Today’s Reading:
Read Ephesians 5-6; Titus
One of the greatest gifts God has given us is our family! Today, we’re going to spend some time celebrating our family. Write down each of your family member’s names on a slip of paper and put the slips of paper in a gift bag. Ask each person to pick a name out of the bag. Once a person has picked out a name, their job is to celebrate that person in some way today. Make them a card, serve them in some way, make them a gift- find a way to make that family member feel special!
Families are important. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul gave instructions for husbands and wives to help them know how to treat each other. He also gave instructions to children.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.” Ephesians 6:1-3
Paul even gave instructions to the parents reminding them to bring their children up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Application/Prayer:
Invite each family member to share how they honored the family member whose name they picked out of the bag today. (Or how they plan to honor them!) Allow each family member a chance to pray for one another.
December Memory Verse:
I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
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:
December memory verse coloring sheet