Loving Our Enemies


Scripture: 2 Samuel 1-5 and I Chronicles 10-11

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will learn God’s plans will happen in His timing, which may take longer than we would like.
  • Students will learn bad things may happen while we are waiting for God’s timing, but that does not mean God is not with us or that He is not in control.
  • Students will learn God does not want us to do sinful things in order to “speed up” His timing or in an effort to “help” God.
  • Students will learn how to love their enemies well.

Guiding Question: How can we love our enemies/people who we may not get along with in a way that is godly?

Materials: Large white construction paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils, heart cutouts

Procedure: Review the story of how David became King from the scriptures above. Remind the students that even though Saul had died, it took a while for David to become the king. Those that were enemies to David like Saul and Abner were people that David still loved. He was sad about their death, not happy. David truly loved his enemies with a godly love.

Give each students a piece of construction paper and materials to draw/write with. Have the students write and/or draw things people do to us that may make us think of them as enemies. Next to each thing drawn/listed, place a cut out of a heart and write/draw something they can do in that situation to show godly love to the person that just did that to them to show love to their “enemy”. (Ex: pray for them., say something kind, etc.) Discuss the finished art work as a class and allow students to add to if time allows.

Additional Questions: How does practicing showing love to others help instill that love in us?
Supplemental Activity: Have students split into partners – one person being the “enemy”. Have each partner pair create a situation where one person has the chance to show godly love to their “enemy”. Allow students to act out the skit in front of the class and gather feedback.

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