Introduction:
COVID-19; Economic Turmoil; Rioting in the Streets; Continued war; Death and Destruction…with all the bad news, “false” news, and grief that has filled this past year, I really want to hear some good news. How about you? The continued disintegration of the moral center of our culture can frustrate and dishearten us. While the profane and indecent are celebrated at every level, we must double down on our commitment to sharing the life-transforming truths that our found in scripture. We must build some altars and establish some holy places within our lives that serve as good news reminders to ourselves, our families, our friends, and the lost.
What do I mean? Well, you may remember the events in the Old Testament scripture when God does something miraculous, providing for the needs of His chosen people. At those times, altars were built and places named for the events that happened. When Israel crossed the Jordan river into the promised land, they built an altar in the middle of the river where the priests held the ark of the covenant. They also erected an altar along the river bank. God instructed them to do so to establish a reminder for all generations of His faithfulness and provision. Likewise, we must make it a habit to remind ourselves and our children of the goodness of God in our personal lives and in the lives of the believers who have gone before us.
Sharing the good news of God must become the habit rather than the exception. That is why God instructed the Israelites to write the law on their walls and their doorposts. He wanted families to see and share these reminders and establish a continual conversation about the goodness of God. Thus, the home might become a storehouse of faith, forming a faith foundation in the lives of our children and families.
This week is a little different. If you are a parent, sharing these devotions as a family, read through and understand that this is not one of those you will read together. It is more of an instruction and encouragement to spend some time this week sharing the stories of scripture, together. Read on and you will understand.
Study One: Show and Tell
READ:
14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. – Romans 10:14-17 (NRSV)
DECIDE:
We complain about the weather. We complain about our jobs. We complain about the service we received at the restaurant. We complain about the government…about the election…about the media…about…just about everything. As parents, grandparents, and involved adults we must remember that our kids are absorbing this like a sponge. We are modeling behaviors all the time. Those are the behaviors our kids will adopt as they grow and mature. The adage ‘You are what you eat’ can be adapted another way for our children: ‘They will become what they see and hear.’ Today’s scripture reminds us of the power of hearing/listening. If we want our kids to be people of faith in Jesus, it is a necessity that we show and tell that faith, regularly.
DECLARE:
One of my favorite scripture witnesses to the compassion and transformative power of Jesus is found in the report of Him healing the leper along the way that comes rushing His way seeking healing. If you haven’t heard of the VidAngel series, “The Chosen,” they do a wonderful job sharing that story, especially since they dramatize the backstory of the leper’s hopelessness and struggle prior to him approaching Jesus. The series is available to view FREE through their app that can be used on both Android and Apple devices. Episode three does an especially good job fleshing out Jesus’s love and concern for the children. I highly recommend using the series as a creative way to integrate a visual media into the time spent sharing the faith journey with our kids.
I believe when 2 Peter 1:3 says, “3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” There is much to unpack in that verse. The simple good news is: Yes, God has given us everything necessary for life and godliness. He has given us the bible, the Holy Spirit, the Church, and so much more. That makes the potential and possibilities so exciting when we are able to share these things He has given us with others!
DEVOTE:
So, today, share your favorite story from scripture with your circle of influence. If you are reading these devotions independent of family (spouse, kids), call a friend and share some good news with them from God’s Word. Remember, faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ. That’s good news!
PRAY:
Lord, God, Your Word is true. Help me to devote myself to the habit of reading and meditating on Your Word as if my life depended on it, because it does. I realize there is an enemy prowling, seeking to devour my life, destroy my witness, and consume my attention with the things of this world that have no eternal value. Help me, Lord, I pray, to fan into flame the desire to know and do Your will: to love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbor. In Jesus name, Amen.
Study Two: Called and Equipped
READ:
2 You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. -Ephesians 2:1-10 (NRSV)
DECIDE:
Read that scripture again.
DECLARE/DEVOTE:
What does this word declare about you/us?
What does this word declare about God?
Prayer:
Pray about how you, your family, your church can see the word declared over us here come to fruitition.
Next Week: We turn the page from HEART to HOME in our journey to fulfill our commitment ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!’ Praying that God will do great things among us. Amen!