Jesus Loves Families

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. In John 4:23, Jesus tells us that true worshippers will worship God “in spirit and truth.” Here's what that means: First, “in spirit” could mean different things: It might mean with the help of the Holy Spirit, so we're connected to God through Him when we believe and follow the Bible. Or, it could mean from our own spirit, the inside part of us that thinks and feels. This means we should worship with our whole hearts, not just by going through the motions. It might also mean with the right attitude, like being happy and sincere when we worship, not grumpy or fake. Finally, it could mean that worship isn't limited to a specific place; it can happen anywhere because God is everywhere. Since Jesus didn't specify, it’s best to say He means all of these things. So, what d...

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. Be careful how you judge if someone else is right or wrong! In Matthew 7:1–6, Jesus teaches us about how not to, and how to judge rightly. Read the passage together now. We all have to decide what's right or wrong all the time, even if it's hard. If you want to be a good person, you need to know what's good and what's bad so you can make the right choices. Jesus said, “Don't judge others, or you will be judged too.” But he also said more about what He meant: 1. God will judge you the same way you judge others, so be fair and merciful. 2. Don't speak judgment against someone if you do the same bad things. First, stop doing the bad, yourself, and then, it's okay to tell them they're doing something wrong. 3. Be careful who you try to help. Some peo...

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. There’s an old saying attributed to the minister, John Wesley (1703–1791), “ In matters of faith, unity. In matters of opinion, liberty. In all things, charity.” That may be a little hard for some of our littlest ones to understand, so let’s say it this way instead: “In things the Bible commands, we should all agree. In things, we just think on our own; everyone can have their own ideas. And in everything, we should always be loving." I've heard this a lot over the years in sermons and Bible classes and have come across it in my readings. Even though these words aren't in the Bible, word for word, anywhere, they are biblical ideals. The Bible says we should all agree about the Lord’s commandments. It also says we can have different opinions about things He hasn’t require...

Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The everlasting God is your place of safety. His arms will hold you up forever. He will force your enemy out ahead of you. He will say, ‘Destroy the enemy!’” These are comforting words to spiritual warriors fighting “the good fight” we learned about last week. King Jesus defeated the enemy and exposed him to open shame by dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead to live forever. Now, all who trust and obey Him will live forever with Him. No one can defeat our King Jesus! He will return and judge the whole world so we can keep on with the mission He left us without fear or worry. We will be victorious in the end. But we can delay the victory. Jesus commands us to tell everyone about the gospel and try to convince them to believe in Him and obey...