Today’s Reading:
Read I Samuel 16; I Samuel 18:6-9; Psalm 59
Have you ever made a bad decision? It happens, doesn’t it? The Israelites found out that their decision to make Saul king was not the right decision! Saul was king for 42 years. In that time, Saul often made mistakes as he led. One of the biggest mistakes he made was not waiting on the Lord’s guidance and not obeying completely what God had told him to do.
Saul made decisions that looked like he was obeying what God had told him to do. But really, he was impatient. He did not wait for God’s timing often. He made decisions quickly before asking for help or asking Samuel to help him know what God would want him to do. Saul’s choices were disobedient. God chose to replace him as king because Saul was completely obedient. Saul recognized that he had sinned against God and he did ask for forgiveness, but his choices still had consequences and God told Samuel to look for another king.
Application/Prayer:
What are some things in life that you have to wait for? (Birthdays, Christmas, Summer Vacation) Waiting is not always easy. When we are waiting on God to answer prayers or to help us know what choices we should make, sometimes it might seem like we should do it our own way. What does the story of Saul teach us about waiting on God’s timing?
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