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» Truth
1
Telling the Truth
When you have to discipline a child, make sure he or she knows how serious lying is. At our house, there was always a harsher punishment if a child lied. Your child needs to know that there may still be a punishment for wrongdoing, but there will be an extra punishment for lying. Any relationship is built on trust, so emphasize the importance of telling the truth.
(By the way, don’t give your child an opportunity to lie. If they are standing in front of a broken lamp, don’t ask, “Did you break this?” Instead say something like, “Tell me what happened.”)
Tell Aesop’s fable about the little shepherd boy. The shepherd boy thought he would play a trick on the people in the village so he yelled, “Wolf, Wolf, come and help me!” The villagers ran to help, but there was not really a wolf. A few days later, he cried out, “Wolf, wolf,” and the villagers ran to help him, but he had fooled them again. Later when a wolf really came to attack his sheep, he yelled, “Wolf, wolf, come and help me!” The villagers did not believe him so they did not come to help him. The little shepherd boy lost many of his sheep. The moral: Nobody believes a liar . . . even when he is telling the truth!
2
Our GPS
When you’re driving to a familiar location, announce that you are going to the library (or any location you choose) then turn the opposite direction. When the kids ask you what you are doing, say, “It doesn’t matter which way we go, we’ll get to the library.” After driving the wrong way, admit that you are only going further from the library. Turn around and tell them it is important to know and go the right or true way. The true way to live is found in the Bible.
OR If you have a GPS, plug in the correct address of the library. When you make a wrong turn, it will tell you to turn around.
Ask:
- How is the Bible like a map or a GPS? (Just as a map or GPS tells you the correct road to take, the Bible tells you the RIGHT way to heaven. It tells you how to live so you can please God.)
- (If your kids are using D6 curriculum, they are memorizing 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Memorize the verse together. ALL Scripture is given by God for many good purposes—to know what is right (doctrine), to reprove, to instruct, to correct.)
3
Shield of Truth
The Bible is like a shield of truth. Get a garbage can lid or the lid of a large storage bin. Grab some old newspapers or sheets of paper and make paper wads. Designate one kid to hold the “shield” and put the rest of the family on the other side of a line. (Make a line down the middle of the room that can’t be crossed.) Set the timer for one minute and throw as many as you can at the “shield holder.” THEN take away the shield and throw the paper wads at the same person.
Ask:
How did the shield help you? (It helped keep the paper wads from hitting me.)
Read Ephesians 6:10, 11, and 16. If you know God’s Word, it can protect you. You will be able to know the truth so you can fight against the lies you hear.
4
God's Truth and Straight Sticks
Send the kids out to find a straight stick. When they return, hold their sticks (one by one) up to a ruler.
Explain: Some sticks are more crooked than others. Sometimes it may be hard to tell a stick is crooked until you hold it next to something that is perfectly straight.
The Bible is God's truth and it is like the straight ruler. Lies you might hear are like crooked sticks. You must compare what you hear or read to what is said in the Bible. For example: You may hear the statement that man evolved. Is that true or is that a lie? Compare it to what the Bible says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). You can count on God and His Word to always be true!
5
"I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie!"
Read or tell the story about George Washington by M. L. Weems.
"When George was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet of which, like most little boys, he was extremely fond. He went about chopping everything that came his way.
One day, as he wandered about the garden amusing himself, he found a beautiful, young English cherry tree, of which his father was most proud. He tried the edge of his hatchet on the trunk of the tree and chopped the barked so that it died.
Some time after this, his father discovered what had happened to his favorite tree. He came into the house in great anger, and demanded to know whom the mischievous person was who had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him anything about it.
Just then George, with his little hatchet, came into the room.
"George,'' said his father, "do you know who has killed my beautiful little cherry tree in the garden? I would not have taken five guineas for it!''
This was a hard question to answer, and for a moment George was staggered by it, but quickly recovering himself he cried:
"I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.''
The anger died out of his father's face, and taking the boy tenderly in his arms, he said:
"My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth means more to me than a thousand trees! Yes—though they were blossomed with silver and had leaves of the purest gold!''
Jesus said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Jesus always told the truth. Even though you may get in trouble for telling the truth, you will be free from sin or the guilt that lying can bring.
6
Get to Know Truth!
One must KNOW what is true in order to LIVE by it. Give your child a good devotional guide. Randall House has two available (one for early elementary students and one for upper elementary students) that will help them get into the habit of reading their Bibles daily. Set aside a few minutes every day for each person to go to a quiet place and read his or her Bible.
7
Actions Speak Louder than Words
Tell your kids that you are going to test them to see how they listen and obey. (You will speak the following commands, but you will be doing something different with your actions.)
Give them the following three commands and see how they do.
Clap your hands when I say three - 1, 2, (clap your hands on the count of 2).
I want each of you to smile. (make an ugly frown instead of a smile).
Rub your head (pat your stomach instead).
Ask:
Why was it hard to follow what I said? (You DID something different than what you SAID.)
It is important to not only speak the truth, but to live the truth with our actions.
The truth is found in a person - Jesus. He not only spoke the truth, but He proved what He said by His actions. Jesus said, "I am the Son of God."(John 10:34-38) He proved He was God by doing miracles than no human could do. His words and His actions matched. He spoke and lived the truth!
8
Breaking Something Can Turn Out Good?
Items needed: rocks - nice big ones (paperweight size)
markers or paint
Send the kids out to find a nice, big rock to paint (about the size of your fist). Wash and dry the rocks and set them aside to dry. While they are drying, ask:
Have you ever known that throwing a rock and breaking something turned out good?
In 1947, Jum’a Muhammed or Muhammed edh-Dhib, two cousins were looking for a stray goat and one of them threw a rock into a cave. Something broke...oh no! They entered the cave and found some scrolls. They discovered some of the oldest copies of the Bible (called Dead Sea Scrolls) dating back to 100-200 BC.
Once the Dead Sea Scrolls were translated and compared with modern versions, the Hebrew Bible proved to be identical, word for word, in more than 95% of the text. (The variation of 5% consisted mainly of spelling variations.) Overwhelming evidence shows that God has preserved His Word and accurately relayed it through the centuries. (from Beyond Belief to Convictions by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler)
Decorate the rocks and write sayings on them. (God Rocks, The Bible is True, Count on God's Word, etc)
9
King of the Castle
Plan a special meal and dessert to honor Dad on his special day this coming Sunday. Make a simple crown (or dig one out of the toy box from Burger King) and proclaim him, "King of the Castle."
Write messages of "truth" on pieces of paper about him (I like you because ________, You are very _______, You're really good at ______, The best thing you do is _____, etc.) Roll these up with ribbon and tie them to a branch (stuck in a pot of dirt). Let him read the messages aloud after dinner.
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