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May 17, 2022 18:00pm

Faith TALK: A Heart of Integrity

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(The following is a family devotional guide with suggested questions and scriptures.)

Focus Verse: “God makes happy those who have clean hearts. They will see God. – Matthew 5:8 (WE)

T-Talk About It Topic

I am going to ask you a few tough questions; you can answer yes, no, or sometimes:

Do you show respect to others and tend to follow the rules?
When others are talking badly about someone else, do you engage in it?
Do you try to be honest at all times?
Do you try to do the right things for the right reasons?
Do you take responsibility for your actions?
Do you act the same around everyone, whether you’re at school, church, home, or work?
Do you worry more about what God thinks vs. what others think?
Do you keep your word?
Do you try your best on all things?
Do you regularly confess your sins with a heart that means it?

Each of these questions goes to the heart of our talk today: clean hearts. Our goals as Christians is to have hearts of integrity…hearts that will not just say yes to the above questions, but live them out.

A-Anchor To The Bible

When God sees each one of us, he doesn’t see us by our physical characteristics, he sees our hearts. He is looking for hearts that want to please the Lord. Hearts that love the Lord. Hearts that want to do right. Though there were many people who had these hearts in the Bible, there were a few Jewish men living in a foreign country who were put to the test on their loyalty and love of God. You might recognize their names: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Test #1: When ordered to eat the King’s “unclean” food, these men asked to eat “clean” food that would honor their God and Jewish laws. After being given special permission to eat clean food for one week, God blessed them by making them look healthier than those who didn’t.

Test #2: When Daniel was ordered to stop praying to his God, he continued to do so 3 times a day. He was thrown into the lion’s den for this and God miraculously saved him.

Test #3: When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were ordered to worship a 90 foot golden idol, they refused and were thrown into a fiery furnace where the Lord rescued them!

These men all faced tests of integrity: To please others or to please God. You know what? We do, too. Our tests might go back to some of the above questions. Others may be more weighty like the above situations. Make no doubt – God will test our love and loyalty many times in our lives. Yes, we will mess up. Yes, we will make mistakes. Having a heart of integrity doesn’t guarantee perfection, it drives us to do better each time we do mess up because we want to please God most of all.

L-Learn God’s Word

Why do we want to have clean hearts? Matthew 5:8 has the answer: God blesses a pure heart. God promises people with pure hearts will experience Him and His power on a deeper level in their lives – that’s why it’s our memory verse for this week!

K-Keep Each Other Accountable

Our eyes and ears are gateways to our hearts…talk about the things that can taint our hearts. Teach your kiddos this saying: Protect your eyes, protect your ears, protect your heart!