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Listening to the Right People

4/18/2017

Opening Conversation: When you have a difficult decision to make, who can you trust to give you good advice?

Introduction: King Solomon’s reign over Israel saw the country grow in wealth and fame. The Temple and other buildings he constructed were beautiful pieces of architecture that required lots of money and hard work. Some of the money came from the people’s taxes, and they provided much of the hard work too. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became Israel’s king. As the new leader, he had a decision to make. Do I tax and work the people just as hard as my father did or do I make things a bit easier for them now that our construction projects are complete? So Rehoboam went to some of the older, wise men of Israel to ask for their advice.

Read 1 Kings 12:6-7

Devotional: The older men gave Rehoboam good advice. In fact, their words sound very much like what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 20:26-28. There Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” Rehoboam would have been wise to accept the advice of the older men. But he didn’t like what they had to say. Sometimes the people who love us the most and want the best for us will tell us things that we don’t want to hear. But they tell us those things because they want things to go well for us. Even the Bible sometimes tells us things that we might not want to hear. In times like that, it is very important to think about what is best instead of just what we want to do. Unfortunately for Rehoboam, he refused to listen to the good advice of others. Instead he turned to people his own age to see what kind of advice they would give. They told Rehoboam what he wanted to hear.

Read 1 Kings 12:8-11

Instead of being a good and kind king like the older men said he should, Rehoboam decided to make life even more difficult for the people of Israel. That is the advice that his so-called friends gave him, and that is what he wanted to hear. As a result, most of Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and became their own nation. Sadly, the twelve tribes of Israel would never ben united again.

DISCUSSION: What would you have done if you were Rehoboam? Who would you have listened to?

Prayer: Thank God for giving you people in your life who want the best for you and ask God to help you listen to the right people.

The Way of Wisdom

4/9/2017

Opening Conversation: What does it mean to be wise? Who are wise people in your life whose example you should follow? Why do you want to be like them?

Introduction: Some people say they want to be the richest person in the world. Others want to be the strongest or fastest or most beautiful. The Bible tells us that King Solomon of Israel was the wisest man in the world during his times of the Old Testament. 1 Kings 3:28 says that all of Israel “stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him.” 1 Kings 4:34 tells us that “people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.” One time even the Queen of Sheba traveled to Israel so that she could learn from Solomon’s wisdom.

Read 1 Kings 10:1-9

Devotional: Solomon was not just wise because of the books he read or the smart people around him. Solomon was wise because he believed wisdom ultimately comes from God. When he had the opportunity to ask God for anything, he asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3:9). He used that wisdom to lead his people. He also used that wisdom so that he could help other people look to God and be wise in their lives. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes share Solomon’s wisdom with us. They are given to us so that we too can look to God for the wisdom we need in life.

Read Proverbs 2:1-5

The book of Proverbs teaches about the importance of living with wisdom. It talks about choosing the right kinds of friends, speaking kind words to others, using your money to do good, and working hard. It also tells us how to be good children, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers. Making good decisions is what wisdom is all about. In Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes, we are taught about the best decision we can ever make — to put God first all the days of our lives. That is a wise decision everyone can make every day!

Read Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13-14

DISCUSSION: As you grow up, how can you grow in wisdom? What are some wise decisions you can make every day?

Prayer: Thank God for giving us the Bible to help us know how we should live and ask God to help you grow in wisdom.

A Heart for Worship

4/3/2017

Opening Conversation: What does it mean to worship? Why do we worship? What are some ways we worship God?

Introduction: David is most famous for defeating the giant Goliath when he was young and for becoming a great king over the nation of Israel. He was a brave warrior and a great leader. But there is something else about David that is more important than his courage and leadership — David was someone who loved to worship God. David wanted to build a permanent place in Israel where the nation could celebrate their special times of worship together. Even though David’s son Solomon would build the temple, David helped get everything ready for building it.

Read 1 Chronicles 22:1-5

Devotional: The book of Psalms is a collection of songs that Israelites would have sung during the times of the Old Testament. There are a total of 150 Psalms, and we are told that David wrote at least 55 of them! That tells us that David not only loved to worship but that he also loved to help others worship God too. The last Psalm that is said to be written by David is Psalm 145. That Psalm shows us just how much David loved God, loved worshipping God, and how much he wanted families to worship God together.

Read Psalm 145:1-4

The Psalms that David wrote show us that he was someone who wanted to worship God no matter how he was feeling. When he was sad, he worshipped God. When he was scared, he worshipped God. When he did something wrong, he worshipped God. When he was happy and thankful, he worshipped God. No matter what you have done and no matter how you are feeling, we can all be like David and worship God at all times. Of all the Psalms that David wrote, the most famous is Psalm 23. It shows that no matter where we go in life, we can follow God and worship Him.

Read Psalm 23

DISCUSSION: Why do you think David loved worshipping God so much? What is so special about worshipping God together as the church? Why is it important to be with your church family for worship? What are some of your favorite worship songs?

Song: Sing one or two of your (or your family's) favorite devotional songs.

Prayer: Thank God for giving you the opportunity to worship Him and for giving you a church family to worship with.

Special Friends

3/28/2017

Opening Conversation: What qualities make a good friend? How do they treat you? How do you treat them?

Introduction: The Bible tells us about many people who had very close friends. Jesus spent much of his time especially with Peter, James, and John. We are also told that Jesus enjoyed a special closeness with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. We are to be friendly with all people, but it is good to have friends that are especially close to us. The book of 1 Samuel tells of one such special friendship between David and his friend Jonathan. Jonathan was the son of King Saul. This makes his friendship with David all that more special.

Read 1 Samuel 18:1-4

Devotional: The Bible tells us that Jonathan loved David as himself. That is exactly how Jesus says we should treat everyone. When friends love one another as themselves, that means they are happy for each other when things go well. They also are sad for one another when things do not go well. They can trust each other, and they take care of each other. It also means that they are not jealous of one another. Because Jonathan was the son of the king, he could have been jealous of the fact that David had been selected by God to be the next king of Israel. Instead he was happy for David and even gave him his special robe, armor, sword, and bow.

Read 1 Samuel 19:1-2

Unfortunately, King Saul did not feel the same way about David as his son Jonathan did. In fact, there were times when Saul tried to kill David! But there was always someone looking out for him - his friend Jonathan. Even though Saul was his father, Jonathan knew that Saul was wrong to be jealous of David and to want him dead. The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 20 that Jonathan made a special plan so that David could run away from Saul. While Jonathan and David must have been very sad that they might not see one another again, they knew their friendship would never end.

Read 1 Samuel 20:41-42

DISCUSSION: Who are some special friends in your life? What are some ways that you can help take care of them? How should you feel when things go well for them? How can you be like Jonathan for your friends?

Prayer: Thank God for the friends he has given you. Ask Him to help you be a friend who loves others as yourself.

Dedicated to the Lord

3/21/2017

Opening Conversation: What are some things you and your family are currently praying about? What are some different ways God can answer our prayers? Does God always give us what we ask? Why not?

Introduction: During the time of Judges, there lived a good woman by the name of Hannah. She was married to Elkanah, but Elkanah had another wife named Peninnah. While God did not want men to have more than one wife, this is how many people lived in the Old Testament. Peninnah was able to have many children, but Hannah was not able to have any children. This made Hannah sad, especially because Peninnah often made fun of Hannah and was cruel to her.

Read 1 Samuel 1:9-11

Devotional: Even though Hannah was sad that she had no children, she continued to trust God. In her deep sadness one day, she prayed to God and asked that He might give her a son. She also told God that if she ever had a son, then she would dedicate him to serving the Lord. Hannah would give birth to a son. She named him Samuel.

Hannah never forgot the promise that she made to God. When Samuel was still a young boy, she presented him to the priest Eli so that Samuel could grow up and serve in Israel’s special place of worship.

Read 1 Samuel 1:26-28 & 1 Samuel 2:26

As Samuel grows up, he learns more about God, how to serve Him, and how to treat other people. The statement made about Samuel in 1 Samuel 2:26 is also made about Jesus when He was a boy in Luke 2:52. Samuel would grow up to be a very important person for the people of Israel. He would be the one to lead Israel from the time of judges to the time of kings, and he continued to serve during the reign of Saul, Israel’s first king. When Saul showed himself to be an ungodly leader, God called upon Samuel to anoint a leader with God’s heart - David.

Samuel’s life was one of faithful service to the Lord. It all started by having a mother named Hannah who loved the Lord, who loved her son, and wanted more than anything else for her son to serve the Lord.

DISCUSSION: What are some ways we can serve God even when we are young? If Hannah had never been able to have a child, do you think she would have still followed God?

Prayer: Thank God for hearing your prayers. Ask Him to use you to serve others.

Your God & My God

3/14/2017

Opening Conversation: Talk with your children about how some people have a different belief in God or how some people do not believe in God at all. How should we treat such people?

Introduction: The book of Ruth takes place during the time of Judges. This was a very bad time for the Israelites. Many people were doing sinful things, including worshipping idols and gods who weren’t really God. Because of this, life was hard for the Israelites. During one hard time, Israel was experiencing a famine, a time when there was not enough food for everyone. That led some Israelites to move to other areas. One family of a father, mother, and two sons moved to Moab. Their names were Elimelech, Naomi, Mahlon, and Chilion.

Read Ruth 1:1-5

Devotional: Naomi’s husband Elimelech died, and then her two sons died. Only she and her two daughters-in-law remained. After the famine in Israel ended, it was time for her to move back home. She told her daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth to stay in their homeland of Moab and find new husbands for themselves. That is what Orpah decided to do. Ruth, however, was not going to leave Naomi.

Read Ruth 1:16-17

It is obvious that Naomi had a great influence on the woman Ruth had become. Even though Ruth had come from a place that believed in a different god other than the God, she now believed in the true God just like Naomi. God has always wanted for his people to tell others about Him so that they too can come to know Him.

Read Ruth 4:14-17

After Ruth moves back with Naomi, she meets a kind man named Boaz. Boaz helped take care of Ruth and Naomi by providing food for them. Eventually, Ruth and Boaz get married and have a son named Obed. Obed is raised as though Naomi is his grandmother. The amazing thing about Ruth’s life is that she will eventually become the great-grandmother of King David. That also means that Ruth is now one of the ancestors of Jesus! Ruth is a special woman in the Bible, but we would probably never know about her had Naomi not been such a good example for Ruth.

DISCUSSION: What are some ways we can talk to others about God?

Prayer: In your prayer, thank God for being a God of all people. Ask him to help show you ways to talk to others about Him.

I Will Be with You

3/6/2017

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 or for conversations among families. We hope this 8th devotional of the series blesses you. Please check our archives for previous devotionals and other articles.

Opening Conversation: Describe a time when you felt all alone or when you felt like no one was with you. How did that feel? Were you scared? Were you sad? Were you angry? Can you name any Bible characters who felt like they were all alone?

Introduction: In the times of the book of Judges, many of the Israelites lived in sin and were not sorry for it. In fact, the book ends with these words in Judges 21:25: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Doing what is right in your own eyes often leads you to doing wrong because you don’t think about what is right in God’s eyes. When things would get so bad in Judges, God would save them through a special leader called a judge. One of them was named Gideon.

Read Judges 6:12-13

Devotional: God called Gideon to lead Israel during one of its worst times. Through an angel, God first said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you.” Gideon had a hard time believing that because so many bad things had happened in Israel. Do you ever wonder if God is with you? If so, why?

Read Judges 6:14-16

As Gideon thought about how God expected him to lead Israel, all he could think about was his weaknesses. His family was not very important in Israel, and he was the youngest of his brothers and sisters. Surely God did not want someone like Gideon leading Israel, right? Instead of looking at his weakness, God wanted Gideon to know one thing - “I will be with you.” God proved to Gideon that He was with him in Judges 7. First, God had Gideon get rid of all of his army except for 300 soldiers. Then God gave special instructions for battle in which the soldiers’ weapons would be trumpets, jars, and torches.

Read Judges 7:19-23

God gave Gideon instructions for battle that no person would have ever thought of, and it worked! In the same way, God gives us instructions today through his Word. Just as God was with Gideon when he obeyed God, God will be with us when we obey Him.

DISCUSSION: When you feel alone, how can you know God is with you?

Prayer: In your prayer, thank God for always being with you and watching over you. Ask for His help to be brave in doing what is right.

When the Sun Stood Still

2/28/2017

Beginning Activity: On whatever day you do your devotional, help your children look up the times of that day’s sunrise and sunset. Use this to talk about how God make the earth to rotate/spin every 24 hours while it also goes around the sun every 365 days. Express to them how beautiful and amazing God’s creation is that each day can be a little different from the next.

Read Deuteronomy 34:9-12

Background: The great leader Moses dies at the end of Deuteronomy. Israel will now be led by Joshua, another great man who had served as Moses’ assistant throughout the Wilderness. It was Joshua - along with Caleb - who told the Israelites in Numbers 13 that God would help them take the land of Canaan and defeat all of God’s enemies there. Now it is up to Joshua, Caleb, and the next generation of Israelites to enter Canaan and battle those enemies. The book of Joshua records many of the battles.

Devotional: In the times of Joshua, there was one day and one battle that was unlike any other. It took place while Joshua and the Israelites were warring against a group of God’s enemies known as the Amorites.

Read Joshua 10:12-14

We do not know exactly how God accomplished this great miracle, but it was obviously a special day for the Israelites. Time after time after time, God worked in special ways to make sure that Israel defeated people who appeared to be stronger than them. Moses promised as much to Joshua.

Read Deuteronomy 31:7-8

Because Joshua and the people of Israel trusted God’s promises and obeyed His word, they were able to enter Canaan and enjoy life in their new home.

DISCUSSION: What are some ways God can help us fight our battles today? Possible answers: We keep God’s word in our hearts and run away from sin when we are tempted. We pray and ask God for His help and direction.

Prayer: In your prayer, ask God to help you fight against sin and to lead you to make choices that allow you to enjoy life as He designed it.

We Are Like Grasshoppers!

2/21/2017

Beginning Discussion: Was there ever a time when you felt like you were too small in size or too small in number to do the right thing? Why is it sometimes hard to say or do the right thing when it seems like everyone is against you?

Devotional: In less than two years, the Israelites had traveled from Egypt and were now close to entering Canaan - the land God had always promised to give them. Before the Israelites could live in Canaan, they would need to go to battle against the Canaanites. So Moses chose twelve spies - one from each of the tribes - to check out the enemies. After forty days of spying out Canaan, the twelve men returned to Moses and all of Israel to give their report.

Read Numbers 13:25-33

Even though God had promised Israel that He would give them the land of Canaan, the size and strength of the Canaanites made ten of the spies afraid. They were so afraid that they told the Israelites “we are not able to go up against the people” (Numbers 13:31). They even said that the Canaanites were so big that they felt like grasshoppers. These ten spies had already forgotten God’s promises and all the good things He had already done for them. Two of the spies, however, trusted in God and his promises.

Read Numbers 14:6-9

Out of twelve spies, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who had faith that God would do what He promised. Sadly, the people of Israel listened to the other ten spies instead of believing Joshua and Caleb. Joshua and Caleb did not allow the attitudes of everyone else to change their faith in God. As a result, Joshua and Caleb were the only two people their age to get to go into the Promised Land nearly forty years later. God rewarded their faith, even though they were outnumbered. God still rewards our faith in Him today.

DISCUSSION: How can you be like Joshua and Caleb and make good decisions even when many other people might make bad decisions?

Prayer: In your prayer, ask God to give you courage to make right choices and to always put your faith in His word, regardless of who agrees with you.

Laws to Live By

2/13/2017

Beginning Discussion: What are some rules for driving on the road? Why are there laws against doing certain things on the road?

Devotional: After the children of Israel escape from the Egyptians, they continue on their journey to the land God always promised them - Canaan. They sometimes took breaks on their travels and set up their tents. They only traveled when God’s presence - a cloud by day and a fire by night - led them. When it moved, they moved. When it stopped, they stopped. After a few months of traveling, they came to a mountain in the wilderness of Sinai.

Read Exodus 19:1-6

When Moses gets to the top of Mount Sinai, God gives him a set of laws for the Israelites to live by. These commands are not just for them, but they are to be told to their children, their grandchildren, and every Israelite that comes after them. They are called “The Ten Commandments,” and they gave the Israelites instructions for how they were to live for God and how they were to treat one another.

Read Matthew 22:35-40

When Jesus was on earth, He said people could fulfill the Ten Commandments by living out the two commands of loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. These two commands help everyone to live the kind of lives that God has designed for us. Just like the rules for driving, God’s rules for living are to give us the best life of all.

DISCUSSION: What does it mean to love God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind? What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? Are there ever times when following these commands is not easy?

Prayer: In your prayer, thank God for giving us His laws so that we can enjoy the best life possible and ask for His help as we seek to love Him and love everyone around us.