Splink | Humbly Obeying God’s Word

Guess What?

Play 20 questions to guess something that is helpful.

Place a Bible inside a bag or box so kids can’t see it. Hold up the bag and invite kids to ask 20 questions (that can be answered with a yes or no) to see if they can guess what is in the bag.

Read 2 Timothy 3:16.

How does God’s Word help us? (It is good for doctrine and teaching; it is good for correction and instruction; etc.)

We have a lot of helpful things in our house, but this is the most helpful of all of them. Learning to humbly obey God’s Word is the goal for our family—even the grown-ups!

Follow the Instructions!

Items Needed: slip of paper with the name of a destination written on it (oak tree in backyard, dryer in laundry room, trunk of car, etc.)

Reward (treat of food, bag of cookies, small gift, whatever you like)

Hide a reward 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 right 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!

Tug of War

Read 2 Kings 23:1-3.

Josiah learned that he and God’s people had not been obeying God, and he took action to change that. Josiah is an excellent example of the impact a young person’s positive influence can have.

Do a simple tug of war, using a beach towel or rope. Mark a point on the floor or ground with a piece of masking tape. Line up two family members (about the same size) on either end of the rope. Tell them to start pulling when you say go.

Here are a few twists:

Tug of war using only one hand (to prevent the other hand from gripping, raise it in the air)

Tug of war with feet only holding onto rope (with or without shoes?)

Tug of war with each player standing on one foot

Tug of war with each player on his knees

Do you ever feel like there is a kind of tug of war going inside of you? One side tugs at you to obey God’s Word and the other side tugs at you to disobey God and sin.

What are some struggles we might have?

Should I obey my parents or do what I want?

Should I read the Bible or skip it?

Should I be kind to my sibling or be mean?

Should I share with others or be selfish?

How can we win against sin? There will always be a struggle with sin (until we finally get to Heaven), but we must remember victory comes only with saying YES to God and asking for His help to say NO to sin and obey His Word!