Monday--Focus on the Persecuted Church
Christ has a great love for each of us individually, and for all of us corporately. We, together, are the bride of Christ! (Revelation 19:7-9, Ephesians 5:25-27, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Matthew 25:1-46, John 14:1-3)
As such, we ought to have concern for one another. Our relationship is not just a vertical one with God, but also a horizontal one with the fellow members of the body of Christ.
One of the things we want our children to capture is their responsibility to look beyond their own needs and desires, and to truly identify with others in their suffering. "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." John 15:13 (For other verses on the nature of Christian love, see also John 15:12, 17; Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12; and 2 John 5)
- For today's devotion, discuss our duty to the persecuted church. Pastor Richard Wurmbrand was a man who spent 14 years in a Romanian prison under Communism. He wrote movingly on this subject, "Manacles hurt not only the wrists, but also the soul. When we "remember them that are in bonds as bound with them" (Hebrews 13:3), we enter into the "fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). When they hurt, our souls hurt. When they are beaten, our souls are beaten. When they are isolated in a dark cell, our souls share in that darkness. However, with prayer we can rub the feet of those in shackles. We can put a blanket over those shivering with cold on the icy cement floor. We can feed a spirit starved for fellowship and God’s word. We can nurse the wounds of a back bruised and cut from being whipped."
- Read some of the prayer requests from the Voice of the Martyrs website. http://www.persecution.com/public/homepage.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51
- Another good website is http://savesaeed.org/ where parents can sign a petition for the release of an American pastor being held in an Iranian prison and children can hear his story.
- Have each child choose a person or a situation to pray for. If possible, print out a picture of the person for them to put on the mirror of the bathroom or in their Bible to remind them to pray. If they choose a country or "situation" to pray for, they could perhaps draw the flag or draw a picture that would remind them to pray.
- Jamey will probably go into the topic of the increasing persecution of the American Church (he recommends the book The Criminalization of Christianity for those who doubt persecution exists here) and our response to it. What if we are called to suffer? How deep does our commitment go?
- Read 1 Peter 4:12-19 and discuss the fact that, as Christians, we ought to expect persecution. It's a promise! How ought we respond? (See also Acts 14:22; Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 John 3:13)
- End in prayer for the church.
- Explain the idea of "redemption". We were bought with a price, freed from bondage. What was the bondage? What was Christ willing to pay? Why? There is a simple, thorough exposition of the subject at http://www.abideinchrist.com/selah/jan7.html .
- R.C. Sproul has written an allegory to help children understand the concept of redemption. It's called The Lightlings and is available from Christianbook.com
- A beautiful story of redemption is, of course, found in the book of Ruth. Jamey will, I'm sure have other great ideas as he leads our devotions for this. I'll update then:)
Wednesday--Avoiding temptation
- Another idea from Joe Paprocki's website! Read Luke 4:1-13, the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.
- Have the children get into pairs (one younger with one older might work best in large families) and brainstorm a list of temptations that might beset them.
- After they have written their lists, Jamey will lead discussion on the ways that Jesus resisted temptation. We cannot just decide to overcome! Christ had submitted himself to his Father's will ahead of time. He knew the Scriptures. He was listening to the Spirit, and he overcame. The Bible says that Jesus was "tempted in every way just as were are--yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15) We have the same tools available to us!
- Some verses to have the children look up--1 Corinthians 10:13, Galatians 5:16, James 4:7, Ephesians 6:10-18, Luke 22:40, Romans 12:2, 1 John 4:1, Psalm 119:11, 1 Peter 5:8-11)
- Have the children get back into pairs and write ideas from Scripture for dealing with each of their temptations.
- Discuss the value of accountability with other believers and openness with parents in helping to resist temptation. (Proverbs 27:17, Galatians 6:1-2, Ecclesiates 4:9-12, Ephesians 4:25, Hebrews 3:12-13)
We have a wonderful book by Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth called Passion Hymns for a Kid's Heart. It has many of the favorite Easter hymns and all the stories behind them, as well as a CD of the music sung by the two women and a children's choir. Lovely! It is available through Christian Book Distributors for around $15.00.
- We plan to use this book in today's devotional. The Bible exhorts us to use "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" to encourage one another. (Ephesians 5:19) Music is so powerful! We will have the children choose a few of their favorites from the book, read the background story, and then read or sing the lyrics and discuss them.
- Or just pick a few of your favorite Easter hymns. Read the lyrics aloud. If you knew nothing about Christ and his atoning work, what would these songs teach you?
- Are there particular verses which impact you? Sing a few favorites as a family!
Friday--Fasting
- Read Mark1:12-13, Acts 14:23, Joel 2:12, Matthew 6:18, Daniel 9:3, Ezra 8:23, Jonah 3:5-10. What is fasting? Why should we do it?
- Explain that our deepest hunger should be for God, and that He is our spiritual food. (Psalm 63:1, Matthew 5:6, John 6:48, John 4:14) When we fast, we are giving up bodily food in order to devote ourselves to fervent prayer--spiritual food. Each time our body reminds us of our physical hunger, we can turn our hearts toward God, who satisfies an even deeper need.
- Remind the children of the "fast" they have committed to--the activity they have given up for the purpose of gaining a richer prayer life. Ask how they are doing in keeping that fast. Has it been easy? Have they been turning to prayer more often?
- We have spoken to our older children in the past about fasting--how it is to be done privately, thoughtfully, prayerfully. We have given them permission to fast from food as they feel led to do so by the Holy Spirit.
- We plan to share with the children our experiences with fasting, but emphasize that, while they are children, if they feel led to fast from food, it should be something that is shared with us first, and done safely and with permission. (So far, only our teen aged children have expressed a desire to fast, and only on very rare occasions.) Fasting from activities or pleasures in order to develop the discipline of prayer IS something that younger children can do safely! But it should also be done privately so it will not become a source of pride or public boasting. The Lord looks on the heart!
Saturday--The Daily Examen
This is another new idea for me, again coming from the 40 Ideas for 40 Days website by Joe Paprocki. The word "examen" is a Spanish word for examination. Apparently St. Ignatius of Loyola urged people to pause for 10 or 15 minutes a couple of times each day to EXAMEN themselves and ask, "Have I grown closer to God since the start of the day, or moved away from Him?"
Here is the idea broken down for children (and the rest of us:)
- Two or three times during the day, ask the children to sit down, close their eyes, and be still for one minute, quieting their hearts before the Lord.
- Ask them to quietly pray that the Holy Spirit will help them to rewind and go back over the events of their day, being thankful for God's blessings to them (1-2 minutes)
- Then ask them to fast forward through their day, "recalling those moments when they did things that moved them closer to God as well as those things that took them away from God." (2 minutes)
- "Invite them to thank God for the moments when they were aware of His presence, and ask forgiveness for the moments they failed to follow him." (1-2 minutes)
- Finally, have them pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and guard and convict their hearts as they move forward into the rest of the day. (1-2 minutes)
- Talk in the evening about the value of living an examined life. What benefits does it bring? Many people choose to pray at set times during each day. Is this something they might want to consider doing--again, not as a rule, but as a tool?
I would love to hear ideas from other people as we move through the weeks. If your family is doing something that you have found particularly meaningful for this season, please share!
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