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» Idolatry
Fake gods
God’s people, the Israelites, worshiped idols. Idolatry is the worship of false (fake) gods instead of the one true God.
To illustrate the idea of “fake” and “real” give your children “fake” money for their allowance. (Cut a rectangle out of paper and write “One Dollar” on it for a dollar.) When they say, “This isn’t real money!” agree that it’s not real.
Ask:
• What’s the difference between fake and real? (Fake is an imitation of the real—some
counterfeiters try to make fake ones that look very real, but they are not.)
• What is an idol? (It is an imitation of the true God. An idol can be made from gold, silver,
wood, or just about anything.)
• What’s the difference between an idol and the one true God? (The one true God made
the heavens and the earth; an idol is something made that people use to represent a
god they worship.)
There are people in many countries (many even in the US) who worship idols. They do not know the one true God and worship a false god.
Time Log
An idol has come to mean anything you put before God. What do you love more than God? Most of us would probably say, “Nothing,” but do our lives say the same?
Keep a family time log for three days. (Each person should have a different color marker to record activities.)
(Note to parents: This can be revealing for us as well! Don’t be afraid to admit your own failings to your kids. One of the best ways to teach our kids is to model good things and when we fail, admit it and change.)
Look at the time log together and ask each person:
• What is the one thing you spent most of your free time doing?
• God knows we have school and work and doesn’t expect us to pray 24/7, but did you set
aside some time each day to pray and read your Bible?
Help your kids have a quiet time each day where they read the Bible and pray. Give them a good devotional book and/or read the Bible together as a family. Randall House Publications prints devotional guides geared for elementary kids. For more info, go to:
https://www.d6family.com/store/product/2 (lower elementary)
https://www.d6family.com/store/product/3 (upper elementary)
What Do You Love?
After dinner, set the timer for three minutes and send the kids back to their rooms to return with the thing they love the most. (If it can’t be easily unhooked or carried, they can write what it is on a piece of paper and bring it back.)
Ask:
Why do you love this?
It’s okay to love things as long as we keep them in their proper place. Things should never be more important to us than God is. (An idol is something you love more than God.) The Bible says we are to love God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and spirit—with everything in us (Mark 12:30). That means putting Him first before everything else.
What can you do this week to put God first and show that you love Him?
