Today’s Reading:
Read Acts 5-8
Parents, is there a time in your family when you have seen God use a bad situation for His good? Has there been a time when it looked like things were not going to end well, but God used it in a way that none of you expected? Spend some time discussing God’s plan with your family.
When Jesus left the disciples, he challenged them to go to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth telling others about Him. (Acts 1:8) The disciples were sad to see Jesus leave. However, they were obedient and waited for the Holy Spirit to come. When the Holy Spirit came, the church began. The Bible tells us that every day new believers were added to the church. People were hearing the good news of Jesus and believing in Him. The sadness of seeing Jesus leave turned into gladness as the church grew.
However, as the church grew, they also faced Jewish leaders who did not agree with what they were teaching. There was much confusion and much division. The Jewish leaders arrested the apostles who were teaching about Jesus. That did not stop them from teaching! One of the apostles named Stephen taught about Jesus and explained how Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies made in the time of Abraham. Sadly, Stephen was killed because of his boldness for Jesus. Again, God used that sadness for something great. As a result of Stephen’s death and the fact that the church was being persecuted, the believers of Jesus scattered. They scattered from Judea to Samaria and began the process of sharing the good news about Jesus beyond Jerusalem- just as Jesus had taught them to do.
Application/Prayer:
Trusting God in hard situations is hard, isn’t it? It is hard to always believe that God can work something good out of a sad or difficult situation. Read Romans 8:28. Thank God for the truth that He can work all things out for good! Ask Him to help you trust that today!
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