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» Obedience
1
No Rules = Chaos!
As you’re driving in the car and you stop at a red light, ask the kids:
Why did we stop at this red light?
What would happen if I just kept driving through it?
Why is it important to obey the rules?
Ask the kids to find other road signs that drivers need to obey and talk about why it is important to obey them. (It would be a good idea to be going the speed limit before you see a speed limit sign!)
God gave certain rules in the Bible, not because He wanted to make it hard for us, but He gave us rules to protect us. He is wise and knows what is best!
Optional: If you have older kids, talk about how God’s rules (Ten Commandments) protect us. For example: By obeying God’s rule not to steal, He is protecting you from suffering the consequences of getting caught, from hurting others, from guilt (even if you don’t get caught you will feel guilty), etc.
2
The Johnson Family Camping Trip
Read the following story aloud:
Aaron couldn’t believe it was finally happening-. The Johnson family was on their first camping trip and Aaron was so excited. He dashed around the campsite helping his dad unload the van and set up the tent. He couldn’t wait till they built a campfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. “Aaron, walk around the area and gather some limbs and sticks to make a fire,” his dad told him after they put the tent up. Just as Aaron came back with an armful of sticks, his dad ordered, “Stop; don’t move!”
Aaron immediately stopped, wondering why his dad would tell him to get the sticks and then stop before he brought them to the fire pit.
Mr. Johnson walked toward Aaron with a big stick in his hand. His dad reached up and knocked a snake out of the tree near where Aaron was standing. Later as they were roasting marshmallows, Mr. Johnson told Aaron how pleased he was that Aaron obeyed right away. “I saw what you couldn’t and I wanted to protect you,” his dad reassured him. Aaron was glad that he could trust his father to protect him and Mr. Johnson was glad that he could trust Aaron to obey.
Ask:
- Why was it important for Aaron to obey right away?
- Why is important for you to obey right away?
- What does this statement mean: “Delayed obedience is disobedience.” What does that mean? (If you delay and don’t do what you’re told right away, then you are not really obeying.)
God’s rules are to protect and provide for you. He made you and knows what is best for you. You must believe that what He says is true and then obey it, even when you don’t understand or if it’s hard.
3
Blind Obedience
Set up a simple obstacle course in the family room or outside (pillows, chairs, boxes, etc – nothing breakable, just in case). Blindfold one child and let another person direct him through the course. (They can’t touch each other unless one is about to get hurt!)
Blindfold another person. (Take a turn Mom and Dad – the kids will love directing you!) Slightly rearrange the course and let the seeing person lead the blindfolded person through it.
After each one has had a turn, ask:
How did you feel walking through the course blindfolded? Why was it important to listen and do what the other person told you to do?
God knows the ways you should go. He wants to direct you. BUT you have to listen and do what He says. If you will listen to the Bible and do what it says, you will know how to be happy, how to make friends, how to go to heaven, and many more important things. Just as you had to trust your partner to tell you the right way to go, you can trust God to lead you the right way too! His way is always best.
4
What Happened When You Disobeyed?
Tell your kids about a time when you disobeyed your parent (and possibly share the consequences). Tell them it's not always easy to obey because we are born with a desire to sin. That's why Jesus came to die for our sins and to live inside of us to help us.
Teach them 1 John 1:9, "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to clean us from all unrighteousness."
Teach them to say a simple prayer telling God they are sorry. "Dear God, I am sorry for _______ (name the sin). Please help me to do what's right. Amen."
5
Road Rules. God's Rules.
As you're driving ask:
What might happen if I drove on the wrong side of the road or if I ran a red light? (we could get in an accident and someone could get hurt)
Why do we want you to follow God's rules? (becasue we want to protect you and lead you in the right way)
How can obeying God's rule, "Do not life," protect you? (It keeps you from feeling guilty if you lie; it will protect your reputation so others won't think of you as a liar; it will help others trust what you say, etc)
One of the best reasons to obey is because you will happier if you follow God's way.
6
"Delayed obedience is disobedience."
Ask:
What does this statement mean, "Delayed obedience is disobedience." (Hopefully, your kids learned about this in Sunday School.)
Delayed obedience is when you don't obey right away. Like when you're told to take out the trash and you wait until you're finished watching TV. If you don't obey when you are told, you are disobeying! What could happen if you wait? (you could forget and not do it)
Tell your kids you're going to be watching this week. You want them to obey you RIGHT AWAY - don't wait. Every time, they obey RIGHT AWAY, give them a big hug and tell them how glad you are to see them obeying right away.
7
The Law of Gravity, The Law of God
Items needed: two oranges
A grape (any two kinds of round objects will work–ping pong ball and basketball)
Hold an orange in each hand so each one is the same height from the floor. Let go of both oranges at the same time. What happened? (They hit the floor at the same time)
Now hold an orange in one hand and a grape (or other small object) in the other hand. Let go of both objects at the same time. What happened? (They hit the floor at the same time)
Why? Gravity is a law of the universe that pulls all objects downward at the same speed regardless of their weight. (Air resistance does influence this some.)
Just as God created the universe with certain laws (rules), God gave us the Bible with certain laws (rules). It is important to pay attention to and obey God's laws.
Read Exodus 20:12: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Why is it important to obey this law (rule)? (Your parents want to protect and help you, God gave them the right to teach you what to do, and it is a first step to obeying God.)
8
"OBEY–RIGHT AWAY"
Make a sign that says, "OBEY–RIGHT AWAY."
When you tell your young children to do something, quickly hold up the sign and have them repeat what it says. Give them a big hug every time they obey—right away. (Verbal affirmation is very powerful for kids!) Do this the entire week and then post the sign on the refrigerator as a reminder.
9
Senior Citizens Day
May 29th is Senior Citizens Day. Make a card or draw a picture for an older adult; a grandparent would be great. Interview him or her, asking questions such as:
What did you like to do when you were a kid?
Did you ever get into trouble? Why?
How have things changed since you were a child?
What do you like to do now?
What is the most important thing you have learned from your parents?
What do you believe about God?
PS: If you don't have grandparents nearby, call and ask if you can visit at an assisted living center or nursing home. They love having visitors!
10
Tent Dwellers
Set up a tent (or make one with blankets) in the living room and read the story in Genesis 12:1-5 of God calling Abram to leave his home.
Ask:
Would you like to live in a tent? Why or why not?
Do you think it was hard for Abram to leave his home and go to an unknown place that God would show him?
Why is it sometimes hard to obey God?
Serve a simple snack in the tent–fruit (dried or regular), cheese, pita bread.
Optional: Move the tent to a different location the next night and read more about Abram or talk about obedience.
11
Tent Dwellers
Set up a tent (or make one with blankets) in the living room and read the story in Genesis 12:1-5 of God calling Abram to leave his home.
Ask:
Would you like to live in a tent? Why or why not?
Do you think it was hard for Abram to leave his home and go to an unknown place that God would show him?
Why is it sometimes hard to obey God?
Serve a simple snack in the tent–fruit (dried or regular), cheese, pita bread.
Optional: Move the tent to a different location the next night and read more about Abram or talk about obedience.
12
Tent Dwellers
Set up a tent (or make one with blankets) in the living room and read the story in Genesis 12:1-5 of God calling Abram to leave his home.
Ask:
Would you like to live in a tent? Why or why not?
Do you think it was hard for Abram to leave his home and go to an unknown place that God would show him?
Why is it sometimes hard to obey God?
Serve a simple snack in the tent–fruit (dried or regular), cheese, pita bread.
Optional: Move the tent to a different location the next night and read more about Abram or talk about obedience.
13
Hebrews 11:6
Items needed: pieces of paper (white or construction paper)
Markers or crayons
Bible
Memorize Hebrews 11:6 together.
Ask:
What pleases God? (Faith)
What do we need to do? (We must believe there is a God who rewards those who diligently/sincerely seek Him.)
What is faith? (Faith is believing that there is a God and that He will do what He says He will do.)
Assign a different phrase of the verse to each kid, and ask him or her to write and decorate it. Post this on the refrigerator or wall so all can see and learn the verse. (Students using D6 curriculum will be studying this verse for three weeks, so you will have lots of time to work at memorizing it.)
If you have younger children, memorize a part of the verse.
14
When You Obey, We All Win!
Write each of the following Bible references on a piece of paper (Ephesians 6:1; Ephesians 4:32; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Ephesians 4:29).
Write each of the following rewards on a piece of paper (Stay up 30 minutes later; Play a game together; Skip a chore; Pick three books to read; Pick a dessert you like, etc.).
Read one verse each morning at breakfast and challenge the kids to obey the command in the verse that day. Try to catch them obeying the verse and every night at dinner talk about how they did. If they have done well, allow them to pick a reward card.
15
Please God, Not Others
Peter and John were arrested and the leaders told them not to speak or teach about Jesus. Peter and John stood together and told them it was more important to obey God, than men.
Invite your kids to pair up and come up with situations where they would be tempted to please others and not obey God's rules. (Ideas: friend wants you to ride beyond your parents' designated safe area, kid at school wants to copy your homework, friends treating a new kid badly, teacher says you can't pray at lunchtime, etc.)
16
What Makes a Good Friend?
While driving your kids, ask:
What makes a good friend?
How can choosing friends who want to do what is right help you?
What might happen if your best friends always want to do things you know are wrong?
Why is it more important to obey God than to please others?
17
"I Say, You Obey"
If you have young children, play, "I Say, You Obey" to PRACTICE obeying. Give them a simple task (put your shoes in your room, put your toy on the shelf, take your plate to the sink, wash your hands, etc.) to do. If they obey right away, put a happy face sticker on a chart or just say, "It makes me smile when I say and you obey." (Make a BIG deal out of it!) Tell them that God is glad when we obey!
18
Good Choices Help You Move Forward
Item needed: small rock
While you are waiting, play rock school. Line the kids up at a designated spot side by side. Put the rock in one of your hands (behind your back so they can’t see which hand the rock is in) and take turns letting each one guess. Hold out both hands and ask them to pick which hand holds the rock. If they guess correctly, they move to the next “grade” in school. (All start out in kindergarten and the first to reach twelfth grade is the winner.) If they guess the empty hand, they must stay in the same grade until the next time they guess the correct hand.
What did you like about this game? (Picking the right hand and moving forward)
What happened when you made the wrong choice? (You had to stay in the same spot)
This was a game about making the right choice and moving forward. God gives us choices—will we obey OR will we disobey His rules? He is pleased when we choose to obey!
19
Now and Later
Give each child a “Now and Later” candy.
Ask:
What did Pharaoh do when Moses told him God’s message to free the people from slavery? (He disobeyed and said, “No!”)
And there were bad consequences or bad results.
There are consequences for disobeying God, maybe right NOW, maybe LATER.
What might be some consequences for stealing a candy bar from the store? (Might get caught and punished, God’s disapproval, guilty conscience, others will not trust us, might even get away with it and think there are no consequences which is a wrong idea)
There are ALWAYS consequences for sin—NOW or LATER! There will be BIG consequences to Pharaoh’s disobedience to God; his entire country will suffer.
20
Obey and DO!
Continue adding straw so baby Jesus will have a soft manger by Christmas morning. Tell the kids at breakfast that throughout the day you will whisper a request to each person; something they can do for another member of the family. (Try to make sure it is during a time when they can quickly and easily do it.)
To OBEY is to actually DO what you are told to do. Obedience is actually doing what you’re told, not thinking about it, planning it, or even intending to do it.
21
Treating Each Other Fairly
Items needed: 10 dimes for each child
Tell the kids that you want to reward them for being such great kids and want to give each of them a dollar. Give the first one 10 dimes; give the second one 6 dimes; give the next one 2 dimes, etc. (Count out the dimes so they will notice the difference.) You will hear lots of THAT'S NOT FAIR!
Why didn't you like my system? (He got more; we should all get the same, etc.)
Justice is treating everyone fairly. We all want to be treated fairly. There is a standard that is right for all people, all times, and all places that says one dollar should equal 10 dimes. God is the standard for how we should treat others.
Read the last six commandments (which help us know how to treat other people) in Exodus 20:12-17.
Count out 10 dimes for each child!
22
Taste Test
Items Needed: different flavors of ice cream (small sizes would work fine)
Do a taste test to see what ice cream is the BEST. Taste all the different flavors and ask each family member to vote for the best one.
We may disagree on what is the best ice cream, but there are some things we can't disagree on.
Is something wrong just because you or I think it is wrong? Why or why not? I may think something is right and you may thing it is wrong, but God is the judge for what is right and wrong. We may disagree with each other, but we cannot disagree with God. He made the rules and knows what is best! If people will live by His rules, they will be happier!
23
The Golden Rule
Role-play situations to help them see how important it is to treat others fairly.
- Everyone is waiting in line and someone walks up to the front of the line
- Two are playing with a toy and another child walks up and grabs it away
- The family is playing a game and one person won't wait his turn, but keeps taking an extra turn
Ask:
How do you feel when someone doesn't treat others fairly? (Angry, sad, disappointed, etc.)
A good thing to ask yourself is, "How would I like to be treated? And then do that to others.
Read Luke 6:31—the Golden Rule. (Do to others as you would have them do to you.) Write it out and post it on the refrigerator. If you have older kids, let them draw a picture of someone treating others fairly, and write the Golden Rule across the top of the picture.
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