David C Cook COVID-19 Response

Lottery Losers

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  • Internet access

Once in a while, everybody dreams about what it would be like to get rich. Adults imagine how nice it would be not to have a job or worry about bills. Little kids imagine buying all the candy they can eat—or maybe a real, live pony!

  • As a middle schooler, what do you imagine when you think of getting rich? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

Everybody needs money. It’s what allows us to buy food, a place to live, and maybe the newest iPhone®. But since this is Sunday school, you may think you know what’s coming next. This is where we tell you that a little money is good, but a lot of money is bad, right?

Wrong! Money—whether you have a little or a lot—isn’t good or bad. What you do with the money makes all the difference. Some people take great wealth and use it to accomplish great things!

For example, Bill Gates, co-founder of the software company Microsoft, is the second-richest man in the world. But as of last year, Bill Gates had given away 40 billion dollars to charity. How much cash is that? Let me put it this way. It would take the average male college graduate more than 16,000 lifetimes to earn as much money as Mr. Gates has given away! Among other things, his money has made a big difference in fighting one of earth’s deadliest diseases, malaria.

  • There’s an old saying that wealth does not create character, it reveals character. What do you think that means? (What you do when you have a lot of money reveals what’s already in your heart. If you make wise decisions with a little money, you’ll act wisely when you have a lot. The same idea applies if you make foolish decisions with money.)

If wealth reveals character, then the fastest way to see what kind of person you really are is to win the lottery. When some people strike it rich, they use the money wisely, like Bill Gates. But for others, having too much cash ruins their lives. Let’s look at an example.
Show your students this video [2:20].
Lottery Winners’ Lives Ruined

  • Suppose that the three unlucky lottery winners in the video had made a commitment to share their wealth with others. Do you think their lives would still have been ruined? (It’s impossible to say for sure, but a focus on giving might have helped them maintain a better perspective on their newfound millions.)

Today, we’re going to talk about Abraham—specifically, what happened when he won the lottery! 

Technically, there weren’t lotteries 4,000 years ago. But the point is, Abraham suddenly acquired a lot of wealth. What he did with the money revealed what was already in his heart—just like it did for Bill Gates and the lottery winners. Let’s take a look.

Resources:
Philanthropy King: Bill Gates Gives Away $4.6 Billion, Unveils New Campaign To Combat Malaria
https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2017/08/15/philanthropy-king-bill-gates-gives-away-4-6-billion-unveils-new-campaign-to-combat-malaria/#347d827930d3
Education and Lifetime Earnings
https://www.ssa.gov/retirementpolicy/research/education-earnings.html
11 Facts About Global Poverty
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-global-poverty

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Materials Needed:

  • Index cards
  • Pens/pencils

Spread the word

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