Archive for category: Family Devotions

Read: Acts 1:1-11

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:9-11

We Hope for Jesus’ Return

Family Devotion – May 25, 2020

Devotion based on Acts 1:9-11

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Kendall and Ryan watched in sadness as their mother brought her suitcase to the front door. It was a business trip. Kendall had experienced these before, but Ryan, who was only 4, didn’t like them at all. He worried his mom wouldn’t come home.

“Mom don’t leave! How do I know you will come home?” Ryan sobbed.

Ryan’s mom gave him a big hug and said, “I promise I will be back.” Then she handed him a box. Inside were five presents. “I want you to open one of these presents each day I’m gone, because each one will remind you how much I love you. The day you open the last one is the day I will be back.”

So Ryan opened a present each day to find a picture or reminder of his mom. After he had opened the last present on Friday, he sat at the living room window all day, waiting for his mom to come home.

Are you looking forward to Jesus’ coming back like Ryan waiting for his mom? Or, are you worried he is not going to come back? Or, maybe you haven’t even thought about it. We can get so caught up in our day-to-day lives that Jesus’ return is not even on our radar.

Jesus will come back because he has one piece of unfinished business: He needs you in heaven! That is why he came to earth the first time, to live, die, and rise from the dead so you could be in heaven. The only thing left is for Jesus to come back and bring you to heaven. When Jesus makes a promise, he keeps it.

He left you his Word, filled with all sorts of reminders of his love for you. He will be back, soon. You can count on it.

Closing Prayer:

Ascended Lord and Savior Jesus, you promised to return and take us to heaven. Fill us with greater trust in your promise to return so that we eagerly wait for you to return. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What do you think will be the best part about heaven?
• Why do you know that you will be in heaven with Jesus someday?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What special tasks did Jesus give us to do on earth while we wait for his return? (Hint: Read Acts 1:8)
• How can you make sure you are ready for Jesus’ return?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Jesus is coming back soon! Does that excite you? Or, haven’t you really thought about it? Why or why not?
• What gets in the way of staying focused on being in heaven someday? Consider ways to better stay alert.

Hymn: CW 173:1 – On Christ’s Ascension I Now Build

On Christ’s ascension I now build the hope of my ascension.
This hope alone has always stilled all doubt and apprehension;
For where the head is, there as well I know his members are to dwell
When Christ shall come and call them.

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read: 1 John 3:14-18

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:16-18

Love in Action

Family Devotion – May 20, 2020

Devotion based on 1 John 3:16-18

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Meet Bill. He’s a teacher. Bill has the amazing ability to see creative opportunities in his classroom no one else sees. He sees problems long before they even happen. He notices when a struggling student needs encouragement or extra attention.

But what good is Bill’s ability to see opportunities if he doesn’t do something? Or, if he sees the problems, but offers no solutions? Or if he notices when his students are up or down, but does nothing about it?

Today’s devotion is a lesson on love from someone who loved the most people, the most often, with the most passion. If you really want to know what love is, don’t look at Bill. Don’t even look at yourself. We know what love is. But it’s not always easy to show love, is it? What’s harder: to say, “I love you,” or, to live up to those words? What’s easier: to say, “That’s mine,” or, to let others be first before you? Loving the way God wants us to love is so hard—not because we can’t, but because too often we won’t.

God’s Word today urges, “Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.” The only way we truly know that kind of love is to see it in action. But don’t look at Bill. Don’t look at yourself. Look at Jesus. He laid down his life for all of our failures to love. Then he picked his life back up to keep showing his love for you every day. Jesus inspires us to keep loving others every day!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Closing Prayer:

Gracious Savior, give us your heart of love for others so that we always see their needs and use our gifts to help them. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Can you find someone you love and say, “I love you”?
• What could you do for the person you just said, “I love you” to that would show that you love them?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Can you recall a time you felt unloved because of what someone said or did to you?
• Think of some common needs people have. What are some ways we can love our brothers and sisters in those needs?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Give several examples of Christians “loving” with “words or speech” but not “with actions and in truth.”
• Talk through specifics: how did Jesus practice what John preaches in verse 15, 17, and 18?

Hymn: CW 497:1,5 – This is My Will

“This is my will, my one command,
That love should dwell among you all.
This is my will, that you should love
As I have shown that I love you.

All that you ask my Father dear
For my name’s sake you shall receive.
This is my will, my one command,
That love should dwell in each, in all.”

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read: Acts 17:1-12

As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. But other Jews were jealous.
Acts 17:2-5a

God’s People Share the Way

Family Devotion – May 15, 2020

Devotion based on Acts 17:2-5a

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It was the day after Easter. Derek was already a bummed-out zombie when he heard, “Jesus is still dead and in the grave.” His jaw hit the ground, especially when he realized the voice behind those words was his Nana’s. Nana was the most Christian person Derek knew. She was always sending him Bible passages. Her walls were decorated with crosses. She was “really old” and still teaching Sunday School. She sang in the choir. Her brother was a Lutheran pastor. “What gives, Nana?”

“Well, with the way you are walking around all mopey, all day long, I figured something horrible must have happened. The only thing I could think of that could be that bad to make such a long face is that Jesus must still be dead.”

“I’m just bummed because we are all cooped up in the house and so many people are losing their jobs.”

“True. That is sad. But, let’s never forget—Christ is risen!”

It’s natural to experience moments of sadness. That’s why Jesus’ resurrection is so important to remember in those moments. When you feel everything is going wrong, the joy of knowing, “Christ is risen!” reminds us what is going right and will never change! It puts a smile on our hearts that no sadness can overcome. It puts an encouraging message on our lips that cannot be silenced.

Jesus’ resurrection was a message the early Christians were excited to share. The apostle Paul went from town to town and synagogue to synagogue with one message: Jesus, the promised Messiah, has risen from the dead! It proves that our guilt is paid for, that our death is dead, and that our accuser, Satan, has no more claim on us.

This good news puts us on the way to heaven. This good news gives us reason to thank Jesus. Finally, this good news is our hope to share. Like Paul and the early Christians, we can tell our friends, family, and neighbors about Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth and the Life—with the same joy he has given us!

Closing Prayer:

Gracious Savior, fill our hearts with the joy of the gospel so that our lips overflow with your praise as we share the way with others in our life. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What was making Derek sad?
• How did Derek’s Nana cheer him up?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What would you say are the main teachings of the Bible?
• Why could a Christian argue that the resurrection of Jesus is the most important message of the Bible?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• What are some things Paul might have said from Scripture to “prove” that the Messiah (Jesus) had to suffer and die?
• Sadly, not everyone believed the good news Paul shared. It says that some were “jealous” and others even worked to have Paul arrested or booted out of town. Give several, loving ways you can respond to a person who reacts to the good news of the gospel with rejection or skepticism.

Hymn: CW 422:1,4 – Jesus, Lead Us On

Jesus, lead us on
Till our rest is won;
And although the way be cheerless,
We will follow, calm and fearless.
Guide us by your hand
To our fatherland.

Jesus, still lead on
Till our rest is won.
Heav’nly Leader, still direct us;
Still support, console, protect us
Till we safely stand
In our fatherland.

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read: John 14:1-10

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6

God’s People Know the Way

Family Devotion – May 11, 2020

Devotion based on John 14:6

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Detour,” the sign says. “Ugh,” says the driver. Dad has toothpicks in his eyes to keep them open after eight hours of driving. “This detour takes us way past our hotel,” groans the co-pilot. Mom’s mood will not tolerate any last-second adjustments. It was already a long road trip, but the destination is worth it: Disney World!

Any map app on a phone can instantly calculate a completely new route to your final destination whenever a detour rears its ugly head. It may be longer, but you will still get there.

When it comes to heaven, there are no detours or other ways. Jesus tell us, “I am the way.” Jesus is the way. No one comes to the Father in heaven except through him.

At first, this might seem a little bit nitpicky on Jesus’ part. After all, dad’s phone map app can find another route to Disney World! The truth is, without Jesus, we sinners would have no way out of this sinful world to heaven. The truth is that Jesus is the gracious way of God that freely gives us life eternal! The truth is that Satan, temptation, sin, and our own guilt try to lead us on every sort of detour—only these detours never end at heaven. They lead us away from heaven to a dead end called hell. Beware of detours!

Listen to the clear voice of Jesus: “I am the way.” Faith watches Jesus walk the path we could never walk to the cross, through death, and out the door of his now-empty tomb—all for us. When we face deadly threats along the way, faith hears the voice of Jesus promise, “Because I live, you also will live,” and our hearts are encouraged. When we feel lost along the way, faith hears the voice of Jesus promise, “I am going to prepare a place for you in my Father’s house,” and our course is corrected. When the way grows dim, faith hears the voice of Jesus promise, “I will come back to bring you there to be with me,” and our hope is renewed.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Closing Prayer:

Gracious Savior, thank you for opening wide the doorway of heaven to us through your perfect life, innocent suffering, and glorious resurrection. Give us faith to always stay on the way. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What are some promises God makes to you when you go on a trip?
• What does God promise is waiting for you at the end of your journey in this life?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What are some specific “detours” Satan tries to throw in front of us to lead us off the way?
• List some reasons why the destination of heaven will be far greater than the destination of any earthly vacation.

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Explain some ways the world tries to argue that there are many different paths to heaven.
• Jesus is the only way to heaven. How could a Christian also show that Jesus’ way, the way the Bible teaches, is unique and far better than the ways offered by other religions?

Hymn: CW 422:1-2 – Jesus, Lead Us On

Jesus, lead us on
Till our rest is won;
And although the way be cheerless,
We will follow, calm and fearless.
Guide us by your hand
To our fatherland.

If the way be drear,
If the foe be near,
Let not faithless fears o’ertake us;
Let not faith and hope forsake us,
For through many a woe
To our home we go.

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read: Acts 6:1-9, 7:2a, 51-60

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:55-56

Things Aren’t Always as They Seem

Family Devotion – May 6, 2020

Devotion based on Acts 7:55-56

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The runner was taking her sweet time. She wasn’t winning the race. She was right in the middle of the pack. But the rest of the runners didn’t know that she was saving her energy for the end of the race. With one lap to go, she used that energy to blast past all the other runners and win easily. To those who didn’t know her style of running, it appeared that she was losing for most of the race. It seemed like she didn’t stand a chance of winning. But she knew what she was doing. The whole time, she really was winning. Things are not always as they seem.

Stephen wasn’t afraid to share the gospel. That made some people so mad that they wanted him dead. Angry people dragged Stephen out into the streets where they picked up stones to throw at him and kill him. It looked like Stephen was losing. But things are not always as they seem.

Even while Stephen was facing his final minutes on earth, he knew that he had already won. Why? Because “the Son of Man [is] standing at the right hand of God.” Jesus, the Good Shepherd, had given his life for Stephen and Stephen, trusting in Jesus as his Savior, had the victory of heaven waiting for him. No matter what people did to him, he was victorious. He had life in heaven because Jesus already won for him!

Sometimes we may not feel very victorious. Maybe it seems like we are losing one race after another. Maybe we give into temptation and take our eyes off our Savior. Maybe the challenges of life make us feel like we’re losing and we’ll never catch up. But things are not always as they seem. No matter what happens on this side of heaven, no matter what challenges we face, no matter how much guilt we carry, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, has still won the victory for us. Through faith in him, heaven is still our home. Let us hold onto our Good Shepherd to the very end, until the day that we are standing side by side with him in the mansions of heaven.

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, keep us faithful to you no matter what. Give us the faith to cling to you in the good times and the bad, confident that we will be in heaven with you forever. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Why did the people want Stephen to die?
• How could Stephen be sure that he would be in heaven? How can you be sure that you’ll be in heaven?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What are you looking forward to most about heaven?
• How is Stephen a wonderful example of faith for us?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Name one challenge and one blessing of staying faithful to God.
• Stephen was the first Christian martyr. The word martyr means “witness” but usually refers to someone who was killed for their faith. How was Stephen a faithful martyr or witness even when he died?

Hymn: CW 432:2 – I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb

Day by day, at home, away,
Jesus is my staff and stay.
When I hunger, Jesus feeds me,
Into pleasant pastures leads me;
When I thirst, he bids me go
Where the quiet waters flow.

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read: 1 Peter 1:17-21

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18-19

Bought Back With More Than Gold

Family Devotion – May 1, 2020

Devotion based on 1 Peter 1:18-19

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

She saw the ad for the American Girl doll, and she got so excited. She could create her own American Girl to look just like her. She could pick the hair color, the eyes, the name. She could even pick the things that this American Girl doll liked. She could make this American Girl doll exactly the way she wanted it. The idea of this doll was the most valuable thing to her. But it cost $200. She didn’t have enough.

Human beings are valuable to God. He made human beings just the way he wanted them to be, down to the very last detail. Adam and Eve were holy and perfect, just like he wanted them. They were so valuable to him! But Adam and Eve decided that they wanted to be something else. They fell into sin, and from that moment forward, all of us are born with that same sin.

But here’s the good news. We are still valuable to God! He wants to redeem us or buy us back from the sin that we live in. But does he have enough money to buy us back? Well, if we want to be with God forever in heaven, it’s going to take a bit more than $200. It’s going to take nothing less than the payment of a perfect life to buy us back. Think about that for a minute. You would have to wake up in the morning being perfect all day, every day, your whole life! You can try, but you can’t. No one can. God sent payment for us. He sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, who was perfect in every way. Jesus gave his own life to buy us back. It wasn’t anything like gold or silver that bought us back, it was the holy precious blood of Jesus.

How much are you worth? Sometimes you may feel like you’re not worth much. Maybe it seems that no one likes you and everyone is against you. Maybe you feel alone at home sometimes, like there’s just no time for you or there are so many things to take care of that you become the forgotten one. Maybe at times you face so much trouble that you even think you aren’t worth much to God.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Take comfort in this: you are worth more than money to God! You are worth the life of his own Son. Now, because of Jesus, you have a heaven waiting for you that cannot even begin to compare to the struggles of this day. Hold onto Christ who bought you back with his own blood.

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for buying us back with your own blood and making us your children. Help us to live each day out of thanksgiving for all that you have done for us. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What did Jesus pay to make you his child?
• Name one thing that you can be sure of since Jesus made you his child?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What does redeem mean? How did Jesus redeem us?
• Can you think of times when you have felt worthless? How does Jesus show us that we have worth?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Peter calls Jesus a “lamb without blemish or defect.” Why do you think Jesus was compared to a perfect lamb? What other Bible stories does that remind you of?
• Peter calls the sinful life an “empty way of life.” Jesus says “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). What do you think “life to the full” means?

Hymn: CW 160:3 – This Joyful Eastertide

My flesh in hope shall rest
And for a season slumber
Till trump from east to west
Shall wake the dead in number.

Refrain:
Had Christ, who once was slain,
Not burst His three-day prison,
Our faith had been in vain;
But now has Christ arisen, arisen, arisen;
But now has Christ arisen!

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read: Luke 24:13-35

“They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’”
Luke 24:32

The Scriptures Set Hearts on Fire

Family Devotion – April 27, 2020

Devotion based on Luke 24:32

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times,” cries out the exhausted mom to the kids who just don’t seem to get it. She had told them to get ready for bed, but when she saw what they were doing instead, she thought she might as well have been asking the dog to cook dinner. It’s not that her words weren’t clear. It’s not that she forgot to tell them. The truth of the matter is the kids were just too busy with other things for any of her words to really register.

Sometimes it’s hard to really hear what’s being said, especially when your mind is on other things. And it’s not just the kids! Consider these two men walking on the road to Emmaus on Easter afternoon. They just didn’t get it. Jesus had to suffer, die, and rise again. It’s not like they hadn’t heard this before. The entire Old Testament had been pointing to this, but they were so preoccupied with other thoughts that all the things that God had been telling them through his Word just didn’t register.

But then Jesus talked. He stayed patient with them. He taught them. He reminded them of all the things that they had likely been reading in God’s Word since childhood. They began to understand. Then he broke bread with them, and they saw . . . they saw Jesus! They saw Jesus for who he is, the fulfillment of all the Scriptures. They saw Jesus as their hope for eternal life. Their hearts were set on fire! Not a real fire, but the Holy Spirit planted faith in their hearts through the Word, and that made it all register!

Sometimes, it can be hard for things to really register when your mind is on other things. And for families, the mind can be filled with a lot of other things—the upcoming birthday, schoolwork, bills, jobs, parenting, dance class, piano lessons, baseball practice, housekeeping, and the list could go on. But for just a few minutes, set that off to the side. Open the Scriptures together and hear the marvelous news of Christ risen for us! And while you do, know that the Holy Spirit is at work setting a fire in your heart and the hearts of your whole family. It’s the fire of faith!

Closing Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we thank you for working faith in our hearts through the Word of God. Continue to open your Word to us that the fire of faith may continue to burn in our hearts. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Share one time that you struggled to listen to what Mom or Dad (or another adult) asked you to do.
• Jesus forgives us for all the times that we have not listened to his Word or we haven’t listened to our moms or dads (or other adults who care for us). Why can we be sure that we are forgiven?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Why did Jesus call the Emmaus disciples “foolish” and “slow of heart to believe”?
• Instead of getting mad at them, what did Jesus do for these “foolish” disciples?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Explain what it means that the disciples’ “hearts were burning within them.” What (and/or who) caused this “heartburn”?
• Does God’s Word work in our hearts even if we don’t feel it? Explain.

Hymn: CW 160:1 – This Joyful Eastertide

This joyful Eastertide,
Away with sin and sorrow!
My Love, the Crucified,
Has sprung to life this morrow.

Refrain:
Had Christ, who once was slain,
Not burst His three-day prison,
Our faith had been in vain;
But now has Christ arisen, arisen, arisen;
But now has Christ arisen!

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Read: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:3-4

Peace Forever

Family Devotion – April 22, 2020

Devotion based on 1 Peter 1:3-4

See series: Devotions

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What would you do if you had millions and millions of dollars? Ever have the fantasy of winning the lottery? Little kids likely dream of buying all the newest and coolest toys and technology. Big kids (adults) likely dream of buying all the “big kid toys” like cool cars, fast boats, and a big home.

Want to know a secret? The lottery is a huge waste of your time (and money!). Not only is it very rare for people to win, but apparently the vast majority of those who actually do win usually find two outcomes. Either they lose all the money because they spent it all, or they end up very sad and depressed. Sometimes, they even experience both of those things. Why is this?

Well, it turns out that money can buy you a lot of things, but it can’t buy you real happiness—especially not happiness that lasts. You can buy a new car or a new iPhone, but soon enough the next new model will come out. You might also have millions of dollars, but if you like to spend money, eventually it will run out. What a sad thing for someone to find out the hard way that worldly riches do not bring lasting happiness!

The apostle Peter tells us an amazing truth today. Money can’t buy happiness and eventually runs out, but there is somewhere that we can find a treasure that lasts—in the empty tomb of Jesus. You see, because Jesus now lives, we have what Peter calls a “living hope.” It’s a hope for every single day of our lives that we will be with Jesus one day in the peace of heaven. And here’s the best part—this treasure of eternal peace will not run out, fade away, or go away. It will last forever. It’s kept safe for us in heaven from now until the day that we get there.

Some might imagine how different their lives would be if they had millions of dollars. But you have a treasure even greater than that. Because Jesus lives, you will live in the peace of heaven. Oh, and one more thing! You don’t have to imagine, because the treasure is already yours right now. As Peter says, “Praise be to God!”

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me the treasure of eternal life with you in heaven through the death and resurrection of your dear Son, Jesus. Fill my heart with joy and thanks for the treasure you have waiting for me. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Why is Jesus more important and more valuable than money?
• What do you think will be the best part of heaven? Why?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Why do you think people spend and lose their money so quickly on so many worldly things?
• When are times in life that it is especially comforting to hear that we have the treasure of heaven waiting for us?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Identify all the ways you can compare what happens with earthly inheritances to what happened with our salvation through Jesus.
• If you understand that you have the ultimate treasure waiting for you in heaven, how will that change the way you use your earthly treasures?

Hymn: CW #165 – O Sons and Daughters of the King

O sons and daughters of the King,
Whom heav’nly hosts in glory sing,
Today the grave has lost its sting!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Blessèd are they that have not seen
And yet whose faith has constant been;
In life eternal they shall reign.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.