Tag Archives: kids

Risk

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, Faith, Hebrews 11, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, Risk, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Legend has it that a man was lost in the desert, just dying for a drink of water. He stumbled upon an old shack—a windowless, roofless, weather-beaten old shack. As he glanced around he saw a pump about fifteen feet away, an old rusty water pump. He stumbled over to it, grabbed the handle, and began to pump up and down, up and down. Nothing came out.

Disappointed, he staggered back. He noticed off to the side an old jug. He looked at it, wiped away the dirt and dust, and read a message that said, “You have to prime the pump with all the water in the jug, my friend. P.S.: Be sure you fill the jug again before you leave.”

He popped the cork out of the jug and sure enough, there was water. Suddenly, he was faced with a decision. If he drank the water, he could live. Ah, but if he poured all the water in the old rusty pump, maybe it would yield fresh, cool water from the well, all the water he wanted. Risking everything, he poured all the water into the pump. Then he grabbed the handle and began to pump. . . squeak, squeak, squeak. Still nothing came out! Squeak, squeak, squeak. A little bit began to dribble out, then a small stream, and finally it gushed! To his relief fresh, cool water poured out of the rusty pump. Eagerly, he filled the jug and drank from it. He filled it another time and once again drank its refreshing contents.

Then he filled the jug for the next traveler. He filled it to the top, popped the cork back on, and added this little note: “Believe me, it really works. You have to give it all away before you can get anything back.”*

Respond

What would you have done in the above story? If the man had been stingy with the water, he would have never received the full blessing that the pump could give. How are Christians today stingy with their time? With their money? With other resources? What might you need to risk “giving away” this week that will help you grow deeper in your relationship with God?

Reflect

Read Hebrews 11 from your Bible and consider the risks these examples took in following the Lord and living a life of faith.

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.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

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

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Source of the story is unknown.

Protected

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, God, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, Protection, Psalm 91, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Beatrice, Nebraska. March 1, 1950

Everyone had a good excuse that Wednesday evening for being late to 7:30 choir practice at the Baptist Church. Ladona Vandegrift, a high school sophomore, always came early. But on this night a thorny geometry problem detained her. Torena Estes and her sister Sadie were ready to leave home on time. But their car wouldn’t start.

Mrs. Schuster could be counted on to arrive ten minutes early for practice. But she was held up at her mother’s house preparing for a later missionary meeting. Pastor Klempel and his wife, always punctual, didn’t make it at 7:30 either. His wristwatch, usually very accurate, was five minutes slow this evening.

Joyce Black felt it was so cold that she waited till the last possible minute to leave—a few minutes too long. Harvey Ahl had been invited over to a friend’s home for dinner and in the pleasant conversation lost track of time.

Even Mrs. Paul, the choir director, failed to arrive on time. She’d always come fifteen minutes early. But on this night her daughter, who played piano for the group, fell asleep. Mrs. Paul hurriedly awakened Marilyn and they rushed to finish getting ready—but drove up to the church a few minutes late. This was the first time either had ever been tardy for choir practice.

Eighteen people made up the West Side Baptist Church choir. Tonight every one of them arrived late, something that had never happened before.

No one was there at 7:30 when the basement furnace, situated directly below the choir loft, ignited a gas leak. The loft blew up; the church was demolished. Then the choir members arrived on the scene—too late.*

Reflect

Read Psalm 91 from your Bible.

Respond

God is the Great Protector and we must also be careful to protect the children He has entrusted to our care. In what ways has God protected you? In what ways can we share God’s protection with the children to whom we minister.
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

You’ll never be safer than right in the middle of God’s will.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

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

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Steven R. Mosley, God a Biography, (Phoenix: Questar Publishers, Inc., 1988), p. 211-2
© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Towards to Kiss

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, Galatians 2:20, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, proskuneo, religion, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteers, worthshipkolbyking

Read

The Greek word proskuneo (translated “worship”) means “towards to kiss” or to “adore”… “Literally, to kiss toward someone, to throw a kiss in token of respect or homage. The ancient Oriental (especially Persian) mode of salutaion between persons of equal rank was to kiss each other on the lips; when the difference of rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek; when one was much inferior, he fell upon his knees and touched his forehead to the ground or prostrated himself, throwing kisses at the same time towards the superior. It is this later mode of salutation that Greek writers express by proskuneo.”* This is the heart of worship, an in-love relationship with Jesus Christ where you long to bow before Him, to turn “to kiss” Him.

Reflect

Read Galatians 2:20 from your Bible.

Respond

Christianity is not a religion. “Religion” comes from a Latin word meaning “back to bondage” because religion tries to squeeze your life into a rule book. Christianity is a relationship where the “rule book” Himself comes to live His life in and through you. Are you letting Jesus live through you? When was the last time you “turned to kiss” the Lord Jesus? Are you totally surrendered to Him? Are you in love with Him? How does this “in love” relationship come out in the way you live?

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

Our word “worship” comes from an Old Anglo-Saxon word, “worthship,” because when you worship, you are giving someone their worth. What “worth” do you give Christ daily?

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

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

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D., ed.., The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, (Word Publishers, Iowa Falls, Iowa, 1992), p. 1233-4.

Heart for Service

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersBilly Graham, Charles Borden, Charles Studd, Children, Church, Devotions, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, Philippians 1:21, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Charles T. Studd was a famous sportsman in England, captain of the Cambridge XI cricket team. A century ago he gave away his vast wealth to needy causes and led the “Cambridge Seven” to China. His slogan was, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

During the first decade of this century, Charles Borden left one of America’s greatest family fortunes to be a missionary in China. He only got as far as Egypt where, still in his twenties, he died of typhoid fever. Before his death he said, “No reserves, no retreats, no regrets!”

A generation ago, Jim Elliot went from Wheaton College to become a missionary to the Aucas in Ecuador. Before he was killed, he wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

“…I [Billy Graham] have chosen Christ not because He takes away my pain but because He gives me strength to cope with that pain and in the long range to realize victory over it. Corrie ten Boom said, ‘The worst can happen but the best remains.’”*

Reflect

Read Philippians 1:21 from your Bible.

Respond

Service is one of God’s five purposes for your life and the heart for service begins when a person falls in love with Christ and is willing to say, “Lord, I will do anything you want me to do. Here I am. Send me.” Have you said this lately? Are you absolutely in love with Jesus? For what specific service did God create you? Consider it this way: When you want to drive a nail, you pick up a hammer. When God wants to _________________ (fill in the blank), He calls on you.

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

You’ll never be happier and you’ll never be safer than right in the middle of God’s will—even if it costs your life.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

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

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*Billy Graham, Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1983) p. 94-95

Going Forward

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersBerlin, Children, Church, Devotions, Jude 1:20, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, purpose, School, story, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

The story is told that when Berlin was being divided into East Berlin, controlled by the Communists, and West Berlin, part of the free world, a group of East Berliners dumped a whole truckload of garbage on the west side. The people from West Berlin thought they’d pick up all the garbage, put it on a truck, and dump it back on the east side. Then they decided that wasn’t the way to handle it. Instead they filled a dump truck with canned goods and other non-perishable food items, went over to the east side, stacked it neatly, and put a sign beside it. The sign read, “Each gives what each has to give.” What a great message! You can only give fruit to others when you are living a fruitful life inwardly yourself. So, here’s the question of the day: What kind of fruit are you producing? You can’t grow fruit if you’re not growing. How are you growing in your walk with Christ? *

Reflect

Read Jude 1:20 from your Bible.

Respond

One of God’s purposes for you is to grow day by day with Him. After, this is eternal life—Not just going to Heaven, but knowing God (John 17:3). How well are you growing? Are there things in your life that are stunting your growth? What is your plan for a closer 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

If you’re not going forward, you’re probably going backwards. Growing takes time and is a process. God takes six hours to grow a mushroom but sixty years to grow an oak tree. Which do you want to be?

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

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

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*John Maxwell, Be All You Can Be (publisher, date, and page unknown).

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersActs 1:8, Children, Church, Devotions, evangelism, Jesus, John 3:16, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, School, Share, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

Read:

Paul Bell was our missionary to the Mexicans in Bastrop, Texas. One Saturday afternoon he mingled with the men who came to town at that time. He came in contact with a man in his sixties and found him to be a ready listener to the sweet story of Jesus and His love. Later this man was gloriously converted. He said, “I can’t read or write, so I want you to teach me John 3:16. And since my people love to sing, I want you to teach me a gospel song.” With painstaking care, Brother Bell taught him John 3:16 and a stanza of the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” The man also promised to come to church and be baptized.

Three weeks went by and the man didn’t show up. On the fourth Sunday he came and brought with him five other Mexicans. He walked down the aisle with them and said, “We are all here to be baptized.” In this brief time, with just a little bit of knowledge, he had led five men to Christ. He lived for two more years. Again and again he would come in and bring someone that he had won to Christ. The total reached about fifty. Then one day somebody came to Brother Bell and said, “An old Mexican woodcutter is dying, and he is calling for you.” Brother Bell went out and found the man. “I am so glad to see you,” said the woodcutter, “Will you quote my verse for me?” Brother Bell did this and then the man said, “Now will you sing my song for me?” Brother Bell lifted up his voice and sang. He saw the old man’s lips moving for a while, then they stopped. At the end of the song, he saw that the soul of the dear old Christian had slipped out to be with his God. But in two year’s time, he had won fifty souls with one verse of Scripture and one stanza of a song.*

Reflect

Read Acts 1:8 from your Bible.

Respond

Evangelism is one of the five purposes God has for you. He created you to shine His life and light to all you meet. How effective do you feel in bringing other people to Christ? In what ways can you grow stronger in this area? What is your vision for seeing people saved?
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

You are witness everyday—either for Christ or against Him.

Get all 52 Children’s Leader Devotions HERE.

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

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

*W. Herschel Ford, Sermons You Can Preach on John, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958) p. 429-430
© Copyright 2017 Kolby King

Not Alone

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, fellowship, Hebrews 10, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, lonely, Ministries, Ministry, School, Sunday, Teacher, Vietnam, Volunteerskolbyking

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/child ren.

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

Our Purpose

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, Ephesians 2:10, God, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Ministries, Ministry, Plan, purpose, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

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/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

The Priority of a Children’s Ministry Leader

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersChildren, Church, Devotions, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Luke 10, Ministries, Ministry, purpose, School, Sunday, Volunteerskolbyking

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!)

(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/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

—

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

The Power of a Children’s Ministry Leader

October 1, 2017Devotions for Childrens LeadersCare, Children, Church, Devotions, KidMin, kids, Leader, Lessons, Love, Ministries, Ministry, Philippians 2:15, School, Sunday, Teacher, Volunteerskolbyking

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/child ren.

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

——

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

Whatever! (You Do)

September 30, 2017Family Devotions - Thanksgivingactivity, bible, Children, Colossians 3:17, devotion, Do, family, Fun, Give Thanks, Glorify, God, kids, Say, study, Thanksgiving, Things, Youkolbyking

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:

Sustained!

September 30, 2017Family Devotions - Thanksgiving1 Peter 5:7, activity, bible, cares, Cast, Children, devotion, family, Fun, Give Thanks, God, kids, Psalm 55, Psalm 55:22, study, Thanksgivingkolbyking

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:

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

If these resources bless you, consider supporting this ministry:

Give Thanks

September 30, 2017Family Devotions - Thanksgiving1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1944, activity, bible, Children, Corrie, devotion, family, fleas, Fun, Germany, kids, Ravensbrook, story, study, Ten Boom, Thanksgiving, WWIIkolbyking

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.

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Build a Fort

September 30, 2017Family Devotions - General Topics 1activity, bible, Children, devotion, family, Fear, Fort, Fun, Halloween, kids, Psalm 18, Psalm 56:3, Scared, studykolbyking

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!

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Treasure Hunt

September 30, 2017Family Devotions - General Topics 1activity, bible, Children, devotion, family, Fun, God's Word, kids, Memory, Psalm 119:11, study, Treasurekolbyking

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.
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