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» Mercy

1

Showing Mercy


When your child misbehaves and breaks a rule, show him mercy. (You will probably have several opportunities to pick from this week.)
 
When he does wrong ask, "What did you do?" (so he can admit his sin)
Then ask, "What is the punishment?" (So he can see there are consequences for sin)
Then tell him that you are going to show him mercy this time, so there will be no punishment.
Afterwards, ask "How did that make you feel?" (Thankful, happy, etc.)
 
God shows mercy to each of us. We all sin, but He forgives us and takes our sin away, even though we don't deserve it.
tags: Mercy
2

A Penny or A Dollar? 


Hold up a penny and a $1 bill. Ask your child which he would rather have. (If you feel really generous, make it a larger bill.)
 
Read Psalm 86:15: But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
 
Ask:
How much mercy does God have? (Lots, an abundance of, full of mercy)
Read the verse again and pick out God's other good qualities. God gives mercy to all those who ask Him.
 
PS: Give the bill to your child, if you like.
tags: Mercy
3


Thank You for Your Mercy!


Write a simple prayer on an index card or piece of paper.  (Thank you, God, for your mercy.)
 
Say the prayer together at bedtime and give the card to your child. Tell him that he must hide the card somewhere in the house the next day, but not tell anyone where it is hidden. Just before bedtime, enlist the whole family to look for the card. The person who finds it says the prayer and hides it the next day. Repeat each night of the week.
tags: Mercy
4

A Place of Refuge

Play an old-fashioned game of Hide and Seek. Designate a spot as the safe place or home base. Remind the kids that if they can get to that spot, they are safe from the finder. Choose one person to be the finder who will count to 50 while the rest are hiding. (Play this in the dark if you are really adventurous and have older kids.)

After several rounds of hiding and seeking, talk about it.

What did you like about playing this game?
How did you feel when the finder was chasing you?
How did it feel to make it to the safe place, home base?

God told the Israelites to make six cities of refuge—six "safe" places where people could run to when they had accidentally committed murder. They could go to these cities and no one would hurt them; they could receive mercy.

What is mercy? (Mercy is when someone shows compassion or kindness toward someone who needs help or has done wrong.)

We all need mercy!

tags: Mercy
5

Free Mercy

Act out some of the following situations where a person might need mercy. Write each of the situations on an index card or slip of paper. Pair kids up to act out their situation where mercy is needed.

Situations: 

·      little sister accidentally broke older sister's toy

·      forgot  to bring lunch money

·      need help completing a big assignment

·      accidentally spilled milk on the carpet

·      lost temper and yelled at friend

How do you feel when someone gives you mercy? (Happy, relieved, etc.)

We have been given mercy, so we should give mercy to others.

When your child does something wrong and breaks a rule, show him/her mercy. Instead of punishment, sit down together and talk about God's mercy. He forgives us even when we don't deserve it.

 

 

tags: Mercy
6

Rich in Mercy

Item needed: Band-aids (the colorful ones would be great)

Give each kid a band-aid.

Ask:

When do we need band-aids? (When we have been hurt)

When you are hurt, would you like for someone to give you a lecture or hurt you more? (No, of course, not. You would like them to give you mercy, not their judgment or harshness.)

What are some other words for mercy? (Kindness, helpfulness, goodness, sympathy, and gentleness)

When others are hurting what do they need? (Kindness, help, mercy)

Ephesians 2:4 says that God is RICH in mercy. We can be full of mercy toward others.

tags: Mercy