Today’s Reading:
Read Matthew 13:1-53; Mark 4:1-33; Luke 8:4-18
Take a field trip outside today! Grab a spoon and a cup and dig up some soil. Discuss the soil and what you see when you look at it. Is the soil good for planting? Spend some time discussing what makes soil good for planting a seed. As you read today, use the soil that you dug up as a reference.
As Jesus continued His ministry, He spent a lot of time teaching. God sent Jesus to help the people understand what the Kingdom of Heaven would be like. Jesus also helped the people understand what they needed to do in order to no longer be separated from God. Jesus used a special kind of story called a parable when He taught. A parable is a short story that has a special meaning to it. Jesus would explain the parable to the disciples to help them understand what He was teaching.
Jesus’ story about the seeds that are thrown into the different kind of soil was a parable. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand that everyone needed to hear the message about God but not everyone would respond the same way. Jesus explained that the soils were like the conditions of people’s hearts and how they would receive the news about God. The people Jesus was teaching would have understood this because they were farmers. Jesus used many parables about seeds to explain the Kingdom of God to the people.
Application/Prayer:
Review the types of soil Jesus taught about in His parable. Which type of soil was the best soil for growing? When you are listening to God’s Word, can you think about what kind of soil you have? Are you listening and growing? Or are you allowing things to get in your way like weeds or rocks? Ask God to help you grow every day in your relationship with Him.
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:
October memory verse coloring sheet
October Fill-in the blank activity