Today’s Reading:
Read Psalm 84
Do you remember what we learned about Adam and Eve in Genesis 3? (Go back and read it if you need a reminder!). Adam and Eve were able to walk with God and talk with God until they chose to sin. That sin separated Adam and Eve (and us) from God.
Do you remember what we learned about God’s plan to be with His people even though there was sin that separated them? (Read Exodus 25:1-22.) God created a way for his presence to be with His chosen people by establishing the tabernacle- a place for His presence to dwell. The Israelites would follow specific guidelines and as they traveled through the wilderness to the Promised Land, the tabernacle would travel with them, reminding them that God was with them.
Do you remember where the tabernacle was built in the Promised Land? (Read Joshua 18:1) The tabernacle being built in the center of the Promised Land meant it was accessible to all Israelites. And it also showed that God was in the center of what the Israelites were doing.
Psalm 84 is a celebration of what it means to be in the presence of God. God was faithful to provide a way for the Israelites to come into His presence. Psalm 84:10, “Better is one day in your courts, than thousands elsewhere.” The Israelites would travel long distances to be in the presence of the Lord in his tabernacle.
Application/Prayer:
As a family, talk about how far you travel to go to your favorite places. Thank God that we don’t have to travel or go anywhere to be in His presence. He is with us every day!
April Memory Verse:
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:9-10
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:
April memory verse coloring sheet
April Fill-in the blank activity