Devotions

16 February 2020 - The Lord’s Prayer: Asking

Read: Matthew 6:11; Psalm 121

Here’s what happens…

Jesus teaches us to ask God for what we need. Psalm 121 is an example of this kind of prayer; travelers asked for God’s help as they faced a dangerous journey. The psalmist writes, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”

Talk About…

• What’s one thing you need help with this week?

Through the Week

Print out a copy of Psalm 121. It’s a traveler’s psalm asking for God’s help. Hang it by your door or in your car, and pray the prayer together whenever you go somewhere this week.

Psalm 121

I look up to the mountains—

does my help come from there?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;

the one who watches over you will not slumber.

Indeed, he who watches over Israel

never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!

The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm

and watches over your life.

The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and

go, both now and forever.

Discuss and Watch “Carl’s Big Adventure”

We’re learning that asking for help is part of prayer.

• Tell about something you need to ask for help with.

• What could happen if you tried to do that without help?

Sometimes we just need help. Let’s see what happens when our friend Carl didn’t ask for help.

Watch “Carl’s Big Adventure.”

• Why was it such a big deal that Carl didn’t ask for help?

• What did it cost him to try to do things on his own?

• What could it cost us if we try to do things without God’s help?

Silly Carl flew all over the world—which takes a lot of time and money—because he didn’t ask for directions to Bill and Violet’s house. He learned a big lesson about asking for help! We may not end up in Russia or Thailand when we forget to ask God for help, but we could end up doing things the hard way when God wants to help us. That’s why asking for help is part of prayer.

Digging Into Epic Teachings of the Bible. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

The Lord’s Prayer: God’s Will

Read: Matthew 6:10; Matthew 26:36-46

Key Verse: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Here’s what happens…

Jesus models how to pray by saying “may your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Later, as Jesus faces death, he prays a similar prayer, asking for God’s will to be done even though it’s not what he wants.

Discuss and Watch “God’s Will”

We’re learning that wanting God’s will is part of prayer. Sometimes it’s easier to think about what we want than what God wants.

• What would you ask for if your birthday was coming up?

Let’s see what happened when a boy asked God for his birthday wish. Watch “God’s Will.”

• Tell about a time you got a present you didn’t really like.

• How could not getting what we want be a good thing?

• What good came out of the boy in the video getting the wrong gifts?

The boy in the video wanted a video game system, not a baseball bat. But what he didn’t realize is that he could make a new friend with his baseball stuff! What he got was more amazing than what he wanted because God’s will is better than what we want. That’s why wanting God’s will is part of prayer.

Through the Week

• As a family, gather together each morning to pray for God’s will to be done in your lives that day.

• Whenever someone faces an important or difficult choice, that person will stop and pray for God’s will to be done.

• At the end of each day, talk about how it made a difference that day to seek God’s will instead of your own.

Talk About…

• What’s something you feel really strongly about?

Pray…

Do you keep a journal of your prayers? Maybe start this this week, so you can look back in the future and see what you prayed in the past. You may be surprised to see how God answers your prayers.

Digging Into Epic Teachings of the Bible. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

The Lord’s Prayer: Praise

Read: Matthew 6:9 & Psalm 100

Key Verse: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Here’s what happens…

Jesus teaches to start a prayer with praise. Psalm 100 is a great example of a prayer of praise, exclaiming that we can shout with joy to the Lord, sing with joy, enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise, and proclaim his unfailing love and goodness.

Discuss and Watch “Pure Praise”

We’re learning that praise is part of prayer. But what does that mean?

• What is praise? How would you describe it?

Let’s see what praise is and what it isn’t. Watch “Pure Praise.”

• Do you think the kids in this video were truly praising God? Explain.

• What can distract you from praising God?

• If praise is about your heart and your focus, what activities besides music could be praise?

Praise is part of prayer. It’s a reminder that God is in control and a celebration of how awesome he is! So praise means we’re focused on God, not going through the motions of praise while our minds think about other things.

Through the Week

Remember to praise God all week with this fun celebration.

• Read Psalm 100:4 together.

• Hang streamers or ribbons from all the doorways in your house as a reminder to enter (and exit) rooms with praise!

• Every time you walk through a doorway this week, tell God one thing that’s awesome about him. You could sing, shout, or just whisper your praise.

Talk About…

• What’s your favorite word to describe God?

Pray

• Say or write a Praise Prayer (purple in the rainbow prayer) each day this week. A praise prayer could start with, “Dear God, you are…”

Digging Into Epic Teachings of the Bible. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc. Permission to reproduce granted for local church use.

Peter’s Vision of Animals - Acts 10:9-43

Here’s what happens…

Peter has a vision of previously forbidden food, but God tells him to eat the food. Later, Peter talks to Cornelius and realizes that his vision demonstrated that God welcomes anyone from any place.

Bible Point:

God is welcoming, so we’re welcoming.

Family Together Time

Get ready for visitors with these fun welcoming ideas!

• Decorate your front door or just inside your home with welcome signs.

• Create welcome bags with goodies, drawings, or other things you can think of to give to guests.

• Walk into your home through the door visitors use, and consider what else might make someone feel welcome.

• Take turns pretending to arrive as visitors while the rest of the family welcomes the one playing the guest. Remember to offer guests water or snacks, take their coats, and give them the best place to sit.

Talk About This…

• Tell about a place you feel welcome.

Discuss and Watch “Family Welcome”

We’re learning that God is welcoming, so we’re welcoming. Think of someone it’s hard for you to feel welcoming toward. Don’t say any names, just picture that person. Pause.

Let’s see what happens when a dog named Biscuit meets a new family member who’s a little different from him.

Watch “Family Welcome.”

• What made it hard for Biscuit to welcome Sage?

• What kind of qualities make it hard for you to welcome someone?

• Think of the person you pictured before the video. What can you learn from Biscuit about how to treat that person? Remind kids not to name names, and simply describe how they can treat the person.

Rowley reminded Biscuit about what happened in our Bible story—God told people to welcome everyone, even people who were different. God is welcoming, so we’re welcoming—even if people are different from us or hard to love.

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

Jesus Passes On His Power - Acts 1:6-14; 2:1-12

Here’s what happens…

Before Jesus goes to heaven, he tells his disciples they will receive the Holy Spirit’s power to be his witnesses! Later the Holy Spirit comes, and Jesus’ followers speak in languages they don’t even know!

Bible Point:

Jesus is powerful, and he gives us power.

Family Together Time

• Write some of the following verses on sticky notes or small slips of paper. Younger kids can draw pictures of crosses instead.

· Acts 1:8

· Romans 1:16

· Romans 8:2

· 1 Corinthians 4:7

· 2 Corinthians 4:20

· 2 Corinthians 12:9

· Ephesians 3:18

· Ephesians 3:20

· Ephesians 6:10

· Philippians 2:13

· 2 Thessalonians 1:11

· 2 Timothy 1:7

• Stick or tape a verse or picture over each outlet and light switch in your house.

• Whenever you use electric power, you’ll get a reminder of Jesus’ power in your life!

Talk About This…

• What do you want God to give you the power to do for him?

Discuss and Watch “Carl’s Story”

We’re learning that Jesus is powerful, and he gives us power.

• If you could have any superpower, what superpower would you want? Why?

Superpowers would be fun! But that’s not quite the kind of power Jesus gives us. Let’s see what kind of power our friend Carl has.

Watch “Carl’s Story.”

• How much power do you think Carl really had?

• How would you describe Jesus’ power?

Carl wasn’t as powerful as he thought. But he did learn something very true: Jesus is powerful! Jesus has the most awesome power, and we can ask for his power in our lives! In our Bible story, Jesus promised power to his disciples, and that promise is for us, too.

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

Jesus Forgives His Enemies - Luke 23:26-43

Here’s what happens…

Jesus is dying on the cross. As the soldiers torture him and gamble for his clothes, he extends forgiveness. They continue to mock him, but he doesn’t condemn them. Jesus extends forgiveness to a criminal, too.

Bible Point:

Jesus forgives when it’s hard, so we forgive when it’s hard.

Through the Week

• Choose a mirror to be your “forgiveness” mirror.

• When someone wants to apologize, he or she can write an apology on the mirror with a dry-erase marker.

• Younger kids who can’t write can draw a picture or get help with writing.

• The person who the apology is directed toward can erase the apology to show forgiveness. Then that person can draw a heart on the mirror.

Talk About This…

• Tell about a time you were really, really sorry.

Discuss and Watch “Forgiven”

We’re learning that Jesus forgives when it’s hard. Have you ever done something you thought someone wouldn’t forgive? Let’s see what happened when a little brother thought he was unforgiveable.

Watch “Forgiven.”

• The little brother thought of three options. What other ideas can you think of?

• Have you ever been in a situation like this? What happened?

• Imagine the little brother broke the laptop on purpose, instead of by accident. How would that make a difference in whether he deserved forgiveness?

The big sister in this video forgave even when it was hard. It would’ve been even harder if he’d broken her laptop on purpose! But you know what? Jesus forgives when it’s hard. He forgave the people who were hurting him, even though that was on purpose. There’s nothing you’ve done that he won’t forgive!

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

Jesus Is the Good Shepherd - John 10:1-16

Here’s what happens…

Jesus says he is the good shepherd. He calls his sheep, and they know his voice and follow him. He gives his sheep a rich and satisfying life, and he sacrifices his own life for them. He knows his sheep, and they know him.

Family Together Time

Read a verse a day as a family so you can get to know Jesus better.

- Sunday: Matthew 1:23

- Monday: Matthew 16:16

- Tuesday: Mark 1:10-11

- Wednesday: John 1:29

- Thursday: John 4:14

- Friday: John 8:12

- Saturday: John 15:14-15

Talk About This…

- What’s one way you’ve gotten to know another person better?

- What can you learn from that about how to get to know Jesus better?

Discuss and Watch “Feeling Sheepish”

- What are some interesting things you know about sheep?

Let’s find out more about sheep by seeing some real shepherds!

Watch “Feeling Sheepish.”

- What did the shepherds say or do that reminds you of how Jesus interacts with us?

- What was different about the shepherds and Jesus?

Jesus knows us, so we get to know him. The shepherds in our video knew how to take care of their sheep and how to get them to go where they need to go. They made sure a lot of grass grew so the sheep would have food. They knew the names of certain special sheep, but most sheep didn’t even have names. That’s a little different from shepherds in Bible times. Jesus knows our names and so much more! He knows everything about us, and he invites us to get to know him.

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

Revelation 21 - Forever in Heaven

Here’s what happens…

The Bible describes what heaven is like. It is a beautiful, golden city full of light from God himself! There isn’t any pain, sadness, or dying. And best of all, we’ll live forever with Jesus!

Bible Point: Jesus is forever, so we can live forever.

Family Together Time

Forever life with Jesus is good news! Choose one of these ideas to do as a family, and share the good news about Jesus with someone else.

• Make a YouTube video about Jesus, and post it online.

• Text someone about Jesus.

• Call someone and tell that person about Jesus.

• Make cards that share the good news about Jesus.

• Make a yard sign that tells passersby about how much Jesus wants to live with them forever.

Talk About This…

• What’s one thing you hope will be in heaven?

Discuss and Watch “Kylie’s Story”

We’re learning that Jesus is forever, so we can live forever. We’re going to watch a story that seems really sad. But we’ll see how knowing that we can live forever brings hope, even when things are sad.

Please note: This video is about a preteen girl whose dad died. While she shares about the hope of heaven, the video could be a trigger to kids who’ve recently lost someone. Be sensitive and allow extra time for them to share and process or let them choose not to watch it.

Watch “Kylie’s Story.”

• What do you like to do with your family?

• Why do you think Kylie had hope, even though her dad died?

• Kylie said it will be amazing to see her dad again in heaven. What are you looking forward to about heaven?

When we believe in and follow Jesus, we can live forever in heaven! And even though we’ll always be sad and miss people who die, we can have hope that we’ll get to see them again in heaven. Plus, just like Kylie, we can trust that the people we love are in a great place, hanging out with Jesus! Jesus is forever, so we can live forever.

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

Read Luke 2:21-40 - Jesus is the light of the world.

Have you ever lost electricity in your home for an extended amount of time? At first, living in darkness brings fun and adventure. But as minutes turn to hours and hours turn to days, it becomes increasingly difficult to prepare food, read before bed, or determine which toothbrush is yours. Imagine living in darkness for hundreds of years! The Israelites didn’t actually live in the dark (although they did live without electricity), but they couldn’t see what God was up to. Most people couldn’t see well enough to notice a special baby’s birth but Simeon saw baby Jesus and recognized him right away.

Jesus is the light of the world!

Share

Go for a walk in your neighbourhood or hop in the car to go look at Christmas lights. You could even deliver Christmas candy or cookies to the homes as a way to say thank you for lighting up your Christmas season.

Talk about...

- The best Christmas lights you’ve seen. What do you like best about Christmas lights?

- How does light change your life?

Listen

Take notice when you hear the song “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” this week. It may be on your car radio or music you hear in stores or on TV. You can even keep track of how many times you hear it!

Pray

Pray for Jesus to shine his light to the world through your family. Pass around a real or battery-operated candle and pray for Jesus’ light to shine through each person as he or she holds the candle.

adapted from KidMin Quick Picks MORE Songs of the Christmas Story Copyright © 2018 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO. group.com