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When No One Is Looking

1/30/2017

Beginning Activity: Have a conversation with your family about what makes something right or wrong. Is it ok to do something wrong if you know you won’t get caught? Is it ok to break one of God’s commands if everyone thinks it is ok or if they are all doing it? Is it ok to sin if it is something that won’t “hurt” anyone else? For example, would it be ok to take one piece of candy from someone who had so much candy that they would never miss it? After your children answer these questions, ask them what makes something right or wrong.

Devotional: Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Even though parents should not have favorites, Joseph was Jacob’s favorite. This made his brothers so jealous that one day they sold him as a slave to people who took Joseph to Egypt. Joseph’s life in Egypt started in the house of a very important man named Potiphar. Even though he was a slave, Joseph was a very good and dedicated worker for Potiphar, and Potiphar trusted Joseph with everything he owned. One day when Potiphar wasn’t around, his wife tried to get Joseph to be her husband instead. Joseph knew this was wrong, and this is what he said to Potiphar’s wife . . .

Read Genesis 39:9-10

Joseph knew that what Potiphar’s wife wanted him to do was wrong. Even if Potiphar never found out, it was wrong. Even if no one else ever knew about it, it was wrong. Even if some people thought it was ok, it was wrong. Acting like this woman’s husband was wrong because God said so, and that is all that really matters. The Bible tells us that Potiphar’s wife kept trying and trying to get Joseph to sin. So one day, Joseph did what you sometimes have to do when other people want you to sin — He ran away from Potiphar’s wife. Then she lied about Joseph and got him put in prison for something he didn’t do!

Read Genesis 39:20-21

Even though people lied about Joseph, God was pleased with Joseph and watched over him all throughout his life. Even if people mistreat us or make fun of us when we choose to do what is right, we can know that God always watches over us too. We can have confidence that God sees everything and always keeps His promises.

DISCUSSION: Why is it sometimes hard to do the right thing? What can we do when it feels hard to do what is right?

Prayer: In your prayer, thank God for always watching over us and ask for His help so that we make good decisions and obey His commandments.

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Count the Stars

1/23/2017

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Morristown Church of Christ is journeying together in 2017 through "The Story" - a chronological study of the Bible. Each week a devotional like the one below is provided to guide individuals and families through the Bible. These can be used for personal reflection and conversations among families. We hope this 2nd devotional of the series blesses you.

Beginning Activity: With your children, diagram your family tree beginning with their names at the bottom of the page and go up each generation as far as you can. Use this to illustrate how God’s promise to Abraham led to the births of Isaac, Jacob (and Esau), and Jacob’s 12 sons who then gave rise to the tribes of Israel.

Alternative Activity: In addition to or in place of the activity above, go outside on a night when you can see the stars. Try counting (or have your children count) the stars. How many did you count? This is what God had Abraham do in Genesis 15.

Read Genesis 15:1-6

Devotional: Before his named was changed to Abraham, an old man named Abram was given a vision by the Lord one night. Abram and his wife Sarah had never been able to have children. On this night, however, God took Abram outside and asked him to count the stars. Then God said, “This is how many children you will have.” The Bible says that Abram believed God. The word “faith” means trusting in what God has said. When he is known as Abraham - at the age of 100! - Abraham and his wife Sarah were blessed by the birth of the son that God promised them. His name was Isaac. Isaac would have children, and those children would have children. Many, many years later the family tree of Abraham would lead to the birth of another son of promise - Jesus.

Read Galatians 3:29

By believing in Jesus, we too get to be a part of Abraham’s family of faith. That means that we are like one of those many stars that God had Abram count in the sky on that night so very long ago. Abraham did not know how God would keep all of His promises, but Abraham knew that God would. That is the same kind of faith we can have in our lives.

DISCUSSION: What are some of God’s promises that you have a hard time believing? How can God’s promises to Abraham help you believe in all of His promises to us?

Song: Father Abraham
Prayer: In your prayer, thank God for being a promise-keeper and allowing us to share in His promise to Abraham through Jesus.

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The Good and the Very Good

1/16/2017

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Morristown Church of Christ is journeying together in 2017 through "The Story" - a chronological study of the Bible. For each week of The Story, we will provide a devotional like the one below to guide individuals and families through the Bible. These are designed to be used for both personal reflection and conversations among families. If you would like more information about The Story or about how to use these guides, please contact Morristown Church of Christ at (423) 586-8343 or by email at morristownchurchofchrist@gmail.com . Be blessed and be a blessing!

Discussion Starter: Name something that you think is good. Examples may include good food or a good movie or a good place for having fun.

Now name something that you think is VERY good. What is the difference between something being good and something being VERY good?

Devotional: Genesis 1 tells us that God took six days to create everything. Beautiful, powerful, and special things took place on each of those days. God was making the universe and Earth EXACTLY the way He wanted it. Creation shows us that God is both the most creative artist and the best builder there has ever been.

Read Genesis 1:4, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, 1:25

QUESTION: When God makes something new in these verses, what is said?

In saying that “it was good,” God was pleased with how everything was turning out. Each day, something new was taking place, and it was always just the way God wanted it. But then Genesis says something a little bit different.

Read Genesis 1:26-31

DISCUSSION: Why does Genesis 1:31 say “it was VERY good?”

Making human beings completed everything God wanted to create. It was only after making us that His Creation was “very good.” While everything God has made is special, we are the most special part. God made each of us special, and His Story is about just how much He loves us.

PRAYER: Before praying, have family members share something that they think is special about each other. Thank God for what makes us special and His love for us.

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God's Inheritance

1/6/2017

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A few weeks ago, one of our church’s mothers posted on Facebook a picture of her daughter’s worship sheet.* I had preached that Sunday on John 1 where Jesus amazes Nathanael by revealing his personal knowledge of Nathanael even though they had never met face-to-face. The young girl’s sheet perfectly summarized the passage and its application in our lives today. The picture has Nathanael asking, "How do you know me, Jesus?" The Lord replies, "Just know I know you."

Full disclosure requires me to tell you that the mother who posted this picture is my wife and the young girl is our 8-year-old daughter. I hadn’t known about the sheet, however, until I saw it on Facebook. The sheet got me thinking – What am I doing as a father to help instill in my children a sense of who God is and His place in their lives?

            Psalm 127:3-4 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.”

            Children are an inheritance that God gives us during our time on earth. He gives them to us temporarily, and it’s on us to introduce them to the eternal. We shoot them like arrows into the future, and while children sometimes don’t land where we aim, their launch is greatly influenced by us.

            I say all of this to offer one last plea and encouragement to our church family and our friends, especially those who live in the Lakeway area: This coming Sunday we begin a church-wide effort known as The Story that will guide all of us together through the Bible in the coming year. It is a chronological study, so you get to see how God’s story has unfolded throughout time. One of the best things about The Story is that it engages all ages in a way that children, parents, and grandparents are all learning the same things at the same time. In this way, it helps us take our inheritance of children from the Lord and launch them into life on a trajectory of faith, hope, and confidence in the Lord and the story He is writing in their lives.

            We begin The Story this Sunday, January 8 with Bible classes at 9:30am and Worship at 10:30am. Books for all ages are provided by the church at no cost to you. If you would like more information about The Story, please follow this link: http://morristownchurch.wixsite.com/thestory . From there, you can also register so that the appropriate number of books can be ordered. Feel free to call the church building at (423) 586-8343 or email us at morristownchurchofchrist@gmail.com if you have any questions.

            Let’s make the most of God’s inheritance and help future generations make God the author of their story.

*The sheets are an idea we borrowed from a congregation in Georgia where a daughter of two of our members attends. It helps children stay engaged with worship by keeping track of songs, Bible passages, and key words used in the sermon. If you would like more info about it, feel free to email us at the address above!

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When No One Is Looking

Count the Stars

The Good and the Very Good

God's Inheritance

Blaine Kelly

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When No One Is Looking

Count the Stars

The Good and the Very Good

﻿God's Inheritance

Blaine Kelly

Search Blaine's Blog

Recent Posts

Categories

SERVICE TIMES:

We're Social!

FIND US!

God's Inheritance