seem; therefore, He is worthy of our thanks.
  • Song
    • Listen to “We Bow Down” by Twila Paris sometime today.
  • Activity
    • Write or trace then illustrate the Bible verse.

Day 3-His Lovingkindness is Everlasting

  • Pray.
  • Practice the memory verses.
  • Ask them to remind you about the last thing we read yesterday from Exodus 1.
  • Read Psalm 136:23-26.
  • Ask
    • What do these verses tell us about God?
    • What do you predict is going to happen with the Israelites today, in Exodus 2?
  • Read Exodus 2:1-10. If you have younger children , this would be a good time to tell the story using props. You would just need a baby, something for a basket, a doll for Miriam and a doll for Pharaoh’s daughter.
  • Ask
    • How do we see God’s lovingkindness in this situation? For older kids, remind them that this is a VERY hard time for the Israelites. Make sure they understand that this didn’t all happen by chance; God was working out His plan to save His people.
  • Read or summarize Exodus 2:11-25. Be sure to read verses 24-25 aloud.
  • Ask
    • What happened with Moses in Egypt when he grew up?
    • What happened after he left Egypt?
    • While Moses was in Midian, what was going on in Egypt?
    • How does God show His lovingkindness to the Israelites?
  • Explain that God hears, remembers, sees, and takes notice of each one of your children, just like He did the Israelites. His lovingkindness toward us is everlasting, just like Psalm 136 tells us, so we give Him thanks.
  • Song
    • Listen to “Forever” by Chris Tomlin sometime today.
  • Activity

Day 4-His Name is Great and He is Holy

  • Pray.
  • Practice the memory verses.
  • Read Psalm 99:3 and Psalm 100:4. If your kids are readers, have them read the verses aloud.
  • Ask
    • What do these verses tell us about God?
    • What do these verses tell us to do?
  • Read Exodus 3:1-10.
    • Summarize these verses or ask the following questions:
    • What happened that was so unusual?
    • Why did God tell Moses to take off his sandals?
    • What does “holy” mean? https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy
    • The place where Moses was standing was holy because Holy God, the one to be exalted and worthy of complete devotion because of His perfect goodness and righteousness, was there.
    • What was God going to do?
    • What was Moses’ job going to be?
  • Read Exodus 3:11-15.
    • Explain that Moses was hesitant to go back to Pharaoh. He had been gone from there for 40 years, he didn’t leave on great terms, and he was an Israelite, which the Egyptians didn’t like.
    • Older kids
      • What question did Moses ask God? (verse 11-“Who am I?”)
      • Who did God say He is? (verse 14-“I AM”)
      • Have them connect the two; they use the same words, but in different ways-Moses felt inadequate but God assured Him that He was the One who is and always will be.
    • Younger kids
      • How did Moses feel God telling him that he would lead the Israelites out of Egypt?
      • What did God promise? (verse 12)
      • What did God say to call Him? (verse 14)
      • Show them how I AM looks in the Bible. Ask them why they think all the letters in His name are capitalized.
    • We praise God’s name because He is holy, great, and awesome. He always was, always is, and always will be. (Revelation 1:8)
  • Song

Day 5-He Made Us

  • Pray.
  • Practice the memory verses.
  • Ask your kids to recall what happened at the burning bush.
  • Read Psalm 100:1-3.
  • Ask
    • What instructions are given for us to follow?
    • Why should we do these things? What do these verses say about God?
  • Summarize what happened in Exodus 3:16-22.
    • God told Moses to go back to Egypt and tell the Israelites that He was concerned about them and about what was happening to them. He gave His assurance to Moses to tell the people that He would bring the Israelites out of slavery and into the Promised Land.
  • Read Exodus 4:1-9.
  • Discuss
    • What concerns did Moses have?
    • How did God show Moses that He would give him everything he needed to do the job?
  • Read Exodus 4:10-13.
  • Discuss
    • What concern did Moses have this time?
    • What did God have to say about this?
  • Read Exodus 4:14-17.
  • Discuss
    • When have you felt that you were not adequate, not strong enough or smart enough, or just not the right person for the job?
    • Why did you feel this way?
    • How do these verses give you confidence?
    • How do you feel when you read that God made you and that He will teach you what to say (how to do whatever job He gives you)?
  • Pray, thanking God for making each one of your kids. Ask Him to help them to know that He made them for a special purpose, and He will equip them with everything they need. Ask Him to help them serve Him with gladness.
  • Song
    • Listen to “Come Let Us Worship and Bow Down” (You can find it on You Tube.)