NCCKids Weekday Devotionals | Aug. 10-14
It's week two! Let's remember to:
Model eagerness to learn from the word and grow.
Pick a set time for doing the devotion each day. This increases the odds for consistency.
Glance over the reading before starting.
Not get discouraged. There will be days when it seems as if you are wasting your time. Rest assured, God sees your faithfulness and his word does not return void.
August 10:
I John 1:9 (NIRV) - But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.
Discussion Prompt for little children:
God is such a good Father to us! When we tell him that we have done something wrong, he always forgives us. He loves us so very much!
When Jesus was on the earth his disciple Peter asked him how many times he should forgive a person. Peter thought seven was a good guess. Peter was wrong. Jesus said that Peter should forgive seven times seventy. Back then people thought of seven as a holy and complete number so Jesus was telling Peter that he should forgive infinity times! Over and over and over!
(Parents, open your calculator app and let your child multiply 7x7 until the number gets so big that it fills the screen. It won’t take long :) See that number, that’s what forgiveness looks like to Jesus. You never ever have to fear messing up too many times for God to forgive you!
Let’s pray and thank God for always forgiving us!
Discussion Guide for older children and teens:
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘confess?’
Often TV shows depict a detective urging someone to confess so that their punishment will be less severe. When you think of confessing does punishment come to mind?
While confession does mean admitting to God and to others that we have done something wrong, our scripture says that God is faithful. He will forgive our sins. We don’t need to fear confessing to him. God already knows everything we have done; we can’t hide our actions from him. In fact, we should be more fearful of trying to hide our wrong-doings than of confession. One of the most amazing things about life with God is that confession leads to more peace and freedom and rids us of punishing things like guilt, anger, and shame.
Let’s pray and ask God to help us to run to him when we have done wrong.
August 11:
Colossians 3:13 (NIRV) - Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you.
Discussion Prompt for all ages:
Since God loves and forgives us always, we should forgive others. Not only does forgiving others point them to Jesus, but it also brings healing to us.
In a book called “Life with God for Children,” it says that hurts are like hot stones. Have you ever played hot potato with a real hot potato? Or picked up a mug of hot coffee? Have you held a really hot ear of corn? Sometimes you can hold it for a second or two before the heat builds and starts to hurt you.
When someone does something wrong to us- whether on accident or on purpose- it’s like they have handed us a hot stone. If we hold onto that hot stone too long it will burn us.
The best way to handle someone hurting us is to give the hurt, or hot stone, to Jesus. Tell him all about what happened. Ask him for wisdom in how you should respond and for the grace to forgive.
It is also wise to tell a parent about the wrong someone did to you. They can help you find a way to forgive and give you advice on how to address the person who has hurt you.
Let’s pray and ask God to give us forgiving hearts and the wisdom to share our hurts with each other.
August 12:
2 Peter 3:8 (NIRV) - Dear friends, here is one thing you must not forget. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years. And a thousand years are like a day.
Discussion Prompt for all ages:
Have you ever noticed that when you order a toy from Amazon it seems like those two to three days it takes to arrive are SO long? What about a day at the pool or on the beach- does it go by quickly or slowly? What about sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office?
Time is strange, isn’t it? But with God, it gets even weirder! God is not just in all places at once, but he’s also in all times. Mind blown! He’s not limited to this current moment like we are. He can see everything in the past and everything in the future. And since God has always been around and always will be, he sees time differently than we do.
Have you ever prayed to God about something only to have to pray for it again and again and again? It’s hard to wait on God, especially because we know that he has the power to change things the very minute we ask.
God has an incredible plan that started before the world was even made and goes on forever. That’s a big plan! When we don’t understand why we have to wait on God it helps to remember that the plan is still working and that God still loves you.
Is there something you are having a hard time waiting for? Let’s pray and ask God for patience and faith in his plan.
August 13:
Psalm 23:1-2 (NIRV) - The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters.
Discussion Prompt for all ages:
Do you see what the Psalmist did in our scripture for today? David wrote a word picture to describe his relationship with God. Listen to it one more time and try to let the picture form in your mind: The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters.
Worship is our response to God and his love for us. King David worshiped God by reflecting on the ways God cared for him and then wrote a word picture about it. Today, take some time to think about how God has shown his love to you and come up with your own word picture to describe your relationship with God. At (breakfast tomorrow, dinner tonight, bedtime- whatever applies to your family) we’ll share our word pictures. You can just say your word picture, draw it, or even write a poem like King David did!
Let’s pray and thank God for how he cares for us and ask him to give us an image of what his care looks like.
August 14:
Discussion Prompt for all ages:
The same psalmist who wrote our scripture from yesterday wrote many of the Psalms in the Bible. David had a very sweet relationship with God. The Bible says he was ‘a man after God’s own heart.’
The things David wrote in the Bible can be surprising. As you listen to the Scripture for today raise your hand when you hear something that sounds strange or surprises you.
Psalm 3 (NIRV) - Lord, I have so many enemies! So many people are rising up against me! Many are saying about me, “God will not save him.” Lord, you are like a shield that keeps me safe. You bring me honor. You help me win the battle. I call out to the Lord. He answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep. I wake up again, because the Lord takes care of me. I won’t be afraid even though tens of thousands attack me on every side. Lord, rise up! My God, save me! Strike all my enemies in the face. Break the teeth of sinful people. Lord, you are the one who saves. May your blessing be on your people.
What were some of the things that surprised you? What things did David say that sounded sad? What things did he say that sounded angry?
Would you say that David was very honest about his feelings as he talked to God? Maybe honesty is one of the things that made David ‘a man after God’s own heart.’
David realized God already knew what was going on in his heart so he felt free to share his feelings. You can share your anger, fear, sadness, and frustration with God.
Is it helpful to know that you don’t have to get your feelings under control before you talk to God?
Further discussion for older children and teens:
Thankfully, God is a good, just ruler. He can hear our hurts and complaints and not lash out at others unjustly. We don’t have to fear that if we pray about someone in anger that God will ‘break their teeth.’ God will provide justice or reconciliation in a wise way.
Let’s pray and thank God that we can take all our cares, concerns, and emotions to him!
