Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever gotten caught telling a lie? How did you feel when you told the lie? How did you feel when you got caught?
Lying might seem like a good idea at the time you do it, but truth is always better. You see, the problem with lying is that once you tell one lie, a lot of times you have to tell more lies to cover up the first lie. After a while, you have so many lies that you can get confused and not even know what the truth is. Lying hurts others, and it doesn't make the person who lies feel all that great either.
Can you think of a way that telling a lie can hurt someone else? The Bible tells us that God is a God of truth. In the New King James translation of the Bible, Deuteronomy 32:4 says "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He."
The past couple of days, we've talked about how God is unchanging and unmoveable -- like a rock. Today, we're learning that God is truth. That means He can't ever tell a lie. If God says it, then it has to be true. All of the promises in the Bible are true. When God said He loves you, He's not telling a lie. He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you.
The stories about Jesus in the Bible aren't just made-up stories. They're true. We know that because God is a God of truth. When Jesus told us He is the only way to an everlasting relationship with God, it's true. God can't tell a lie.
It's important to be able to decide whether or not something is true. If we base our decisions about what is and is not true on God's truth, then we will be able to choose truth in every circumstance. The more we know about God and God's word, the easier it becomes for us to decide if something is true.
For example, let's play a little game. Have everyone in your family come up with two statements about themselves that are true, and one that is not. One at a time, tell your statements to the rest of the family and have them choose which statement is false.
How did you do? Were you able to pick out the false statements? How did you make those decisions? You probably based your decisions on what you knew about the person talking, right? The same thing is true when we're faced with a tough decision at school.
Say one of your friends says to you that it's ok to steal some candy off the teacher's desk because no one will ever know. It sounds good, right? If no one will ever find out, then what's the problem? If you know what God has to say about the subject, then you know that your friend's idea is a bad one. It's based in a lie. God says stealing is wrong -- no matter if anyone else knows about it or not. Knowing God and what He thinks about things helps you find the truth in a situation.
On your thankfulness tree leaves today, write down ways that you are thankful that God is a God of truth. It could be that knowing God is truth gives you a way to know right from wrong. Or it could be that knowing God is a God of truth gives us confidence to trust what God says. You can even be thankful that God's promises always happen. Hang your leaves on your tree.
Pray together as a family, thanking God for being a God of truth.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Everlasting God
Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
Nothing lasts forever. Toys break. Clothes wear out. Food spoils. Even a terrible day eventually comes to an end. We throw things away every day that have come to the end of their useful lives, whether it be a cereal box or a car we take to the junkyard because it doesn't run anymore. We know it's a fact that things simply don't last forever.
But God is everlasting. He spoke the world into being, and He will still be around even after our world ends. Isaiah 40:28 tell us "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." God never runs out of time or patience. He never gets tired or doesn't understand something. He is everlasting God. The amount of time we have to live our lives is simply the blink of an eye to God.
Did you know that the longest hitting streak in baseball is 56 games? Joe DiMaggio got at least a base hit in 56 straight games in 1941. It was almost 60 years ago that Joe DiMaggio set that record. No one has ever done it since, and some people think no one will ever break that record.
The fact that Joe DiMaggio's record still stands tells us just how hard it is to consistently hit a baseball in a game. He had to do exactly the right thing at exactly the right time to keep hitting the ball. Because he was human, Joe DiMaggio's streak came to an end at 56 games. Even though 56 games seems like a long time, it's less than half the baseball season.
God is everlasting, but He never changes. If he were a baseball player, he wouldn't just get a base hit in a few consecutive games, He would hit a home run every time He came up to bat all season long. God is the same today as He was on the day He created the heavens and the earth. He will still be the same hundreds of years from now. He is everlasting, and He never changes.
When I was a kid, we used to get hard candy called Everlasting Gobstoppers. Give everyone in the family a gobstopper or a piece of hard candy. While you eat your "everlasting" candy, talk about how it makes you feel to know that God is everlasting. Unlike your candy, He's not going to suddenly disappear tomorrow. And unlike a real gobstopper that changes color and flavor as you eat it, God is not going to change. How does knowing that God is forever and He is unchanging make you grateful to Him?
On your leaves today, write down things you know about God that you are thankful never change. You could be thankful that God will always love you -- forever. You can be thankful that God sent Jesus to save us, and He's not suddenly going to change His mind and decide that there's another way to have a relationship with Him. Any quality that God has that's unchanging, you can write on your leaves. Hang them on your thankfulness tree.
Pray together as a family, thanking God that He is everlasting and unchanging.
Keep a bowl of gobstoppers or hard candy in a prominent place this week to remind your family of God's everlasting nature. Every time someone takes a piece of the candy, have them say Isaiah 40:28 as this week's Memory Monday verse along with one reason they are thankful that God is everlasting.
Nothing lasts forever. Toys break. Clothes wear out. Food spoils. Even a terrible day eventually comes to an end. We throw things away every day that have come to the end of their useful lives, whether it be a cereal box or a car we take to the junkyard because it doesn't run anymore. We know it's a fact that things simply don't last forever.
But God is everlasting. He spoke the world into being, and He will still be around even after our world ends. Isaiah 40:28 tell us "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." God never runs out of time or patience. He never gets tired or doesn't understand something. He is everlasting God. The amount of time we have to live our lives is simply the blink of an eye to God.
Did you know that the longest hitting streak in baseball is 56 games? Joe DiMaggio got at least a base hit in 56 straight games in 1941. It was almost 60 years ago that Joe DiMaggio set that record. No one has ever done it since, and some people think no one will ever break that record.
The fact that Joe DiMaggio's record still stands tells us just how hard it is to consistently hit a baseball in a game. He had to do exactly the right thing at exactly the right time to keep hitting the ball. Because he was human, Joe DiMaggio's streak came to an end at 56 games. Even though 56 games seems like a long time, it's less than half the baseball season.
God is everlasting, but He never changes. If he were a baseball player, he wouldn't just get a base hit in a few consecutive games, He would hit a home run every time He came up to bat all season long. God is the same today as He was on the day He created the heavens and the earth. He will still be the same hundreds of years from now. He is everlasting, and He never changes.
When I was a kid, we used to get hard candy called Everlasting Gobstoppers. Give everyone in the family a gobstopper or a piece of hard candy. While you eat your "everlasting" candy, talk about how it makes you feel to know that God is everlasting. Unlike your candy, He's not going to suddenly disappear tomorrow. And unlike a real gobstopper that changes color and flavor as you eat it, God is not going to change. How does knowing that God is forever and He is unchanging make you grateful to Him?
On your leaves today, write down things you know about God that you are thankful never change. You could be thankful that God will always love you -- forever. You can be thankful that God sent Jesus to save us, and He's not suddenly going to change His mind and decide that there's another way to have a relationship with Him. Any quality that God has that's unchanging, you can write on your leaves. Hang them on your thankfulness tree.
Pray together as a family, thanking God that He is everlasting and unchanging.
Keep a bowl of gobstoppers or hard candy in a prominent place this week to remind your family of God's everlasting nature. Every time someone takes a piece of the candy, have them say Isaiah 40:28 as this week's Memory Monday verse along with one reason they are thankful that God is everlasting.
Friday, November 5, 2010
God the Rock
Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
Before you start today's devotional, go outside and find a big rock. Bring it in and put it in the center of the place where you have your family devotional.
Look at the rock. Have each member of your family describe the rock. Think about all the things you could do with the rock. Pick it up. Is it heavy? Is it pretty? Does it have a particular shape?
Isaiah 30:29 describes God as a rock. It says "And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up
to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel." When you first think about it, I'm not sure I would want people to describe me as a rock. I mean, who wants to be a big, heavy, sometimes ugly chunk?
But, take another look at your rock. How easy do you think it would be to chop that rock in half or to make it move? Do you think you could break the rock? Those are the qualities that Isaiah was describing about God when he called God a rock.
God is like a rock in that He doesn't change, and He doesn't move. It takes a long time for wind and weather to wear away a rock. Like the rock, God doesn't change. He is the same God today that He was when He created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. His character hasn't changed.
God is also always there. Rocks aren't here one day and gone tomorrow. They stand for eons. The largest rock in the world is Ayers Rock in Australia. It is a huge mountain of a rock that rises up in the middle of the Outback. Ayers Rock has been there for all of recorded history and doesn't look to be going anywhere soon. Like Ayers Rock, God isn't going anywhere. He's the creator of the world, and He has promised to always be there. Matthew 28:20 tells us "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
God is our rock. We can live our lives based on His promises. We can know that He never changes and that He will always be there for us.
Take a Sharpie marker and write on your rock the ways that God is like a rock. Then leave the rock somewhere where everyone can see it to remind you to be thankful that God is your rock.
Grab your leaves for your thankfulness tree and write on them ways that you are thankful for God being a rock. It could be that He never changes or it could be that you are thankful for a specific time when you know that He was there. You could be thankful for specific promises God has given because if He's a rock, then those promises are solid. Hang your leaves on your tree.
Pray together, thanking God for his Rock-like qualities. Give everyone an opportunity to pray and thank God for being a Rock in their lives.
Before you start today's devotional, go outside and find a big rock. Bring it in and put it in the center of the place where you have your family devotional.
Look at the rock. Have each member of your family describe the rock. Think about all the things you could do with the rock. Pick it up. Is it heavy? Is it pretty? Does it have a particular shape?
Isaiah 30:29 describes God as a rock. It says "And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up
to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel." When you first think about it, I'm not sure I would want people to describe me as a rock. I mean, who wants to be a big, heavy, sometimes ugly chunk?
But, take another look at your rock. How easy do you think it would be to chop that rock in half or to make it move? Do you think you could break the rock? Those are the qualities that Isaiah was describing about God when he called God a rock.
God is like a rock in that He doesn't change, and He doesn't move. It takes a long time for wind and weather to wear away a rock. Like the rock, God doesn't change. He is the same God today that He was when He created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. His character hasn't changed.
God is also always there. Rocks aren't here one day and gone tomorrow. They stand for eons. The largest rock in the world is Ayers Rock in Australia. It is a huge mountain of a rock that rises up in the middle of the Outback. Ayers Rock has been there for all of recorded history and doesn't look to be going anywhere soon. Like Ayers Rock, God isn't going anywhere. He's the creator of the world, and He has promised to always be there. Matthew 28:20 tells us "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
God is our rock. We can live our lives based on His promises. We can know that He never changes and that He will always be there for us.
Take a Sharpie marker and write on your rock the ways that God is like a rock. Then leave the rock somewhere where everyone can see it to remind you to be thankful that God is your rock.
Grab your leaves for your thankfulness tree and write on them ways that you are thankful for God being a rock. It could be that He never changes or it could be that you are thankful for a specific time when you know that He was there. You could be thankful for specific promises God has given because if He's a rock, then those promises are solid. Hang your leaves on your tree.
Pray together, thanking God for his Rock-like qualities. Give everyone an opportunity to pray and thank God for being a Rock in their lives.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
God the Shepherd
Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
Did you know you're a sheep? I hate to tell you this, but sheep aren't the smartest animals on the planet. Without a shepherd to guide them and protect them, sheep would find themselves in a whole bunch of trouble. Sheep have no natural defenses. If something shows up and wants to eat them, it's going to have a tasty meal unless there's a shepherd to scare it off.
Psalm 23 tells us that God is our shepherd. It says "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." God, like the shepherd, takes care of all of our physical needs, and He protects and comforts us.
Have you ever seen a shepherd's rod? It's a long stick with a hook on the end. The shepherd would use the hook to grab a sheep. He would put the hook around the middle of the sheep and pull the sheep away from whatever danger it was wandering toward. The shepherd also used his rod to defend the sheep. He could use it to hit another animal that wanted to eat his sheep. The shepherd also herds the sheep in the direction they need to go. He helps them to find good grass to eat.
God does all of these things for us. He protects us from evil. He provides us with what we need. He guides us in the direction that He wants us to go. That's a lot of things for which to be thankful.
Give everyone in your family a sheet of paper and have everyone draw a sheep. Decorate your sheep so it represents you. Be creative. When you're done, hang your sheep somewhere where you will see it a lot as a reminder that you're a sheep and God is the shepherd.
Now, grab your leaves for your thankfulness tree and write down reasons that you are thankful that God is your shepherd. It can be anything from, "God protects me" to "God keeps me from being as dumb as a sheep."
Pray together thanking God for shepherding your family. Thank Him for his comfort, protection and guidance.
Did you know you're a sheep? I hate to tell you this, but sheep aren't the smartest animals on the planet. Without a shepherd to guide them and protect them, sheep would find themselves in a whole bunch of trouble. Sheep have no natural defenses. If something shows up and wants to eat them, it's going to have a tasty meal unless there's a shepherd to scare it off.
Psalm 23 tells us that God is our shepherd. It says "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." God, like the shepherd, takes care of all of our physical needs, and He protects and comforts us.
Have you ever seen a shepherd's rod? It's a long stick with a hook on the end. The shepherd would use the hook to grab a sheep. He would put the hook around the middle of the sheep and pull the sheep away from whatever danger it was wandering toward. The shepherd also used his rod to defend the sheep. He could use it to hit another animal that wanted to eat his sheep. The shepherd also herds the sheep in the direction they need to go. He helps them to find good grass to eat.
God does all of these things for us. He protects us from evil. He provides us with what we need. He guides us in the direction that He wants us to go. That's a lot of things for which to be thankful.
Give everyone in your family a sheet of paper and have everyone draw a sheep. Decorate your sheep so it represents you. Be creative. When you're done, hang your sheep somewhere where you will see it a lot as a reminder that you're a sheep and God is the shepherd.
Now, grab your leaves for your thankfulness tree and write down reasons that you are thankful that God is your shepherd. It can be anything from, "God protects me" to "God keeps me from being as dumb as a sheep."
Pray together thanking God for shepherding your family. Thank Him for his comfort, protection and guidance.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
God Most High
Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
Have you ever played King of the Mountain? The goal of the game is to push the other person off the top of a pile of dirt or the top step of the patio. The person who is at the top is the king, but it's usually pretty hard to stay the king because someone is always trying to topple you off.
One of the names that the Bible uses for God is God Most High. Psalm 97:9 tells us "For you, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods." This verse tells us that God is the king of the mountain. When the Bible says He is the Most High, it means that He is the best, the most awesome and the most powerful. He is the guy in charge.
But, what does that mean for you? If God is the Most High, then what position should He have in your life? He should be at the top, right? God and what He asks of us should be more important than anything else in our lives. Let's use a quick illustration to show you what this means.
Either set up a step ladder or draw a picture of a ladder. On separate pieces of paper, write down things that are important to you -- things that you are willing to dedicate lots of time to doing. In our house the list might look something like: soccer, hockey, reading, blogging, running, hanging out with friends. Now, place those things on the rungs of your ladder in the order of their importance to you. On the top rung of the ladder, put a piece of paper with the word God on it.
Now, have someone in your family climb the ladder. To get to the top, what did the person have to do? He had to step on all the other things, right? But, he didn't step on the word at the top, correct? If we put God in the most important place in our lives -- if we acknowledge that He is God Most High -- then everything else will be less important than He is. We will be willing to push other things aside to do what He asks.
Sometimes, though, we get mixed up, and we try to put other things at the top of the ladder. Those things try to push God off of His spot as King of the Mountain. If we make soccer the "most high" thing in our lives, then we have to move God to a different rung. To get to soccer, we now have to push God out of the way.
If we don't have God in the "most high" spot in our lives, then He can't offer us all the blessings that He would like to because we aren't seeking after Him. Matthew 6:33 says "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." When we put God first, everything else will fall into place.
On your leaves for your thankfulness tree today, write down ways that you are thankful that God leads you. You might be thankful for His help when you have to make a hard decision or thankful for His help when you have to decide between right and wrong. Add these leaves to your tree.
Pray together as a family and tell God that you want Him to have the "most high" spot in the life of your family. Ask God to show each of you if there's anything you have put in God's spot that you need to move down the ladder.
Have you ever played King of the Mountain? The goal of the game is to push the other person off the top of a pile of dirt or the top step of the patio. The person who is at the top is the king, but it's usually pretty hard to stay the king because someone is always trying to topple you off.
One of the names that the Bible uses for God is God Most High. Psalm 97:9 tells us "For you, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods." This verse tells us that God is the king of the mountain. When the Bible says He is the Most High, it means that He is the best, the most awesome and the most powerful. He is the guy in charge.
But, what does that mean for you? If God is the Most High, then what position should He have in your life? He should be at the top, right? God and what He asks of us should be more important than anything else in our lives. Let's use a quick illustration to show you what this means.
Either set up a step ladder or draw a picture of a ladder. On separate pieces of paper, write down things that are important to you -- things that you are willing to dedicate lots of time to doing. In our house the list might look something like: soccer, hockey, reading, blogging, running, hanging out with friends. Now, place those things on the rungs of your ladder in the order of their importance to you. On the top rung of the ladder, put a piece of paper with the word God on it.
Now, have someone in your family climb the ladder. To get to the top, what did the person have to do? He had to step on all the other things, right? But, he didn't step on the word at the top, correct? If we put God in the most important place in our lives -- if we acknowledge that He is God Most High -- then everything else will be less important than He is. We will be willing to push other things aside to do what He asks.
Sometimes, though, we get mixed up, and we try to put other things at the top of the ladder. Those things try to push God off of His spot as King of the Mountain. If we make soccer the "most high" thing in our lives, then we have to move God to a different rung. To get to soccer, we now have to push God out of the way.
If we don't have God in the "most high" spot in our lives, then He can't offer us all the blessings that He would like to because we aren't seeking after Him. Matthew 6:33 says "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." When we put God first, everything else will fall into place.
On your leaves for your thankfulness tree today, write down ways that you are thankful that God leads you. You might be thankful for His help when you have to make a hard decision or thankful for His help when you have to decide between right and wrong. Add these leaves to your tree.
Pray together as a family and tell God that you want Him to have the "most high" spot in the life of your family. Ask God to show each of you if there's anything you have put in God's spot that you need to move down the ladder.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
God the Provider
Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.
I think vending machines are a great invention. What's not to like about being able to get what you want to eat whenever you want it? I also like fast-food restaurants and pizza places that deliver. All I have to do is think about what I want, order it and suddenly it appears in very little time. I can have a hamburger, a pepperoni pizza or a candy bar in minutes. Instant gratification.
Did you know God is not a vending machine, a fast-food restaurant or a pizza delivery place? I bet you did. But do you also know that a lot of times we treat God like He is one of those things? We decide what we want, we ask God for it, and we expect Him to provide it. Then we get mad if He doesn't.
The Bible tells us that God is Jehovah Jireh, which is Hebrew for provider-God. Matthew 7:9-11 says "“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" These verses tell us that God loves us so much that He provides what we need.
However, God is not Santa Claus or a short-order cook. We can't just order up what we want and expect Him to deliver that new, red Porsche or the shiny new bike that we want. God provides for our needs, and sometimes we get those confused with our wants. That doesn't mean that God doesn't ever give us what we want, but sometimes what we want and what God knows is best for us aren't the same thing. And that's when we can start confusing God with a short-order cook.
God only wants what is good for us -- the things that are part of His plan. Sometimes that means that we don't necessarily get what we want, but God always provides for the things that we need.
Right now, ask your mom or dad if you can have a box of matches. The answer is going to be "No." Matches are not a bad thing -- they are extremely useful in the right circumstance. However, playing with matches is dangerous. It can cause a fire and could cause someone to be hurt or killed. It's the same way when we ask God for something that might cause us harm -- even though we might not be able to see the harm it can do. God sometimes tells us "No" so He can protect us. He also doesn't give us everything we want because He has a better plan in mind.
(Parents, try this activity to get this point across. Offer your child $1. Tell them they can have the $1 now but they will pass up the opportunity to get something better if they take the $1. After they decide, offer them a $5 bill if they chose not to take the $1. Point out that sometimes God doesn't give us things when we ask for them because He has something better in mind -- like the $1 and the $5 bills.)
Have everyone in your family take a moment to list off three things that God has provided that they need. See if you can think of a time when you didn't know what to do, but God provided everything you needed at that moment.
God provides for us in so many ways. He gives us friends to laugh with, play with and share with. He gives us families that love us. He gives us a home and food to put on the table. And, most importantly, He gave us Jesus, who provides us with a way to have a relationship with God through His own death.
As you close out your time today, write down on your leaves for your Thanksgiving tree ways that you are thankful that God has provided for you. Pray together and thank God for those things. Then hang your leaves on your tree.
I think vending machines are a great invention. What's not to like about being able to get what you want to eat whenever you want it? I also like fast-food restaurants and pizza places that deliver. All I have to do is think about what I want, order it and suddenly it appears in very little time. I can have a hamburger, a pepperoni pizza or a candy bar in minutes. Instant gratification.
Did you know God is not a vending machine, a fast-food restaurant or a pizza delivery place? I bet you did. But do you also know that a lot of times we treat God like He is one of those things? We decide what we want, we ask God for it, and we expect Him to provide it. Then we get mad if He doesn't.
The Bible tells us that God is Jehovah Jireh, which is Hebrew for provider-God. Matthew 7:9-11 says "“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" These verses tell us that God loves us so much that He provides what we need.
However, God is not Santa Claus or a short-order cook. We can't just order up what we want and expect Him to deliver that new, red Porsche or the shiny new bike that we want. God provides for our needs, and sometimes we get those confused with our wants. That doesn't mean that God doesn't ever give us what we want, but sometimes what we want and what God knows is best for us aren't the same thing. And that's when we can start confusing God with a short-order cook.
God only wants what is good for us -- the things that are part of His plan. Sometimes that means that we don't necessarily get what we want, but God always provides for the things that we need.
Right now, ask your mom or dad if you can have a box of matches. The answer is going to be "No." Matches are not a bad thing -- they are extremely useful in the right circumstance. However, playing with matches is dangerous. It can cause a fire and could cause someone to be hurt or killed. It's the same way when we ask God for something that might cause us harm -- even though we might not be able to see the harm it can do. God sometimes tells us "No" so He can protect us. He also doesn't give us everything we want because He has a better plan in mind.
(Parents, try this activity to get this point across. Offer your child $1. Tell them they can have the $1 now but they will pass up the opportunity to get something better if they take the $1. After they decide, offer them a $5 bill if they chose not to take the $1. Point out that sometimes God doesn't give us things when we ask for them because He has something better in mind -- like the $1 and the $5 bills.)
Have everyone in your family take a moment to list off three things that God has provided that they need. See if you can think of a time when you didn't know what to do, but God provided everything you needed at that moment.
God provides for us in so many ways. He gives us friends to laugh with, play with and share with. He gives us families that love us. He gives us a home and food to put on the table. And, most importantly, He gave us Jesus, who provides us with a way to have a relationship with God through His own death.
As you close out your time today, write down on your leaves for your Thanksgiving tree ways that you are thankful that God has provided for you. Pray together and thank God for those things. Then hang your leaves on your tree.
Monday, November 1, 2010
God the Creator (Memory Monday: Psalm 8:3-4)
It's November 1. The Christmas music started on the radio today. Somehow, our focus always seems to skip straight from Halloween to Christmas, and we miss fully experiencing the holiday in between. Days of Thanksgiving were celebrated in many states before it officially became a holiday in 1863. Abraham Lincoln made it a national holiday as a way to unite the nation by giving people a common focus on the things for which they were grateful.
This year, I encourage you to use the month of November to unite your family in a common focus on the things for which you are thankful. To help you do that, the Everyday Truth blog will focus each day on one of the names of God and how we can be thankful for how that particular attribute of God affects our own lives. It is my intent for you to be able to use part or all of the posts this month as a family devotional. In true Everyday Truth style, each post will also include an activity or some conversation starters for you to use each day. It is my prayer that you and your family would learn new things about God's character and find new things for which to be thankful in the weeks before you sit down to a turkey feast. So, let's get started.
Fall is an amazing time of the year. If you live where the seasons change, the air begins to get colder, the leaves turn beautiful colors and begin to fall, and the animals are busy getting ready for winter. All of this happens without us doing anything. No one has to tell the leaves to change color or tell the squirrels to store up food for the long, cold months ahead. No one suggests to the bears that it might be a good time to go take a long nap. All of these things happen because that is how God created it to happen.
God is an amazing creator. Take a look around outside and see the awesome variety of trees, plants and animals. God made everything from the smallest ant to the largest elephant. He made snakes and eagles. He made redwood trees and dogwood trues. He even made you.
I don't know about you, but I doubt my brain could have ever come up with the amazing variety of things that God created. Did you know that an elephant actually walks on its tiptoes? The largest land animal in the world supports its massive weight on its toe bones. Could you have thought up an animal like that? I know that if I had been making an animal that weighed 8,000 pounds, I'm pretty sure I would have given it a really big foot bone with which to support itself. But God didn't. He created this huge animal, and he made it so it could walk on its toe bones.
Examples of God's hand abound in the world, not just in His design of the elephant's foot. Have you ever seen a Surprise Lily? In the spring, this flower has lots of leaves that come up out of the ground, but then those leaves die off. Later, a lily springs up from the ground -- without any leaves. It's just a flower on the top of a stalk. It's totally different from any other plant.
Look around your family. Do you all look alike, act alike and think alike? Of course not. God made each one of you different and special. No matter how similar you may be to other members of your family, there are things that make you uniquely you. Take a minute and share with one another the things you've noticed about each other that make each of you different from the others in your family.
David was so in awe of God's creation that he wrote these words in Psalm 8:3-4: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" When David really looked at God's creation -- the sun, the moon and the stars -- he was in awe of the God that created them. The greatness of God's creation made David feel like a small piece of it. Yet, God loves you and is intimately interested in you, whether you feel big or small. Memorize this verse as a family this week. Talk about how knowing that God created everything makes you feel. Do you feel overwhelmed by God's amazing creation? Does it make you feel good to know that despite all the things God created, He wants to have a relationship with you? Share your feelings with your family.
As you focus on God the Creator today, think about all the things for which you are thankful that God made. You can each make a list and share it or you can make a thankfulness tree, which you can use throughout the month. Cut up some paper grocery bags to make a tree trunk and branches. Tape the tree to a wall or a door in your house. Then cut out some simple leaves from colored construction paper to go on the tree. Make a bunch because you will use them every day. On your leaves today, write the things that God created for which you are thankful. Put a different thing on each leaf. Tape the leaves to your tree. Be sure everyone in your family fills out at least one leaf. As you go through the month and learn about the different names of God, you will find more things for which to be thankful that you can write on your leaves. By the end of the month you should have a tree with an abundance of fall leaves.
End your family time today with a prayer thanking God for His creation. Be specific when you pray, letting everyone thank Him for several things. Be sure to thank God for each other.
This year, I encourage you to use the month of November to unite your family in a common focus on the things for which you are thankful. To help you do that, the Everyday Truth blog will focus each day on one of the names of God and how we can be thankful for how that particular attribute of God affects our own lives. It is my intent for you to be able to use part or all of the posts this month as a family devotional. In true Everyday Truth style, each post will also include an activity or some conversation starters for you to use each day. It is my prayer that you and your family would learn new things about God's character and find new things for which to be thankful in the weeks before you sit down to a turkey feast. So, let's get started.
Fall is an amazing time of the year. If you live where the seasons change, the air begins to get colder, the leaves turn beautiful colors and begin to fall, and the animals are busy getting ready for winter. All of this happens without us doing anything. No one has to tell the leaves to change color or tell the squirrels to store up food for the long, cold months ahead. No one suggests to the bears that it might be a good time to go take a long nap. All of these things happen because that is how God created it to happen.
God is an amazing creator. Take a look around outside and see the awesome variety of trees, plants and animals. God made everything from the smallest ant to the largest elephant. He made snakes and eagles. He made redwood trees and dogwood trues. He even made you.
I don't know about you, but I doubt my brain could have ever come up with the amazing variety of things that God created. Did you know that an elephant actually walks on its tiptoes? The largest land animal in the world supports its massive weight on its toe bones. Could you have thought up an animal like that? I know that if I had been making an animal that weighed 8,000 pounds, I'm pretty sure I would have given it a really big foot bone with which to support itself. But God didn't. He created this huge animal, and he made it so it could walk on its toe bones.
Examples of God's hand abound in the world, not just in His design of the elephant's foot. Have you ever seen a Surprise Lily? In the spring, this flower has lots of leaves that come up out of the ground, but then those leaves die off. Later, a lily springs up from the ground -- without any leaves. It's just a flower on the top of a stalk. It's totally different from any other plant.
Look around your family. Do you all look alike, act alike and think alike? Of course not. God made each one of you different and special. No matter how similar you may be to other members of your family, there are things that make you uniquely you. Take a minute and share with one another the things you've noticed about each other that make each of you different from the others in your family.
David was so in awe of God's creation that he wrote these words in Psalm 8:3-4: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" When David really looked at God's creation -- the sun, the moon and the stars -- he was in awe of the God that created them. The greatness of God's creation made David feel like a small piece of it. Yet, God loves you and is intimately interested in you, whether you feel big or small. Memorize this verse as a family this week. Talk about how knowing that God created everything makes you feel. Do you feel overwhelmed by God's amazing creation? Does it make you feel good to know that despite all the things God created, He wants to have a relationship with you? Share your feelings with your family.
As you focus on God the Creator today, think about all the things for which you are thankful that God made. You can each make a list and share it or you can make a thankfulness tree, which you can use throughout the month. Cut up some paper grocery bags to make a tree trunk and branches. Tape the tree to a wall or a door in your house. Then cut out some simple leaves from colored construction paper to go on the tree. Make a bunch because you will use them every day. On your leaves today, write the things that God created for which you are thankful. Put a different thing on each leaf. Tape the leaves to your tree. Be sure everyone in your family fills out at least one leaf. As you go through the month and learn about the different names of God, you will find more things for which to be thankful that you can write on your leaves. By the end of the month you should have a tree with an abundance of fall leaves.
End your family time today with a prayer thanking God for His creation. Be specific when you pray, letting everyone thank Him for several things. Be sure to thank God for each other.
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