ELEMENTARY KIDS & FAMILIES date
1.8
they need guidelines to direct them as they grow into the people God wants them to be. Inspire (for parents) When I was 12 years old, I ran away from home. Well, sort of. I was frustrated with all the rules of my home (my mom called them “healthy boundaries”). So, I thought I would make a powerful statement of independence. The only thing I really accomplished was getting lost. While my mom was watching TV, I snuck out the back door and headed into the forest of pine trees and bike trails in the next neighborhood.
mom cared enough about me to have rules in our home. Now my wife and I are striving to provide those same “healthy boundaries” for our children. We won’t always get it right, but we’ll keep trying. We love our kids, and we know, just like each of us, they need guidelines to direct them as they grow into the people God wants them to be. by Keith Haughton
After about an hour, I got bored and decided to go home, but I had gone so deep into the woods, I couldn’t find the path back. Scared and hungry, I wandered through the trees for hours until I finally heard my mmandments) 19—20 (Ten Co s du xo E : re tu mom calling my name. I forgot all Scrip and Honor Wants Us to Love about my rebellion, and I followed Main Point: God Him First the sound of her voice as she led your family to designed to allow me out of the forest. I had been This resource is ur children yo d’s Word before disobedient and defiant to my r parents to have time in Go fo is n cause God’s pla Be . ch ur ch mom, but on our way home she nd atte their children’s iritual nurturers of sp y ar im pr e th had only words of restoration and be spiritually, your that as you grow faith, we know healing to offer me. spiritually as well. children will grow Today I am a parent, and I can view my past from a different perspective. I am thankful my
Getting Started
Equip (for parents) The Ten Commandments were the first guidelines God gave His people for how to live their lives. In Exodus 20:1–3, He reminds His people of this. He said, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” Of the Ten Commandments, the first four are about relationship with God; the fifth is about relationship with parents; and the last five are about relationships with each other. They are set up as if to show that how we relate to others depends on how we relate to God. Through the Ten Commandments, God offered His people the best life possible. But as we know, His people (and all people) were unable to fulfill these obligations on their own. As the laws stood, they only brought knowledge of sin. God knew this. So, He sent His Son to bring the law of grace and Truth (John 1:17), which made it possible for God to “put [His] laws in [our] minds and … write them on [our] hearts …” (Hebrews 8:10). God made it possible to do as Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind … [and] ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37, 39). Through Christ, God changed our sinful hearts and gave us the love we needed to love and honor Him first, then love those around us, who have been made in His image.
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Support
(for parents & kids) Sometime this week, read through the biblical account of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1–17. Just for fun, read this part of The Big God Story at bedtime. Share with your children that just as your family has guidelines, like a set bedtime, God gave us rules to follow for living our lives. After you have read, ask your kids to tell you which commandment stood out to them. Share with them which one stood out to you. Ask them which commandment is the hardest to follow. Then ask them why that specific commandment is hard for them to follow. Remind them God gave us the Ten Commandments because He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. When you are finished, share with your children that what they just heard is a part of The Big God Story in the Bible, and they will hear more about the Ten Commandments in church this week. Close your time by praying to and thanking God that He offers His Holy Spirit to help us obey the commandments He gave us.
© 2011 David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.