FOR LEADERS ONLY GRADES 4-5 MAY 2018 SOURCE CODE: UNTANGLE THE WEB GOD VIEW: GOD VIEW: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HONESTY AND GOD S CHARACTER, AS SHOWN THROUGH GOD S BIG STORY HONESTY IS A REFLECTION OF THE CHARACTER OF GOD. WEEK 1 Key Questin: Why is it imprtant fr peple t trust yu? Preteens are just starting t realize that their actins have implicatins n peple arund them. We start ur mnth n hnesty, helping them realize that what they say r dn t say impacts whether r nt peple trust them. And why that matters. We start the mnth in 2 Kings 5 and learn mre abut the prphet Elisha and his servant named Gehazi. After Elisha helped Naaman, Gehazi saw Elisha turn dwn an extravagant gift frm Naaman. But Gehazi decided that he culd take advantage f the situatin and take the gift fr himself. He went behind Elisha s back, denied his actins, and inevitably lst Elisha s trust. Bttm Line: When yu re nt truthful yu lse trust. If yu cntinually tell lies and hurt peple with dishnesty, eventually yu will lse the trust f thse arund yu. We hpe kids realize that hnesty helps them build relatinships with thers. WEEK 2 Key Questin: When have yu seen a lie hurt smene? Fr preteens, it s ften easier t start with an example yu ve seen in smene else befre seeing hw yu ve persnally dne the same thing. We pray that as kids start with a questin abut hw they ve seen dishnesty effect friends and family, they ll ntice hw they ve hurt thers with their lies and figure ut a way t chse hnesty fr their wn life. Next, we lk t 1 Samuel 21-22. David is n the run frm King Saul and escapes t the twn f Nb where he asks the priest Ahimelek fr help. Ahimelek asks sme questins, but instead f telling the truth, David spins a tale that ends up getting Ahimelek killed when King Saul fund ut. David fund ut the hard way that lies have severe cnsequences. Bttm Line: When yu re nt truthful, yu hurt thers. We tend t think that if we lie, we re nly helping urselves get ut f truble r get smething we want. But lies have cnsequences. Often thse repercussins extend beynd urselves t the peple we lie t r lie abut. We pray that kids will realize that telling the truth keeps everyne frm experiencing unnecessary pain. WEEK 3 Key Questin: When are yu tempted t lie? When yu re aware f the times when lying seems like the best ptin, yu re mre likely t cnsider an hnest alternative. As kids start with this questin, we pray they can create a plan t priritize hnesty in their life. There s an imprtant stry abut hnesty thrughut the bk f Esther. Haman has just been prmted as the king s mst imprtant advisr. Haman lets this g t his head and cmmands that everyne bw t him. But there s ne man wh wn t: Mrdecai. Haman is s angry that he vws t destry nt just Mrdecai, but all f his peple, the Jews. Little des Haman knw, but Mrdecai has family in high 2018 The rethink Grup. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.cm 1
FOR LEADERS ONLY GRADES 4-5 MAY 2018 SOURCE CODE: UNTANGLE THE WEB places. Queen Esther risks everything t save her peple. Once her plan with Mrdecai is set in mtin, Haman s dishnesty t hurt thers ends up hurting himself instead. Bttm Line: When yu lie t help yurself, yu hurt yurself instead. Smetimes we have a tendency t lie in rder t make urselves lk gd. But we can t keep the lie fr lng. Eventually we ll be fund ut and ur lie will nly hurt urselves. WEEK 4 Key Questin: What keeps yu frm being truthful with Gd? When we d things that are wrng, we try and hide what we ve dne. We avid ur parents r teachers r the persn we hurt. But we als hide frm Gd. We hpe kids realize that regardless f what we ve dne, Gd is waiting with pen arms t frgive us and fix ur brken relatinship. Finally, we head t a principle fund in 1 Jhn 1:9 where we discver that nt nly is it imprtant t be hnest with everyne, but it s even mre imprtant t be hnest with Gd. Gd already knws what s ging n in yur heart, but He wants t hear frm yu even when it s t cnfess the times we ve messed up. Bttm Line: Being truthful with Gd helps keep yu clse t Him. We dn t have t wrry abut telling Gd what we ve dne wrng. Our hnesty with Gd will keep ur relatinship with Him strng. 2018 The rethink Grup. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.cm 2