Pointing Friends to the Good
Month 2: Does God Exist? · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Micah 6:8
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
Memory Verse
“So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them”— Romans 2:15 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 2 Thessalonians 1-3
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Paul reminds believers to stand firm and keep doing good while they wait for Jesus.)The Heart of It
Micah asks a question every heart wants answered: "What does the Lord require of you?" And the answer is beautifully simple. "To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (). Here's the wonderful part for a young missionary. Your friends already have God's law written on their hearts. Remember ! That means they already admire kindness. They already hate unfairness. They already feel the pull toward what is good. You don't have to convince them that goodness matters. They already know it. Your job is to live it so beautifully that they start asking where that goodness comes from.
This is one of the gentlest ways to point a friend to God. You forgive someone who hurt you. You defend a kid being left out. You tell the truth even though it costs you. You're not just being nice. You're putting God's goodness on display. People can argue with words. But it's much harder to argue with a life that is acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly. Your kindness becomes a question mark in their mind. "Why is she like that? Where does that come from?" And one day, when they ask, you'll be ready to say, "It comes from Jesus. And He has goodness for you, too." Loving others well is missionary work, even before you say a single word about God.
Around the Table
When you are kind, share, and tell the truth, you are showing people how good God is — even before you say His name!
Let's do it: Pick one secret kind thing to do for someone today, just to show God's love.
Your friends already love kindness and hate unfairness, because God wrote that on their hearts. How can your good actions make them curious about God?
Let's talk: Who is one friend who might wonder "why are you so kind?" — and what would you tell them?
"Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly" is a whole way of life that makes the gospel believable. Your character is your first defense of the faith.
Let's go deeper: Have you ever watched someone's life make you take their beliefs more seriously? How could your life do that for someone?
💬 Conversation Starter
Has anyone ever asked you "Why are you so nice?" or "Why did you do that?" What would be a great way to point them to Jesus?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
The best argument is sometimes a life. When you forgive, serve, and tell the truth, friends start asking where it comes from. And that's your open door. Lived goodness backs up spoken truth, always offered "with gentleness and respect" ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Apologetics that lives only in arguments will eventually ring hollow to your kids' friends. The watching world wants to see whether the truth works. reminds us that justice, mercy, and humility aren't add-ons to the gospel. They're the shape of a life that makes the gospel credible. Teach your children that their character is their first and most persuasive defense of the faith. Teach them that a proud "winning" of an argument can lose a soul. The "walk humbly" clause is the keeper of the other two. Without it, justice becomes self-righteousness and mercy becomes condescension. So model it. Let your family see you do the hard right thing. Let them see you admit when you're wrong. Let them see you treat the lowliest person at the store with dignity. That sermon never gets old.
Draws on: Sean McDowell & J. Warner Wallace, So the Next Generation Will Know.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, help us do what is right. Help us love mercy. Help us walk humbly with You. Make our kindness so real that our friends grow curious about Jesus. And when they ask, give us the right words to say. In Jesus' name, amen."
My kindness is a question mark in a friend's mind. And Jesus is the answer.