Karee’s Discovery
GOD VALUES HONESTY BECAUSE GOD IS A GOD OF TRUTH.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read Exodus 34:4-6.
Verse of the Day: “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6, KJV).
“Oh, no!” Karee said. She sat in the backseat of the car, next to her friend Lisa. Her father sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for Mom to come out of the convenience store. “What’s wrong?” Lisa asked.
Karee pulled her hand out of her coat pocket. She held a set of tiny earphones in her hand. “I never gave these back to Gina,” she moaned. “I haven’t worn this coat for a long time, and I forgot all about borrowing Gina’s headphones.”
Lisa shrugged. “Forget it,” she suggested. “If Gina hasn’t mentioned it in all that time, she’s probably forgotten about it.”
“Yeah, but—”
“You’re always looking for headphones,” Lisa said. “Now you’ve got an extra pair.”
“But they’re not mine!” Karee said. “I have to give them back to her and apologize for keeping them this long.”
When Mom finally came out of the convenience store, Dad dropped Lisa off at her house. As Dad pulled away from the curb, he looked in the rearview mirror.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation about the headphones,” he told Karee. “I’m glad you recognize that keeping those headphones would be wrong. Do you know why it would be wrong?”
Karee thought for a moment, then met her father’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Because it would be like stealing.”
Dad nodded. “But why is stealing wrong?”
Karee shrugged. “Because God says not to steal,” she answered.
“But why does God say not to steal?”
Karee rolled her eyes. “I don’t know,” she said.
Dad smiled at her. “Because he values honesty. And do you know why he values honesty?”
“No, but I bet you’re gonna tell me,” she answered in a teasing tone.
Dad chuckled. “God values honesty because he is a God of truth. He is completely honest, completely true. That’s why giving those headphones back to Gina is the right thing to do.”
“Hey,” Karee said, looking out the window. “You passed our house.” “I know,” Dad said with a smile. “I’m going to Gina’s house.”
TO DISCUSS: Is honesty right? If so, why? How do God’s commands (don’t steal, don’t lie, and don’t cheat) reflect his character? What are some other words that mean honest? (For example, ethical, moral, honorable, truthful, true.) Is God all of those things? How do you know?
TO PRAY: “Lord, we want to be truthful, ethical, and honorable because you are.”