I'm Thankful for Jesus' Sacrifice

Each day until Thanksgiving, Everyday Truth is looking at a different reason to be thankful in a family devotional. Use these devotionals with your kids to help keep your family focused on giving thanks. If you missed the introductory post, check it out here for directions on creating a "Thanksgiving wall." When you're done with the devotional head on over to the Everyday Truth Facebook page and join in the discussion of why we're thankful for Jesus' sacrifice.

I bet you've heard the verse John 3:16 before. You might even be able to say it without looking at the Bible. It says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Sound familiar?

God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to earth so He could be a sacrifice so we could have eternal life with God. Do you know what a sacrifice is? It's giving up something you want for someone else. Any time you let your sister have the bigger piece of cake, that's a sacrifice. If you do what a friend wants to do instead of what you want to do, that's a sacrifice.

Jesus' sacrifice was bigger than giving up a piece of cake or letting someone else choose the game. Jesus sacrificed His life. He died so we could be closer to God. You see, our sins -- the stuff we do that goes against what God says like lying or being mean to someone -- keep us from being able to be close to God. God is perfect, and He can't be close to sin. Our sin separates us from Him.

In the Old Testament, every time one of the Israelites sinned, they had to offer a sacrifice to God in the form of an animal or some other type of food, like grain. When Jesus came and died on the cross, his sacrifice was for all of us and all of our sins. We no longer have to offer God a sacrifice of an animal to get rid of our sins. Jesus' sacrifice took care of that. When God looks at us now, He sees us as if we're perfect because he sees Jesus' sacrifice. All we have to do is tell God we're sorry and ask Him to help us not to do it again.

Jesus made the biggest sacrifice anyone could make. He gave up His life for someone else -- you and me. Thank God today forloving you enough to send Jesus to be a sacrifice. Write on your Thanksgiving wall that you're thankful the Jesus came to be a sacrifice for you.

Summer Fun: Jello Fight

We're on vacation this week, so I'm re-running some of my favorite posts from the last year. Enjoy some of my favorite ideas, and I'll be back with you on Monday.

We are currently on vacation with my extended family. For the first time, all the kids are sleeping together in one room. We have six kids ranging in age from nine to two. Of course, lots of talking and giggling ensue after everyone gets in bed. The other night, we went in and told them to be quiet. We had to go back several times to persuade the kids to be quiet. The next morning, my youngest daughter explained to me that it wasn't her fault that the kids were talking and got in trouble because the other kids in the room made her talk. We had a long discussion about being responsible for your own actions, but that reminded me so much of the way all of us look at sin. We all want to blame someone else for making us sin.

The truth is everyone sins, and that's an important concept for our kids to understand. If we didn't need someone to wipe away our sins, then Jesus didn't need to die on the cross, and we wouldn't need God. If we could just pass the blame and the consequences off on someone or something else, there would be no need for grace. These are big concepts that might be tough for your kids to wrap their brains around. One great way to point out how sin can dirty up our lives and only God can wipe it away is to have a Jello fight.

I'm sure some of you are thinking "Is she crazy?" Well, probably, but I guarantee they won't forget the fight or the lesson behind it, so let go of your reservations, find some old clothes and let the kids have a great time and learn something in the process.

Dress your kids in old clothes and make up a big batch of Jello. Give each child a different color of Jello to throw. Take them out in the yard and let them throw Jello at each other until they run out. They will be covered in it when they are done. The thing about Jello is that it's sticky and hard to get off of you and your clothes.

Explain to your kids that sin is kind of like Jello. It sticks to us and covers us up. It separates us from God, just like the Jello separates them from other people, because who is going to let a Jello-covered kid into their house? No one would probably take a hug from a kid who's just been in a Jello fight. God can't get close to us when we're covered in sin.

Now, turn on the hose and hose your kids down until all the Jello is off their skin and hair. Explain to them that Jesus's death and resurrection allow God to wipe away our sin, just like the water from the hose wipes away the Jello. God offers to wipe away our sin for free, just like you didn't charge your kids for the water to clean up. All we have to do is recognize that we are sinners and ask for forgiveness, and God separates our sin from us.

Here are some great verses to use while talking to your kids:

• Psalm 51:7 -- Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
• John 3:16 -- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
• Romans 6:23 -- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
• Romans 3:23 -- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

 When you've finished your Jello fight, take your clean kids inside for a Jello snack. I promise, they'll love it.