Family Bible Lessons – The First Commandment

Lessons for Adulthood

The First Commandment

SETX Church Guide Note: There is a lot to the Bible beyond the Salvation message. We are actively working to share lessons with our children that teach life application. If you feel any would benefit your family, please feel free to use and adjust to your teaching style:

Southeast Texas Family Bible Study – The First Commandment

The real secret of the Bible is that it proscribes a way for us to live a happy, healthy life.

God’s gift of Salvation is his supreme gift, but it is also unique and special that he has left teachings to help us be happy in our time on earth.

Did you know that other religions do not focus on helping you be happy on earth?

The first teaching of Buddhism is, “The First Truth is that all life is suffering, pain, and misery”.

God put all of our big rules on a single page – the 10 Commandments.

What is our first rule?

Open question: Do you know the First Commandment?_________________________________________________________________

Thou Shalt have no gods before me.

SETX Church Guide Sidenote: These seven words are some of the most fascinating to me in the whole Bible. Why? In our typical Christian teaching, people say there is only one god, God. However, in the Bible, it clearly says from our God that there might be more to that story. Exploring that in too much detail might make our heads explode, so let’s look at the passage in a more digestible fashion.

Don’t take other gods before God – he does not want you to worship Buddha or Shiva or Bael or Zeus.

In real life today, there are other things people treat as God and often put before God.

Money
Fame
Power
Popularity
Work

Child Question: Who is someone in real life who may see fame as their “god?” ________________________________

Example: The Kardashians

Child Question: Who is someone who may see power as their “god?”

__________________________________

Examples: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Hitler.

We stumbled across the following image while working on this edition of the Southeast Texas Family Bible Study. I am sure that Hillary Clinton is a much better person than Hitler, but does placing an importance on achieving personal power potentially lead to areas of crossover in their worldview?

For dads, and lots of moms, career can become their “god”. It is not something most ever intend. One day you look back and discover that you’ve spent more time at work than with your family and that long ago the balance was lost.

Conclusion: Why is the first commandment important?

If God asks us to not take other gods over him, that should be enough. He has given us both life and salvation.

However, this is a family Bible study and our kids don’t love, “Because I said so!”

Here is a good way for kids to look at the First Commandment and the teachings throughout the Bible:

Know however that the benefits of following God’s First Commandment are yours, because if you are chasing money, fame, power, popularity, or career you will lose balance.

It is hard to be happy when you feel like you are losing your balance.

We are fortunate enough to have a God who values our happiness.