Tag Archives: Children

Not Alone

Devotions for Childrens Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read:

Nothing destroys like isolation. POW’s during the Vietnam War communicated and sustained one another by tapping through walls. The Hanoi Hilton, says ex-Air Force pilot Ron Bliss, sounded like a den of run-away woodpeckers. The North Vietnamese never mastered the code, which laid out the alphabet on a simple 5 x 5 grid. The code flowed so fluently that the men told one another jokes. Kicks on the wall meant a laugh. Every Sunday at a code signal the men stood and recited the Lord’s Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Even walls and guards could not stop the prisoners of war from having community and fellowship with one another. We face our own walls and barriers to true fellowship within our churches today. The essence of community is at the very least a conversation together, a quick connect, a holding of a hand to join forces together to serve this day. It’s important to know that you’re not alone. Question…“Is true fellowship alive and well in your life today?”*

Reflect

Read Hebrews 10:24-25 from your Bible.

Respond

Sometimes in children’s ministry, you can feel alone, even in the middle of a crowd. It’s easy to become isolated. On a scale of 1 to 10, how connected do you feel with other believers. Why or why not? How can you have true fellowship with others?
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

There are no Lone Rangers in God’s Army. Together we stand shoulder to shoulder.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE. 

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
 www.330resources.org/children.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




 

*Adapted from a story told on Preaching Today Cassette number 218 entitled “Community At Risk.”
© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Our Purpose

Devotions for Childrens Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read:

Today I woke up and combed my hair with a fork, blew my nose on sandpaper, put the bread in my shoes to make toast, poured milk in my car to make it run, and put the butter in the oven to keep it cold. “Am I crazy?” you say. Of course not. I just didn’t use things for what they were created.

Reflect

Read Ephesians 2:10 from your Bible.

Respond

Everything has a purpose. Milk can’t make your car go any more than an oven can keep your butter cold. You may be able to half-way comb your hair with a fork, but that’s not its purpose. As a believer God has five purposes for your life: Evangelism, Fellowship, Discipleship, Service, and Worship. Did you know that you’ll never truly be fulfilled as a Christian until you are operating in all five of these areas? Today do you feel like anything is lacking in your life or your walk with Christ?
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

“Before God created the world and before He even blew breath into Adam, He already knew your name and had plans for your life. Walk in His design for you.”

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE. 

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
 www.330resources.org/children.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

The Priority of a Children’s Ministry Leader

Devotions for Childrens Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why does a children’s ministry exist?

(a) To babysit so parents can be ministered to? (Absolutely not!)

(b) To help children get their annual supply of cookies and kool-aid? (No, not never!)

(c) To help new volunteers understand why some animals eat their young? (Of course not.)

(d) To reach and teach children and families with the Good News of Jesus Christ. (This is, has been, and always will be the purpose. Everything we do is measured against this aim.)

Read

A young couple had just taken home their firstborn child. The dad, named Jeff, had taken a few days off work to help around the house. One afternoon the wife walked by the nursery and saw him standing over the crib. There was a huge smile on his face. The window was open and a gentle breeze was blowing in. It was a picture-perfect sight. Quietly she walked over and put her arm around him.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s a miracle. It a wonder that anyone can build a crib like this for $49.95.” *

In this story (which is true) the dad was so caught up in the package that he was missing the true miracle inside. Sometimes we too get so caught up in the “package” of life or ministry that we overlook what really matters.

Reflect

Read Luke 10: 38-42 from your Bible.

Respond

The priority of a children’s ministry volunteer is first and foremost to walk with Jesus daily. What you lead, and do, and teach in ministry comes as an overflow of your own relationship with Christ. On a scale of 1 to 10, how closely are you walking with Jesus? Do you have a daily time set aside just for Him? What is the most important thing in your life? And be careful not to get so caught up in the “package” of life, that you forget about the one thing that really matters in life—which is you and Jesus.

Also, be sure to remember that the most important thing in your classroom this week is not your preparation, not your teaching plans—the most important thing in your classroom is that child standing in front of you. Don’t get so caught up in the “package” of ministry that you forget what really matters—which is Jesus and your students.
Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

As a children’s ministry leader God has not called you to cover lessons, but to connect the truth of the Gospel with kids.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE. 

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
 www.330resources.org/children.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




—

*Craig Jutilla in a message “Making a Difference,” 2002.

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

The Power of a Children’s Ministry Leader

Devotions for Childrens Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read:

I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He was in his mid-70’s with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit.

Many times in the past I had invited him to come. Several other Christian friends had talked to him about the Lord and had tried to share the Good News with him. He was a well-respected, honest man with so many characteristics a Christian should have, but he never “put on Christ,” nor entered the doors of the church.

“Have you ever been to a church service in your life?” I had asked him a few years ago. We had just finished a pleasant day of visiting and talking. He hesitated. Then with a bitter smile he told me of his childhood experience some fifty years ago. He was one of the many children in a large, impoverished family. His parents had struggled to provide food, with little left for housing and clothing.

When he was about ten, some neighbors invited him to worship with them. The Sunday School class had been very exciting. He had never heard such songs and stories before. He had never heard anyone read from the bible. After class was over, the teacher took him aside and said, “Son, please don’t come again dressed as you are now. We want to look our best when we come into God’s house.”

He stood in his ragged, unpatched overalls. Then looking at his dirty bare feet, he answered softly, “No Ma’am, I won’t—ever.”

“And I never did,” he said, abruptly ending our conversation.

There must have been other factors to have hardened him so, but this experience formed a significant part of the bitterness in his heart.

I’m sure that Sunday school teacher meant well. But did she really understand the love of Christ? Had she studied and accepted the teaching found in the second chapter of James? What if she had put her arms around that dirty, ragged little boy and said, “Son, I am so glad you are here, and I hope you will come every chance you get to hear more about Jesus.”

Yes, I saw him in the church house for the first time on Wednesday. As I looked at that immaculately-dressed old gentleman lying in his casket, I thought of a little boy of long ago. I could almost hear him say, “No Ma’am, I won’t—ever.”

And I wept.

Oh God, help us all—pastors, teachers, parents, to remember the lowliness of the Babe in the manger and help us show forth His love to the lowly, unlovely, and unloved! In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Reflect

Read Philippians 2:15 from your Bible.

Respond

What do you think would have happened if the teacher in the story above had put her arms around that little boy and said, “We love you so much and we are so glad you came to church today”? What kind of difference do you think it would have made? As a children’s ministry leader God has given you the privilege of making a positive difference in the lives of kids. In what ways do you desire for God to grow and use you this year? Are there areas in which you desire to do better as compared to last year (i.e., build stronger relationships with students and parents, do better remembering and recognizing birthdays, do better in attending a ball game or other events that your students participate in outside of church to show how special they are to you, etc.)?

Prayerfully consider what you have read today. Then take a few moments to pray for yourself, your students, and others with whom you serve in ministry.

Remember

“A reflection is only as clear as the mirror is clean. Let Jesus shine in you this week.”

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE. 

Find more children’s ministry resources and training at:
 www.330resources.org/children.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:




——

*Shirley Ward, published in the The Handley Herald.
© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Whatever! (You Do)

Family Devotions - Thanksgiving, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU WILL NEED:

✓ A Bible marked at Colossians 3:17

GAME—THINGS YOU DO

SAY—We’re going to play a game and here are the rules: In a moment I’m going to say something that I did today, then we’re going to go around the circle and everyone else is going to say something they did today. Then when it gets back to me, I’m going to keep going. We’ll keep going around and around but here’s the catch—if you take longer than 3 seconds to come up with something you did today, then your out.

Read Colossians 3:17 from your Bible.

SAY—According to this verse, everything we just named we should have done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father through Him.

ASK—What do you think this verse means? (That no matter what you say or do, you should always be living for Jesus with a thankful heart.)

ASK—Are there any of your actions today that didn’t glorify God?

ASK—Are there any of your words today that didn’t glorify God?

ASK—What are some ways we can give thanks to God? (Through prayer, in our actions, in our words, in our attitude, in how we respond to situations—especially situations where we didn’t get what we wanted or things didn’t go the way we desired.)

SAY—Because Jesus died and rose again, we live for him in everything we say and do and always give thanks to God through Him.

GAME—THINGS YOU SAY

SAY—We’re going to play another game. It’s actually the same game we played before except instead of naming things we did today, we’re going to name things we said today.

Re-Read Colossians 3:17 from your Bible.

PRAY—Take Prayer requests and pray together…Pray that your family live for Jesus everyday in everything they say and do and always have an attitude to thanks.
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

Sustained!

Family Devotions - Thanksgiving, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU WILL NEED:

✓Something you can throw
✓A Bible marked at Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7

GET STARTED

TELL your child that you are going to throw an item to him and you want him to catch it and throw it back. Do this several times.

ASK—What does it mean to “cast” something? (“Casting” is another way of saying “throwing.”)

SAY—We are going to read about something that God wants us to throw His way.

Read Psalm 55:22 from your Bible.

ASK—What does God want you to “cast” on Him? (Our cares.)

ASK—What does it say God will do if we cast our care on Him? (He will sustain you.) What does that mean?

SAY—“Sustain” comes from a Latin word that literally means “to hold below.”

Have one person stand in front of you. Ask them to wobble. Then take hold of them to keep them steady.

SAY—In the same way that I held him steady, God sustains us which means He supports us, supplies us with what we need and keeps us steady from falling.

SAY—Sometimes the worries and cares of this world drag us down, but we can cast our cares on God and He will sustain us.

ASK—What else did the verse say God will do? (He will never let the righteous fall.)

PLAY AGAIN

TOSS the item back and forth again but each time you throw it, say a care or worry that someone might have.

What are some cares or worries that you have? What about your friends?

SAY—Before we pray I want to read one more verse.

Read 1 Peter 5:7 from your Bible.

SAY—Because God is so good and Jesus died and rose again for us, we can cast our cares on Him. And because we know how God will take care of us, we can always give thanks no matter what we’re facing.

PRAY—Take turns praying and let each member of your family tell God about a care or worry (something that concerns them)—something they are giving to Him. For example, “Dear Lord, Grandma is sick. Please help her to get better. I give this to you. In Jesus’ Name—Amen.”

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

Give Thanks

Family Devotions - Thanksgiving, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thanksgiving Day – Family Devotion

This is a great story to share with family around the dinner table. It is also a great way to create an opportunity to share the Gospel with people in your family who may not know Christ.

Read the following story:

Ravensbrook, Germany 1944

(During World War II Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom were arrested by the Germans for helping people the Nazis were hurting. Both sisters were strong Christians. )

Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom, prisoners 66729 and 66730, were led into Barracks 28, past rows of worktables and into a large dormitory room filled with great square tiers stacked three high. Here they would sleep, squeezed among hundreds of other inmates at the concentration camp.

Fighting claustrophobia, Corrie and Betsie squirmed into an upper deck and found their assigned places on the reeking straw. Suddenly Corrie jerked up, striking her head on a cross- slat. Something had pinched her leg. The two sisters scrambled off the tier and dropped down in a narrow aisle. Moving to a patch of light they saw them—fleas! “The place is swarming with them!” Corrie groaned. “Betsie, how can we live in such a place?”

The insects were the last straw for Corrie. She and her sister had been starved and humiliated. They’d endured filth, cold and back-breaking labor. They’d witnessed unforgettable cruelties. And now to be infested with fleas…Corrie wondered how she could go on.

Betsie had an answer. She’d read it in the Bible that morning—in First Thessalonians, where Paul urged believers to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God…”

Betsie suggested they thank God for every single thing about their new barracks. Corrie stared around at the dark, foul-smelling room and couldn’t generate much gratitude. Betsie thought of two things to thank God for. They’d been assigned to this place together and they’d managed to hang on to their Bible. Corrie murmured assent.

Clutching the Bible, Betsie prayed, “Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages. Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, thank You that many more will hear!” Corrie grudgingly murmured assent.

Betsie continued serenely: “Thank You for the fleas and for…”

This was too much for Corrie. “Betsie,” she interrupted, “there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.”

But Betsie insisted, “’Give thanks in all circumstances.’ It doesn’t say, ‘In pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.”

There in the narrow aisle Corrie bit her lip and thanked God for the fleas.

Corrie and Betsie did find many women in Barrack 28 eager to hear from those pages. Each evening after receiving a cup of turnip soup they’d make their way to the rear of the dormitory where a bare light bulb cast a yellow circle on the wall, and they would read from the Bible. Soon a large group of women were gathering to listen.

The Ten Booms always read from the Scriptures. They translated their Dutch verses into German, and then eager listeners packed together on the tiers would pass the precious words back in French, Polish, Russian, Czech. To some it seemed a small preview to Heaven.

Night after night the meetings grew larger and yet no guard ever came near. So many wanted to join that the sisters started a second service after roll call. Guards patrolled everywhere at the camp; half-a-dozen always paced about in the center room of the barracks, yet for some reason none ever entered this dormitory. The women couldn’t understand it.

One day Betsie discovered exactly why they could enjoy their island of religious freedom. There was a mixup about sock sizes in her knitting group. They’d asked the supervisor to come and settle it. But she refused to step through the door into the room. None of the guards would either. They said, “That place is crawling with fleas!”*

Giving Thanks
God wants us to have thankful hearts and to give thanks in everything, not just when things turn out good or when they go the way we want. Because of who God is and what God can do, we can give thanks in every situation, no matter what.

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Participate – Go around your family and have everyone say something for which they are thankful.

SAY – Of all the thing for which we can give thanks, the greatest of all is that God loves each of us so much that he sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. The Bible says, “But God shows His love for us in this, that while we were yet sinner, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Depending on the situation, you might:

(1) Ask if anyone would like to share the story of how they gave their life to Christ.

(2) Share your story of how Jesus saved you and because of that how you know for sure that you’re going to Heaven.

(3) Simply conclude with a prayer of thanks.

CONCLUDING NOTE: Betsie Ten Boom continued living for Jesus in some of the harshest conditions imaginable until she died of illness in the Nazi concentration camp. She is said to have died with an angelic smile on her face. Corrie, her sister, was released because of a clerical error one week before all the women prisoners were executed as the war was coming to an end. Concerning her miraculous release she said, “God does not have problems. Only plans.” She became a very powerful Christian influence and speaker concerning the grace of God and her experiences during World War II. She continued to serve the Lord until her death in 1983 at the age of 91. To learn more about Corrie and her faith, visit www.tenboom.org.

*Steven R. Mosley, God a Biography, (Phoenix: Questar Publishers, Inc., 1988), p. 189-191.

Find more family devotions in:

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

Build a Fort

Family Devotions - General Topics 1, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
YOU WILL NEED:

✓1 flashlight
✓Your Bible marked at Psalm 56:3 and Psalm 18:1-2

GET STARTED

Have your family members “ransack” the house to get pillows, blankets, chairs, and whatever else they can find to build a fort. Take your time making it and let your kids be creative with it. (For example, they might want to make a tunnel entrance.) Build it big enough for everyone to fit inside.

From inside the fort use your flashlight to read Psalm 56:3.

ASK—What is something you’re scared of?

SHARE—Share something you were scared of when you were a child.

ASK—What should we do when we’re scared? (Trust God.)

ASK—Why can we trust God? (He’s faithful. He’ll never let you down. He’ll always keep His Word, etc.)

Read Psalm 18:1-2 from your Bible.

ASK—How is God like a fort (fortress, stronghold) for you? (In old days people went inside a fortress to be safe. Its walls protected them from harm. God is a shield for those who follow Him and like a fort, you are safe in Him.)

ASK—Does this mean that bad things will never happen to someone who is living for Jesus? Why or why not? (Bad things still happen to good people, but there’s nothing so bad that God can’t turn it to your good.)

If they want a further answer, explain that sometimes we do wrong things and these bad choices bring “bad” things into our lives. But sometimes we do everything right and someone else does something wrong and we get hurt because of it. Even so, there’s nothing your children will ever do that is so bad that God can’t forgive them and there’s nothing so bad that can happen to them that God can’t turn it around to their good if they love Him and are walking with Him. (See Romans 8:28 for a great promise.)

PRAY—List prayer requests below and thank God that He will always take care of you.

After you’re done playing in the fort, feel free to have a pillow fight or time for your family to see how fast they can tear the fort down and put everything away. Have fun and enjoy!

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

Treasure Hunt

Family Devotions - General Topics 1, , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU WILL NEED:
✓Hidden clues to the treasure
✓Something to be the treasure such as a candy bar or a coupon for an ice cream cone, etc. Be creative.
✓A Bible marked at Psalm 119:11

GET STARTED

Copy the following clues on individual slips or pieces of paper. Then hide all but the first one at their designated spots. Tell your children that you’re sending them on a treasure hunt.

CLUE #1
Don’t hide this one. This is the first clue you’ll give to your children.
Search the backs of closet doors for Clue #2.

CLUE #2
Hide this on the back of a closet door.
Go to a mirror to look for Clue #3.

CLUE #3
Hide this on a mirror.
Go to a toilet to look for Clue #4.

CLUE #4
Hide this on top of a toilet lid.
Go to a bed to look for Clue #5.

CLUE #5
Hide this on or in a bed.
Go to the shower to look for Clue #6.

CLUE #6
Hide this in the shower.
Go to the kitchen to look for Clue #7.

CLUE #7
Hide this somewhere in the kitchen.
Look under a shoe for Clue #8.

CLUE #8
Hide this underneath a shoe.
Try to get around Dad (or Mom) and to the couch to find the treasure.

LET’S TALK

After the hunt is finished, sit down with your children.

ASK—Would it have been easier or harder to find the treasure without the instructions?

ASK—What instructions has God given us for living?

SAY—The Bible is God’s instruction book on how to live life and you’ll never find what you’re looking for in life unless you follow Jesus and what He says in the Bible. Listen to what the Bible says about how to stay away from doing bad things.

Read Psalm 119:11 from your Bible.

PRAY—List prayer requests below and thank God for Jesus and the Bible and for giving us instruction on how to live.
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

Fun Hair Night

Family Devotions - General Topics 1, , , , , , , , , , , ,
YOU WILL NEED:

✓Cosmetic Items to create fun hair-dos
✓A Bible marked at Acts 10:1-19

GET STARTED

Take turns creating fun, new hair-dos for your family. Your kids will especially enjoy doing this to you! If you want, you might even want to purchase some temporary hair color to add to your kid’s hair. (Wal-Mart carries some for less than $2, but if you do this be sure to read the directions carefully.)

SAY—We all look a little different, but this change won’t last. When Jesus comes into a person’s life, though, He brings a change that lasts forever.

ASK—How do you think Jesus changes people’s lives? (He forgives their sins, takes away the guilt of sin, gives people a new life; they can know for sure they’re going to heaven; people live differently when they are walking with God.)

Read Acts 10:1-19 from your Bible.

ASK—What difference do you think Jesus made in Paul’s life? (Paul had hurt, mistreated, and even killed Christians, but after he committed his life to Christ, he became one of the greatest heroes of the Bible. He spent the rest of his life sharing Jesus with others and he even wrote over half of the New Testament. What a difference!)

SAY—Jesus is so great, who wouldn’t want Him in their lives!

PRAY—List prayer requests below and thank God for the difference Jesus makes in 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

Hit or Miss

Family Devotions - General Topics 1, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU WILL NEED:
✓Items to make something that shoots at a target. It could be a shoe you sling through the air at a hula-hoop or a chalk circle you drew on your patio. Or, a paper airplane you throw and try to get it into a trash can, or a water balloon you toss at a certain brick on your house, etc. You can be very creative with this and even play more than one style.
✓A Bible marked at Romans 6:23

GET STARTED

Let family members take turns shooting at the target, but every time they (or you) miss, say “That’s like Sin.”

When you’re finished, ask your family:

ASK—What’s sin? (Anything wrong.)

ASK—Why do you think I was saying, “That’s like Sin?”

SAY—Sin means to miss the mark or to miss the target. God is perfect and we miss the mark of God’s perfection (or holiness) every time we sin.

ASK—What are some ways we sin?

ASK—What do you think the punishment for sin is ? (Death.)

Read Romans 6:23 from your Bible.

SAY—The punishment for sin is death. This is the reason that Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life. Then when He died on the cross, since He was perfect and didn’t deserve to die, God punished Him for all the wrong things you and I would ever do. He took the punishment for our sins so that He can forgive them if we give our lives to Him. This is the only way to be forgiven and the only way to go to heaven.

PRAY—List prayer requests below and thank Jesus for dying to make a way to take your sins away.

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

The Shield

Family Devotions - General Topics 1, , , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU WILL NEED:
✓A pillow for each member of your family
✓A Bible marked at Psalm 18:1-4
✓A Bible marked at 1 Peter 5:7

PILLOW FIGHT—Part 1

Have a family pillow fight—Set boundaries, clear an area and have fun. You may also want to set limits depending on the age of your children.

Take a break, sit on your pillows and ASK—What was your pillow made for?

SAY—Our pillows were made for sleeping, not fighting. Of course it is fun to use them for a good fight, but you’d never really win a fight if all you had was a pillow. Why? That’s not what it was made for. Imagine armies going into battle, all carrying fluffy pillows—that’s crazy!

SAY—Just like our pillows were made for a reason, God made you for a reason too. He has great plans for your life and everything you’ve ever wanted in life is found only in Christ.

PILLOW FIGHT—Part 2

Have one family member protect another during the pillow fight. Then take turns protecting each other.

SAY—God’s purpose for you is to give your life to Jesus and follow Him every day in every way. When you do this, you can know that God is a shield for you. God becomes your personal protector.

Read Psalm 18:1-4 from your Bible.

SAY—God cares about everything in your life. Because of this, you can give your cares to God because He cares for you.

Read 1 Peter 5:7 from your Bible.

PRAY—List your family’s “cares” or prayer requests below and thank God for making you special, for being your shield and for always taking care of you.

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

Bread and Fish

Family Devotions - Teach Me To Pray, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU WILL NEED:

-A few pieces of bread.

-A Bible marked at Matthew 7:7-11

See how many pieces of bread your child can eat in one minute.

RULES—You can’t cram everything into your mouth and you have to take one bite at a time. (An interesting fact: A person can only eat a few pieces of bread before it becomes very difficult because the bread absorbs all the moisture in a person’s mouth.)

Read Matthew 7:7-11 from your Bible.

ASK—If you came to me and ask me for a piece of bread, would I give you a stone to eat? (No.)

ASK—If you came to me and ask me for a fish, would I give you a snake to eat? (No.)

SAY—Jesus was making the point that if earthly parents know how to give good things to their children, how much more does God, who is a Heavenly Father for all those who have given their lives to Him, know how to give good things to His children.

SAY—God loves you and you can always talk to Him about anything. God loves to give good things to His children.

ASK—Is there anything that you would like to talk to God about tonight?

PRAY—Take turns praying and be sure to thank God for being such a good Father.

This family devotion is from:

Family Devotions for Spiritually Training Your Kids
ON SALE for $5.99. Regular price: $9.99 USD. 25280 words.  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.

 

Follow Us: Facebooktwitteryoutube
Share these resources: Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

New Year’s Devotion

Family Devotions - New Years, , , , , , , , , , , ,

YOU WILL NEED: A Bible marked at 2 Corinthians 5:17

GAME: Part  1 – Tell everyone to go get one thing that is OLD.

Take turns letting everyone show what he has and why he chose that item.

SAY: Just because something is old doesn’t mean that we get rid of it. Sometimes old things are very important. The same is true with memories.

ASK: What is your favorite memory from this past year?

ASK: What was your least favorite thing that happened this past year?

SAY: But sometimes when something is old, we want to get rid of it.

ASK: What is something old you got rid of this past year? (i.e., an old pair of shoes, an old toothbrush, etc)

ASK: Are their some old habits or attitudes that you would like to get rid of for the New Year?

GAME: Part  2 – Tell everyone to go get one thing that is NEW.

Take turns letting everyone show what he has and why he chose that item.

SAY: A new year marks a great time to start a new beginning.

ASK: What is something you would like to change about your life this next year?

ASK: What is something you would like to change about our family this next year?

ASK: What do you want God to do in your life this next year?

ASK: If you could do anything to serve God this next year, what would it be?

Read and discuss 2 Corinthians 5:17 from your Bible.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY (depending on the ages of your children): Have your kids write letters to themselves describing their spiritual goals for this next year. Help your kids to fold up their letters and put them in envelopes. Then put the letters in a safe place. Tell the kids that you’ll open the letters as a family in a year.

PRAY—Ask God to bless your family and to glorify Himself through you family this next year.

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