In This HomeSample

In This Home, We Lift up and Not Tear Down. 

Read: 

Ephesians 4:29

Play:

You’ll need: an egg, 1 glass of water, salt and a tablespoon. 

Place the egg in the glass with water. As the egg sinks, explain that this is like a person having a hard time. Can they think of who may be struggling right now? 

Let the kids take turns adding a tablespoon of salt. Each time, have them suggest a kind act of encouragement. Watch as kindness lifts up your egg!

Talk it out:

Ever had a device with a password? 

What happens if you type in the wrong password? 

Talk about a time when you were exasperated because you couldn’t log into a device. 

That device is programmed to only open if you meet the requirements. Sorry, Charlie. 

Believe it or not, the Bible has a sort of passcode we’re supposed to put on our mouths. 

It says there are rules our words need to fit before they come out. If the words don’t fit, the mouth stays locked—or damage could be done. 

Let’s read today’s verse again. See if you can hear any of the mouth-passcode rules in this verse. 

There are about four rules in there that make up the “passcode” of what can unlock our mouths so we can talk. 

Did you catch any of the four? 

Our words:     

1. Must not tear down. That doesn’t mean that telling you the truth won’t hurt sometimes. But we’ll try to tell each other truth in ways that speak love at the same time.       
2. Must build up. This means if your words were added to the egg today, like the salt, they would lift up that person with kindness.       
3. Must be said at the right time. Just because something is true doesn’t mean it’s always the right time to say it.       
4. Must show God’s kindness—which we don’t deserve. Part of this means responding with kindness when someone says something insulting or rude.  

There will be times when your passcode will be tested. You’ll have words that are close to what God might want you to say, but if you’re honest, they miss one of these four rules. 

In this house, we want our mouths to stay locked unless our words fit this passcode. That’s when they honor God and love others.  

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“In This Home: A 7-Day, Hands-On Family Devotional” © 2021 by FamilyLife. All Rights Reserved.