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, use sticks or rope to form a path. Make the path 4–5 meters long so that all of the children can stand on it at the same time. The path will be used as part of the Responding section of this lesson.
Think carefully about the paths that your feet walk on. Always choose the right ways.
Proverbs 4:26
When we try to always do what is right and honours God, we develop integrity. Choosing God’s way is not always easy, though. Sometimes doing the right thing can be more difficult than doing what is not. As we get to know God’s Word, figuring out which ways are right and which are wrong becomes a little easier.
Think of a time when you needed to make a difficult decision to do what was right. Maybe you resisted making a small compromise you knew was not right. Perhaps you sacrificed something desirable to do the right thing. In the moment, it may have felt like the choice cost you something. But integrity honours God. If you ask, God will help to guide you on the right path.
Encourage families to look for an opportunity this week to talk to their children about who they trust and why they are trustworthy. Are these people honest? Do they help others? These things would show integrity.
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 good about his week.
Let’s begin today with a game that will require you to observe what is around you. Look around this space and notice what is here. Now, turn around and close your eyes.
Choose a volunteer. Once the other children have turned around, quietly tell the child to make a small change to the room. He could move an object or place something on a chair or table. Encourage him to do it quietly and then sit down. Tell the rest of the group to turn back around, and see if anyone can name the change. Repeat the activity a few more times, allowing the first child who correctly guesses the change to be the next to move something in the next round.
In our activity, some of you were tricked because you did not know how the volunteer changed our space. The volunteer did something that no one saw.
Sometimes we do things when we think nobody is watching. If it is something dishonest or wrong, we may think it does not matter or no one will ever know. But God knows. And He wants us to act the same whether other people are watching us or not. When you choose to do what is right always and everywhere, it is called integrity.
Living with integrity means that you do what is right and you are honest in what you say and do. When you are honest, people trust you. But more importantly, you please and honour God.
To learn more about integrity, let’s listen to a true story from the Bible about a young boy who became a king. This boy, named Joash, was 7 years old when he became the king of Judah.
Allow 2–3 students to answer the following question.
If you were king, what is the first thing you would do?
The Bible says that Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. During that time, people worshipped God in a structure called a temple. Joash noticed that the temple needed some repairs. So, he told the priests to collect all the offerings people brought to God and use all of the money to make repairs to the temple. Listen to what happened next.
Read these verses directly from your Bible.
After they added it all up, they used it to repair the temple. They gave it to the men who had been put in charge of the work. Those men used it to pay the workers. They paid the builders and those who worked with wood. They paid those who cut stones and those who laid them. They bought lumber and blocks of stone. So they used the money to repair the Lord’s temple. They also paid all the other costs to make the temple like new again.
2 Kings 12:11–12
Allow 2–3 students to answer the following question.
What did the priests use the money for?
They used the money to repair the temple, pay the workers, pay the builders, buy lumber and blocks of stone, as well as for other costs.
Fixing the temple was a big project! The Bible says the priests obeyed King Joash, and all of the money was used to repair the temple. The priests could have easily used the money for other things because nobody was watching them. Instead, they did exactly what Joash had asked them to do.
The royal secretary and the high priest didn’t require a report from those who were in charge of the work. That’s because they were completely honest. They always paid the workers.
2 Kings 12:15
That sounds a lot like our definition of integrity. What is integrity?
Say the definition of integrity with the children.
Integrity means trying to do what is right always and everywhere. In this true story from the Bible, the priests were honest. Telling the truth and living in a way that is honest is part of integrity. The Bible helps us to know what is right to do.
Do to others as you want them to do to you.
Luke 6:31
When you live with integrity, you do what you would like others to do to you. If you want people to be kind and honest with you, then you should be kind and honest with them. No one was watching the priests to see if they were doing what Joash had said. They always paid the workers because it was the right thing to do.
If you were a priest and you did not know whether to pay the workers, what question could you ask yourself to make sure you made the right decision?
The children may respond with something like: Would I like to be paid? How would I feel if I was not paid for doing a job?
In the true story from the Bible about repairing the temple, the priests were so honest that no one even needed proof that they were following orders. When you are honest and have integrity, others will trust you. But more importantly, God is honoured and pleased when you do what is right.
At the beginning of this activity, have the children stand in a line facing forward on the path you created before class. If possible, ask the children to stay on one end of the path so there is space for them to walk forward.
Each day you have opportunities to be like the priests in the Bible story and live with integrity. The Bible tells us to think carefully about the path we walk on. We can walk on the right path, or we can choose to do what is wrong and wander off the path. We can show integrity in our words and in our actions as we do what is pleasing to God. Listen as I read you some situations. At the end of each one, I will ask you to think about whether the child showed integrity. If the child did show integrity, you will take 1 step forward on our path. If the child did not show integrity, you will step sideways off of the path.
Read each story and have students respond. After each story, pause to allow the children to step forward on the path or to the side of the path.
Integrity means trying to do what is right always and everywhere. This is not always easy, but it is important because it helps others to trust you and honours God. Our memory verse today talks about doing the right thing. It says:
If you have the Memory Verse poster, show it to the students.
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 prefer to create your own motions, note these somewhere and refer to them for each of the lessons in this unit.
Have the children say the verse with you. Repeat the words 3 times, doing the motions each time.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, give the children crayons and allow 3 minutes for them to draw what integrity looks like.
Every day you can choose to do things that are honest and right or you can choose to do things that are not honest or right. When you choose to do what is right, others will trust you and you will please God.
End class by saying this blessing, based on Proverbs 4:26, over the children.
Blessing: May you think carefully about the choices you make each day. May you be a person of integrity and always choose the right ways.
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.
