Today’s Reading:
Read Haggai 1-2
Do you remember what a prophet did? Prophets had messages from God for the people. Sometimes those messages were full of hope for a future. Sometimes, they were messages that warned the people of something bad that might be coming. Whatever it was, a prophet’s message was always important!
Haggai’s message to the Israelites was written about 70 years after they had been in exile. The Israelites were back in Jerusalem and were working to rebuild their nation. However, Haggai could see that the Israelites were not making rebuilding the temple a priority. Instead, they were working on rebuilding their own homes.
What do you remember about the temple? It was a house for God to live in. Remember that as Solomon built the temple, the cloud rested on it which showed that God’s presence was resting in the temple. The Israelites did not remember how important the building of the temple was. Haggai called them out on this! He reminded them of the covenant that God had made with them. Haggai also reminded them how important the temple was. Haggai encouraged the people to continue working with hope in the future of all that God would do in and through the rebuilding of His temple.
Application/Prayer:
Read Colossians 3:23. Remember, no matter what we do, God wants us to do it for His glory. He wants what we do to point towards Him! The Israelites were forgetting that, weren’t they?
Ask God to help you remember to focus on working for Him in everything you do today!
September Memory Verse:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him,and he will make your paths straight.”
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:
September memory verse coloring sheet