Today’s Reading:
Read Acts 20:4-23:35
Are you traveling for the holidays? Map out where you will travel. Discuss how you will get there and who you might see along the way. Then, use the map in the back of your Day-by-Day Chronological Bible and map out all the places Paul traveled to tell people about Jesus. Paul recognized that everyone he met needed to know about Jesus. He was purposeful to share the good news of the gospel in every place he visited.
Acts 20:24 says, “But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”
Paul recognized that the purpose of his life was to testify or to tell others about the gospel of God’s grace. He devoted everything he did to telling others about Jesus. Paul believed in the message he was preaching, and he demonstrated that belief by dedicating his life to telling others about Jesus. The best way that Paul could tell others about Jesus was to tell them what Jesus had done in his life. Every chance he had, Paul shared his testimony with both the Jews and the Gentiles.
The Jewish and the Roman leaders were not sure what to do with Paul’s message or his popularity. Some accused him of teaching people to love God and not to honor Caesar who was the Roman leader at that time. As a result, Paul was arrested. But even while he was in jail and under trial, Paul did not stop sharing the good news of the gospel. God encouraged Paul and appeared to him in a vision. God assured Paul that he would make the trip to Rome to tell the people in Rome about the gospel.
Paul had good news to share, and he did not keep it to himself. He shared the gift of the gospel with anyone he met in any and all of his travels.
Application/Prayer:
Do you know someone who needs to hear the good news about Jesus? Sharing the gift of the gospel message with a friend who has not met Jesus is the best gift we could ever give someone. Ask God to help you share the good news about Jesus with someone who does not know Him.
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