Hands-On Faith - Week of August 12, 2013

Hands-on Faith for Families– week of 8/12/13

A Heart of Gentleness

1 Peter 3:4

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Talking to God

Ask God to help you keep your heart gentle. Talk to Him about times when you haven't had a heart of gentleness, and ask for His forgiveness.

Diving In

Place a small amount of flour in one brown paper bag and rocks or gravel in another. Without their knowing what is inside, have another family member guess, then reach into one bag at a time and describe how the contents feel.

Going Deeper

Both bags look exactly the same on the outside, but the contents of one are soft, while the contents of the other are hard. People are like these bags — you can't always tell what's on the inside. You learn in 1 Samuel 16:7 that "man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God knows you can use your outward appearance — how you act and what you say — to cover up what's really inside, just like the bags covered their contents. You might act kind and gentle but have bad attitudes or mean thoughts. While God wants you to be gentle on the outside, He also wants your heart to be gentle. When your heart is full of gentleness, God can use you to bless others.

Talking to Each Other

• Who is someone you know with a gentle heart? What do you like about this person?

• Who is someone you know with a hard heart? How does this person treat you?

• What causes your heart to become hard?

• What are some ways you can keep your heart soft?

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