Day 1
Faith Fact
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
Why should we be careful that our actions and our heart are honoring God?
Mark 7:1–13
The religious leaders in these verses were very concerned about making sure that their religious laws were followed. In fact, they were more concerned about following their man-made traditions perfectly than they were about the condition of their hearts. The way they were living showed that they didn’t have a heart close to God.
Sometimes in our life, it’s easy to get caught up in the actions of worshipping God. This can look like going to church regularly out of habit and not because we want to. It could also be saying memorized prayers before a meal rather than having a heartfelt conversation with God and thanking Him for what He’s done. The thing is though, God can see right through all that. We may be able to fool others, but God knows the condition of our true heart.
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear God, help me not to do things for You simply out of habit or tradition. I want to have a heart that truly wants to worship You and honor You in all I do. Amen.
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
Why should we be careful that our actions and our heart are honoring God?
Mark 7:1–13
The religious leaders in these verses were very concerned about making sure that their religious laws were followed. In fact, they were more concerned about following their man-made traditions perfectly than they were about the condition of their hearts. The way they were living showed that they didn’t have a heart close to God.
Sometimes in our life, it’s easy to get caught up in the actions of worshipping God. This can look like going to church regularly out of habit and not because we want to. It could also be saying memorized prayers before a meal rather than having a heartfelt conversation with God and thanking Him for what He’s done. The thing is though, God can see right through all that. We may be able to fool others, but God knows the condition of our true heart.
Talk About It:
- Question 1. What were the religious leaders concerned about in the verses we read?
Answer 1. They were upset that Jesus’ disciples didn’t follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (Mark 7:2–5) - Question 2. What Old Testament prophet did Jesus quote in His reply to the religious leaders?
Answer 2. Isaiah - Question 3. What is an example of putting something you think is important over what God says is important?
Answer 3. Answers will vary. - Question 4. Why do you think God cares about both your heart and your actions?
Answer 4. Answers will vary. - Question 5. Why should we be careful that our actions and our heart are honoring God?
Answer 5. Answers will vary.
Prayer:
Dear God, help me not to do things for You simply out of habit or tradition. I want to have a heart that truly wants to worship You and honor You in all I do. Amen.
Day 2
Faith Fact
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can we fill our heart with GOOD things?
Mark 7:14–23
Would you wash the outside of a bowl and leave the inside dirty? If you looked from the outside, the bowl would look clean. But it wouldn’t actually be clean. Would you want to eat ice cream out of a bowl full of dried-up chili leftovers? Probably not.
Sometimes, we do all the right things to look like a good person on the outside, but our inside is different. That’s not at all what God wants. He wants our heart to be right. Why? Because what’s in our heart eventually spills out. If our heart wants to lie about things, eventually we’ll start telling lies. If our heart is full of meanness, we’ll start being mean to people. But if Jesus is in our heart, our life will look more and more like Him all the time.
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear God, I don’t want to live by my own rules and traditions. I don’t want to serve You by giving You only part of me. I want all my heart to be clean and pure before You. Amen.
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can we fill our heart with GOOD things?
Mark 7:14–23
Would you wash the outside of a bowl and leave the inside dirty? If you looked from the outside, the bowl would look clean. But it wouldn’t actually be clean. Would you want to eat ice cream out of a bowl full of dried-up chili leftovers? Probably not.
Sometimes, we do all the right things to look like a good person on the outside, but our inside is different. That’s not at all what God wants. He wants our heart to be right. Why? Because what’s in our heart eventually spills out. If our heart wants to lie about things, eventually we’ll start telling lies. If our heart is full of meanness, we’ll start being mean to people. But if Jesus is in our heart, our life will look more and more like Him all the time.
Talk About It:
- Question 1. According to the verses we read, does what you eat defile you (make you unclean before God)?
Answer 1. “The food you put into your body cannot defile you.” (Mark 7:18) - Question 2. Where does the Bible say the sin that defiles us comes from?
Answer 2. “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart come evil thoughts.” (Mark 7:20–21) - Question 3. If you’ve sinned, what does that tell you about your heart?
Answer 3. Answers will vary. - Question 4. What are some ways to guard our heart to keep out evil?
Answer 4. Answers will vary. - Question 5. How can we fill our heart with good things?
Answer 5. Answers will vary.
Prayer:
Dear God, I don’t want to live by my own rules and traditions. I don’t want to serve You by giving You only part of me. I want all my heart to be clean and pure before You. Amen.
Day 3
Faith Fact
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How do God's instructions help us live?
Psalm 19:7–14
Have you ever been in a car with a driver who was lost? There are several ways to fix that problem. You could use a cell phone to look up an address or directions. You could also stop and ask someone for help. One thing that usually doesn’t work is just to keep driving and hope that you end up at the right spot. Good instructions are the best way to get to the right place.
When it comes to our life, God has given us instructions that lead the direction He wants us to go. Those instructions usually come from the Bible and our prayer conversations with God. They also come in different forms. Sometimes God’s instructions are clear commands and laws, and other times they are general truths and wisdom. So, if you’re confused about where to go in life, listen for His instructions. They’re the best. Making the choices that follow His directions shows that we love Him and want to live for Him.
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear God, I don’t want just to act like a Christian. I want to worship You and honor You with all my heart. Help my heart to stay pure before You. Amen.
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How do God's instructions help us live?
Psalm 19:7–14
Have you ever been in a car with a driver who was lost? There are several ways to fix that problem. You could use a cell phone to look up an address or directions. You could also stop and ask someone for help. One thing that usually doesn’t work is just to keep driving and hope that you end up at the right spot. Good instructions are the best way to get to the right place.
When it comes to our life, God has given us instructions that lead the direction He wants us to go. Those instructions usually come from the Bible and our prayer conversations with God. They also come in different forms. Sometimes God’s instructions are clear commands and laws, and other times they are general truths and wisdom. So, if you’re confused about where to go in life, listen for His instructions. They’re the best. Making the choices that follow His directions shows that we love Him and want to live for Him.
Talk About It:
- Question 1. What are some ways these verses describe God’s instructions and commands?
Answer 1. Perfect, trustworthy, right, pure, true (Psalm 19:7–9) - Question 2. Who should the words of our mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to?
Answer 2. God (Psalm 19:14) - Question 3. What do these verses say the laws of the Lord are like?
Answer 3. His laws are true and fair, more desirable than gold, and sweeter than honey. (Psalm 19:9–10) - Question 4. What can we do if we have sins “lurking” in our heart?
Answer 4. If we ask God, He will forgive us of any sin we have in our heart. He will also help us stay away from making the wrong decisions. (Psalm 19:12–13) - Question 5. How do God’s instructions help us live?
Answer 5. Answers will vary."
Prayer:
Dear God, I don’t want just to act like a Christian. I want to worship You and honor You with all my heart. Help my heart to stay pure before You. Amen.
Day 4
Faith Fact
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can we have a purified heart that honors God?
Psalm 139:23–24
When you first get up in the morning and look in the mirror, you might be kind of surprised by what you see. Your hair might be all over the place, you may have smudges of drool on your chin, and maybe you still have a piece of broccoli in your teeth from dinner the night before. How crazy would it be to look in the mirror, see all of that, and then just walk out the door to start your day? Normally, you look in the mirror to check yourself and see what needs to be changed so that you can start your day clean and ready to go.
In the same way, we can honor God by allowing Him to look at our heart to do a spiritual mirror check every day. We can go to God and ask Him to examine our heart. He can let us know if there’s anything in our heart that doesn’t line up with His commands. And when our heart isn’t right with Him, we should go to Him and ask for help. He can get us on the right track. As He shows us things to work on, we shouldn’t just walk away and ignore them. Instead, we should obey His instructions, ask Him to purify our heart, and keep Him as the Leader of our life.
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear God, I know there are times that I make mistakes. Please search my heart and show me anything in my life that doesn’t honor You. I want to be clean and pure before You. Amen.
I will do what God says is right!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can we have a purified heart that honors God?
Psalm 139:23–24
When you first get up in the morning and look in the mirror, you might be kind of surprised by what you see. Your hair might be all over the place, you may have smudges of drool on your chin, and maybe you still have a piece of broccoli in your teeth from dinner the night before. How crazy would it be to look in the mirror, see all of that, and then just walk out the door to start your day? Normally, you look in the mirror to check yourself and see what needs to be changed so that you can start your day clean and ready to go.
In the same way, we can honor God by allowing Him to look at our heart to do a spiritual mirror check every day. We can go to God and ask Him to examine our heart. He can let us know if there’s anything in our heart that doesn’t line up with His commands. And when our heart isn’t right with Him, we should go to Him and ask for help. He can get us on the right track. As He shows us things to work on, we shouldn’t just walk away and ignore them. Instead, we should obey His instructions, ask Him to purify our heart, and keep Him as the Leader of our life.
Talk About It:
- Question 1. What did the writer of today’s Bible verses ask God to know?
Answer 1. His heart and thoughts (Psalm 139:23) - Question 2. According to these verses, what kind of path should we want to be on?
Answer 2. We should be on the path that leads to everlasting life. (Psalm 139:24) - Question 3. When we know our heart isn’t right with God, what should we do?
Answer 3. Go to Him and ask for help. - Question 4. How does having a clean and purified heart before God show Him honor and worship?
Answer 4. Answers will vary. - Question 5. How can we have a purified heart that honors God?
Answer 5. Answers will vary.
Prayer:
Dear God, I know there are times that I make mistakes. Please search my heart and show me anything in my life that doesn’t honor You. I want to be clean and pure before You. Amen.