GLORIOUS FIRST TREASURES ACADEMYCLASS: Grade 5
TOPIC: Moderation in Christian Living (Speech, Sleep, and Spending)
BIBLE TEXTS: James 3:1-2, Ephesians 4:29, Proverbs 6:9-11, Luke 15:11-32
Moderation means avoiding extremes. It is the ability to stay within healthy, reasonable limits—not doing too much or too little of anything. God wants us to practice self-control, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Today, we will look at how to practice moderation in three key areas of our lives: our speech, our sleep, and our spending.
Our words have great power to heal or hurt. God wants us to guide our words carefully and use our mouths to bring peace.
In James 3:1-2, the Bible teaches us that the tongue is a very small part of the body, but it is incredibly powerful. James explains that if we can control our tongue, we can control our whole body. Just as a small rudder steers a giant ship through rough seas, our tongue can direct our entire life toward good or bad.
In Ephesians 4:29, Apostle Paul commands us:
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up..."
To practice moderation in speech, we must:
Sleep is God’s gift to help our bodies rest, heal, and grow. However, we must balance our rest with hard work.
Too much sleep leads to laziness. In Proverbs 6:9, the Bible warns us against being "sluggards" (lazy people) who refuse to wake up and work. Oversleeping can make us fail in our schoolwork, miss chores at home, and lose out on God's blessings.
On the other hand, sleeping too little because of late-night television, video games, or play is also bad. It makes us tired, cranky, and unhealthy.
To practice moderation in sleep, we should:
We must be wise stewards (managers) of the money God gives to us through our parents. Moderation in spending means avoiding two bad habits: wastefulness and greed.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), we see how a young man took his inheritance and wasted it all on expensive, unnecessary things. He ended up poor and hungry. God does not want us to waste resources. At the same time, we must not be stingy or greedy, refusing to help others in need.
To practice moderation in spending, we should:
Living a moderate life keeps us healthy, safe, and happy. It prevents us from getting into trouble, saves us from poverty, and keeps our relationships with friends and family strong. Most importantly, practicing moderation proves that we are growing as mature Christians who are led by the Holy Spirit.
What does moderation mean?
a) Doing whatever we like
b) Avoiding extremes and showing self-control
c) Sleeping all day
According to James 3:1-2, what part of the body is compared to the rudder of a ship?
a) The hand
b) The eye
c) The tongue
Ephesians 4:29 teaches us to speak only words that __________.
a) Hurt other people's feelings
b) Build others up
c) Show how rich we are
What happened to the Prodigal Son because of his wasteful spending?
a) He became the king
b) He became very rich
c) He became poor and hungry
How many hours of sleep should a child ideally get every night?
a) 2 to 3 hours
b) 8 to 10 hours
c) 18 to 20 hours