How we love God affects the way we love others.

SCRIPTURE | Exodus 20:1-21

CENTRAL TRUTH

God’s law—His holy Word—teaches us how to live in right relationship with Him. It shows us more of His character. It teaches us what it looks like to live holy lives and to imitate Jesus, who perfectly followed every single command. Following God’s commands doesn’t make us legalistic or narrow-minded. Rather, when we know and delight in God’s commands, we show that we love Him. We can delight in the truth that God didn’t leave us on our own to figure things out, but He gave us a roadmap for following Him.

Key question

Read Psalm 40:8. What is the difference between simply knowing the ten commandments and actually delighting in God’s law?

Keep in Mind

Some of your students may struggle with the command to honor their parents if their parents aren’t honoring God. Allow students to ask questions because doing so can help them see what it means to show honor even in difficult situations. Honoring parents means showing them respect because God put them in a position of authority in our lives. It’s obeying them as long as it doesn’t go against God’s Word. It’s loving them and serving them—even if their actions haven’t earned it—because they’re made in God’s image. It means taking care of them or showing kindness in our words and actions. It looks like imitating Christ as a son or daughter. However, be clear with students that it never means tolerating abuse of any kind.

APPLICATION

Why Should our relationship with God affect our relationship with others?

THE WIN

FOR THE STUDENT: When students are right with God, they can better walk in godly community with others; in fact, being right with God is necessary to having healthy godly community. It will lead students away from gossip, lying, and so on, and it will push them toward loving others well.

FOR THE LEADER: Leaders sometimes struggle with becoming legalistic in following God’s Word. We must remember that following God’s Word should come from a place of love and gratitude for what Christ accomplished for us on the cross.