Today’s Reading:
Read Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Deuteronomy 5:1-21; Deuteronomy 6:4-8
All of the things that God taught the Israelites through Moses were for a purpose- his plan was to be faithful to his covenant and to bless the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites. Remember, a covenant is an agreement between 2 people. God promised he would bless the Israelites; they promised they would follow God’s leading.
One of the ways God gave the Israelites direction was through the 10 commandments. Remember those? God met with Moses on Mt. Sinai and gave him a list of specific expectations he had for the Israelite people to follow in order to honor their covenant commitment with him. In Deuteronomy 5, Moses reminded the Israelites of these commandments.
Moses went on to tell the Israelites how important it was for them to tell their children about the covenant they had with God. God had not abandoned the covenant and he would honor it; the Israelites had to continue to be faithful. How were they supposed to do that? Read Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and all your strength.” Moses was reminding the Israelites that they needed to live in total surrender- allowing God to have control of their whole life. They needed to teach their children the same thing.
Application/Prayer:
One of the things Moses tells the Israelites is to post the words that he was telling them on the doorposts of their homes. As a family, take turns sharing your favorite Bible verse or Bible story. Choose a verse for your family to claim as your family verse. Write it on an index card and hang it by the doorpost of your home. (To take this a step further, have each member of your family choose a verse, write it on a card, and hang it on their bedroom door.)
March Memory Verse:
He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
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:
March memory verse coloring sheet