All posts by kolbyking

Let the Cat Out of the Bag

YOU WILL NEED: 1 small object

FAMILY COMPETITION #1

We have five questions that we’re going to use in a game. I’m going to read the question. Then each of us gets to guess what we think everyone else’s answer for the question will be. We’ll keep track of how many each of us gets right but you have to be totally honest.

Questions:

-What is my favorite color?

-What is my favorite food?

-What is my favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings?

-What is my favorite thing our family has done since Christmas?

-What is my favorite TV show?

Count how many points each person in your family has and announce the winner.

DISCUSSION

ASK: Have you ever heard the expression, “Don’t let the cat out of the bag”? What do you think it means?

SAY: Saying, “Don’t let the cat out of the bag” is another way of saying, “Don’t let the secret out.” In old times, farmers would take a piglet in a bag to the market to sell. Some crooks would put a cat in the bag instead, and if the person buying the bag didn’t look inside, they might end up buying a cat, which wasn’t worth much, instead of a pig. That’s where the saying came from—it’s about something that someone wants to hide.

ASK: Is it wrong to have secrets? (It depends on what the secret is—There are good secrets and bad secrets.)

ASK: What would a good secret be like? (A surprise party or a special present.)

SAY: Good secrets are usually fun and exciting. They don’t hurt anyone and don’t have anything to do with someone doing something wrong. Usually good secrets are revealed in the right time too.

ASK: What’s an example of a bad secret?

SAY: Bad secrets are things that need to be told. The “cat” needs to come out of the bag and the secret needs to be known. Here are some questions that can help you decide if you’re keeping a secret that needs to be told:

-Hold up ONE finger: Does this or did this secret hurt you or someone else?

-Hold up TWO fingers: Does it worry you?

-Hold up THREE fingers: Are you hiding it because you or someone else did something wrong?

-Hold up FOUR fingers: Are you hiding it because you would be embarrassed if people know?

-Hold up FIVE fingers: Did someone tell you not to tell anyone about it?

SAY: If anyone ever does something and then tells you NOT to tell anyone, it’s usually a BIG sign that you need to tell someone.

ASK: Is there anything that you would like to talk about or to ask me before we move on? Is there anything that you’ve always wanted to tell me or ask but haven’t?

ASK: Do you have any “bad” secrets that you’ve been keeping?

SAY: Always feel free to talk to me about anything and everything that is going on in your life.

FAMILY COMPETITION #2

Have your children face away from you and close their eyes or leave the room for a minute while you hide a small object. See how long it takes for them to find it. Then let them hide the object for you to find.

SAY: It’s easy to hide things from people, even secrets. But…Can a person hide anything from God? (No. God sees everything—You can’t keep a secret from Him.)

Listen to what the Bible says about how God sees everything…

Read Hebrews 4:13 from your Bible

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

SAY: God knows more about what is happening in your life than you do. Talk to Him about everything and always talk to us too.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Take a few minutes to list any family prayer requests and to pray. Be sure to pray for any situations that are mentioned.

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Stepping Out in Faith

In the fall of 2017, I remember preaching about Peter walking to Jesus on the water (Matt. 14:22-33). When I was a kid, my favorite part of the story was Peter stepping out on the water. What a step of faith! And even though he became distracted and sank, still none of the other disciples were clamoring to get out of the boat.

But not anymore. Now another part of the story caught my attention. Jesus didn’t just call Peter to step out to Him. Peter asked for it. Peter stood in the boat and said, “Lord, if that’s you, command me to come to you on the water.”

Peter asked Jesus to call him out. He asked the Lord to command him to do something impossible. To do something he’d never seen done. To do something that he couldn’t possibly do on his own.

I meet thousands of Christians every year. Some are struggling. Some are in sin. Some are passionately following Christ. But I meet very few believers who are willing to say, “Lord, call me to do something that I’m not smart enough for. Call me to do something I’m not strong enough for. Call me to do something that I don’t have the resources for. Call me to do something that is so far beyond my abilities that when it is done, everybody will say, ‘That had to be God because it surely couldn’t have been him.'”

As I preached this, I began to realize that selling our house, getting rid of a lot of the “stuff” we had collected over the years and moving into an RV was very small compared to the great work that I feel that the Lord is desiring to do in our family. But it all begins with a step of faith.

How can we do this? How are going to make it? What is it going to be like? How will this affect our family? Our finances? So many questions but the answers really aren’t needed. Peter didn’t ask how this was possible. He didn’t ask for anything, except to be called. Faith doesn’t need all the answers to simply trust–You don’t need for God to give you all the information to simple step out.

Peter left the comfort and security of the boat and stepped onto the water. And he was fine as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. And, so will we. We’ll be fine as long as we keep our eyes on Christ.

 

 

 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

The Call to Let Go

In the summer of 2016, several small and struggling churches from the Great Lakes area, southern Canada, and Miami called us.

“We’re small and struggling,” one said. “We need help with evangelism and outreach and we need training. We need help reaching our community. Can you come and stay with us for a week or two to help?”

My answer was yes. We have always travelled to churches on a “love offering” basis because we never wanted money to hinder ministry.

However, one by one, these churches told us that they couldn’t afford to have us come because where would we stay, what would we eat…In the end, it just wasn’t cost effective unless I was travelled alone (without my family) and slept in the church, which I have done in the past. But our ministry is a family ministry. God never called me to leave my family at home while I run around the world sharing the Gospel.

Mary Beth, my wife, and I were discussed this, while driving to a camp in Colorado, when she suddenly said, “Then let’s sell our house, buy an RV and spend a couple of years going to help the churches that want us to come.”

My response was super-spiritual: “Are you crazy! Seven people and two dogs in an RV for a couple of years sounds like a reality TV show.”

Two weeks later I came back to Mary Beth and agreed–That’s exactly what God wanted us to do.

Not long later, we sat down with our sons to tell them what was on our hearts. We didn’t know how they would respond. We had lived in the same house for almost 10 years and it was the only home that our younger sons really remembered. We had neighbors that they had  grown up with. Moving would mean selling and giving away a lot what we had, packing the rest in storage and taking only a little with us. We would all be letting go and stepping out in faith.

None of our sons responded negatively. They had questions, naturally, but in the end all of them agreed that the Lord was calling us to step out. In the weeks that followed, one of our sons came up to me and said, “I can’t wait to be in the RV because everywhere we go, we’ll simply have to open up the door and there will be lost people right outside.”

 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Resurrection Power

You will need: Lemon juice, Baking Soda, Tissue, Teaspoon measure, a clean, 16-oz bottle, Water, a Cork or something to plug the top of the bottle, Paper Towels, Tape, and a Bible marked at 1 Corinthians 15:55-57.

NOTE: For this experiment, safety goggles are recommended for whoever shakes up the bottle. During the reaction make sure the bottle is not pointed at anyone.

NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do a different activity that is explained in the Other Option section below:

STEP 1 -Go outside. Pour half an inch of lemon juice into a clean, empty 16-oz bottle. Then fill the bottle with water until it is almost half full.

STEP 2 – Put a teaspoon of Baking Soda into a square of tissue and fold it like a packet.

STEP 3 -Cut two strips of a paper towel and tape them to the top of a cork.

STEP 4 -Drop the packet of Baking Soda into the bottle. Put the cork in the top and tape the paper towel strips to both sides of the bottle.

STEP 5 -(Parent) Shake the bottle and stand back.

KEY—The lemon juice and the baking soda react with one another to create a power that shoots the cork into the air. In the same way that the bottle couldn’t contain this power, the grave couldn’t contain Jesus. His power was greater than sin and death. He conquered them both and made a way for us to follow Him and go to heaven forever.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

PRAY—Thank Jesus for loving you so much that He died on the cross and then defeated death and the grave to make a way for you both to go to heaven and to share in His life.

OTHER OPTION

Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above.

You will need: Several sheets of Paper

Make a paper airplane and take turns throwing it as far as you can. Also, make some paper wads and see if you can throw them further than the airplanes. There is a limit to how far both of these can go, but there is no limit to God’s power. He is all-powerful, so powerful that he defeated even death.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

PRAY—Thank Jesus for loving you so much that He died on the cross and then defeated death and the grave to make a way for you both to go to heaven and to share in His life.

 
This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Make Them Disappear

YOU WILL NEED: a coffee filter, lemon juice, a highlighter and your Bible.

 (NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do the following to make the same point: Use food items or shaving cream to make a beard and mustache on your child—it’ll make a mess on them, just like sin makes a mess out of our lives. Then see how fast they can clean up their faces. Read 1 John 1:9 and continue with the discussion below.

STEP 1

Use a highlighter to write different sins on a coffee filter.

STEP 2

Put a few drops of lemon juice on the filter and watch your sins disappear.

Read 1 John 1:9

SAY: Sin always makes a mess in our lives but if we confess our sins and tell God we’re sorry for the wrong things we’ve done, He’ll forgive us. We can’t clean ourselves up; We can’t forgive our own sins—we need a Savior. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have to deal with the consequences of the wrong things we’ve done, but when God forgives a sin, it’s gone for good.

SAY:That’s great news…and news like this ought to be shared with others. Jesus doesn’t want us to keep this a secret but to share it with the whole world.

ASK: This week who can you tell about how Jesus can forgive sins?

PRAY—List family prayer requests and pray.

 

BREAKFAST BITES

What do you think the world would be like if there was no sin? (We would be perfect. No one would lie or steal or cheat. You could trust everyone, etc.)

In what ways do you think sin hurts people?

Read Galatians 6:7-8

(The point of this verse is simply: what you plant in your life is what will grow in your life. If you plant the things of God, you will grow things that last forever. If you give in to sin, however, the hurt of that sin will destroy the life that God intends for you to have.)

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Sink or Float

YOU WILL NEED: A non-diet can of soda, a diet can of soda, and a Bible.

NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do a different activity that is explained in the Other Option section below:

STEP 1: Fill up the bathtub so that the cans have enough room to sink.

STEP 2: Consider these questions…

-What do you think will happen when you put the cans

into the bathtub?

-Will they both sink?

-Will they both float?

-Will one sink and one float, and if so, which will do

what?

STEP 3: Put both cans in the bathtub. What happened?

POINT: The difference between these two cans is about half a cup of sugar.

KEY: Just a little makes a big difference. In the same way it takes just a little sin to drag a Christian down. According to the Bible, there’s no room for sin in the Christian’s life. So, have you been doing anything you know is wrong? If so, then stop doing it (repent), ask God to forgive you, and turn to follow Jesus again.

Also, just like the can that rose, Jesus rose from the dead after three days and later He ascended into heaven. That’s great news, and here’s some more great news: Those who have given their lives to Jesus can know for sure that they’re going to heaven to spend eternity with Him forever.

Read John 14:1-3

PRAY—Thank God for preparing a place for His people in heaven.

Other Option

Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above.

Make some chocolate milk where just a little powder makes a big change; or taste test some strawberries then dip them in sugar. Again, just a little makes a big difference; Or eat something that needs salt, like corn to make this same point. Then begin with the discussion below.

DISCUSSION: Just a little makes a big difference. In the same way it takes just a little sin to drag a Christian down. According to the Bible, there’s no room for sin in the Christian’s life. So, have you been doing anything you know is wrong? If so, then stop doing it (repent), ask God to forgive you, and turn to follow Jesus again.

It’s good news that God can forgive you. This is the reason that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and here’s some more great news: Those who have given their lives to Jesus can know for sure that they’re going to heaven to spend eternity with Him forever.

Read John 14:1-3

PRAY—Thank God for preparing a place for His people in heaven.

 

BREAKFAST BITES

What are some things that you look forward to about going to heaven? (Seeing Jesus face to face, meeting people from the Bible, living forever in God’s presence, etc.)

What are some things that you look forward to leaving behind when you go to heaven? (Fear, heart-break, sin, rejection, temptation, etc.)

Read John 14:1-6

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Oh, What a Change!

YOU WILL NEED: Green and Yellow food coloring (Red and blue will work also.); 2 cups; Water; A Bible

NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do a different activity that is explained in the Other Option section below:

STEP 1

Pour two glasses of water. In one put a few drops of green (or blue) food coloring. With each drop say something bad that people do (i.e., tell a lie, take something that belongs to someone else, throw a fit, disobey mom or dad, etc.) This green (or blue) cup stands for all the bad things we do.

STEP 2

In the second cup of water, add a few drops of yellow (or red) food coloring. The yellow stands for the streets of gold in heaven. (If you use red, it stands for the blood Jesus shed when He died to make a way for us to go to heaven.) This cup stands for Jesus and how He died to make a way for us to go to heaven and to take away all the wrong things we’ve done.

STEP 3

Now pour the cup representing Jesus (yellow or red) into the cup that represents our sins (green or blue). There is a big change. When someone gives their life to Jesus, there is a big change that happens because: (1) that person is adopted into God’s family, (2) they are given God’s Holy Spirit to guide and direct them, (3) they are given an eternal life that nothing can ever take away, and (4) God gives them a brand new kind of life.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17

PRAYAnd thank God for the change He can bring to people’s lives.

Other Option

Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above.

Make some cookies or biscuits and point out the change that happens while cooking. You might even want to do a before and after taste-test. Or, pop some popcorn and compare a kernel with the end result—A taste-test here is recommended only for the final product! Or, get a little messy by adding water to a nicely folded pile of toilet paper. This is guaranteed to make a change. Then begin with the discussion below.

DISCUSSION: The change you just saw doesn’t even begin to compare with the change that Jesus makes when a person gives his or her life to Him.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17

When people are saved, they become brand new. No matter how bad they’ve been, all their sins are gone. They also become a child of God and are given His Holy Spirit. They are saved from a life without Christ as well as an eternity separated from God to a life that lives for Christ and an eternity in heaven. Isn’t God great!

PRAY—Take Family Prayer Requests. Then pray and thank God for the change He can bring to people’s lives.

 

BREAKFAST BITES

What are three ways that you can show Jesus’ love to others today?

What is something you would change in the world if you could? (Starvation, war, hate, racisim, etc.)

What do you think the world would be like if everyone knew and followed Jesus?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Showing Something New

YOU WILL NEED: An old comic book r newspaper; White Silly Putty or you can make your own with the following items: A container, White glue, Liquid starch, A spoon; A Bible.

(NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can use a mirror to reflect light with the same italicized and underlined key point below. Take turns reflecting light at different targets. Who are some people who need to see the light of Jesus?)

STEP 1

Mix two parts glue with one part liquid starch. Stir well.

STEP 2

Keep adding starch one spoonful at a time, while working it with your fingers, until it becomes a putty-like mixture.

STEP 3

Put the putty onto an old comic book or newspaper. Press down and then peel it off. What changed?

KEY: The putty didn’t show anything until you pressed it against the comic book or newpaper. Now it shows whatever words or pictures you pressed it on. In the same way, once people meet Jesus (give their lives to Him), they become a reflection of who He is. Read the verses below and think about ways you show Jesus to others who don’t know Him.

Read Matthew 5:16

PRAY—List Family Prayer Requests. Then pray and thank God that He can use you as a light to show His life and love to others.

 

BREAKFAST BITES

What kind of difference do you think Jesus makes in your life?

How do you think people around you every day see the difference Jesus makes?

How can you tell others about the difference Jesus can make in their lives?

Read Matthew 5:13-16

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Blindfold Tasks

YOU WILL NEED: Something to use as a blindfold and a Bible.

GET STARTED

Take turns blindfolding each member of the family and giving them different tasks to do. Tasks could include tying their shoes, making their bed, writing their name, wiping off the table, turning on the TV, etc.

ASK: How do you think it would feel to be blind?

Read Luke 18:35-43

SAY: The blind man followed Jesus and praised Him after he was healed.

ASK: What are some things that we can praise God for today? What else can you be thankful for?

Consider this: The Bible says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” You can praise God for always giving you the strength you need to live for Him. Isn’t God great! All things are possible with God.

PRAY—Have each family member pray and tell God one thing they praise Him for.

 

BREAKFAST BITES

When a person follows Jesus, what are some changes He brings to his life?  (A person wants to do good instead of things that are wrong; You’ll have joy and satisfaction in life; etc.)

What are some ways you can follow Jesus this week? (Read the Bible, pray, go to church, tell others about Jesus, do what’s right, obey your teachers, help a friend who is hurting, etc.)

Read Luke 9:23

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

A House of Cards

YOU WILL NEED: A deck of cards, dominoes or blocks, a Bible.

Read Matthew 14:22-33

Make a tower or house out of dominoes. Then make a tower or house of cards. Trying blowing them down. Which one fell easier? Why?

A house of cards falls easily. The smallest touch and down it comes. This is like a Christian who doesn’t keep his eyes on Jesus. He starts looking at the things of the world or tough situations or what other people say and before long, just like Peter, he starts to sink.

The tower of dominoes, though, didn’t fall so easy. This is like a believer who trusts God and keeps his heart fixed on Him. Someone who trusts Jesus and walks with Him regardless of what happens or what people say or how bad things may seem, will have a rock-solid faith that will help them do anything God wants them to do (like Peter walking on the water).

Read Matthew 7:24-27

ASK: Which one is more like the house of cards: The man who built his house on sand or on the rock?

ASK: Which one is more like the tower of dominoes: The man who built his house on sand or on the rock?

KEY: The person who obeys God and trusts Him will have a rock-solid faith that is the foundation on which God wants you to build your life.

PRAY—Take Family Prayer Requests. Then pray and thank God for giving you a faith that can’t be shaken by the things of this world and that with God all things are possible.

 

BREAKFAST BITES

What do you think a person feels like when they take their eyes off Jesus? (Empty. Lonely. In trouble, etc.)

Do you know anyone going through a hard time?

If you do, or when you do, what can you do to help them fix their eyes on Christ again?

Read Galatians 6:1

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Clean Pennies, Clean Hearts

YOU WILL NEED: A few dirty pennies, some hot sauce, a Bible.

NOTE: If you don’t have these items, you can do the following to make the same point: Make a mess and clean it up. There are number of fun ways to do this—Play in the mud outside, have a shaving cream fight, have a paper-wad fight, fix a meal together or cookies (it always makes a mess in my kitchen!) or just jump in when someone accidentally spills their milk. Then begin at the DISCUSSION section below.

STEP 1:

Set out several dirty pennies on a plate.

STEP 2

Pour hot sauce on the tops of all but one of them.

STEP 3

Wait about four minutes and then wipe and wash them off.

STEP 4

Compare the pennies to the one you didn’t put hot sauce on. Do you see the difference?

DISCUSSION

A person who has given his or her life to Jesus has been cleaned from their sins. Their sins are gone just like the dirtiness that we just cleaned up. But this doesn’t mean that they will be perfect. When a Christian does something wrong, even though he is already saved, he still needs to ask for forgiveness. Why? Not to go to heaven. Someone who is saved is going to heaven and nothing can change that, but to have a good relationship with God.

Think of it this way: Let’s say one day you punch your brother (or sister) in the nose.

ASK: Are you still part of the same family? Of course. When you give your life to Jesus, you become a part of God’s family and nothing can change that.

ASK: So if you do something wrong, are you still a part of God’s family? Of course—just like you would still be brother and sister and part of the same family, even though you did something wrong.

ASK: But if you punched your brother (or sister) in the nose, would you be right with them? No You punched him in the nose!

ASK: So what would you have to do to get right with each other? Say you’re sorry. When you do wrong things in life, even though you’re still going to heaven, you still need to ask for forgiveness (say you’re sorry) to clean up your relationship with God.

Read 1 John 1:9

This verse will tell you what to do when you do something wrong.

PRAYTake Family Prayer Requests. Then pray and thank God for providing a way to take your sins away—to be forgiven.

Breakfast Bites

Is everyone a child of God?  (No. Everyone is a creation of God, but the Bible says that only those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord are God’s children.)

How do you think a person becomes a child of God?  (By giving their lives to Jesus.)

Read John 1:12

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Keep Knocking

YOU WILL NEED: No items needed. A Bible.

Tell some Knock, Knock jokes and let your children also try to make some up if they want too. Here are some examples:

KNOCK, KNOCK JOKES #1

Knock, Knock / Who’s There?

-Ima / Ima Who? / Ima a really hungry. Can we order a pizza?

-Shirley / Shirley Who? / Surely you can get up and open the door!

-Dishes / Dishes Who? / Dishes the police! Open up!

-Handsome / Handsome Who? Handsome of the pizza to me!

-General Lee / General Lee Who? / General Lee I ring the door bell!

-Boo / Boo Who? / Please stop crying. I didn’t mean to scare you.

-Tom Sawyer / Tom Sawyer who? / Tom Sawyer underwear!

SAY: As Jesus was teaching, listen to what He said about prayer. Especially listen for the word “knock.”

Read Matthew 7:7-8 from your Bible.

Big Question

ASK: What do you think Jesus meant by these verses?

SAY: When you have cares and concerns, God wants you to ASK Him, SEEK Him about them, and KNOCK on “His door”. He wants you to bring your requests and your whole life to Him.

ASK: Does this mean that you will always get what you pray for? (No, because God knows best and won’t give you things that wouldn’t be good for you. You have to trust that God will answer prayers in the best way possible.)

ASK: Does God always answer prayer?

SAY: Yes. God ALWAYS answers prayer: He answers in one of three ways.

Hold up ONE finger—Sometimes God answers “Yes”

Hold up TWO fingers—Sometimes God answers “No”

Hold up THREE fingers—Sometimes God answers “Later—not right now—wait a while”

KNOCK, KNOCK JOKES #2

Tell some more Knock, Knock jokes. Here are some more examples:

Knock, Knock / Who’s There?

-House / House Who? / House it going?

-Watson / Watson Who?/ Watson TV?

-Colleen / Colleen Who? / Colleen up your room, please.

-Gorilla / Gorilla Who? / Gorilla me a cheese sandwich, please.

-Huge / Huge Who? / Huge you expect.

Yaw / Yaw Who? / Just me. Why are you so excited?

-Leena / Leena Who? / Leena little closer and I’ll tell you.

Bible Story:  Read Luke 11:1-10

SAY: The point of this story is NOT that God is like the grumpy guy who doesn’t want to get up and give his friend some bread. God loves giving us good things. The point is that God wants us to be bold and persistent—To ask and keep asking, to seek and keep seeking, to knock and keep knocking. When we pray, God doesn’t want us to give up.

ASK: Do you remember the three ways that God answers prayer?

-Hold up ONE finger—Sometimes God answers “Yes”

-Hold up TWO fingers—Sometimes God answers “No”

-Hold up THREE fingers—Sometimes God answers “Later—not right now—wait a while”

SAY: God loves you and wants to give you good things. But sometimes God will say no because what you want isn’t what is best for you. And sometimes God will answer later because the time just isn’t right yet, so we need to keep praying, keep seeking, keep knocking and trust that God knows best.

PRAYER REQUESTS

ASK: What are some things that you would like to talk to God about tonight?

Take turns praying and laying your requests before God.

This family devotion is from:

72 Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. Nonfiction.
Featuring 72 action-packed, easy-to-lead family devotions. Set aside a night or two each week for a “special time” where you and your kids can have family fun together and learn valuable lessons from God’s Word. No advanced planning is needed. Anyone can do this. The ebook contains devotions concerning a variety of topics including salvation, fear, trust, sin, forgiveness and much more.

Find more family resources at 330resources.org/family.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

February Joke #14

Q: What did the boy bee say to the girl bee?

A: Your bee-utiful!

In February a lot of people think about Valentine’s Day, but this month we want you to focus on God’s love–the only kind of love that gives you life.

Jesus said, “The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” John 10:10

Discover more about God’s love and how He has made a way for you to have eternal life  – Click HERE.


Sharing Jokes with a Purpose is a great way to share the Gospel with your friends.

Join us on Facebook for more jokes: www.Facebook.com/ThreeThirtyMinistries

Discover more jokes and Christian Resources at www.330resources.org.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry – Click HERE.

 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

February Joke #13

Q: What did the boy squirrel say to the girl squirrel?

A: I’m nuts about you!

In February a lot of people think about Valentine’s Day, but this month we want you to focus on God’s love. Consider this verse:

But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

Discover more about God’s love and how He has made a way for you to have eternal life  – Click HERE.


Sharing Jokes with a Purpose is a great way to share the Gospel with your friends.

Join us on Facebook for more jokes: www.Facebook.com/ThreeThirtyMinistries

Discover more jokes and Christian Resources at www.330resources.org.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry – Click HERE.

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

February Joke #12

Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
Olive.
Olive who?
Olive you!

In February a lot of people think about Valentine’s Day, but this month we want you to focus on God’s love. Consider this verse:

He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:8-10

Discover more about God’s love and how He has made a way for you to have eternal life  – Click HERE.


Sharing Jokes with a Purpose is a great way to share the Gospel with your friends.

Join us on Facebook for more jokes: www.Facebook.com/ThreeThirtyMinistries

Discover more jokes and Christian Resources at www.330resources.org.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry – Click HERE.

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail