Today’s Reading:
Read Micah 1:1-7a; 2:3-5, 12-13; 3:1-2;4; 4:1-5
How would you answer this question: “I’ve got good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?”
Micah was a prophet who lived at the same time Isaiah did. He had a message from God for both the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms. The message Micah had was full of bad news mixed in with some good news as well. God was faithful to use Micah to warn the Israelites of the challenges they would face as well as to offer them hope for the future, despite those challenges.
Micah had a vision where he saw the Lord coming down from heaven. Different from the time when God came down and met with the people at Mt. Sinai, God was not coming down to promise a covenant. He was coming down with judgment for the people because of their many sins. Both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms were facing destruction from the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The news for the Israelites was not good!
Micah did not only tell the Israelites of the bad things coming their way, but he also promised that the Israelites were not beyond the greatness and goodness of God. God loved them and He would ultimately save the people. He would not save them from the consequences of their actions, but he did promise to ultimately restore their land and their nation.
Application/Prayer:
Read Micah 2:12. Discuss how a shepherd takes care of his sheep. Read John 10:11. Compare the two verses and the promises made by both shepherds. Spend some time thanking God for sending Jesus to be our Good Shepherd who takes care of us- even when we wander like sheep!
July Memory Verse:
“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.”
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:
July memory verse coloring sheet
July Fill-in the blank activity