Today’s Reading:
Read Isaiah 59:1-2, 16-21; Isaiah 60:1-5,19-22; Isaiah 61:1-7; Isaiah 62:12; Isaiah 63:1-14
Start your time today with all the lights out. Make it as dark as you possibly can. Talk about how you feel and what you can see. What’s it like to be in darkness? Now, grab a flashlight and turn it on. What happened once you turned the flashlight on? Did it change what you could see?
The Israelites were living in a dark time. They knew that they were sinners and that the sin that ruled them was separating them from God. Remember, God made a way for the Israelites to be forgiven of their sin with the sacrifice system that Moses taught them about. Remember, we all sin every day, so offering sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins was a big deal! Isaiah offered the Israelites hope that the dark time they lived in would end. He promised them that God was sending a REDEEMER. We learned about the word redeemer when we read about Ruth and Boaz. Do you remember what a redeemer is? A redeemer is someone who can pay for something you owe. Isaiah was promising the Israelites that Jesus would come to be the ultimate sacrifice for their sins. They would not have to live separated from God anymore.
Isaiah also promised that not only was a Redeemer coming, but He would also be preparing a place for us to go with Him. That place is HEAVEN! Isaiah 60 gave the Israelites (and us!) a picture of what God’s ultimate redemption plan was. A place where there was no darkness where the Lord would be the “everlasting light.”
Isaiah promised that God was going to redeem and restore, and He offered HOPE for the Israelites. (And, for us!)
Application/Prayer:
Thank God for the promise of Heaven today. When God sent Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins, He made it possible for us to go to Heaven one day and live with Him forever. We don’t have to be separated from God. That’s good news that is worth celebrating!
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