Today’s Reading:
Read Matthew 19:13-30; Mark 10:13-31; Luke 18:18-30
Grab a dictionary (if you have one!) or use your computer to look up the word eternal. What does eternal mean? Eternal means lasting forever. Do you know anything that you could say is eternal? Most of what we experience in life has a beginning and an end. In today’s reading, Jesus taught about having life that was eternal or that would last forever.
A rich man approached Jesus and asked Him, “Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:17) Jesus’ answer was simple. First, Jesus reminded him of the laws given to Moses at Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments. The rich man told Jesus that he had kept all those commandments. The next requirement that Jesus gave the man was a little more challenging for him to accept. Jesus said “…go sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come follow me.” That was more difficult for the man to accept because “he had many possessions.”
Jesus taught his disciples that loving God had to be the most important thing to them in order experience eternal life. Jesus also explained that demonstrating our love for God was recognizing that things and possessions were not more important than Him. The people who heard Jesus’ teachings thought this sounded impossible. Jesus’ reply was this: “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)
Application/Prayer:
If someone told you that you had to sell all of your possessions to follow Jesus and do what He has called you to do, would you be able to do that? Discuss as a family the concept of sacrifice and how following Jesus means making HIM the most important part of your life. He is more important than anything we have! Thank Jesus for being enough!
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