Week of 2.27.2022 | Day One
This month’s Big Picture Question from The Gospel Project for Kids has focused on the holiness of God. Holy means to be separate, set apart, and describes God’s character as totally unique and separate from what He has created. God’s holiness describes His perfect goodness, purity, and righteousness. To be holy is to be different in a good way. As such, holiness is at the core of the Old Testament law. The reason behind many of God’s commands that may make us scratch our heads is holiness. These commands were meant to teach Israel what it means to be holy and to model holiness to the watching world. All of this points us to the even greater idea of God’s holiness. God’s people—His image bearers–are to imitate God. The problem is, God’s holiness is impossible to achieve! As sinful people, we are completely unable to attain holiness. So why would God want us to strive for something we can never achieve?
God gave the impossible command to “be holy, as I am holy,” knowing we could never achieve it, and graciously offering to achieve it for us, through Jesus Christ. We can indeed be holy as God is holy because Christ is holy. And when we trust in Christ, our sin is removed and in its place we are credited with Christ’s perfect righteousness. (2 Cor. 5:21) We obey this command to be holy by trusting in Christ!
Then, with our new identity in Christ, holy and righteous, we seek to glorify God by living a life that is set apart from the world. The power of the Holy Spirit enables us to live in such a way.
This week you will read through scripture to remember God’s holiness and how we are to live in response to it.
Big Picture Question
What is God like? God is holy, good, and loving.
Christ Connection
No one is like God. God is holy, good, and loving. Jesus shows us what God is like and gives us hope. God can make us more like Jesus. We can trust Him and live joyfully for Him.
Key Passage
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
Exodus 15:11
Read
Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:1-18, 20:22-26
Discuss
How does God instruct His people to be holy?
Guide the kids to see how it was unique for the Israelites. No other nation had laws that went to such extremes to live rightly with God and others. The whole of Leviticus gives specific ways to live a holy life, how to worship, how to atone (provide payment) for sin, how to give offerings and so on. Leviticus 19:1-18 gives a reminder of the 10 commandments. Leviticus 20 is a reminder of the consequences God promised if they disobeyed Him.
The good news for us is we no longer have to strive for righteousness through the Levitical laws that the Israelites were required to follow. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the law and if we put our faith in Him, we are set free from the punishment we deserve for the sin of disobeying God’s law.
Pray
Pray together as a family about what you read today. Confess your sins to one another and to the Lord and praise Him for his forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
Family Challenge
Choose someone you can show the love of Jesus to this week. Commit to pray for them, show acts of kindness, and share the good news of Jesus with them. An example of this could be a neighbor that you bake cookies for and when you deliver them, ask them if there is anything you can be praying for? Listen to their response. Pray immediately for them if possible. Then as a family, tell them what God has been teaching you in your family devotion time, specifically the good news of the gospel.