Family Style Devotions

Family-Style Devotions

A Six-Month Focus on Jesus’ Amazing Life

David Servant

Copyright 2012 by David Servant. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright owner, except for brief excerpts quoted in critical reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-939788-98-6 (ePub edition)

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Family-Style Devotions

A Six-Month Focus on Jesus’ Amazing Life

"How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to Your word."

(Psalm 119:9 NIV)

Introduction:

I’ve had the privilege of serving in vocational ministry for the past twenty-four years, much of which I’ve served as a pastor. God-called pastors are preeminently concerned with the spiritual health of the people they serve, thus they keep watch over the flock, always looking for signs of spiritual weakness or sickness. They are usually astute observers, because they care about their people, both young and old. As a pastor, I’ve observed a phenomenon in many, if not most churches, which troubles me more as each year passes. It’s one that can be detected only by someone who observes a congregation very carefully for several years, which is probably why many laypeople have missed it.

What have I noticed that concerns me so deeply? The fact that many children, who are raised by good Christian parents and who regularly attend church, slowly grow cold toward God. These children, upon leaving the nest, give no evidence of possessing any real relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m not speaking of children raised by hypocrites and counterfeit Christians, but of children whose parents love the Lord, parents who faithfully attend and support their church and who sincerely want their kids to know and serve God.

Because of many factors, few believers realize the frequency with which this happens. One of those factors is the general mobility of Americans, who are always changing jobs, homes and churches. They just aren’t in one location long enough to realize what is happening with so much regularity in so many places.

It’s also true that most Christian married couples tend to associate with other married couples who have children about the same ages as their own children. Consequently, like the proverbial frog in the boiling kettle, they and their married friends don’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late.

Are parents the ones to blame? As difficult as it is for me to say it, I think God would point His finger first at pastors. Too many are failing to tell their flocks the truth and, at the same time, are promoting a lie. Specifically, they aren’t teaching that God has given responsibility to the parents to teach their children about God. Moreover, they’re promoting a system of spiritual education for children that leaves the impression in the minds of most church members that the church has been given that responsibility.

How many times have you heard a pastor promote from the pulpit his church’s fun-filled children’s church or dynamic youth ministry? Any church hoping to grow or even survive in 21st-century America is almost forced to offer an exciting cradle-to-diploma Christian education program that your kids will just love. If we hope to compete with every other church in our city for a larger share of the church shoppers and hoppers, we must heed the bottom line of the church-growth surveys: People are attracted to churches where there is exciting ministry for their kids. And so the message we send is clear: Come to our church, and you can rest assured that your kids will grow up to love church and serve Christ. The only part you need to play in your children’s spiritual growth is to make sure they’re here to participate in our exciting program.

Unfortunately, by the time parents realize that the church can’t deliver on its promise, it’s too late. Their kids are adults who are heading down the wrong road. (Praise God for those who eventually turn back to the Lord, but how much better it is for kids to find and keep their parents’ faith their entire lives.)

But the fault doesn’t fall entirely on the shoulders of pastors. Pastors often promote the lie because they believe it themselves. At a recent prayer gathering for pastors only, the one prayer request I heard more than any other was for wayward children. Pastors, like laypeople, are victims of a lie built upon tradition. We’ve always done it this way, and so our church programs continue as always, and only occasionally does a pastor wonder why there are no examples or instructions for children’s Sunday school or special kids’ ministry recorded in the New Testament. Following the lead of modern society, the church contributes to the fragmentation of families and the abdication of parental responsibility through a customer service policy that says, leave the driving to us.

Please understand that I’m not discounting the value of church Christian education programs and the many wonderful people who serve in those programs. Certainly there is fruit for their labor. I am saying, however, that church Christian education programs, if they exist, should only serve to supplement and reinforce what children should be learning at home all the time from their parents. The problem is not Christian education programs in themselves, but Christian education programs by themselves. The solution is not the elimination of children’s Christian education programs; the solution is the parental reclamation of their God-given responsibility. They should be teaching their children about God, as Scripture directs:

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up (Deut. 6:4-7, NASB, emphasis added).

And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4, NASB, emphasis added).

Probably the most well known verse in the Bible about raising children is Proverbs 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it (NASB). Christians have been known to disagree on whether this verse is a guaranteed promise of salvation for properly-trained children or just a general principle that is true much of the time, but not always.

Regardless of which interpretation is correct, a much more important issue is the definition of the phrase, Train up a child in the way he should go. The understood subject of the sentence is you, indicating that parents have the responsibility of training their children. Can it be said that parents who play no active role in teaching their children the Word of God, leaving it all to the church, are training their children in the way they should go? No, they’re expecting someone else to play a major part in their children’s training. Those parents who consider Proverbs 22:6 to be a promise have no reason to expect the promise to be fulfilled unless they are doing their part to train their children. They can’t claim the benefit unless they meet the conditions. And for those parents who think Proverbs 22:6 is a general principle, there isn’t much difference. They’ve no reason to hope that the general principle will hold true for their kids unless they fulfill their God-given responsibility to train their children.

Parents often need help to teach God’s Word to their kids, and that’s where this daily devotional comes in. I’ve written it to assist parents who desire to teach their children the Bible. During the next 147 days, you and your children will be reading a small but significant portion of God’s Word. We’ll cover the life and ministry of Jesus. For each day’s reading, I’ve provided a short commentary that highlights the most important spiritual truths. Also, I often pose a few questions that parents might want to ask their children.

The important thing is that you and your kids talk about what you’ve read. As your family grows more comfortable doing daily devotions, your kids will spontaneously instigate discussion. That is when it becomes fun.

But what happens if my kids ask a question for which I have no answer? you ask? Simply tell them you don’t know the answer. That in itself can serve as a wonderful example of humility to your kids and a lesson about telling the truth. If it’s any consolation, there are scores of questions about the Bible for which no one has yet come up with a truly satisfying answer. Honest theologians admit they are often stumped. If our daily reading raises an obvious question that I don’t attempt to answer in my commentary, it’s probably because I’m stumped as well.

What about those passages that contain sexual terminology or describe violence? As a parent, you are the most qualified to make a decision regarding what to do. You may just want to skip over certain verses if you think your children are too young. Or you may want to supply age-appropriate definitions, such as explaining adultery to young children as when someone who is married falls in love with another person.

We must face up to the fact, however, that the Bible describes life as it is on planet Earth. Unregenerate people have the capacity for incredible acts of wickedness, and our children will discover it sooner or later. Exposure to such things within the moral framework of the Bible is much better than through the polluted rivers that spill out of TV sets into our living rooms. We want our kids to be trained regarding what is right and wrong, and the Bible doesn’t conceal either. Your daily devotions will be springboards to life-directing conversations, many of which you’ll cherish.

There will be other challenges you’ll face, but which will pay rich dividends in your life and the lives of your family. Your first challenge might occur when, after reading a clear command in Scripture, one of your children asks you, Why didn’t you do that the other day at the grocery store when that lady ran her shopping cart into our shopping cart? That is another positive benefit of family devotions---you’ll grow spiritually and your kids will have the benefit of watching God work in your life. No longer will they be exposed only to the apparent perfection of Sunday morning Christianity contrasted with rest-of-the-week application, which otherwise appears as hypocrisy to younger minds. They’ll learn what it means to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12, NASB) by observing you.

Here’s how I suggest you conduct your daily family devotions: Gather your family together and pray a short opening prayer, such as, Lord, help us to understand Your Word and apply it to our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Then read the day’s portion(s) of Scripture out loud. I suggest that you use the New Living Translation, which is one of the easiest translations to understand. Then, either read my commentary, or explain the scriptures yourself in your own words if you’ve read my comments previously. The idea is to help your kids understand what you’ve read.

When you finish reading, ask them questions about spiritual principles that surfaced in what you just read. I’ve usually included a few questions (with the answers) that you might want to ask to provoke dialogue. Work toward a discussion about how you and they can apply what you’ve learned in your own lives. Allow your kids to interrupt at any time with questions. When they do, you’ll know they’re interested.

Then spend a few minutes praying together. The idea is to get your kids comfortable with praying sincerely, out loud. Prayer can easily become a meaningless ritual, and the quickest route to ritualistic prayer is to pray the same thing every day. Don’t let that happen. I suggest that you model your daily family prayers after this sequence: God, Others, Us. Give each member of your family a different part of the sequence to pray each day. Begin by praising and worshipping God, expressing thankfulness or affirming something about one of His attributes that surfaced in the Bible chapter you just read. The person who is assigned this sequence might simply say, God, You are really powerful or, Thank You for Your great mercy. Next, pray for others. You could pray for a ministry in your church, a missionary you support or know, a sick friend or an unsaved neighbor. Finally, pray for your own needs. These could be material, emotional or spiritual needs among your family. (Lord, help us to become more like You or, Lord, I request Your help on my English test today.)

When you first begin praying as a family, you may want to solicit ideas from the whole group for specific prayers for each category and then assign each member one item on your list. Once everyone grows more comfortable praying together, your prayer time will probably grow more spontaneous. Keep your prayer time short. One-sentence prayers are just fine. If they grow longer, let it happen naturally. Make sure that your prayer time is always meaningful and fresh, never just a time of going through the motions. Your total time spent in family devotions can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as your schedule permits. If your kids are asking questions, keep going as long as you can!

I suggest ending each gathering with a short song and hugs all around. You’ll need to set a regular time for devotions each day, depending on your family’s schedule. Right before or after breakfast, right after dinner or just before your youngest child goes to bed are possibilities. Very young children who can’t really participate will benefit by realizing that family devotions are something that is done every day. And they’ll love the singing and hugs at the end. Curb your children’s silliness during your time together but don’t be too serious. Enjoy yourself. If you do, your kids are more likely to enjoy themselves too.

You’ve made a great decision that will pay off in this life and the next. My prayer is that your family will grow closer to the Lord and each other as you fulfill your God-given responsibility to teach your children God’s Word.

DAY 1, John 1:1-3; 17:5, 24* The Pre-existence and Deity of Christ

The story of Jesus begins long before He was born as a baby in Bethlehem. Because Jesus is and always has been God’s Son, He existed before anyone or anything was created. John wrote that Jesus was with God in the beginning (John 1:2), which means before the world was created and before time began. When Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb, He was not created—)))He just moved from heaven to earth and changed His form into a tiny human being inside Mary’s belly. It would be something like shrinking and transforming yourself into an ant in order to visit an ant colony.

Not only was Jesus with God in the beginning, but John also said that Jesus was God. There are three persons who, according to the Bible, can be called God: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is just as much God as God the Father is God. We learned today that Jesus helped create everything that exists (see John 1:3).

We also read that Jesus prayed to God the Father just before He died, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began (John 17:5). Before the world was created, Jesus lived in heaven, a place filled with God’s glory, with His Father. What is God’s glory? It is something like sunshine, only much brighter. It radiates from God.

The best part is that everyone who is a follower of Jesus will one day see God’s glory in heaven, because Jesus requested that we would. He prayed, Father, I want these whom you’ve given me [that includes us] to be with me [in heaven], so they can see my glory (John 17:24). When we see Jesus one day in heaven, He’ll be brightly shining with God’s glory. The Bible tells us that His face will shine like the sun (see Matthew 16:27-17:2)!

Q. Where did God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit come from?

A. The answer is that They have always existed. They have no beginning and no end. That is hard for us to understand, but that is the answer. The reason we have difficulty understanding it is because most everything we know has a beginning and an end.

Q. Why did John call Jesus the Word?

A. The word word sometimes means a message. For example, your teacher might say, I have a word from our principal, meaning a message from the principal. Or you might hear someone on a TV show say, And now a word from our sponsor, which means a commercial is coming with a message from an advertiser. Jesus is given many symbolic titles in the Bible, such as Lamb, Cornerstone and so on, which all describe something He has done for us. Perhaps He is called the Word (or the Word of God; see Rev. 19:13) because Jesus was God’s message to all people of the world. Isn’t it amazing that God had a message prepared for all the people of the world even before He ))) created anyone?

Application: Because we will one day live with Jesus in heaven and see His glory, we should live in a manner worthy of the God who calls [us] into His own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:12, NASB).

DAY 2, John 1:14; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6 The Deity and Humanity of Jesus Christ

Yesterday we read what John wrote about Jesus being called the Word. A few verses later in his Gospel, John said, the Word [who is Jesus] became human and lived here on earth among us (John 1:14). John was talking about when the glorious God Jesus was transformed into a baby in Mary’s womb, lived there for nine months, was born, grew up, and lived for about 33 years on the earth as a human being. It was a really big miracle for God to become a man, but nothing is too hard for God!

It’s very important for us to understand that Jesus was a very special person. He was God transformed into a man. He wasn’t one-half human being and one-half God. He was 100% of both. That has not been the case with any other person who has ever lived. Jesus was one-of-a-kind! He wanted us to know that He was both human and divine, calling Himself the Son of God and the Son of Man.

Hundreds of years before Jesus became a man, God told Isaiah the prophet what He was planning to do. He promised that a special baby would be born through a woman who had never been married. People often have special names that they call their babies, such as sweet pea, little guy or chubby cheeks. But the special baby that God told Isaiah about would be called Immanuel, a name that means, ))) God is with us (Isaiah 7:14). That is what Jesus was. He was no longer the God in heaven—)))He was God living with us.

Through Isaiah, God the Father helped us understand how His Son, who had no beginning, would have a beginning as a human being. He promised, For a child is born to us, a son is given to us (Isaiah 9:6). It was a human being, a child, who was born in Bethlehem, but the Father’s Son was not born because He always existed. Thus, He was given.

Finally, notice Jesus was born to us and given to us. It was for us that He came,))) because God loves us.

Q. Let’s pretend that you wanted to show the dogs in your neighborhood how much you loved them. What would you do? If you had the power, would you be willing to change yourself into a baby dog inside its mother, live there for nine months, be born as a puppy and live for 33 years as a dog even though you could have been enjoying life as a human being? You would really have to love dogs to do that! Jesus becoming a man was a bigger step down than for us to become dogs. Does that give you an idea of how much Jesus loves us?

A. Yup!

Q. Are there any other major religions in the world besides Christianity that can truly say they were begun by a human being who was actually God?

A. Nope!

Application: Since Jesus is God, we should pay careful attention to what Jesus said and obey Him.

DAY 3, John 1:18; Hebrews 1:1-3 One Reason Why Jesus Became a Human Being

Many people have wondered what God is like. They’ve looked at flowers, snowflakes, hummingbirds and rainbows and realized that God must be very smart and very powerful. The things He’s made are amazing! And when people eat a crisp apple, sit by a warm fire on a cold day, or listen to musical instruments, they realize that all those wonderful things are made possible by God, and so He must also be very kind.

But knowing God through what He’s made is somewhat like knowing an artist only through his paintings. How much more could you learn about that artist if you could actually meet him in person and be friends for a few years?

 God wants us to know Him personally, and not just through what He has created. That is one reason that God sent Jesus to the earth. We read today, No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him (John 1:18). Nobody knew God the Father better than Jesus. They had lived together forever! In the original language in which John wrote, he said something like, Jesus and God the Father were bosom buddies!

Not only did Jesus know more than anyone else about God the Father, He also acted more like God the Father than anyone else. Have you ever heard the expression, Like father, like son? That was certainly true concerning Jesus and His Father. Jesus once said, Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! (John 14:9). If we want to learn what God the Father is like, all we have to do is learn about Jesus. We read today, Everything about [Jesus] represents God exactly (Heb. 1:3). If God the Father had become a human being instead of Jesus, He would have said and done the same things.

Before Jesus came, there were only two ways to learn about God: through looking at His creation, and through studying the words of the people who wrote the Old Testament. Some of those people had experiences with God from which we can learn, and some of them (the prophets) actually spoke God’s words. But ever since Jesus came, we now have three ways to learn about God! As we study the life and ministry of Jesus in the weeks ahead, we’ll be learning about God, the creator of everything, a person with whom we’ll be friends forever. What could be more exciting than that?

Q. Perhaps your parents are like most parents: one is a little more strict than the other. If you have to get a spanking, you probably would prefer to get it from your mother, because she doesn’t spank quite as hard as your father! Do you think God the Father is more strict than Jesus is since He’s the Father?

A. No. Both the Father and Son are equally loving and equally strict. They become equally angry over the same things and care about you the same.

Application: Since God has put forth so much effort to help us to get to know Him, we should study His creation, His Word, and the life of Jesus so that He will become our closest friend.

DAY 4, 1 Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 2:14-15 Another Reason Why Jesus Became a Human Being

Yesterday we learned one reason why God’s Son became a human being: to teach us about God. But there was a second reason that is even more important. Jesus became a human being so our sins could be forgiven, as we just read: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

Why was it necessary for Jesus to come into the world in order for sinners to be saved? If God wanted to forgive sinners, why didn’t He just do it from heaven? Why did God have to become a human being?

To answer those questions, we first have to understand something about God. He is perfect. He always does the right thing, and it wouldn’t be right for God to simply forgive people who continually do bad and evil things. What would you think of your parents if they never punished a brother or sister who beat you up every day? You would think that they didn’t love you and that they weren’t fair.

If God didn’t punish people when they did bad things, He would be unloving toward people who were hurt by other people’s sins. And He would be acting unfairly. So God couldn’t just decide not to punish people for their sins, or He would become a sinner Himself!

However, God loves the people He’s created, and He needed a way to forgive them without becoming a bad person Himself. So God decided to become a human being who would face every temptation that anyone ever faced. He, however, would never sin. Then, as a substitute, He would take the punishment for everyone’s sins! As an example: Imagine that you were about to be spanked for disobeying your mother or father, and your sister or brother volunteered to be spanked in your place! (Pretty slim chance of that happening, right?)

That is why God had to become a human being. God, of course, can’t die, but humans can. So God became a human being in order to die. And His painful death was the payment for our sins. Jesus Himself said, I...came here...to give my life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). A ransom is a payment to set free someone who is a prisoner. Jesus gave His life as a payment to God’s justice so He could set us free from our sins.

Q. Why couldn’t some other human being have died for our sins instead of Jesus?

A. Because all of us have sinned, we all deserve to be punished. So none of us could serve as a substitute to die for the sins of others. It would be like two convicted murderers who become friends in prison. If both were sentenced to die for their crimes , it would be silly for one to say to the prison warden, I will sacrificially volunteer to die in place of my friend. The warden would reply, You can’t die for him because you are going to die for your own crime.

We needed someone who was sinless, who didn’t deserve any punishment for his own sins, to be punished in our place. Jesus was the only person who has ever lived without sin.

Q. How could the painful death of only one person be enough payment for the many sins of everyone who has ever lived?

A. It was not the amount of suffering that made Jesus’ death sufficient payment for everyone’s sins; it was the fact of who did the suffering. Let’s say, for example, that your dog attacked and killed your neighbor’s dog. Your neighbor might demand that your dog be killed so that your dog suffers just as much as his did. That could be considered fair. But what if he demanded that you die for what your dog did? That would be unfair, because you are worth a lot more than a dog. You have more value than an animal!

In the same way, God has much more value than all the human beings put together. If Jesus had been just a man, His sufferings would have been sufficient payment for only one other person who deserved to die. But because God’s value is infinitely higher than all human beings combined, His painful suffering was more than sufficient to be able to pay fairly for everyone’s sins.

Application: Since God loved us enough to die as our substitute, we should show Him love in return by doing what He says. Jesus said, If you love me, obey my commandments (John 14:15).

DAY 5, Luke 1:5-25 The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

This story happened about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, Israel. The Jewish people had a big building something like a church that was called the Temple. God had said that all the men who were descendants of Moses’ brother, Aaron, were supposed to work at the Temple doing various jobs. They were called priests. One of their jobs was to burn incense, something that smelled very nice, in an inner room of the Temple, called the holy place.

There were so many descendants of Aaron at the time of this story that they took turns doing the various jobs. It just happened that Zechariah was chosen to be the one to burn incense inside the Temple, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him. He was probably really excited to go in the Temple into a special room that few people ever got to see! Imagine how shocked he was when an angel named Gabriel suddenly appeared before him! Have you ever been scared in your own house when you suddenly saw a family member whom you didn’t know was in the same room with you? Think of how you’d feel if it was someone you didn’t recognize. What if it was someone who looked like an angel? No wonder Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear (Luke 1:12).

The angel told Zechariah some amazing news: In answer to his prayer, his elderly wife would have a special baby. Zechariah’s son would be a great prophet and preacher, and by the Holy Spirit’s power, he would persuade many people in Israel to quit sinning. That way, they would be prepared for another very special person who was about to come: God in the form of a man!

Zechariah didn’t believe what he heard because he thought he and his wife were too old to have a baby. They were as old or older than your grandparents! But nothing is too hard for God, and Zechariah should have believed what he heard. It was an angel who spoke to him, and that angel had just come from heaven to deliver the message from God.

God was a little bit angry with Zechariah’s unbelief, so He took away Zechariah’s ability to talk for about nine months! God expects us to believe what He says because He never lies. A lesson we can learn from Zechariah is that it is better to say nothing at all than to say something that disagrees with what God has said. God is always right in what He says.

Q. We learned today that many of the Israelite fathers weren’t very good fathers, but when they heard John’s preaching they repented and started to really show their kids that they loved them. What is the most important thing your father or mother could do to show you how much they love you?

A. Teach you about God and the Bible! (So you must have good parents!)

Q. When do you think Zechariah prayed to have a son?

A. Probably many years before when he was a younger man, since he didn’t believe it was possible for his wife to have a baby even after hearing the angel’s message. Our prayers are not always answered as soon as we’d like.

Application: God’s Word is always true, so we should never say anything that contradicts what God has said.

DAY 6, Luke 1:26-56 Jesus’ Birth Foretold to Mary

Back in the days of Elizabeth and Mary, people got married at a younger age than people do today, often when they were teenagers. Mary may have been only sixteen or so when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her she would have a child. Imagine God coming to the earth through a teenager!

Because she was not married to Joseph yet, Mary wondered out loud how she would be able to have a baby. Gabriel explained to her that although the baby would be her son, the child would not be Joseph’s son. He would be God’s son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. He would be the first and only God-man, 100% human and 100% God.

Gabriel told Mary that her son would be given the throne of His ancestor David and that He would reign over Israel forever (Luke 1:33). His kingdom would have no end. David was a great king who had ruled over the nation of Israel about one thousand years before the time of Jesus. When David was still alive God had promised him, When you die, I will raise up one of your descendants....and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son....Your dynasty and your kingdom will continue for all time before me, and your throne will be secure forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). After David died, his descendants did rule after him for about five hundred years, but since then there has been no descendant of David ruling over Israel.

When Jesus lived on the earth He never did rule over Israel. In fact, the people of Israel killed Him. But God’s promises are true. The Bible tells us that Jesus will one day live in Jerusalem, and from there He will rule the entire world!