In God's Eyes, We're Not Robots
Would you rather be treated like a rule-following robot or part of a loving family?
If someone treated you like a robot, they would give you lots of rules and orders without caring about how you feel or what you think. That doesn’t sound like a good life. But back when Jesus lived on earth, there were some religious leaders who wanted to control their people like they were robots.
These leaders, called Pharisees, really wanted everyone to obey God’s law. Normally, wanting to follow God is a good thing. But the Pharisees became so focused on following the rules perfectly that they forgot to care about the people they were leading. They even made extra rules that were too strict.
The Pharisees misunderstood how to follow God with kindness and love. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches the right way:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
All of God’s commands are there to help us love God and people.
Why do we follow God by being loving? Because God is loving. He loves our whole selves! Like a loving parent, God cares about our heart, mind and soul, not just how many rules we follow.
That’s why Jesus came to earth. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, NIV). God created us to live a full life with him, but our sin held us back from loving him. So Jesus died on the cross to set us free. Now we can follow God and live with him forever!
And when people live the way Jesus taught, they care for one another like family. They help people who get hurt, encourage people who feel sad and protect people who are weak.
God treats us like family, not robots. Let’s treat each other the same way!
Read
- John 10
- Mark 12:28-31
Act
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Draw a picture of a robot and think about some of the ways people treat each other unlovingly. Then draw a picture of your family and think about how loving families treat each other.
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Tell someone about God’s love for them and what Jesus did to save them.
Pray
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Thank God for loving you and caring about your whole life.
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Pray for God to show you ways to love others like family.
