How do you think you’d do in a game of hide and seek with God? Probably not great. God is all-seeing and all-knowing so there’s nothing we can hide from Him, including what’s in our hearts. Even if no one else knows, God sees our hearts and wants us to be honest. Even though God sees the deepest, darkest parts of our hearts, He still loves you, wants you to confess the truth and come to Him. Yes, He is that good!
HONESTY: Telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!
MEMORY VERSE: “The Lord detests lying lips but He delights in those who tell the truth.”
Proverbs 12:22 (NLT)
This Week’s Finish Line: We are Honest Because God Knows Our Hearts.
In the early church in Jerusalem, all the believers shared what they had with each other and even sold their own things to make sure everyone had what they needed. In Acts 5 we meet Ananias and Sapphira, a couple who were more concerned about how others saw them than about honoring the Lord. They sold their land and gave SOME of the money to the church and that was a good thing. Unfortunately, they chose to lie and say they gave ALL of their money to the church just to make themselves look better. It’s true that none of the church members would know what they’d done, but God did. He always sees our hearts and knows the truth. He wants us to trust Him and tell the whole truth no matter what the people around us think.
Family Questions:
- Read Acts 4:32-5:11. What were Ananias and Sapphira most concerned about?
- How does it make you feel knowing God always sees your heart and you can’t hide anything from Him?
- When are you tempted to change the truth to make yourself look better?
- Was their sin keeping the money or not telling the truth about it? Why?
- Check out our vision for parents and how to use these activities each week.
Teacher: Meal Time
As you are sitting around the dinner table, eat a piece of food off of a family members plate, making sure that they see you do it. After you have eaten it tell them that you didn’t do it. Try to be convincing in telling them it really wasn’t you! After a few minutes of trying to convince them, openly admit that it was you. Then discuss how it was SO obvious and clear that you took the food because they SAW you do it. Help them make the connection that similarly, God sees everything. Read Psalm 139:1-4 which tells us that God knows everything about us, even what's in our hearts. Pray, thanking God for loving us even though He knows the darkest parts of our hearts.
Friend: Drive Time
While driving in the car with your kids, go over our definition of honesty: Telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Discuss with them that lying isn’t always telling a direct lie, but lying can also be withholding information that we don’t want the other person to know. Give them an example (i.e. Saying that your sibling took the toy from you, but leaving out that they had it first and you had in fact taken it from them). God desires the whole truth from us.
Counselor: Bedtime
As you are putting your family down for bed, talk to them about how truth builds trust. Lying breaks trust and relationship. Tell them that you would always rather know the truth, and that, no matter what, your love for them doesn’t change. Tell them that there might be consequences, but that is only because you love them and want to help them see the difference between right and wrong. Discuss how God is the same. His love never changes for you and He knows everything, so it is always better to tell the truth.
Coach: Anytime
As you are sending your family off for the day, remind them that they were made in God’s image. Even though He knows what’s in deep down in all of our hearts, He loves us more than we can imagine! Read John 3:16 and Genesis 1:27 together as a family. Tell them to allow those truths to influence their every decision for the day.
Prayer
Thank God for the mercy and love He shows us every day and for giving you the chance to repent and come to Him. Ask Him to help you tell the whole truth no matter how it might make people think of you.
Looking Ahead
Next week we continue our character trait for May- Honesty!