Reverent

A Scout is Reverent.
A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. (Mark 12:30)

The Scout Law Prayer

I came across something that some of you may wish to use with your scouts. It would be great at a Scouts Own Service, or a Scout Sunday.

Dear Lord, Bless all those everywhere who contribute to shape the hearts, minds and bodies of young people. Let us remember what they have taught and apply it daily.

When facing deceit and dishonesty, let us be Trustworthy.
If we see hypocrisy and faithlessness, let us be Loyal.
Where disregard of others and mere materialism prevail, let us be Helpful.
When we find people in despair, let us be Friendly.
In an atmosphere of ill manner, let us be Courteous.
Where some measure manliness in brutality and crudeness, let us be Kind.
Though lawbreaking and rule-scoffing are common, let us be Obedient.
While others grumble and grouch, let us be Cheerful.
In an environment blighted by waste and extravagance, let us be Thrifty.
When confronted with danger and temptation, let us be Brave.
As we see filth and pollution everywhere, let us be Clean.
While witnessing impiety, let us remember to be Reverent.

In short, in a world that has for generation after generation lamented the lack of good examples, let us, as Scouts, stand out, grow up, and be real adults.

Amen.

Clean

A Scout is Clean.
A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He chooses the company of those who live by high standards. He helps keep his home and community clean.


Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of his salvation. (Psalm 24:3-5)

Brave

The 10th point of the scout law: A Scout is Brave.

A Scout can face danger although he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at him or threaten him.

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Bravery is not merely the ability to be calm in the face of danger, it is also the ability to stand fast in your beliefs when the world around you treats them with mockery and scorn. Your scouts will face this attack on their bravery many more times in their life than they might from a physical threat.

(P.S. Sorry, this post was supposed to go out on Sunday, with the rest of my Scout Law Series.)

Thrifty

The 9th point of the Scout Law: A Scout is Thrifty

A Scout works to pay his own way and to help others. He saves for the future. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.

A few verses about Thrift

Proverbs 6:6-8
Go to the ant, sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.

Proverbs 21:5
The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty; but the thoughts of everyone who is hasty only to poverty.

1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.

Cheerful

The8th point of the scout law is "A Scout is Cheerful"

A Scout looks for the bright side of life. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy.

Some relevant verses on that topic.

A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken. The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:13-15)

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24 )

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 )

Obedient

The 6th Point of the Scout Law is Obedient

A Scout is Obedient.

A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobeying them.

A few verses to think about

Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long on the earth. (Ephesians 6:1-3)

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. (Titus 3:1)

Obedience can be very tricky to teach about. What if one source of authority has rules that conflict with another, as in the following verses, where the religious leaders instructions conflict with those of Jesus himself? It may be useful to have scouts think about this, and what they would do in a situation where two different sets of rules conflict with one another.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:7-29)

Kind

The seventh point of the scout law is:

A Scout is Kind.
A Scout knows there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. Without good reason, he does not harm or kill any living thing.

A Few Bible Verses that seemed relevant to the points being made in this part of the scout law:

Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Luke 6:31 - And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Proverbs 12:10 - A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

Courteous

The Fifth point of the Scout Law:

A Scout is Courteous.
A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows that using good manners makes it easier for people to get along.

1 Corinthians 12: 12-26 reads:

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be?20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Christ sets the example that we should not value some above others because of their position or abilities, that all of us are important, and all of us are worthy of respect, whether we are the equivalent of the brain, the hand, the foot or even the big toe. All of us are important and worthy of respect.

Friendly

The Fourth Point of the Scout Law:

A Scout is Friendly.
A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He offers his friendship to people of all races and nations, and respects them even if their beliefs and customs are different from his own.

I think the best scripture to illustrate this principle is the parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:30-37 (NIV)
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

It is important to note that in the context of the times when Jesus gave this parable, Samaratans and Israelites hated each other. This person was not merely giving comfort to a person he knew, but even on someone from a completely different group, most of whom hated him.

Teach the Scouts you work with that it is easy to be friendly to people who like you. It's a much larger test of one's character to be a friend to those who may dislike you.

Helpful

The third point of the Scout Law is:

A Scout is Helpful.
A Scout cares about other people. He willingly volunteers to help others without expecting payment or reward.

What does it mean to be helpful? Scouts know about doing a good turn daily, but it's not enough to simply check off a list, and say "I did my one good deed for the day!" Scouting isn't a once a day sort of thing, and neither should being helpful

Mark 9:35 - Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

Encourage your scouts to reach out to the boys in their troop and those around them in the world to help them. Does that new scout need help figuring out how to setup a tent? Be sure to praise the scout who goes over to help them without having to be prompted. Service toward others is a crucial part of leadership.

Loyal

The Second Part of the Scout Law is:

A Scout is Loyal.
A Scout is true to his family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and nation.

It is easy to be Loyal when things are going well.

Proverbs 17:17 - A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity

The word brother in this context does not mean merely a biological brother, but a person who is closer than a friend. That is, staying loyal to your friends in times of adversity will build a stronger bond than normal friendship, it will cause you to become as close as brothers.

In Matthew 26 33-35, Peter originally promises that he will be loyal to Jesus, even risking death. Later, in Matthew 26 69-75, he disowns Jesus three times. True loyalty is not measured in good times, but can be seen best when times are hard.

Ask your scouts about times when it might be difficult to be loyal to a friend. What can they do in those situations, when it would be easier to abandon their friends and give up that loyalty?

Trustworthy

(Note: For the next few Sundays, I will be focusing on one of the Aspects of the Scout Law, and referencing passages of scripture that touch on that topic.)

The First part of the Scout Law is

A Scout is Trustworthy.
A Scout tells the truth. He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can depend on him.

Some related verses to think about.

• Exodus 20:16 ESV - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
• Proverbs 12:22 ESV - Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
• Proverbs 11:13 ESV - Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
• Numbers 30:2 ESV  - If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Being Trustworthy isn't merely about not telling lies. Gossiping is being untrustworthy toward those around you.  A major part of being trustworthy is the commitment to follow through on things you have promised to do.