Devotions

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath - Luke 13:10-17

Here’s what happens…

One Sabbath day, Jesus sees a crippled woman in a synagogue. She’s been unable to stand up straight for 18 years! Jesus heals her, even though the legalistic religious leaders don’t approve. But Jesus values love over man-made rules.

Family Together Time

Bless other people with loving notes.

- Cut out heart shapes.

- On the hearts, write loving notes such as “Jesus loves you, and we do too!”

- Include notes of encouragement like “You’re awesome!”

- You could also write Bible verses such as John 3:16 or 1 John 4:7.

- Decorate the hearts. (This is a great job for younger family members who can’t write.)

- Put the hearts in your neighbors’ mailboxes, or tape them to their doors.

Talk About This…

- What’s the last loving thing someone did for you?

Discuss and Watch “A Duck Tale”

- What’s the most loving thing anyone has ever done for you?

- What did you think of the reporter’s reaction to seeing the stuck ducks?

Jesus is loving, so we’re loving. Jesus showed love even when other people got mad about it. And the ducks showed love even when they were risking their safety.

- What’s one way you think Jesus wants you to show love this week?

Jesus is loving, so we’re loving. We can be loving even when it means giving up popularity, our preferences, or even our safety.

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man - Mark 7:31-37

Here’s what happens…

People bring a deaf man to Jesus to be healed. Jesus puts his fingers in the man’s ears, then spits on his fingers and touches the man’s tongue. Then Jesus sighs and says, “Be opened!” and the man can hear and speak!

Talk About This…

- What’s the most wonderful thing about the person sitting next to you?

Discuss and Watch “Wonder”

Today we’re learning that Jesus is wonderful.

- What’s the most wonderful thing you’ve ever seen? Was it made by people or by God?

Let’s watch a video where we can see some wonderful things people made…and some even more wonderful things made by our wonderful God.

Watch “Wonder.”

- Which wonders did you find the most wonderful? Why?

- Why do you think people’s wonders can’t compete with God’s?

People have made some pretty cool things, but when you put them next to the things God has made, they don’t compare! Jesus is wonderful, so we expect good things from him. If he could make the Grand Canyon, the northern lights, and the whole solar system, he can do wonderful things in our lives!

Through the Week

- Look for wonderful things throughout the week. (Hint: They might be seemingly ordinary things you take for granted!)

- Whenever someone sees something wonderful, that person will say, “I see in front of me something wonderful!”

- The other family members can ask questions to help determine what wonderful thing the speaker saw.

- Together, thank God for the wonderful things he has done and created!

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

God Cares for Birds - Matthew 10:29-31

Here’s what happens…

As Jesus prepares to send out his disciples, he comforts them by saying that God takes care of sparrows and God loves us even more than sparrows. God knows how many hairs are on our heads!

Talk About This…

- Would you rather be a peacock or an eagle? Why?

Discuss and Watch “What’s the Zoom?”

Today we’re learning that God cares about our details. Let’s see how well you can pay attention to details! In this video, you’ll see pictures of the details of everyday items. If you think you know what the item is, call out the answer!

Watch “What’s the Zoom?”

- Which details were you the most confident about? Why?

- Which details were the hardest for you? Why?

We had a hard time knowing what all these details were, but God knew! God cares about our details. He knows everything about creation, including us!

- Share about one detail about yourself that you don’t think he or she knows.

- What’s a new detail you learned about your partner?

God cares about our details, so we care about others!

Family Together Time

- Find a place to feed birds together. It could be your backyard, a park, or the beach.

- Grab some birdseed, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or oat cereal so you can feed the birds. (Bread, although a popular choice for feeding birds, is not good for them in large quantities, so avoid bread—especially white bread.)

- As you feed the birds together, talk about how God cares for them.

- Also share how God has shown his care for your family.

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

Jesus Heals Jairus’ Daughter - Luke 8:40-42, 49-56

Here’s what happens…

Jesus promises to go with Jairus to heal Jairus’ daughter, but he gets distracted. During the delay, Jairus’ daughter dies. But Jesus promises that she’ll be okay and sticks to his word as he brings the girl back to life.

Bible Point:

Jesus is dependable, so we’re dependable.

Family Together Time

- Have family members each think of things that others depend on them for. For example, kids might depend on parents for food, and parents might depend on kids to help with chores.

- Add things you depend on each other for if someone forgets something.

- When someone shares something, those who depend on that can share why it matters to them.

- Promise each other that you’ll be dependable all week.

Keep your promises, and practice being dependable. Remember, people are counting on you!

Talk About This…

- What’s something you can always depend on another family member to do?

Discuss and Watch “Genvous’ Story”

Today we’re learning that Jesus is dependable, so we’re dependable.

- What are things people depend on you to do?

We all have people depending on us. Let’s learn how animals depend on a guy named Genvous.

Watch “Genvous’ Story.”

- How did Genvous and his kids show they were dependable?

- Why do some animals need people to depend on?

On this reserve, animals need people to help take care of them. It’s important that Genvous and his kids are dependable, or the animals could die! Jesus is dependable, so we’re dependable by taking care of our responsibilities.

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

The Parable of the Lost Treasure and Pearl - Matthew 13:44-46

Here’s what happens…

Jesus tells two very short stories. In one, a man finds a treasure in a field and sells everything to buy the field and get the treasure. In the other, a man finds a valuable pearl and gives up everything to buy the pearl.

Bible Point:

God is a treasure, so we value him more than anything.

Family Together Time

- Have everyone bring out their most treasured possession.

- Each person will choose someone else’s possession and hide it somewhere safe in the house.

- If you want, you can draw treasure maps or hide treasure hunt clues.

- Everyone will search until all the treasured possessions are found.

- Talk about what you treasure and why it was important to you to find your treasure.

Talk About This…

- Besides God, who do you treasure and why?

Discuss and Watch “Toy Treasure”

The people in our Bible stories found a treasure so valuable, they gave up everything to get it! Let’s see what happens when some dogs sniff out a valuable treasure.

Watch “Toy Treasure.”

- Why do you think Peanut and Biscuit were so excited to find their new toys?

- Tell about a time you were excited to get something new.

Peanut and Biscuit found some old toys along the way, but they left them behind and were excited to find the new toys. And we can be even more excited about Jesus than the dogs were about finding new toys! God is a treasure, so we value him more than anything. There’s nothing we have that’s worth more than God!

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

Jesus Brings a Widow’s Son Back to Life - Luke 7:11-17

Here’s what happens…

Jesus sees a funeral procession for a boy. The boy’s mother is a widow, and this boy is her only son. Filled with compassion, Jesus touches the coffin and tells the boy to get up. The boy sits up, alive again!

Bible Point:

Jesus is compassionate, so we’re compassionate.

Through the Week

Show compassion for people you don’t even know this week!

- Read or watch the news as a family. (You may wish to pre-screen the news to find stories you don’t mind your child hearing about.)

- Show compassion by praying together for the people impacted by the tragedies or issues presented in the news.

- Talk about how you feel knowing that people have to go through those things.

Talk About This…

- Tell about someone you know who’s going through a hard time right now.

- How could you show compassion?

Discuss and Watch “John’s Story”

- What’s your favourite thing about school?

School might not seem like a fun thing to you, but it’s important so you can learn and be educated. In some countries, there are kids who really, really wish they could go to school. Let’s see a story about a man who helped a little boy get to school.

Watch “John’s Story.”

- What examples of compassion did you see in this video?

- What can you learn from this story about how to show compassion?

In the Philippines, kids with disabilities don’t have easy access to go to school. But some people with compassion started a school to help teach deaf kids. They even went out of their way to find John so they could invite him to their school. When we see people who are sad or aren’t being treated fairly, we can help them. That’s what it means to reflect the heart of Jesus! Jesus is compassionate, so we’re compassionate.

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

Jesus Heals a Man’s Deformed Hand on the Sabbath - Mark 3:1-6

Here’s what happens…

One Sabbath day, Jesus sees a man with a deformed hand. He boldly calls the man up in front of everyone to heal him, even though the religious leaders consider healing “work”—forbidden on the Sabbath. Jesus boldly defends his actions as he heals the man.

Bible Point:

Jesus is bold, so we’re bold.

Through the Week

Play a fun game called Dared or Scared!

- Look for opportunities to do bold things that reflect Jesus’ love or service.

- When you see an opportunity, dare a family member to be bold! Here are some ideas.

- If you see someone struggling to lift something into a grocery cart, help that person.

- At a coffee shop, pay for someone in line behind you.

- Say hi to someone who looks sad.

- Offer to pray for someone who’s begging for money.

- Skip your video game time to help someone else with a chore.

Talk About This…

- What’s the boldest thing you’ve ever seen someone do for Jesus?

Discuss and Watch “Balloon Ride”

Today we’re learning that Jesus is bold, so we’re bold. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to be bold in our faith. Let’s see if Awesome Andy can figure it out.

Watch “Balloon Ride.”

- What do you think was bold or not bold about Awesome Andy’s idea?

- What do you think it really means to be bold for Jesus?

You don’t need to be a cluster balloon pilot to be bold for Jesus. Good thing! You might get a little lost, just like Awesome Andy did. To be bold like Jesus, all you need to do is show God’s love and rely on him so you’ll know what to say to share your faith. Jesus is bold, so we’re bold!

Jesus Calls Matthew to Be His Friend - Matthew 9:9-13

Here’s what happens…

Jesus calls a tax collector named Matthew to be a disciple. When the religious leaders see Jesus eating with Matthew and his friends, they don’t approve. They think tax collectors are scum. But Jesus is our friend.

Bible Point:

Jesus is our friend, so we’re good friends to others.

Family Together Time

Show kids your old friends!

- Dust off the old yearbooks and show kids pictures of the people you were friends with in high school and college.

- If you’re really brave, find the notes they wrote in your yearbooks!

- Share what made those friends good friends.

- You could also “introduce” your kids to your old friends by showing them their current social media profiles.

- Let your kids share why their friends are such good friends, too.

Talk About This…

- What qualities do you look for in a friend?

Discuss and Watch “Good Friends”

In our Bible story, we saw what a good friend Jesus was to Matthew and his friends. But how can we be that kind of friend? Let’s see how some girls today showed good friendship.

Watch “Good Friends.”

• Talk about a time you had a friend pull away from you.

• How can you be a good friend when someone is going through a hard time?

In our video, Avery was going through a hard time because her parents got divorced. She needed good friends, but it was hard for her to reach out for friendship. When we see people who are going through a hard time, we can reach out, too! We can ask Jesus to help us know what to do or say. Jesus is our friend, so we’re good friends to others.

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

Jesus Teaches Us to Live Differently - Matthew 5–7

Here’s what happens…

Jesus preaches a sermon known as “The Sermon on the Mount.” He talks about living differently than people expect by loving our enemies, giving privately, not worrying, not judging others, and more.

Bible Point:

Jesus is different, so we live differently.

Through the Week

Do things differently this week!

• Take a different route to school, work, or another place you frequently go.

• Sit in different spots at the dinner table.

• When you get ready for bed, do things in a different order.

• Trade chores with each other.

• Eat with unusual utensils.

• Think of other ways to do normal things differently.

• At the end of the week, talk about how Jesus wants us to live and how that’s different from what people normally expect.

Talk About This…

• What’s one thing that’s different about you because you love Jesus?

Discuss and Watch “Fruit Basket Upset”

Today we’re learning that Jesus is different, so we live differently. Sometimes living differently isn’t the easiest choice! Let’s watch some fruity friends and see how they learned to live differently.

Watch “Fruit Basket Upset.”

• Which excuses did you hear that you thought were good excuses?

• What are some excuses you’ve made to take the easier way?

• The wise potato said, “A lot of fruit would just choose the easy way, but Jesus wants us to live differently.”

• Why is Jesus’ way not always the easy way?

Jesus is different, so we live differently. Jesus asked us to do some hard things, like love our enemies and treat others the way we want to be treated. That’s hard to do on our own! But the good news is, Jesus is here to help us live his way.

Digging Into the Heart of God. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.