YOU WILL NEED: A piece of paper for each person in your family and a Bible.

FAMILY COMPETITION #1

See who can say “Unique New York” the most times correctly in 10 seconds. Let each person in your family have a turn.

FAMILY COMPETITION #2

See who can say “Red Leather, Yellow Leather” the most times back to back without making a mistake. Let each family member try a few times.

SAY: It might seem impossible to say “Unique New York” or “Red Leather, Yellow Leather,” but it’s not—it just takes practice. There are other things in life that take practice too.

ASK: Have you ever heard the expression, “Don’t let them get your goat”? Or, “They got your goat”?

ASK: What do you think this expression means?

SAY: For someone to “get your goat,” it means that they made you mad or frustrated.

SAY: Goats have a calming affect on horses and a long time ago, people who trained horses would put a goat with a horse before a big competition or a race. Those who didn’t want the horse to win in the competition sometimes would sneak in at night and steal the goat. They wanted the horse to be frustrated and upset so that it wouldn’t compete as well.

DISCUSSION

Let everybody in the family answer each of the following questions:

ASK: What makes you frustrated or upset? (What “gets your goat”?)

ASK: What hurts your feelings?

ASK: If you could change anything about how people at school (or work) treat you, what would you change?

ASK: If you could change anything about how people in our family treat you, what would you change?

ASK: What are some things people do when they get frustrated or upset? (Sometimes they say mean things, pout, get mad, complain, etc.)

SAY: In the same way that it takes practice to say, “Red Leather, Yellow Leather,” self-control takes practice too. Instead of getting frustrated or upset quickly and doing something you know is wrong, you can control your actions and always have the right response, even when people “get your goat.”

SAY: Listen to the kind of actions that God wants us to have.

Read Galatians 5:22-23 from your Bible.

SAY: These are the responses that God wants to show in our lives. I’m going to read the verse again, but this time I want you to repeat each of these character traits after me.

Re-read Galatians 5:22-23 from your Bible but pause after each trait.

PLAY A GAME

Give each person in your family a piece of paper. For this game you can either wad up the paper or make a paper airplane with it (if you know how) or both.

Take turns seeing who can throw the paper the farthest.

SAY: In the game we wanted to see how far we could go with our paper, which leads us to a great question, how far are we willing to go to do what’s right? In other words…

ASK: The next time frustrating things happen to you, what can help you show self-control and choose the right response?

ASK: What are some bad things you can do when you feel frustrated or upset?

ASK: What are some good things you can do when you feel frustrated or upset?

Here are some suggestions to help you be careful not to do the wrongs things when you get frustrated and upset. Tell me which ones you think might help the most.

-When you begin to get upset, try to get away from the situation. Go to another room. Get away from the person who is upsetting you until you calm down.

-When you feel frustrated, count to ten before talking to give yourself time to make sure you are showing self-control with your words.

-They next time you feel this way, talk to Jesus. Pray and tell God how you are feeling and why.

-Instead of choosing how to respond in frustration, go to your parents and ask them how you should respond.

-Know what the Bible says about how you should respond when you’re upset.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Take a few minutes to list any family prayer requests and to pray. Be sure to pray for any situations that are frustrating or upsetting people in your family.

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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

PRAY—And 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:

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:

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:

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:

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.

PRAY—Take 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:

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:

RULES

Explain to your family that they are trying to guess a secret object. You will give them a hint such as “This is a person, place, or thing.” Let each person one at a time choose a number between 1 and 20 and whatever number is chosen, read that number clue. After hearing the clue, the person will try to guess the answer. See who will be the first person to discover the hidden object. For fun, you can also have your family create more turns by choosing and developing their own “20 Questions” which you can play following your family devotion.

Hint: I’m a Thing

The answer can be found at the end of the clues.

1. I help you walk

2. God gave me to you

3. Most people have two of me

4. You put socks on me

5. People tell jokes about me when I have a bad odor

6. I have a heel

7. I can run

8. I wear socks

9. I don’t have a mouth

10. I might smell

11. I have five toes

12. You step on me

13. I can kick people

14. I help you to play sports

15. I might get cold if you don’t cover me at night

16. I have an arch

17. You can stand on one of me

18. I’ll hurt if you stub my toe

19. Dancers need me

20. I wear shoes

Answer: Feet or Foot

DISCUSSION

SAY: People can use their bodies to do good or bad.

ASK:

-How can people use their hands to do good? To do bad?

-How can people use their feet to do good? To do bad?

-How can people use their mouths to do good? To do bad?

SAY: Listen to this verse about beautiful feet…

Read Romans 10:13-15

SAY: The Bible says they have “beautiful feet” because they bring the Good News to others. You can use your hands, feet and mouths to show other people the Good News that Jesus is real, that He loves them, and that He died and rose again to make a way to save them from their sins. If you live for Christ and share Him, the Bible says that you have beautiful feet.

If you want, have everyone take off their shoes and compare feet. How beautiful someone’s feet are has nothing to do with how good they look or smell—It has to do with how they share the Good News of Jesus with the people around them.

Take prayer requests and PRAY with your family.

(EXTRA: Make the word “Foot” or “Feet” your Word of the Day and see how many times your family can use it in conversations in the next 24 hours.)

RULES

Explain to your family that they are trying to guess a secret object. You will give them a hint such as “This is a person, place, or thing.” Let each person one at a time choose a number between 1 and 20 and whatever number is chosen, read that number clue. After hearing the clue, the person will try to guess the answer. See who will be the first person to discover the hidden object. For fun, you can also have your family create more turns by choosing and developing their own “20 Questions” which you can play following your family devotion.

Hint: I am a Thing

The answer can be found at the end of the clues.

1. I help you talk

2. I am kind of pink

3. You might want to brush me

4. I am a muscle

5. You might accidently bite me while you’re eating

6. I’m in your mouth

7. I fit behind your teeth

8. Some sentences might be hard for me to say quickly

9. I have buds on me

10. I might change colors when you’re sick

11. If you bite me, I might get a sore

12. I might give you bad breath

13. I am usually wet

14. It hurts if you bite me

15. It’s rude to stick me out

16. The Bible talks about me

17. I’m small

18. I can fit in your mouth

19. I might have a coat when you feel ill

20. I taste things

Answer: Tongue

DISCUSSION

ASK: Did you know your tongue is one of the most powerful weapons in the world? How can your tongue hurt people? Has anyone ever hurt your feelings with their tongue? What are other ways we can do damage with our tongues?

SAY: Listen to what the Bible says about how powerful the tongue is. These verses are going to talk about several ways that tongue is dangerous. Listen for what sticks out to you the most.

Read James 3:2-12

ASK: What part sticks out to you the most? How can we guard our tongues from doing evil? How can we use our tongues to do good?

Take prayer requests and PRAY for your family to use their tongues wisely.

If you want, you can have a tongue competition too—See how far they can stick out their tongues; can anyone touch their nose with their tongue; can anyone twist their tongue upside down; can anyone talk without moving their tongue.

(EXTRA: Make the word “Tongue” your Word of the Day and see how many times your family can use it in conversations in the next 24 hours.)

RULES

Explain to your family that they are trying to guess a secret object. You will give them a hint such as “This is a person, place, or thing.” Let each person one at a time choose a number between 1 and 20 and whatever number is chosen, read that number clue. After hearing the clue, the person will try to guess the answer. See who will be the first person to discover the hidden object. For fun, you can also have your family create more turns by choosing and developing their own “20 Questions” which you can play following your family devotion.

Hint: I am a Place

The answer can be found at the end of the clues.

1. You can find me in a cemetery

2. I can tell you when someone lived

3. I was never alive

4. People refer to me when they speak of death

5. I have a dash above me

6. I rhyme with “brave”

7. People cover me with dirt

8. I can tell you when someone died

9. I am a sad place for many people

10. I am rarely found by myself

11. Most people will have one someday

12. People sometimes visit me

13. I am sometimes found in scary movies

14. I am a five letter word

15. I begin with the letter G

16. Some people think I’m creepy

17. I have a tombstone

18. The Bible talks about me when it refers to death

19. Jesus defeated me

20. I’m called a “final resting place”

Answer: Grave

DISCUSSION

ASK: Have you ever been afraid of death?

SAY: Most people fear dying but if you know Jesus, there’s nothing to be scared of.

ASK: Why do you not need to live in fear of death if you have given your life to Christ?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:55-58

SAY: Because Jesus died and rose again, He conquered death and the grave. Death has no power over those who have been saved by Him. We will die physically but dying physically means living forever in Heaven. In other words, there’s nothing to fear.

Take prayer requests and PRAY for your family.

(EXTRA: Make the word “Grave” your Word of the Day and see how many times your family can use it in conversations in the next 24 hours.)

RULES

Explain to your family that they are trying to guess a secret object. You will give them a hint such as “This is a person, place, or thing.” Let each person one at a time choose a number between 1 and 20 and whatever number is chosen, read that number clue. After hearing the clue, the person will try to guess the answer. See who will be the first person to discover the hidden object. For fun, you can also have your family create more turns by choosing and developing their own “20 Questions” which you can play following your family devotion.

Hint: I am a Thing

The answer can be found at the end of the clues.

1. I begin with the letter W

2. Frogs like me

3. You give me to your pets

4. I am an important part of life

5. You swim in me

6. I am found all over the world

7. I can be a gas, solid or liquid

8. I get hard when I get really cold

9. Some people freeze me

10. You can’t find me on other planets

11. I can fall from the sky

12. You can find me at your sink

13. You can put me in a balloon and throw me at a friend

14. You bathe in me

15. You can buy me at the store although I’m free in your house

16. Some people add extra flavor to me

17. People drink me

18. There’s not enough of me when there’s a drought

19. You need me to live

20. You’re supposed to drink me everyday

Answer: Water

DISCUSSION

Have your family race to see who can get their Bibles and get back first.

Show your family an easy way to find the book of Psalms by opening to the middle of the Bible. This usually will put you in Psalms or Proverbs. Help your family find Psalm chapter 42 and then to find and read verse 1-2.

Read Psalm 42:1-2

ASK: What is this verse talking about?

SAY: This verse is giving a comparison. The writer of this Psalm says that he is thirsty for God in the same way that a deer gets thirsty for a stream of water.

ASK: What does it mean to be thirsty for God?

ASK: What is it like to be thirsty for water? (You want it. You need it and when you’re really thirsty, you need it so bad that you can’t get your mind off of it. It’s a necessity for life.)

SAY: When a person is thirsty for God: They want to be with Him; they know they need Him so bad it’s hard to think of anything else; It’s a reminder that just as we need air and water to live, a person must have Jesus to have real life too.

ASK: How “thirsty” are you to know God? How do you desire to know God better everyday? If you don’t have a desire to know Him better, why do you think you feel this way?

SAY: There’s something else God wants us to be thirsty for too.

Help your family turn to the book of Matthew. First find Psalms by turning to the middle of the Bible. Then turn to the middle of the half on the right. This should put you somewhere near or in the Gospels. Matthew is the first Gospel.

Read Matthew 5:6.

SAY: God wants us to thirst for Him and His righteousness.

Take prayer requests and PRAY that your family will thirst for God.

(EXTRA: Make the word “Water” your Word of the Day and see how many times your family can use it in conversations in the next 24 hours.)