Today’s Reading:
Read Jeremiah 13:15-20; 14:1-10, 19-22; 16:14
As a family, dream about what life will look like for you in the next five years. How old will each of you be? Will anyone in your family be able to drive a car in the next five years? Do you have any exciting plans for your family in the next five years?
In our reading today, Jeremiah gave the Israelites a peek into what their future would look like. Unfortunately, it was not good news! God used Jeremiah as a messenger to tell the Israelites that Judah would be taken into exile – which is a big word to say they would be taken away from the land their home and live in a place where they would not belong. Jeremiah also told them that a drought was coming. A drought is a time when there is no rain in the land, and it was a sad time because nothing would grow, and people would die. The future for the people of Judah did not look good at all because they had been disobedient to God’s covenant.
Jeremiah was able to share some good news with the Israelites, though. He told them that even though they would have to deal with the consequence of their disobedience and that they would be in exile, ultimately, God would rescue them. Jeremiah 16:14-15 tells us of God’s promise to “return them to their land that (he) gave their ancestors.”
Application/Prayer:
Jeremiah’s message was a difficult one for him to share with the Israelites. What has God called you to do that is difficult? How have you responded? Are you obedient to God’s call in your life? As God to help you follow Him all the days of your life- even when He asks you to do difficult things.
August Memory Verse:
“Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
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:
August memory verse coloring sheet
August Fill-in the blank activity