The family who is ONE

More than anything, Jesus wanted his disciples to be one - united.  He has this same dream for the rest of us as well.  The cool thing is…when we are one we reflect Jesus through our relationships so the world will know that we follow Him.

The greatest example a family can be for those around them is one.  When a family loves each other, serves each other, cares for each other’s needs the rest of the world will take notice.  

John 17:20-24 (NLT)

20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

If you want to know how to be one as a family, look no further than Jesus’ 8 Beatitudes:

Matthew 5:3-10 (NLT)

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble,  for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,  for they will be satisfied.  7 God blesses those who are merciful,  for they will be shown mercy.  8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

When you take on the kind of personality described in Matthew 5 it makes it easier for you to become one as a family.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why do we want to be one as a family?
2. What is a ‘beatitude’?
3. How can we apply this as a family to our neighbors?

Don’t worry - be happy by praying and focusing on God

Who do we turn to in times of trouble? I know for me I used to turn to the person I experienced on a physical level, whether that be my parents, brother, sister, or friend. When we are stressed out it is easy to turn to people or things of this world for comfort and guidance. But Paul is pushing us to a much better, and in fact, much healthier response when we are stressed out.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Paul is encouraging us to run to God, let God know what is going on with our lives. When we pray, we reach out our hands to the Almighty in trust and reverence. The best part of us reaching out is that God takes our hand and comforts us - and he does it far better than anyone on this earth could ever do.

When our eyes are fixed on God it just becomes easier, and fellowship with Him gives us the wisdom and certainty to know how to move forward in a way that is pleasing to God, others, and even ourselves.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do you pray?
2. What do I do if God doesn’t answer my prayer right away?

Who loves Jesus? A family devotional

John 14:21 “The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”

Who loves Jesus?  One of my family’s favorite, yet weird,  thing to do with each other is to scream out at the top of our lungs, “Who loves Mommy?”  Then everyone screams in unison, “I do!”  Then we go to the next member of the family, “Who loves Cole?” and everyone answers, “I do!”  This goes on till everyone in the family has been named and yelled for.

This fun display of love reminds me of John 14:21.  The important thing to know about this verse is that our love for Jesus is not just about saying how much we love him, it is also about showing our love through following his instructions.  It is not enough to say we love Jesus, we have to show it through obeying his commandments.  I like to simplify his commandments for my family by teaching that we are to love God, others, and ourselves.

When we know and keep God’s commandments, Jesus will be a very real and spiritual presence in our lives.

Possible questions for discussion:

1. What are God’s commandments?
2. Would Jesus ever leave me for not obeying?

Live long and prosper - a family devotional

Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. “Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.” Ephesians 6:1-3

Obey thy father and mother, thus sayeth the Lord! Yeah, right. We certainly don’t feel like obeying our parents all the time. For instance, my dad once told me (this is a totally true story) that I had to ride my dirt bike (a sweet Honda CRX 80) over this major drop-off in the deserts of Arizona. I was maybe 11-years old at the time and just couldn’t get up the nerve to ride over a 12-foot cliff! Who knew that an 11-year old would freak out about riding his dirt bike over the edge of a cliff?

Anyway, my dad tried bribing me, coercing me, and finally, when neither of those healthy parenting strategies worked, he resorted to threatening me. That’s right, my dad threatened punishment if I didn’t ride over the edge so he and my older brother could keep on going with their afternoon ride. Out of total bitterness I gunned my engine and shot off over the edge. I hit that edge at full throttle and literally flew through the air and then lost my grip on the bike. Me, the bike, and the birds flying near by flew down the side of the canyon wall and landed in a heap at the bottom with the bike revving its engine and pulling doughnuts on my legs.

Believe it or not, this is not a lesson about disobeying your parents. God tells all followers of Christ to obey their parents, and in fact, this command even comes with a promise. Things will go well for you if you listen to your parents and honor them with your attitude. You will live a long and successful life when you honor your mother and father. My dad’s intention was not that I would hurt myself that afternoon. In fact, if I had actually listened and obeyed, instead of being stubborn, I would have heard him trying to tell me how to make my way down safely.

CHECK IT

1. How can you better obey your parents?
2. Is there something you need to apologize for with a parent? Go and ask forgiveness from that parent.
3. When has listening to your parent ever helped you in life?

Let it Be

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.” Luke 6:27-30

Every body sing that famous Beatles song with me, “Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.” You’ve probably heard the term “tough love”, and it more than likely came right before you got whacked by your parent, or grounded, or punished in some creative (yet terrifying) way. I’m not talking about that kind of tough love.

Tough love is when a friend spreads a vicious rumor about you and instead of spreading a nasty rumor of your own, you forgive that friend. Tough love is when some punk takes a punch at you, and instead of fighting back and smack’n him in to tomorrow, you get up and walk away from the fight because you are better than a punch.

Want to be radical? Want to throw “The Volt” (Made famous by Moto X rider Kyle Loza. Loza hits the ramp at full speed on his motorcycle and then he literally lets go of the bike and takes a full vertical 360 spin and grabs back on before falling to his death!) in someone’s face? Then do what very few people ever try to do, instead of allowing someone who’s hurt you to bring the worst of you out, let it bring the best. In fact, do to that kid what you wished he would have done to you. The Golden Rule. Too many kids out there think it’s “weak” to back down and do the right thing, but Christ said that it is not only the best thing to do, but only the truly strong can even pull it off.

CHECK IT

1. Who’s been bothering you lately?  What can you do for them that they aren’t doing for you?
2. Pray for someone right now that has hurt you in the past week.
3. How could you be a servant this week for Christ?

The opposite of smack down

“Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Have you ever just wanted to smack somebody? Like John Cena, just pick them up and toss them through the air and then finish them off with a sweet submission move? Parents, friends, and teachers have all hurt you in some way or another. I’ve been hurt, and I’ve wanted to use WWE moves, but then I remembered that I didn’t have the strength nor the flexibility to pull it off properly. I would just end up hurting myself and the perp would walk free, probably laughing at me as he stomped on my stomach.

Our natural reaction to getting hurt is to fight back, to hurt back. It feels like the “right” thing to do at the time, but usually, if we gave in to the feelings, it doesn’t normally feel too good. That is why Christ is so incredible. He knows a whole bunch of stuff that we don’t, like for example, when we are really mad at someone we should turn the other cheek – or like the verse says – be gentle and sensitive to forgive others.

If you want your life to be like Christ, then you have to learn how to forgive instead of fight. To be sensitive to other’s feelings and needs so that you can be a true friend to someone who is hurting. But most importantly, you will want to learn to forgive those who hurt you because that is what Christ did for us. We didn’t deserve forgiveness, that is what is so cool about Christ forgiving us – we didn’t earn it but he gave it to us anyway. You can be like Christ when you choose to forgive someone, maybe even when they don’t deserve it.

CHECK IT

1. Who do you need to forgive in your family or circle of friends?
2. How can you be more sensitive to someone at school (i.e. maybe someone who needs a friend)?
3. What does it mean that Christ forgave you?

Unlimited Strength

Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size - abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. – 2 Corinthians 12:10

You got something…everybody’s got something like broken bones, mean parents, teachers who get jazzed by handing out a ton of homework (and on a holiday weekend no less). Some of you really got something, maybe even something you’ve never talked to anyone about. The reality is that no matter how hurt or weak we become, a Christ-follower can count on the power and strength of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to pull us through the tough times.

The apostle Paul new this more than anyone; he got beaten, accused, harassed, and just plain whipped for following Christ. But he learned, just like you can learn, that when he was the most tired, the most beat up, the most teased, Christ came and took over and turned those bad things in to strength of character, perseverance, and one of the most influential writers of all time. At our weakest, Christ is the strongest.

It’s a paradox – it doesn’t make sense. How can our weakness through painful events in our lives actually help us to be our strongest? It’s easy. When you know Christ, and have a personal relationship with him, then at your weakest moments you will reach out to Jesus and he will give you strength. That’s when Christ pours his grace into your life, because you’ve gone beyond yourself and trusted Christ to work on your problems…and he will work on them. He works on them by giving you the courage and the power – divine power – to overcome anything that comes your way.

CHECK IT

1. What’s the worst thing that has happened to you? How can you give that over to Christ?
2. What weakness (like maybe a physical problem) or hurt in your life has Christ used for something good?
3. What does it mean to let Christ take it over?

Living a worry free life

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

What’s got you stressed out?  School?  Girls?  Boys? You just figured out that Moby is in fact a rock group and not a whale?  Here’s the deal, no matter what’s got you down, the Bible says, “forget about it” (thick New York accent please).  When you are a Christ follower, the Bible tells us that we should put our worries in to prayers, letting God be the one who takes care of whatever we are struggling with.  Sound ridiculously easy doesn’t it, “just let it go man”.  It is difficult to let go of things that worry us, but when we train our minds to simply obey God’s word, things really do change.

The best way to get farther away from trouble and closer to God is to pray without pause.  Every time you feel stressed out, let that be a moment you reach out for the God who actually cares about how you are feeling.  But don’t concentrate in your prayers on what is broken and messed up, rather rethink your prayers into praises letting God know that you know who is in control of your life.  Instead of praying about your stress, ask God of peace.  Instead of praying about fear, ask God for strength.  Turn your negatives in to positive when praying to God.

The big question:

1. What is bothering you right now?  How can you reword that in to a positive for God?
2. How can you be an encouragement to someone else today?
3. When’s the last time you prayed, and it wasn’t a meal-time?  Pray right now and let God know you are listening.

There are treasures in trials

When was the last time something bad happened to you?  Everyone can answer this question, sadly, it is the result of a broken world.  Bad things happen to bad people and good people alike, it does not separate the two.  What are we to do when something bad happens, when we are stressed out, when we are needing to forgive?

The apostle Paul in Philippians gives us a good answer:

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. 8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
(Philippians 4:6-9 MSG)

God wants us to thank Him in every circumstance.  What a paradigm shift for most of us!  When we feel the worst we are suppose to thank God?  It doesn’t seem logical, then again, many of God’s ideas don’t seem logical to my pea-sized brain - which is why I have faith and trust in God’s word.

My father recently wrote (for a new book he’s working on), “I have discovered that it’s impossible to hold worry, fear and stressful thoughts while at the same time trying to express gratefulness.  Worry is like darkness and gratefulness is the switch that turns on God’s light of peace within us.”

What are the “pearls” that accompany trials?  I believe the first pearls we can experience when meditating and focusing on what Philippians 4:6-9 are the pearls of peace: “Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Paul tells us how wonderful it is when we “sense God’s wholeness”.  You must admit, during the darker times of your life, when you followed Paul’s wisdom and experienced what he is writing about, it felt good.  Once we get our attitude aligned with Philippians 4:6-9, not only will we experience God’s wholeness, but a literal good will come of the trial.

What I mean by this, is that when bad things have happened to me in my life, usually God will allow me to help someone in the very same predicament (or at least extremely close).  I gain wisdom, strength, and endurance when I go through a trial with grace (like Philippians).  What better pearls are there than wisdom, strength, and endurance?

Possible Questions:

1. Why do bad things happen to good people?
2. How can we meditate on scripture?
3.  What are the eight things we are to meditate on? (hint, the words are in bold up above in the verses)

Family Devotional: Listening to God’s voice: the gift of the Holy Spirit

What happens when we listen to God’s voice? More importantly, how do we listen to God’s voice and who is talking to us? When Christ died on the cross and then defeated death on the third day and rose again, he not only conquered death, but he also gave us an incredible gift - the Holy Spirit when he said, “The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: ‘Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.’ Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ he said.” (John 20: 20-23 MSG)

I often try and help my kids understand that the Holy Spirit is our “gut feeling” about things we should and shouldn’t do in life. Those moments of “conviction”. The Holy Spirit is much more, but this aspect of the Holy Spirit is something I want my children to understand and to set free in their own lives…to receive! What a gift our children would have but to receive the prompting and guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives!

“When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.” John 16:8 MSG

The Devotional

26 Later God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” 27 He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. 28 He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Climb into the chariot.” 30 Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 31 He answered, “How can I without some help?” and invited Philip into the chariot with him. 32 The passage he was reading was this: As a sheep led to slaughter, and quiet as a lamb being sheared, He was silent, saying nothing. 33 He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial. But who now can count his kin since he’s been taken from the earth? 34 The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” 35 Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him. 36 As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, “Here’s water. Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn’t mind. He had what he’d come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be. Acts 8:26-39

What happened when Philip listened to the prompting in his life? Did he obey? God will speak to you through the Holy Spirit and will prompt you to action, what will you do when those times come in your life? Will you listen like Philip?

All I can say is that when we listen to God’s will for our lives, things go well, they are not always easy, but they always work for our best, that is a promise. I have too many examples in my own life to share, and this would be a great time to share with your children a time when God spoke to you and you listened.

For Philip, his prompting lead to one of the most important transformations imaginable for someone, the acceptance of Christ! Many times that is exactly what God is asking of us, and if we ignore His prompting, we might be denying someone the chance to experience the healing and saving grace of a relationship with Christ.

Possible Questions:

1. What is a Eunuch? (so be prepared and more information here.)
2. How do I accept Christ?
3. Will the Holy Spirit make a real audible sound?
4. What if I don’t ever “hear” the Holy Spirit’s prompting?

If your child is concerned about #4, no worries, all you have to do is pray with your child and ask for that special gift. Something like, “Lord, help us hear your prompting in our life. Help me hear the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my life and be open to your will in everything I do.”

Loving each other as if our lives depended on it: a family devotional

What do you do when a family member really hurts you? How are you suppose to respond? In fact, what is the most effective response to ensure your family member will hopefully change?

Loving each other as if our lives depended on it is the most important family theory you will develop for your children. Love truly does conquer all. When someone (especially a family member) hurts you, the most powerful response we can give is to respond in love. It practically guarantees that the family member will be forced into taking a hard look in the mirror and ultimately making a change for the good of the relationship.

The devotional:

Read 1 Peter 2: 8-14

8 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. 9 That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless - that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. 10 Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here’s what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; 11 Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth. 12 God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he’s asked; But he turns his back on those who do evil things. 13 If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? 14 Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. (New Living Translation)

Notice that in verse 9 it says our job is to bless, pretty clear of what we’re to do with people who treat us poorly, but there is also really good news on what happens if we choose to bless those who hurt us…it says that we will also be blessed. But the question is who will bless us? Is it the person who offended us? Possibly, and we certainly create an environment for that to happen. But as you find out in verse 12, it turns out that God is the one who is extremely happy with us! When we love our family (and others) regardless of how they treat us, we are putting a huge smile on God’s face God notices and promises to respond to our actions!

The verse I’d like us to memorize from this study is 1 Peter 4:8

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. (The Message)

Possible family questions:

• How has mommy or daddy not been very nice to you? (this is a great way to model the behavior you want from your children)
• What does it mean to be humble, not to retaliate, and no sarcasm?
• How can we “snub” evil as a family?
• How can we “run” after peace as a family?

Being like “Old Camel Knees”: becoming a family of prayer

You might not know this, but the man who wrote the epistle James, was often called by his friends “Old Camel Knees” because of the thick calluses built up on his knees from all the prayer he did throughout his life.

James is my favorite book in the bible because of its simplicity and straightforward advice. But when I found out this possible nickname for the author, I couldn’t believe it! What a great name and legacy!

Go to Luke 18:1-8

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who was a godless man with great contempt for everyone. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, appealing for justice against someone who had harmed her. 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she wore him out. ‘I fear neither God nor man,’ he said to himself, 5 ‘but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” 6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this evil judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?” (New Living Testament)

The devotional:

We want to become a family of prayer, and like the verses we just read, Jesus tells us that if we keep coming, God will answer our prayers. But sometimes we want God to work on our timing so we can get impatient. So here is how we might want to pray as a family: “God…thank you for what we are going through…here is what we are asking for…but ultimately we want this done accordingly to Your will and not ours…Amen.”

Remember, it’s OK to ask God for what we want, but we must always remember to include in our prayers that we are willing to accept what God believes to be best for us, because it might be different than what we are thinking; and isn’t what God wants what we really want?

Possible family questions

1. Why does God answer some prayers and not others?
   This is never a fun question to get from a child, and I hope you don’t get asked this one (just kidding). But I always find it useful in reminding my kids that it’s not about answered versus unanswered but about timing, and who’s to say they haven’t been answered yet? We don’t know God’s plan, and like the verse above, our job is to keep asking, if that is where our heart is.
2. How many times do we have to pray each week?
   Don’t make this a ritualistic and painful experience for your children. Figure out what is going to be realistic for your family and be flexible in that plan. You don’t want your children hating prayer by the time they leave your home. The greatest plan is always to model the behavior you want to encourage in them anyways .
3. What’s a camel and does it really have knees?
   Had to ask this one, because there’s always on smart-mouthed kid out there, and don’t worry about that one, just move ahead with the devo and what ever you do, don’t engage with the child.
4. Can God hear me when I pray?
5. Does God care about my prayer?

A Christmas devotional: The reason we give gifts

Sometimes the best devotional can be a reframe of something very special, and in this case, we are helping our children (re)understand why we give each other gifts on Christmas. Go to Ephesians 2:8 (I will include it here using the New Living Translation as well as The Message):

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. (NLT)

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! (The Message)

The Devotional:

The reason we give gifts on Christmas is because God gave us the greatest gift of all, salvation through the birth of baby Jesus. Salvation means that we get to spend eternity with God, in Heaven, and we celebrate this gift of salvation on Christmas by giving each other gifts, to remind each other of the gift (of salvation) that God gave to us through Jesus.

Possible family questions:

1. What are some other good verses on salvation? (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8)
2. What is another way we could remind ourselves today about how thankful we are that Christ died for us?
3. What kind of gift could we give Jesus today for His birthday?
4. What would Jesus most want from us on his birthday?