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Rules, Rules, Rules
When you pick your kids up from school, ask them:
If you could be the principal of your school for a day, what rules would you make?
After each person has had a chance to share their ideas, ask them:
Are rules good or bad? Why or why not?
What if there were NO rules at school? Would that be good or bad? Why or why not?
Some of the time we don’t like rules, but most rules are for our good. Could your teacher teach you anything if everyone talked at the same time? What if there were no rules on the highway and we could drive where we wanted? Would that be safe? We have freedom in America, but that doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want. We are free to obey the rules. That’s the only way anyone can have true freedom.
God gave His rules for our good. One of the Ten Commandments says, “Do not steal.” Would you like it if someone stole your _______? How is God’s rule about stealing for your good? (God wants to protect each of you from hurting others or being hurt. God doesn’t want you to get caught and punished if you steal. God’s rules are good and right.)
No Fair!
Play a game together, but tell them you want to play it a little differently–tonight there will no rules. When it is your turn, break the rules. They will call, “Not fair.” Tell them there are no rules. Keep playing. Cheat, go out of turn, play long enough for them to get fed up.
Ask them:
Why didn’t you like playing with no rules? (You didn’t know what to do, it wasn’t fair for one person, it wasn’t fun, etc.)
We think life might be better if there were no rules. God made us and knows that we need rules. We have freedom to do what is right. The Bible is the rule book for us. We want to read it and do what is says.
Fruit Cocktail Tree
Take each person in the family to the grocery store and let each one pick out their favorite fruit. Take them home and make a big fruit salad to share.
*****Did you know there is a fruit cocktail tree that bears several kinds of fruit on one tree? If you had one of these in your backyard you could pick six different varieties of fruit from it--nectarines, peaches, two plum varieties, and two apricot varieties. There is also a citrus fruit cocktail tree that has two kinds of oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, and lemons on it. Check it out online at www.directgardening.com.
Say the Bible verse–Galatians 5:22-23 and review the fruit of the Spirit.
Ask:
How can you have this fruit in your life? (By being connected to Jesus--the fruit has to be connected to the tree to produce fruit--and by listening to and obeying what He has instructed in the Bible)
