The Big Picture Family Devotional E-Book

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 192

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

We all want to teach our kids about the Bible and God's love for the world. But sometimes it's hard to know where to start . . . If you want to make regular devotions part of your family life but don't know where to start, pick up this easy-to-use resource and start teaching your kids about the big picture of the Bible today! Designed as a complementary resource to the best-selling The Big Picture Story Bible, this family devotional offers parents a year's worth of material for teaching children ages six to ten about God's plan of salvation for the world through Christ. Intended for families to use three times per week, each 5–10 minute lesson includes: - a basic Bible question with an accompanying answer in the form of a memory verse - an carefully-chosen Scripture passage to read aloud - a devotional paragraph designed to help kids connect the Scripture passage to the Bible's overarching message - reflection questions for the whole family to ponder and discuss together Learn more about the Big Picture Story Bible series at BigPictureStoryBible.com.

Leseprobe

The Big Picture

FAMILY DEVOTIONAL

edited by David R. Helm

The Big Picture Family Devotional

Copyright © 2014 by Holy Trinity Church

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover Illustration: Gail Schoonmaker

First printing 2014

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-4225-1 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-4228-2PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-4226-8Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-4227-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The big picture family devotional / David Helm.

         1 online resource.

         Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

    ISBN 978-1-4335-4226-8 (pdf) – ISBN 978-1-4335-4227-5 (mobi) – ISBN 978-1-4335-4228-2 (epub) – ISBN 978-1-4335-4225-1 (tp)

    1. Families—Religious life. 2. Christian education of children. 3. Christian education—Home training. 4. Families—Prayers and devotions. I. Helm, David R., 1961– editor.

BV4526.3

242'.2—dc23         2014020756

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Contents

AcknowledgmentsHow to Use This DevotionalPart 1God Creates His KingdomQuestions 1–9  1   God Creates a Place  2   God Creates a People  3   God Is Pleased with His Place and His People  4   God Is King over His Place and His People  5   God’s People Reject God as King  6   God’s Place Is Forever Changed  7   God’s People Are Forced Out  8   Everyone Now Rejects God as King  9   God Judges Everyone Who Rejects Him as KingReview of Questions 1–9: God Creates His KingdomPart 2God Begins His PromiseQuestions 10–1810   God Promises a New Place to a New People, Who Will Bless All People11   Abraham Believes God’s Promise12   God’s Promises Extend from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob13   Israel Enters Egypt14   God Rescues Israel from Egypt15   God Tells Israel How to Live as His People16   God Sets Israel Apart to Be His People17   Israel Promises to Live as God’s People18   God Keeps All His Promises to IsraelReview of Questions 10–18: God Begins His PromisePart 3God Continues His PromiseQuestions 19–2719   Israel Rejects God as King20   God Is Not Surprised21   God Promises a New King22   God Promises a New Place23   The Kings of the Earth Reject God’s Promises24   The Kings of Israel Reject God’s Promises25   Israel Enters Exile26   The Ragged Return of Israel from Exile27   God Promises a New PeopleReview of Questions 19–27: God Continues His PromisePart 4Jesus Fulfills God’s PromiseQuestions 28–3628   Jesus Is Born29   Why Jesus Came30   How Jesus Saves31   You Must Be Born Again32   Jesus Is the Resurrection33   Jesus Is the Only Way34   Jesus Is Crucified35   Jesus Died for Our Sins36   Jesus Rose from the DeadReview of Questions 28–36: Jesus Fulfills God’s PromisePart 5God Completes His PromiseQuestions 37–4537   Spreading the Gospel of Jesus38   Peter Defines the Gospel39   Paul Defines the Gospel40   Believing the Gospel41   Living as People Set Apart42   Living as God’s New Creation43   Living as People with Hope44   All to the Glory of God45   Comfort from the KingReview of Questions 37–45: God Completes His PromiseBig Picture Songs

Acknowledgments

One of the immense privileges of pastoring a church plant is the opportunity to colabor in the gospel with eager and energetic Christians—people who put their desire to make an impact for Christ to work by experimenting with new ideas to strengthen the church. In that context, The Big Picture Family Devotional was born.

In the fall of 1996, in the very early days of our church plant in Chicago, a commitment arose to provide fresh gospel resources for the many young families who were instructing their children in the faith. Because we believe the home is the central place for Christian education, the idea of writing a family devotional made sense. Soon afterward, the church was buzzing with excitement as members began writing devotional material that attempted to trace the storyline of the Bible. We even found ourselves writing Sunday school curriculum and adult small group study guides to supplement what was taking place around our dinner tables. Kids and adults alike began memorizing forty-five big picture verses that function as windows through which we gaze at God’s unfolding promise. It was during these years that God also allowed me the privilege of writing The Big Picture Story Bible, beautifully illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker.

I would like to express my deep appreciation to Graeme Goldsworthy, whose ideas on biblical theology provided a springboard for us, as well as my admiration for the many members of Holy Trinity Church, Chicago, who joyfully labored in writing bits and pieces of what you now hold in your hands. The Big Picture Family Devotional is not the work of one person, but many—too many to mention them all by name! Special thanks go to Helen-Joy Lynerd for helping me prepare this book for publication. Also, I am indebted to Tara Davis of Crossway for her careful editing of the manuscript.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the children of Holy Trinity Church, Chicago—for you we gladly labor, counting it sweet joy.

How to Use This Devotional

The difficulty of devotions. Most people find doing family devotions difficult. For starters, many of us never had devotions modeled at home. Even if we were fortunate enough to grow up in a home with parents who tried to teach us the basics of religious belief, we must admit that today is a different world—one that presents us with practical challenges most of our parents never faced. Let’s face it: today a family often eats meals at different times. Getting everyone together in the same place at the same time is nearly impossible.

How to use this devotional. Take heart! We live in the same world you do, and have written The Big Picture Family Devotional especially for today’s family. Getting through this devotional in one year requires only three times a week when your family is in the same place at the same time. We even limited the material to fifty rather than fifty-two weeks so you can put this down and do something else for devotions during the weeks of Christmas and Easter. The devotional contains forty-five weeks of content and five weeks of review spread throughout the year. Everything is already prepared for you, saving you the time of trying to figure out something productive to share with your kids. Just open up the book and read the short Bible selection for the day and the brief devotional paragraph that unfolds the message of the Bible. Follow that up with the reflection and interaction prompts that are meant to spur family discussion. The entire process can take as little as five to ten minutes—or longer, at those unexpected but enjoyable leisurely times when your kids are particularly interested.

The devotional is geared for children ages six to ten, with the intention that it will be read through over several years so that the concepts are reinforced and children grow into an understanding of the more advanced ideas.

For those who want more. For families who like to sing, we have included songs that reinforce what you are learning together. For the highly motivated, we encourage you to make use of the forty-five memory verses that trace the big picture of the Bible. We call them the big picture verses, and a little booklet containing just the verses is available (titled The Big Picture Verses: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible). The verses can easily work as a catechism that takes you from Genesis to Revelation.

We hope The Big Picture Devotional will help clarify the main message of the Bible and instill in your family a growing confidence that the words of the Bible are the very words of God!

The word catechism comes from the Greek katēchein, which means “to teach.” The Big Picure Bible Verses is a tool that will help parents teach their children the storyline of the Bible through questions and answers.

PART 1

God Creates His Kingdom

Questions 1–9

Question 1

God Creates a Place

Q.  Who created the heavens and the earth?

A.  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:1

Devotional Reading: The Bible Assumes God’s Existence

The Bible opens with these amazing words: “In the beginning, God.” Have you ever stood outside at night and looked up into the stars and wondered, “How did all this get here? How did I get here?” In its very first verse, the Bible reveals the answer to those questions. The Bible says that God exists and that he created the heavens and the earth! Many people question whether God exists. Some are certain there is a God, others are unsure, while still others think that God is only an idea in your mind and not real after all. But guess what? The Bible doesn’t waste any time arguing about the existence of God. It simply begins by saying, “In the beginning, God.” How refreshing! The first words of the Bible are already hinting at its big picture—the unfolding activity of God in history.

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Memorize the question and answer of our first big picture verse: Genesis 1:1.

What does today’s Bible reading teach you about God?

Q.  Who created the heavens and the earth?

A.  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:1–2

Devotional Reading: The Bible Begins with God Creating the Heavens and the Earth

Have you ever wanted to create something? Perhaps you had an idea in your head and you wondered if you could make it. Let’s suppose you were going to try. What is one of the first things you would need to do before starting? You would have to gather all the materials your idea needed. Did you know that God did something like that when he created the world? When God set out to create the heavens and the earth he first had to create the materials themselves! The Bible tells us that when God first made the earth, it was only a dark and watery mass. The basic materials were all there, but it didn’t look the way it does now. It looked strange. Nothing could live on it—certainly not people like you and me! How amazing it would have been to see God creating and assembling all the materials he needed to make his wonderful creation.

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Would you say the Bible reading today is more concerned to teach you about the heavens or the earth?

What does the Bible’s concern with the earth here tell you about the focus of Genesis 1?

Q.  Who created the heavens and the earth?

A.  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:3–25

Devotional Reading: God Formed Places and Then Filled Them

Often when you want to color a picture of something, you first draw, or form, the outline of the object or person to be colored and then fill in the color. Well, something like that is going on in Genesis 1. It’s as if the writer gives us an outline of what happened in the first few verses and then fills in the details later in the chapter. The creation outline of day 1 gets filled in on day 4. On day 1 we learn about light and darkness, day and night. Then on day 4, we are introduced to the sun and the moon and the stars, which fill up the sky. Isn’t that amazing! The outline of day 2 (the heavens and the seas) is filled in on day 5 (the birds and sea creatures). And day 3 (the earth and plants) corresponds to day 6 (the land animals). The writer wants you to see the overall picture of God’s creative activity. He wants you to know that God formed all the places in the universe (days 1, 2, and 3), and then filled those places with creations to rule over them (days 4, 5, and 6). Finally, notice that the writer says God did all this simply by speaking words (see vv. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14–15, 20, and 24)! Imagine creating something that was an idea in your head by talking it into existence!

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Can you create things simply by speaking words? What does God’s ability to do so teach you about God?

Learn “The Creation Song” found on pages 174–75.

Question 2

God Creates a People

Q.  Who created people?

A.  God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:26–31

Devotional Reading: People Are Created in God’s Image

The Bible makes it clear that people are very special to God. In fact, we are the crowning jewel of God’s creation. God did not make people to be like the rest of creation, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” An image is a reflection of someone or something. When you look in the mirror, you see your own reflection, or image. God made us to reflect his image. That doesn’t mean we look like God. Instead, it means that we are like him; we rule over things, just as God does. In ancient times, kings used to set up monuments in faraway parts of their empire to show that they ruled there (often these monuments were statues made to look just like them). In a similar way, God has set us up to rule over his creation. As his image-bearers, we act as his representatives in the world. Later on in the Bible story, the psalmist will pick up on this same idea (Psalm 8), and then, the writer of the book of Hebrews will show us that Jesus is God’s supreme image-bearer (Heb. 2:5–8). This is important for us because it teaches us how we extend God’s rule today—namely, by living under the rule of Christ.

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

What does being made in the image of God teach you about God’s plans for you?

Memorize the big picture verse for this week: Genesis 1:27. If you memorize one each week, you will learn all forty-five verses that trace the storyline of the Bible!

Q.  Who created people?

A.  God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Bible Reading: Genesis 2:18–25

Devotional Reading: People Are the Pinnacle of God’s Creation

Have you ever seen a road map? It’s helpful because it shows you many roads. Some maps even come with an inset map. This highlights in greater detail one part of the road map. Genesis 1 and 2 function much like a road map. After giving us the large map of creation in chapter 1, God highlights the most important part of creation in chapter 2—people! He wants you to see the creation of people in greater detail. The point is clear: God created this place for people. We learn that Adam loved everything about his life in the garden, except for one thing: he was alone. The animals all had partners, but not Adam. In fact, one of the reasons God had Adam name the animals was to prepare him for Eve. God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper.” So God had Adam fall into a deep sleep. While Adam was sleeping, God took one of Adam’s ribs, and from this rib he “built” a woman. As only God could do, he created the perfect companion for Adam. This teaches us another thing about being made in God’s image. We are meant for relationship. Not only does man have a special relationship with woman, but both men and women have a unique relationship with God.

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Why did God ask Adam to name all the animals?

What was special about Adam’s relationship with Eve that was different from his relationship with God’s other creatures?

Q.  Who created people?

A.  God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:26–31

Devotional Reading: People Are to Rule over the Rest of God’s Creation

When children are born, who is responsible for them? Parents are. Parents prepare meals, teach their children to get dressed, and help them learn what is right from wrong. Parents are responsible for their children. Do you know who is responsible for caring for God’s creation? All of us are. When God created the world and everything in it, he made us responsible for his creation. God gave us the wonderful responsibility of ruling over and caring for all that he created. That means the entire earth and everything in it. It is God’s world, but he appointed us to rule it for him.

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Discuss some ways that we care for God’s world.

Can you think of some ways that we rule God’s world?

Question 3

God Is Pleased with His Place and His People

Q.  Was God pleased with everything he had made?

A.  God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:3–4, 10, 12, 16–18, 21, 25, 31

Devotional Reading: God’s Creation Was Very Good

Let’s try to remember some things about God’s creation. How did creation get started? God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God separated the light from the darkness, day and night. Water and sky are listed next, followed by dry ground, which he called land, and the great bodies of water, which he called seas. God caused plants and trees to grow on the land, and then the sun, the moon, and all the stars. Next were fish in the seas, birds in the sky, and animals to live on the land. Finally God created people. Can you remember what God thought about each and everything that he created? The Bible tells us “it was very good.” It was just as God had planned it. He was happy with his place and with his people. Nothing was wrong. Everything was just as he had envisioned it in his mind before he began. Everything was good!

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Does everything you make turn out just as you planned it? What does the goodness of God’s creation teach you about God?

This is a great week to sing “It Was Very Good” found on page 176.

Begin to memorize this week’s big picture verse: Genesis 1:31.

Q.  Was God pleased with everything he had made?

A.  God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

Bible Reading: Psalm 104:24–31

Devotional Reading: God’s Place and People Gave Him Great Pleasure

What does it feel like to make something very special? It feels good, doesn’t it? You feel proud. Making something gives you a certain amount of pleasure and satisfaction. It makes you happy. Imagine how pleased God was after making the world and everything in it! The Bible reading today teaches us that God was extremely happy with all that he had created. We read, “May the glory of the LORD endure [or last] forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works.” The Lord was pleased with all he had created, and he rejoiced in it. The place and people were made for God!

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Why do you think God created this beautiful place called earth and all of its people?

Name some things in the world that you think still give God great pleasure.

Q.  Was God pleased with everything he had made?

A.  God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

Bible Reading: Colossians 1:15–20

Devotional Reading: The Eternal Son of God Had a Role in Creation

What are some good things about having an older brother or sister? One advantage of not being born first is that you can learn some things faster by watching your older sibling. The Bible demonstrates the same principle. Our New Testament writer today had an advantage in coming later. He learned some interesting things from others who had gone before him—in this case, that the world was created by the eternal Son of God, who was later born into the world and named Jesus. Jesus is the big picture in God’s story, the Bible. Before we leave the first chapter of the Bible, we must understand that the eternal Son of God had a lot to do with what happened in the beginning. He was involved in creating everything and is in charge of everything. Perhaps what is most astounding is that he created all things for himself. Since this eternal Son of God is our Creator and King, and since he alone sustains this beautiful place and all its people, he alone deserves all our praise.

REFLECTION AND INTERACTION

Why should we worship the Son of God?

How does it make you feel to know that all creation was made for Jesus?

Question 4

God Is King over His Place and His People

Q.  What command did God give his people to obey?

A.  [From] the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:17)

Bible Reading: Genesis 2:15–17

Devotional Reading: God Rules His People by His Word