OBJECTIVES To become aware of God's great compassion for the people of the world. To understand God's promise to send His Son Jesus to rescue people from their sins�the wrong things they think, say and do. To understand God sent Jesus to make a way for people to live with God forever. To understand that Jesus died and came back to life. To understand how to ask Jesus to live with and in you. To allow each child to freely make a choice about asking Jesus to live in them. PREPARATION/MATERIALS NEEDED 1. Provide felt pens/crayons and 11 x 16 inch paper for each learner. 2. Learn or review songs on the It Takes Love cassette tape or CD. [May be ordered by calling 1-800-432-1997.] 3. Provide a song chart or write the words on a chalkboard for "A Guaranteed Yes." Learn the song. 4. Provide The Greatest Promise booklet for each student. [May be ordered by calling 1-800-432-1997.] Read through The Greatest Promise booklet. Note: On page 15 of The Greatest Promise booklet, read the words in the yellow before you read the question. Read the suggestions in the Discovery, page 30, for use of the booklet. REVIEW/FOCUS (5-10 Minutes) [Guided Conversation] Think of a time when someone made a promise to you, but the promise was not kept. Maybe someone promised to keep a secret. Or maybe someone promised to return money or a toy. How did you feel when the promise was broken? As you think and remember, begin to draw or write your ideas on the paper I am giving you now. [Allow 5 minutes. Ask several children to show the picture to the class. Say, "Tell us about your picture." Allow 5 minutes for sharing.] Promise-keeping helps us become compassionate people. When we think about or experience broken promises, we can have sympathy for someone else's suffering or misfortune. It makes us want to help others. God's compassion for the people of the world is so great that He made a promise that would be very costly for Him to keep. Today we are going to learn about this great promise that God made and kept long ago. Part of the promise is that God will always forgive us. Our part is to tell God when we think or say or do wrong things, and agree with Him that what we have thought or done is not what He wants. Today we're going to learn more about God's compassion, forgiveness and integrity and more about His promises. Remember, God never breaks a promise. He is a person of integrity. The song in the next section will help us to learn how God keeps His promises.

When people make an individual, voluntary choice to ask Jesus to live in them, their attitudes and understanding change in ways that allow them to love God, themselves and others. God sends the Spirit of His Son into each individual who asks. The Spirit of God gives individuals the power and motivation to choose what is right. When children or adults freely choose to follow Christ, they are forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus. They are transformed from within in a way that surpasses the effects of any imposed ethical system. Because of their personal commitment to God, they choose to think and do what is right. They do not need to be watched or policed by others. Materials Needed: 1 sheet of 11" x 16" paper for each child. Felt pens and/or crayons.

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