Family Devotionals

What you need: 2 Magnets, metal objects (ex. paper clips, safety pins)

What you do: Pass out the magnets and metal objects to the kids.

• Let them discover how to attract the objects to the magnets.
• Hold up two magnets for the kids to see. Flip one magnet over and show the kids what happens when you try to push them together.
• Let the kids partner up with their magnets. Encourage partners to move their magnets close to each other until they click together.
• Then, instruct one partner to turn their magnet over and try to connect them again.
• Discuss the following:
  • What happened with your magnets the first time when they faced each other?
  • What happened the second time when you turned one magnet in the opposite direction?
  • Why do you think the magnets refused to go together the second time?
• Ask the kids to hold up the two magnets with one facing in the opposite direction.
• Point out how this is a picture of our relationship with God when we mess up and try to hide what we've done. Our dishonesty separates us from God.
• Then, ask the kids to flip the magnet over so they come together.
• Talk about how when we are honest about what we've done (when we confess and tell the truth) and turn to God, we can have a right relationship with Him.

What you say:

"Are you able to completely cover up sin? (Pause.) No! No matter how much you try, you couldn't cover it up. It's like that in life, too. We all mess up and sin sometimes. And when we mess up, we might feel bad about it and try to cover up what we've done. We might tell lies to hide what we did, or we might try to do good things to make up for it.

[Make it Personal] (Tell kids about a time when you were a kid and you tried to hide something that you did, then talked to God about it. Maybe you told a lie then told more lies to cover it up. Maybe you disobeyed your parents but said that it was an accident. Maybe you did something wrong and didn't speak up to say that it was your fault. Talk about how your attempts were unsuccessful as well as how you felt.)

"You can talk to God and tell Him the truth about what you did wrong, too. You can tell Him that you're sorry. And you know what? Because Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins, when you ask God to forgive you, He will! So, when you sin, don't try to hide it. Talk to God and tell Him that you're sorry. He loves you. [Bottom Line] Being truthful with God keeps you close to Him."

What you need: Cell phone template (Download Here), scissors, paper or cardstock, glue, cardboard (optional), markers or crayons

What you do: Print on copy paper or cardstock, have kids color the phone and emoji's.

• For best results trace the cell phone onto cardboard. Cut out both the cardboard and cell phone pattern.
• Glue the cell phone onto the cardboard to make it more sturdy.
• Kids can choose which emoji(s) they would like to cut out and glue in the response part of the text message field.
• Read the text message together several times.

What you say: "In our Bible story today, we talked about how we ALL mess up. You mess up. I mess up. Your parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins, teachers and coaches-EVERYONE messes up. We all at some point think our way is better than God's way, and we choose to be dishonest. And a lot of the time, when we mess up, we try to hide what we've done OR we try to make up for it by doing lots of other good things.

"But the awesome, amazing, wonderful thing about following God is that we don't EVER have to be afraid to tell Him when we've messed up. He knows, anyway. And when we're honest, it's like turning everything around. When we turn back to God, He always forgives, always accepts, always offers His love to us. So remember this week, if you're tempted to keep something from God, or you find yourself acting like it's no big deal, think about this cell phone and remember that you can always talk to God because [Bottom Line] being truthful with God keeps you close to Him."

[Make it Personal] (Tell your family about a time when you messed up and didn't talk to God about it. Maybe you lied about something, and it started to eat away at you or it forced you to tell other lies to cover it up. If possible, select an example from childhood that kids can relate to. Give specific examples of how you felt disconnected from God and how eventually being honest helped you feel closer to God. And as always, make sure your example is age appropriate.)

What you need: Bible

What you do: Help your children open the Bible to Proverbs 10:9 and read it aloud.

• Explain to the family that you will play a version of "Freeze Tag."
• Select a kid to be "it" for the first round.
• Say the verse together. When you get to the word "caught," everyone should scatter so they don't get tagged.
• As soon as someone is tagged, say, "FREEZE," and everyone freezes in place.
• The person who was tagged will be "it" for the next round.
• Repeat as long as time and interest allow.

What you say: "Our verse reminds us that anyone who lives without blame, who chooses to live with integrity, walks safely. But anyone who takes a crooked path, who chooses to be dishonest with their words or actions, gets caught, just like some of you were 'caught' in this game of tag. This week, when you find yourself leaning toward making an unwise choice to be dishonest with your words or actions, remember that feeling of being caught in this game. Choosing integrity always keeps us safe because [Bottom Line] being truthful with God keeps you close to Him."