Family Worship & Devotion Week Six
As we continue through our campaign studying the attributes of God, we have had the opportunity to see God’s greatness on display. Among other things, this week, we have the opportunity of looking at how God is unchanging, immutable. In a world that is ever-changing, what sweet promise and assurance we have that we serve a God who is himself unchanging. And it is not just that he is unchanging, but that he is incapable of change. What is true of God today has always been true and will always be true forever and ever and ever, beyond a scope of time that we can even comprehend.
In God’s goodness and graciousness, he has allowed us to play a role in redemptive history. If you are reading this, you are likely a parent who has been entrusted to the discipleship of your little one(s). We are praying for you and laboring alongside you as you take on this endeavor. If you have questions about the content, or need resources or prayer, please reach out to us! It is our prayer that parents would be equipped for the discipleship of their families.
Both the younger and older kids’ content this week is based on Matthew 7:24-27. Check out this blog post from a few months ago to prepare your heart prior to sharing with your kids.
YOUNGER KIDS
This week we will take a break from the Jesus Storybook Bible to look at the story of Matthew 7:24-27. In this story we see the importance of a solid foundation (Christ), and the difference in foundations when (when not if) the storms of life happen. When explaining this to your younger kids, you can liken the “storms” to any change that happens in our lives. The Rock is Jesus, and we build our foundation on him by knowing Him through the Scriptures. The sand is anything else that we build our lives on. It is not that the “anything else” we build our lives on is necessarily bad in and of itself, but the importance is that is has a rightful place in our lives— not as the foundation that should be reserved for Jesus.
Ensuring that Jesus is our Rock means that we believe he is the one thing that doesn’t change when the rest of life does. When we believe this, the storms will come but we know that our house stands firm because of who holds it together.
Matthew 7:24-27
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Prayer
God, thank you that in a world where everything else is changing, we know that you do not. Thank you that when everything else is crazy, you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen.
OLDER KIDS
FAMILY WORSHIP & DEVOTION
PART I
QUESTION
What does it mean that God is immutable?
ANSWER
“Immutable” means that God does not and cannot change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. What we know to be true of God today will be true forever and ever.
SCRIPTURE
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17
“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” Psalm 18:31
PRAYER
God, thank you for providing for all of our needs, including our greatest need for salvation. Amen!
FAMILY WORSHIP & DEVOTION
PART II
QUESTION
Why is it important that God does not change?
ANSWER
We live in a world where everything is changing— As an example, one day we were at school and the next we were told to learn online because of a pandemic. In this world where everything and everyone is always changing, we can trust in a God who is the same forever. We are invited to make God the foundation of our house, of our life. In the story in Matthew 7:24-27, we see that both the wise man and the foolish man experience storms in life— being wise did not prevent storms of change from coming, but wisdom meant that when the storms did come, the foundation of Christ did not crumble under the pressure.
It is important that in this world where everything is always changing, we have the hope of Christ that remains the same. When we choose to build our foundation on Him, we can trust that because of Him we are able to endure the storms (changes) of life. We build our foundation on Christ by knowing him through the Scriptures that he has provided us and putting him before all other things in our lives.
SCRIPTURE
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27
PRAYER
God, thank you that you stay the same even when we experience storms in our lives. Thank you that when we build our life on you like the wise man, our house stands even when it’s faced with the storms of change. Thank you for being the same yesterday, today and forever in a world where everything else is changing.