Dinosaurs: Fruit of the Spirit – Joy

Review Ankylosaurus. Review Love.

Remember: We are going to talk about what dinosaurs look like and what God
wants us to look, act and talk like. We are to be the opposites of dinosaurs. We
are going to study herbivores. What are herbivores? What do they eat? Let’s
learn about an unusual dinosaur. How many of you have heard of an

Today we are going to talk about the Kentrosaurus.

Kentrusaurus – Spiked Lizard

Read the card.

What have you learned about this dinosaur?

This dinosaur has a small brain. He can’t have all the feelings that we have –
they are in our brain and heart. We are going to talk about the difference
between being happy and joy.

What makes you happy? Happiness is when the circumstances or things around
you are good. Get examples. The Kentrosaurus can only be happy.

Now – turn around and face the other direction because God wants us to be the
opposite of the dinosaurs.
God, though, wants us to not look at what we have or our circumstances for
happiness but instead he wants us to be joyous. That means no matter what is
going on around us – we will choose to joyful. In spite of bad things – we will
choose joy.

Remember: God wants us to be like fruit – seriously – fruit. Now – we just

learned about a herbivore called the what? (Ankylosaurus.) Okay – he eats
plants maybe even fruit. But just because he eats fruit and plants doesn’t mean
he acts like fruit. God wants us to have the attitudes of the fruit of the Spirit.
What are the fruit of the Spirit, you ask? Well…they can be found in the Bible in
Galatians. Galatians is a letter in the New Testament. It was written by Paul to
the Christians in Galatia.

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)

22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
23

things there is no law.

Turn around – the dino can’t experience joy. He might be able to be
happy – maybe – what might make him happy? What makes you
happy?

Turn around - But remember – joy is very different from happiness.

Why? How?

I want to share some verses about joy:

1 Thessalonians 5:16
Be joyful always;

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

2 Corinthians 7:4
I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly
encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

2 Corinthians 8:2
Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme
poverty welled up in rich generosity.

The Kentrosaurus has a small brain and can’t experience joy. But we
can. We can choose to be joyful no matter what we are facing – Joyful
because God loves us and saves us.

Don’t be like the dinosaur – but have joy.

What have you learned today? How will you be different from
dinosaurs?

Pray.