Take responsibility for your decisions!

Genesis 13:1-13, 19:12-26, 2 Peter 2:4-9

To help children understand that everyone is responsible for their own decisions and, above all, there will be consequences whether good or bad

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV*)

In Genesis 13:1-13 and 19:12-26, we see Abraham and his nephew Lot with a big problem; there were too many people and livestock in one small place. Their shepherds fought over the water and the pastures where they fed their sheep and cattle. The time for them to separate had come.

Abraham let Lot decide where he wanted to go first. This not only showed his generosity, but it was also a sign of his complete faith in God. And Lot, the good businessman that he was, saw the Jordan Valley and the benefits of a very rich land. However, there in the valley were two cities, well known for their evil. But blinded by the fertility of the land, Lot ignored the danger that existed there and decided to move his family there anyway.

Lot’s decision to move close to such a perverse place, and then later move into one of the cities, meant that Lot would pay a very high price. God would send two angels to warn them that he would destroy the city. Lot encouraged his sons-in-law to leave, but they did not pay any attention to him. He really did not want to leave either. The angels had to take him by the hand, along with his wife and daughters and take them to a safe place.

From the time we are little, we are constantly making decisions, some small and others more important, like what clothes we wear, what time to wake up, what programs we listen to or watch, what we spend our time on, and so forth.

We must learn that every decision comes with a result. We are free to make those decisions, but we are responsible for the consequences that come our way. Lot made a split-second decision, he did not even think about it, did not even talk to God about it, and this brought death and other consequences to his family.

In general, people make decisions based on what looks the best to them. Prepare two boxes in the same exact way except put a good piece of fruit or a vegetable in one and a piece of fruit or vegetable that has gone bad in the other. Then wrap them in the same wrapping paper. Say, “Do these boxes look the same? Well they also look the same inside, what do you think is inside? (Let several children answer.)

Then have one group of children unwrap one and another group unwrap the other. Show everyone what was inside both boxes. Emphasize that many times things look the same on the outside but what is important is what is on the inside. Have your children do “Take Responsibility for Your Decisions” on Student Activity Sheet #265-A which goes with this activity and the practice of the memory verse.

Talk to your children about the choice that Abraham made when God asked him to leave his home and family to go to an even better place that he would give him. Say, “What do you think Abraham did? When God decided it was time for him to leave, he promised to bless Abraham and make his family a great nation. Also, Abraham’s nephew decided to go with him.”

Ask them, “Do you want to hear more of the story?” Then ask your children to get into three groups: one group will read the part of Lot; one group will read the part of Abraham and the other group will read the part of the angels. You will be the narrator.

Lot’s decision

(This Bible story is found in Genesis 13:6-13, 19:14- 17, 19, 24 and 26. Open your Bible to the passage and show the children.)

Lot: Uncle Abraham! Uncle Abraham! Our shepherds are fighting again! (Lot runs into the shop where Abraham was working.)

Abraham: Fighting over pastures again?

Lot: Is not that what it is always about? Your shepherds are saying there is not enough grass for your herds and mine. They will not let my sheep or cattle eat here. What are we going to do to solve this problem?

Narrator: Abraham thought for a moment. He owned a lot of sheep and cattle, but so did his nephew Lot. And there was not enough grass and water for all of the animals if they wanted to stay together. And since he loved Lot and did not want to fight with him, he said:

Abraham: “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before us? Let us part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right, if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”

Lot: Wow! Abraham is letting me choose which area I want. Even though he is older and my uncle and he has the right to choose, he is letting me decide. This is great!

Narrator: He looked around and saw the whole plain of the Jordan. It had lots of water, like the garden of the Lord. But there was still a problem – the people who lived in the cities in the valley were evil and perverse. But there is so much grass and water . . . Then Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan.

Abraham: All right, you go and live in the valley. I will go to the hills.

Narrator: The two men parted company. Abraham stayed in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived near the cities in the valley. Years later, Lot’s herds of sheep and cattle had grown a lot because they had eaten well on the grass of the lowlands. So, Lot became very rich and did not want to live in tents anymore. He decided to move to the city of Sodom. But the inhabitants of Sodom were evil and they committed horrible sins against Yahweh. Their wickedness was so terrible that God decided to destroy the city. But since Lot was Abraham’s nephew, God sent two angels to rescue him and his family.

Angels: Lot, we are going to destroy this place, because the evil of the people of this city has gone up before Yahweh. Therefore, Yahweh is going to destroy it. Go and tell your family what is about to happen.

Narrator: Lot spoke to his sons-in-law, the husbands of his daughters and said:

Lot: Get up; get out of this place, because Yahweh is going to destroy this city.

Narrator: But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. The angels hurried to Lot saying:

Angels: Get up; take your wife and your two daughters so that they do not perish in the punishment of the city.

Narrator: Because Lot delayed, the men seized him, his wife and his two daughters, because of Yahweh’s mercy towards them. The angels took Lot and his family out of the city. And when they got away from the city, they told Lot:

Angels: Flee for your lives; do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley.

Narrator: When Lot and his family were safe, the Lord rained sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the heavens but Lot’s wife looked back behind her and became a pillar of salt.

Which apple looks better?

Make sure Student Activity Sheet #265-A and #265-B are printed back to back and properly aligned. Ask the children which apple looks the best. Have them fold their worksheet up along the dotted line and they will see that sometimes what appears to be the best is not!

Ask them: “What choices did Lot make?” Let some children answer and then investigate further. “What consequences did Lot have to face because of his choices?” Write the response on the board. “If Lot had known everything that was going to happen in the valley, do you think he would have made the same decision?”

Give your children the Student Activity Sheet #265-C and review. Then give them Student Activity Sheet #265-D entitled “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.”, lead the group in a discussion about some of the decisions that they have made. God gives us all the privilege and responsibility to make choices. What kinds of decisions do children their age make? Have them put an X by the hardest ones:

What do children think about when they make decisions?

How can they know if the decision they make will have good or bad results?

Explain to your children that we cannot know in advance, what will happen when we make decisions, but if we ask for God’s help, he will give us the wisdom to know how to choose what is best for us.