Today’s Reading:
Read Psalm 22; Matthew 27:32-66; Mark 15:21-47; Luke 23:26-56; John 19:17-42
Start off your reading time today by reading Genesis 3. Remember the beautiful garden that God created for Adam and Eve to live in? It was perfect and they walked with God every day. There was no separation. Sadly, Genesis 3 tells the story of when Adam and Eve made a choice that changed that relationship with God when sin entered the world. There would be consequences for that sin that would create a separation between God and man. But Genesis 3:15 promised that God had a plan to send a redeemer that would help to bring man back together with God – no more separation!
Jesus’ death on the cross was the fulfillment of that plan. Psalm 22 was a psalm David wrote about his own life as well as a prophecy about the coming Messiah. Remember, Jesus would have known the scriptures well. As He was on the cross, Jesus quoted David’s psalm when He said, “My God, My God why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46) In order for Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin, He had to be separated from God. He took that punishment for us so that we did not have to be separated from God!
Reading about Jesus’ death on the cross is sad, isn’t it? Thinking about all that He did for us and all that happened to Him on the cross is hard! As sad as it is, it is also exciting to see that all that Jesus did for us on the cross was a fulfillment of prophecy that confirmed that He was the Messiah. He was the Redeemer that God promised would come in Genesis 3.
Application/Prayer:
The Gospel writers tell us that while Jesus was on the cross it was dark from noon until 3:00 p.m. Turn the lights off and experience darkness today. Spend some time thinking about the sadness that would have been felt by the followers of Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. Thank God that the darkness did not last forever, and that Jesus was and is the light of the world.
November Memory Verse:
“The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”
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:
November memory verse coloring sheet
November Fill-in the blank activity