It Is What's on the Inside that Counts

This is the first in our new series of Eternal Truths in Everyday Life. We want to provide you with fun, interactive ways to teach Biblical truths to your children in ways that they will understand and remember. Here is one that will teach your children the importance of looking on the inside rather than on the outside -- using ICE CREAM! Have fun.

Key Verse:
"...for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7b

Items Needed:
Ice Cream Carton (one large carton for your children or you can get small cartons for each child)

Preparation:
Before starting the lesson, open the carton of ice cream and secretly empty the ice cream into a storage container. Then fill the emptied ice cream carton with dirt or some other undesirable object. Make sure the container is clean and looks as if it were just purchased. You may even want to put it in the freezer before the lesson so that it has a bit of frost on it.

          

Lesson:
Let your children know that you have purchased a special treat for them to enjoy with this Bible lesson. Take out the ice cream and look at the carton together. Talk about how delicious it looks and what is inside. You may even want to do this earlier than you plan on serving some to them in order to build up a sense of anticipation. Ask what they love most about the ice cream and talk about how you look forward to tasting it.

When you're ready to serve the special treat. Take out the bowls and ice cream scoop; then have one of your children open the carton. They will be surprised to find what is really inside! Their shock and disappointment lead to an important biblical lesson about how sometimes friends (or even we) may appear to be sweet and good on the outside while on the inside our hearts are ugly, weak, and/or sinful.

Or in the opposite way how people may sometime appear weak, small, or somehow unattractive by the world's standards on the outside, but on the inside they are strong and beautiful because they have God's love and power in them.

Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 together to see a clear example of this principle. David's outward appearance showed he was young, less experienced, and smaller than his brothers. But God didn't look at that. Instead He looked at David's heart and saw that he was a mighty warrior worthy of being Israel's future king. David proved this when he later fought against the giant Goliath and won!

Now is a good time to reveal the hidden ice cream and make bowls to enjoy together while discussing the application part of this lesson.

Application (Discuss one or more of the following; there is enough content here to discuss a little now and more at a different time during the week.):

• It is important to examine our own heart to make sure that it is clean before God. For older children, you can discuss the importance of having our beliefs match our thoughts and actions, remembering that God sees all of us.
• It is important to take some time to know someone, "to look at their heart," before choosing whether or not they would be a good friend.
• People who look differently than we do, who are smaller, have less physical ability, or have fewer resources than we do may be beautiful and strong on the inside.
• People who have obvious physical attractiveness, are talented, and/ or popular may be filled with "dirt" on the inside.

    
Questions for Further Discussion:

• What does a good heart look like? (humble, teachable, kind, obedient, trustworthy…)
• What does a "dirty" heart look like? (thinks only of self, unkind, lying, disobedient…)

    
Closing Prayer:
Pray together, thanking God for looking beyond on our outward self and into our hearts. Ask God to continue changing your heart and your child's heart so that it is good and strong. Ask Him to also give your child wisdom to choose friends with good hearts so that they can encourage and strengthen each other toward loving and obeying God.