During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, tear out the smiling and frowning face signs from the page at the end of this lesson. Place the smiling face on 1 side of your teaching space and the frowning face on the other side.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways obey him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.
Proverbs 3:5–6
When we trust God, amazing things can happen. When we follow God’s will for our lives, even more amazing things happen. When we do what is right and pleasing to God, we honour Him. This may also result in gaining people’s trust, especially when a situation calls us to be honest.
Have you ever done what was right and suffered for it? Joseph is an example of someone who lived with integrity but also suffered injustice. God sometimes uses your struggles and challenges to do amazing things. Doing what is right does not mean doing what is easy. Every day you have choices to make. As you choose to do what is right, you can trust God to make your paths smooth and straight.
Encourage families to look for people in the community who show integrity in their actions. Ask the families to search for these people when they are at the store or going from one place to another throughout the week. Recommend that they talk with the children about what they see.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the children as they come to class. Ask each child to tell you something he did this week that showed integrity. Divide the children into 2 equal teams and ask them to sit together for the first activity.
Does anyone remember our definition of integrity? Let’s say it together.
Say the definition with the children.
Integrity means trying to do what is right always and everywhere.
Allow 2–3 students to answer the following question.
How do you know what is right?
God tells us what is right in the Bible. We can read God’s Word and obey what it says. God’s Spirit helps us to know what is right and wrong.
God helps us to know what is right. Doing what is right at all times requires making many choices every day.
Let’s play a game to help us think about good and bad choices. On this side of our space is a happy face sign. On the other side our space is a sad face sign. In a moment, I will state some choices. If the choice shows integrity, 1 player on each team will race to the happy face sign. If the choice does not show integrity, the players will race to the sad face sign. If you think the choice shows integrity and the other player thinks it does not, you may race to different signs.
Have the children line up in their teams so that the first child in each line is closest to the signs.
Let’s practice what you will do for our game. If I say, “I listened to my mother and did what she asked of me,” which sign should you race to?
The happy face sign.
Ask the first child in each team’s line to race to the happy face sign. Remind the children to be safe and not to run into or knock over another child. State which player reached the sign first and explain that her team would get a point in the game.
The team with the most points wins the game! Let’s ask our first players to stand at the end of the line and allow the next child in each line to play.
Listen while I read a statement. If the decision I read to you is a choice that shows integrity, race to the happy face. If it is a choice that does not show integrity, race to the sad face.
The player who reaches the correct sign first earns a point for his or her team!
Read 1 choice at a time from the list that follows. When you read the statement, the first child in each line must decide if the choice shows or does not show integrity and race to the correct sign.
You make a choice to …
After reading the last statement, congratulate the winning team. Then ask the children to be seated.
Living a life of integrity requires us to think through every choice we make. Each choice is an opportunity to do what is right. And we know what is right because God’s Word, the Bible, tells us.
Let’s listen to a story about a young man who was faced with many choices. It was not always easy for him to choose to do the right thing, but he did, and God blessed him. The young man’s name was Joseph.
Joseph had 10 older brothers who were very jealous of him. One day, Joseph went to another town to check on his brothers who were taking care of their animals. They grabbed him and threw him in a pit. They hated him so much that they planned to kill him.
But instead of killing Joseph, his brothers decided to sell him as a slave to some travellers who were on their way to Egypt. When the travellers arrived in Egypt, they sold Joseph to a very important man named Potiphar. Potiphar was the captain of the king’s—Pharaoh’s—army. Joseph became a servant in Potiphar’s house.
For the next part of the story, whenever I point to you, say, “Joseph showed integrity!”
Joseph was now a slave. He could have given up, but instead he worked hard for his master.
Point to the children as they respond, “Joseph showed integrity!”
Joseph did such a good job that his master, Potiphar, put him in charge of everything he owned. Potiphar trusted Joseph with everything in his home, even when Potiphar was gone for long periods of time.
Point to the children as they respond, “Joseph showed integrity!”
One day, Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of committing a crime that he did not do. Joseph was thrown in prison. This did not change Joseph’s integrity. The man in charge of the prison was pleased with Joseph. That is because of God’s kindness and love for Joseph. Listen to what the Bible said the man who ran the prison did for Joseph.
Read these verses directly from your Bible.
He put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. He made him responsible for everything done there. The man who ran the prison didn’t pay attention to anything in Joseph’s care. That’s because the Lord was with Joseph. He gave Joseph success in everything he did.
Genesis 39:22–23
The man in charge of the prison trusted Joseph because Joseph did what was right and pleasing to God.
Point to the children as they respond, “Joseph showed integrity!”
One day 2 prisoners came to Joseph to see if he could tell them the meaning of their dreams. These 2 men had been the cupbearer and baker in Pharaoh’s house. God showed Joseph the meaning of the dreams. He told the baker he would be killed, and he told the cupbearer he would get his job back. He asked the cupbearer to remember him when he was back in Pharaoh’s household. What Joseph told the men happened, and the cupbearer went back to serve Pharaoh. But Joseph stayed in prison. He could have given up, but instead he continued to work hard.
Point to the children as they respond, “Joseph showed integrity!”
After 2 years had passed, Pharaoh had 2 dreams. He wanted to know what they meant. No one in the palace could tell him what the dreams meant. Then the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Pharaoh brought him out of prison. God showed Joseph the meaning of the dreams. He told Pharaoh that his dreams meant there would be 7 good years of crops followed by 7 years of famine in Egypt. Because Pharaoh could see that God was with Joseph, he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. He put him in charge of collecting enough food for the famine. Listen to what the Bible says:
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh. But unless you give an order, no one will do anything in the whole land of Egypt.”
Genesis 41:44
Optional: If you are using The Action Bible, read page 98 to the children. If possible, share the image from The Action Bible.
Pharaoh had given Joseph a huge, very important job! He did this because Joseph was honest and did what was right.
Point to the children as they respond, “Joseph showed integrity!”
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Do you think Joseph knew that Pharaoh would release him from prison if he interpreted the dreams? Why do you think this?
Why would Joseph help Pharaoh without knowing what Pharaoh might do for him?
Joseph may not have known that Pharaoh would free him from prison. It is very unlikely that he could have imagined Pharaoh would put him in charge of all of Egypt. Joseph only knew that God wanted him to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams because God told him what they meant. Joseph showed integrity by doing what was right and what pleased God.
Many years later, a group of 10 men came from a distant land to get food for their families. Joseph recognized them immediately. The men were his brothers! He did not tell them who he was at first. Listen to what he said when he finally told them who he was:
You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives.
Genesis 50:20
Because Joseph did not give up and did what was right, he was able to save his brothers’ lives and many other lives in Egypt.
Point to the children as they respond, “Joseph showed integrity!” Allow 2–3 children to answer each of the following questions.
In the true story from the Bible, Joseph acted with integrity. In the prison, even though no one but the 2 men could see him, he helped them understand what their dreams meant. In every situation, even when he was going through something difficult or unfair, he did what was right. That is because Joseph wanted to please God. He lived with integrity.
What does integrity mean?
Integrity means trying to do what is right always and everywhere.
When you act with integrity, you do what is right. Acting with integrity helps others to trust you. Here are some ways you can act with integrity:
Joseph lived with integrity. He did what was right, and he did what God wanted him to do, even when he did not know what might happen. Joseph trusted God, which is why he did what was right.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, give the children 3 minutes to tear or cut out their puppets and put them together.
Let’s take a few minutes to think through some choices you might experience in your life. I will read you several situations. For each situation, remember to think about how to act with integrity. Here are some ideas to help you act with integrity:
Let’s do something fun! I will read a situation. You have the choice to do 1 of 2 things in response to each situation. Act out which option you would choose. Then I will ask some of you to tell me why you made this choice. For example, I might ask you if you would tell someone they dropped some money on the ground or if you would pick it up and keep it. If I were answering, I would pretend to bend down and pick up the money, then give it to the person who dropped it.
Have the children stand up and spread apart so there is space between each child. Pause for about 20 seconds after reading each situation to allow children to respond with their actions. Then allow 1–2 children to share why they would do what they chose to do.
You all put a lot of thought into your answers to our situations. Sometimes it is difficult to live with integrity. But, when you live with integrity, you live in a way that pleases God.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Our memory verse today says:
Think carefully about the paths that your feet walk on. Always choose the right ways.
Proverbs 4:26
Say this verse using the following motions. If you created your own motions for Lesson 5, use your motions instead.
Have the children say the verse with you. Repeat the words 3 times, doing the motions each time.
Every day you can choose whether to live with integrity. When you are careful about what you choose and do what is right, you will have integrity in your actions. Others will be able to trust you, and you will please God.
End class by saying this blessing, based on Proverbs 3:5–6, over the children.
Blessing: May you trust the Lord with all your heart and obey Him in all your ways. May He make your paths smooth and straight.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
