October 4 | John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Today’s Reading:

Read Matthew 3; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3; John 1:15-34

Set a timer for 30 seconds. Challenge each member of your family to make a list of what you would do to prepare for someone to come and visit your home. Be as detailed as possible!

When we know someone is coming to visit our home, we usually take extra time to be sure our home is ready for guests! We may do some extra deep cleaning, wash sheets or even go to the grocery store to get extra food so that we are prepared for a guest. John the Baptist’s job was to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival. (Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40) The Israelites needed to know who and what they were looking for. They needed to prepare their hearts and minds to meet the Messiah. John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry to begin.

John the Baptist taught the people about God. Many people followed him, but John the Baptist was determined to point the people to worship God and not him! He even told the people how important Jesus was when Jesus came to him to be baptized. In preparing the way for Jesus, John the Baptist was prepared to move out of the way and allow Jesus to lead and teach.

Application/Prayer:

If Jesus were coming to visit you, how would you prepare? Isn’t it great to know that Jesus has promised to come back one day and take us to live in heaven with him? What are we doing to prepare for that day? One way we can be like John the Baptist is to tell others about Jesus so that they know He is coming. Ask God to help you live a life that points to Jesus and prepares the way for His return!

October Memory Verse:

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”

Psalm 56:3

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.