Splink | Wisdom in Righteous Living

Obey the Instructions

Hide a reward (treat of food, bag of cookies, small gift, whatever you like)

at a specific destination without the kids knowing it. Announce that there is a reward hidden for them, but they must follow your instructions to get it. (All the kids can do this together or you can do it one at a time if you have a smaller family.) Verbally give clues a little at a time (go ten steps and turn left; look until you find a yellow flower; go where there is something we use to cut the grass; etc.) or write them on slips of paper and give them at the appropriate time.

After the reward has been found and enjoyed, talk about it:

What might have happened if you had NOT followed the instructions? (We wouldn’t have found the reward; we would have wandered around; etc.)

Why are instructions important? (They help us find the way; they help us know how things work; they guide us; etc.)

Where are God’s instructions? (Bible)

Why is it good for us to obey God’s instructions? (So we can know the wise way to live; so we can know how to get along with others; so we can know how to love God; etc.)

Read Psalm 19:9-11.

What do these verses tell us about God’s law/words? (They are true, fair, better than gold or honey, and there is a reward for keeping them.)

God’s instructions are found in the Bible and there is a great reward when we follow them!

What is the Wise Thing to Do?

If you have older kids, brainstorm situations and then answer the question, “What is the wise thing to do?”

If they can’t think of situations, here are a few to get you started:

• You received $40 in birthday money.
• Your teacher left the room and some students started goofing around.
• You have a big test, but you want to read your new book.
• You are with a group of friends who are bullying another kid.

Encourage them to ask that question, “What is the wisest thing to do?” in situations they face this week.

Light for the Right Way

Gather around the Christmas tree. Turn off the overhead lights; turn off the Christmas tree lights and sit quietly in the darkness.

What would it be like to live in darkness? (Can’t see how to walk; you would bump into things, etc.) The Bible describes living without Jesus as living in darkness. How is the darkness in this room like the darkness in the world if we don’t know Jesus? (Without Jesus, you don’t know the way to go to Heaven; you can’t see the right way to go/live without Him; etc.)

Turn the Christmas tree lights back on and read what Jesus said in John 8:12. What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world? (He shows you the right way to go; He doesn’t want you to stumble or fall in the darkness of sin; He shows you the way to Heaven; etc.)

Sing a Christmas song (Joy to the World) as you sit around the tree.

Copied from The D6 Family Advent Guide (Randall House Publishing, 2018).