THINK TOGETHER
Do you know what your conscience is? Has your conscience ever made you feel guilty about something?
READ TOGETHER
Have you ever heard someone say “Listen to your heart?”
It’s a pretty popular thing to say these days. But the problem is that often our heart is trying to tell us how bad we are. The Bible says that often our hearts try to condemn us. Here’s how John says it in his letter:
1 John 3:18-20. 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
God has given each of us a conscience. Your conscience is that voice inside you that reminds you to not do bad things. And when you do bad things, your conscience is that part of your heart that makes you feel bad about the bad thing you did. Have you ever heard your conscience tell you to not do something bad? Have you ever felt bad after you did something bad? That’s what John is talking about – “our hearts condemn us.”
But the good news is that “God is greater than our hearts.”
When our hearts say we are bad, God says we are good.
When our hearts say we are guilty, God says we are not guilty.
When our hearts say we should stay away from God, God says, “Come here I want to spend time with you.”
When our hearts say “Don’t you remember that bad thing you did?” God says “I don’t.”
When our hearts tells us to look at how bad we are compared to others, God tells us to look at Jesus.
God is greater than our hearts because Jesus is greater than our sin. Jesus lives in our heart and is putting all of his love and mercy into us so that now we can trust our hearts to be growing and changing into the heart of Jesus.
Because of Jesus our relationship with God is always good.
With Jesus our hearts don’t have to feel guilty anymore.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Here’s a fun version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Note: In the title of this song the word “merry” modifies the word “rest” not “gentlemen.” It is merry rest we are singing about not merry gentlemen. Why? Because God wants us to be happy in our resting.) Talk about how in Jesus we can rest merry this Christmas.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus,
You are greater than my sin and you are greater than my heart. Help me to go to you and the Father instead of ignoring or hiding from you, especially when I feel guilty.
Amen.
TLICfamily 