December 11

Day 11 | Joseph

Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:1-22

God gave Moses and us a simple way to understand who He is and how to live as His people. God wants us to love and care for each other. To help us to understand how to care for each other, many years ago God gave Moses the ten best rules for living.

These rules are called the Ten Commandments, and they are still good rules for today. Not everybody likes to follow the rules. They think rules keep them from having fun. God gave us these rules not as a punishment, but as a way of helping us to show God that we are thankful for what He has done for us. God wants us to understand Him and His ways, and will help us to do the right thing by guiding us to the right path.

Talk About:
• What rules help your family to live together and be happy?
• How do the Ten Commandments act as the foundation for your family rules or family culture?

Prayer: Righteous God, thank You for loving us enough to give us rules to guide us.

Additional Scriptures:
Matthew 5:17

Age-Focused Discussion

Preschool
• How did God protect Moses as a baby? What did God ask Moses to do for His people?
• How did God help His people escape from Egypt?
• God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, let’s talk through these commandments as a family and see how they help us to love God and others. 

Elementary
• How do you think Moses felt when God told him to go back to Egypt?
• Have you ever felt nervous to do something, but did it anyway because it was the right thing to do?
• Why do you think God wanted to give His people the Ten Commandments?
• What rules help our family to live together and be happy?

Middle and High School
• God gave His people rules to help them love Him and others.
• Why are rules important? Which of the Ten Commandments do you think is the easiest to follow? Which is the hardest?
• How can our family learn and live out the Ten Commandments together? 

Gospel Conversation
After God rescued His people, He gave them the Ten Commandments to show them how to live as His people and how to love Him and others. The Israelites, like all of us, try to do what’s right but we can’t be perfect. That is why God sent Jesus. Jesus is the only One who perfectly obeyed all of God’s commands. When we break God’s commands, that’s called sin. Sin separates us from God. But God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to make a way for us to be free from sin. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and He rose from the grave to give us new life. When we trust in Jesus, we’re forgiven and set free from our sin.