Today’s Reading:
Read Psalm 106; John 1:4-14
Let’s have some fun with a “Pictionary” game! Have each person in your family think of one thing they remember that happened with the Israelites in the Old Testament. We’ve learned a lot about them! Give each person a chance to draw a picture of their memory and take turns as a family guessing the drawing. Next, read Psalm 106 out loud and see if any of your memories are listed in the history of the Israelites that the psalmist wrote about.
Psalm 106 is a recap of the Israelites story that traces all the way back to their time in Egypt when Moses rescued them. The psalmist reminded the Israelites of all that God had done for them. He also praised God for remaining loyal and faithful to His covenant, even when the Israelites had not been loyal. The Israelites were still waiting for the promised Messiah who would fulfill the covenant promise God had made to them.
As we turn the page to the New Testament today, we read about how John the Baptist was continuing to prepare the Israelites for the Messiah who was coming to save them. The redeemer promised in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve first sinned was finally here. God had remained faithful to His covenant promise. He restored the Israelites, and he provided a redeemer, just as he had promised.
Read John 1:11. “He came to his own and his own people did not receive him.”
Sadly, the world did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Application/Prayer:
Have some more fun with your Pictionary game. Draw a picture of what you imagine the Israelites were expecting the Messiah to look like. Now, draw a picture of what you think the Messiah looked like. Thank God for sending Jesus to be the LIGHT of the World.
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
October memory verse coloring sheet
October Fill-in the blank activity