THINK TOGETHER.
Ask your mom and dad if they have ever been scammed?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 16:11. A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.
The Bible teaches over and over that God is truth. It is literally impossible for God to lie. Satan however, is a liar and the father of lies. It is literally impossible for him to tell the whole truth.
God wants us to be honest in everything we do, not just because it will benefit us in the long run (it will), or keep us out of trouble (it will), but because he is truth and he is love, and being honest is loving.
Solomon is teaching us that being honest isn’t only about what we say, but also about what we do. In Proverbs 16:11 he is describing how you might trick someone with unbalanced scales. Have you ever bought something that had to be weighed? Like bananas at the grocery store, fish at a market place, or bulk candy out of a bin? If the person selling these things has unjust scales that add weight to the items being purchased, then they are lying and stealing money from their customers.
This idea can be applied to many things. There are many ways to lie and steal from each other, aren’t there. There are many scams that try to steal money from innocent people. Sometimes people hack my email, pretend to be me, and then ask people in my church for money. God hates that! (and so do I)
In the New Testament book of Ephesians, Paul reminds us that we must speak the truth to one another. Why? Because we have put on Christ (the new self). When you have Jesus in your heart, you trust him. And when you trust Jesus you no longer have to lie and steal in order to be OK. Jesus takes care of you. He never tricks you. He never scams you. He always tells you the truth in love.
Because of Jesus we will always be taken care of by God, so no need to lie.
With Jesus we can be honest in all our ways.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Find some things in your house that you purchased that had to be weighed. Talk about how we trust the scale. God wants us to always use “just scales.” We don’t need to trick people in order to be OK, Jesus makes us OK.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, help me to be honest in all things because you have given me all I need in you. Amen.
TLICfamily 