Today’s Reading:
Read Isaiah 9:1-7; 10:20-21; 11:1-10; Isaiah 12
Merry Christmas! Start today off by singing your favorite Christmas carol as a family! Joy to the World is one of our family favorites.
Pretty silly to think about Christmas in July, but our reading today points to a coming Messiah. Isaiah’s message to the Israelites was definitely one calling the nation to turn back to God. He also reminded the Israelites of the consequences they would face for not following God. However, as Isaiah shared the devastation that would come as a consequence for their actions, he also shared about the HOPE that they could have that one day a MESSIAH would come!
Isaiah promised a light would dawn for the people walking in darkness. He told about a child who would come who would be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. Isaiah was promising Jesus was coming! He reminded them that there would be a day when they would turn back to God and they would depend on Him and not on the false gods or idols they had been relying on. He reminded them that God was sending someone from the “root of Jesse’ which would have been from the line of David who would “stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will look to him for guidance, and his resting place will be glorious.” Isaiah promised that salvation was coming, even though the Israelites would have to face some challenges first.
Application/Prayer:
Read Isaiah 12 out loud with your family. Thank God for the salvation He provides. Take the time to allow any family members to share their testimony. Thank God for his faithfulness to draw us to Him!
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