You Will Need: 

• Something you can throw.
• A Bible marked at 1 Peter 5:7

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TELL your child that you are going to throw an item to them and you want them to catch it and throw it back. Do this several times.

ASK—What does it mean to “cast” something? (“Casting” is another way of saying “throwing.”)

SAY—We are going to read about something that God wants us to throw His way.

Read 1 Peter 5:7 from your Bible.

ASK—What does God want you to “cast” on Him? (Your cares.) 

ASK—Some of your cares or all of your cares? (All your cares.) 

ASK—Why can you cast all your cares on God? (Because He cares for you.)

TOSS the item back and forth but each time you throw it, say a care or worry that someone might have.

ASK—What are some cares or worries that you have?

PRAY—Take turns praying and let each member of your family tell God about a care or worry (something that concerns them)—something they are throwing God’s way and trusting Him with. For example, “Dear Lord, Grandma is sick. Please help her to get better. I give this to you. In Jesus’ Name—Amen.”

You Will Need: 

• Coffee Filter 
• Lemon Juice 
• A highlighter 
• A Bible marked at 1 John 1:9 

If you don’t have these items: You can do the following activity to make the same point: Use food items or shaving cream to make a beard and mustache on your child—it’ll make a mess on them, just like sin makes a mess out of our lives. Then see how fast they can clean up their faces. Read 1 John 1:9 and continue with the DISCUSSION below.

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STEP 1

Use a highlighter to write different sins on a coffee filter.

STEP 2

Put a few drops of lemon juice on the filter and watch your sins disappear.

DISCUSSION

Read 1 John 1:9 from your Bible.

SAY—Sin always makes a mess in our lives but if we confess our sins and tell God we’re sorry for the wrong things we’ve done, He’ll forgive us. We can’t clean up ourselves. We can’t forgive our own sins—we need a Savior. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have to deal with the consequences of the wrong things we’ve done, but when God forgives a sin, it’s gone for good.

SAY—That’s great news…and news like this ought to be shared with others. Jesus doesn’t want us to keep this a secret but to share it with the whole world.

ASK—This week with whom can you share about how Jesus can forgive sins?

PRAY—Give thanks that God has made a way to clean up the mess of our sins.

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BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—What do you think the world would be like if there was no sin? (We would be perfect. No one would lie or steal or cheat. You could trust everyone, etc.)

ASK—In what ways do you think sin hurts people?

Read Galatians 6:7-8

 (The point of this verse is simply: what you plant in your life is what will grow in your life. If you plant the things of God, you will grow things that last forever. If you give in to sin, however, the hurt of that sin will destroy the life that God intends for you to have.)

You Will Need: 

• A non-diet can of soda 
• A diet can of soda 
• A Bible marked at John 14:1-3 

If you don’t have these items: You can do a different activity that is explained in the “Other Option” section below.

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STEP 1

Fill up the bathtub so that the cans have enough depth to sink.

STEP 2

Consider these questions…What do you think will happen when you put the cans into the bathtub? Will they both sink? Will they both float? Will one sink and one float, and if so, which will do what?

STEP 3

Put both cans in the bathtub. What happened? (The diet can floats.)

POINT—The difference between these two cans is about half a cup of sugar.

KEY—Just a little makes a big difference. In the same way it takes just a little sin to drag a Christian down. According to the Bible, there’s no room for sin in the Christian’s life. So, have you been doing anything you know is wrong? If so, then stop doing it (repent), ask God to forgive you, and turn to follow Jesus again.

SAY—Also, just like the can that rose, Jesus rose from the dead after three days and later He ascended into heaven. That’s great news, and here’s some more great news: Those who have given their lives to Jesus can know for sure that they’re going to heaven to spend eternity with Him forever.

Read John 14:1-3 from your Bible.

PRAY—Thank God for preparing a place for His people in heaven.

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OTHER OPTION

Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above.

Make some chocolate milk where just a little powder makes a big change; or taste test some strawberries then dip them in sugar. Again, just a little makes a big difference; Or eat something that needs salt, like corn to make this same point. Then begin with the discussion below.

SAY—Just a little makes a big difference. In the same way it takes just a little sin to drag a Christian down. According to the Bible, there’s no room for sin in the Christian’s life. So, have you been doing anything you know is wrong? If so, then stop doing it (repent), ask God to forgive you, and turn to follow Jesus again.

SAY—It’s good news that God can forgive you. This is the reason that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and here’s some more great news: Those who have given their lives to Jesus can know for sure that they’re going to heaven to spend eternity with Him forever.

Read John 14:1-3 from your Bible.

PRAY—Thank God for preparing a place for His people in heaven.

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BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—What are some things that you look forward to about going to heaven? (Seeing Jesus face to face, meeting people from the Bible, living forever in God’s presence, etc.)

ASK—What are some things that you look forward to leaving behind when you go to heaven? (Fear, heartbreak, sin, rejection, temptation, etc.)

Read John 14:1-6

You Will Need: 

• A bowl of cereal
• A spoon
• Something to cover your child’s clothes
• A Bible marked at 1 Peter 2:2

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GET STARTED

Choose one person in your family to be the “eater” and one person to be the “feeder”. Equip your eater with a trash bag to cover his clothes. When you say go, the feeder will spoon-feed the eater to see how much cereal he can eat in 45 second. 

If you have more than one child, you can do this more than one time. Also, be aware that this activity can get a little messy. Choose carefully where you want to do this devotion.

ASK—What would you think about a person in your grade if his mother came to school every day to spoon-feed him? 

SAY—That’s crazy. Only little babies are spoon-fed because as you grow, you begin feeding yourself. The same is true spiritually—There comes a time to quit relying on your church, pastor and other people to keep spoon-feeding you God’s Word. You need to begin feeding yourself. It’s time to “grow up” spiritually and begin spending time with God on your own everyday. 

Read 1 Peter 2:2 from your Bible.

ASK—What are some ways that you can grow with the Lord each day? (Talk to God, read the Bible, etc).

SHARE with your kids things that help you to grow closer to God. (Sometimes, as parents, we spend time with God before or after our children go to bed, so they don’t often get to see how we spend time with the Lord. It is important that they not only know that we do spend time with God but how.)

PRAY—And thank God for making a way for us to know Him and to grow with Him each day.

You Will Need: 

• Green and Yellow food coloring (Red and blue will work also.) 
• 2 cups of water 
• A Bible marked at 2 Corinthians 5:17 

If you don’t have these items: You can do a different activity that is explained in the “Other Option” section below:

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STEP 1

Pour two glasses of water. In one put a few drops of green (or blue) food coloring. With each drop say something bad that people do (i.e., tell a lie, take something that belongs to someone else, throw a fit, disobey mom or dad, etc.) This green (or blue) cup stands for all the bad things we do.

STEP 2

In the second cup of water, add a few drops of yellow (or red) food coloring. The yellow stands for the streets of gold in heaven. (If you use red, it stands for the blood Jesus shed when He died to make a way for us to go to heaven.) This cup stands for Jesus and how He died to make a way for us to go to heaven and to take away all the wrong things we’ve done.

STEP 3

Now pour the cup representing Jesus (yellow or red) into the cup that represents our sins (green or blue). There is a big change. When someone gives their life to Jesus, there is a big change that happens because: 

(1) That person is adopted into God’s family

(2) They are given God’s Holy Spirit to guide and direct them

(3) They are given an eternal life that nothing can ever take away

(4) And God gives them a brand new kind of life.

Read and discuss 2 Corinthians 5:17 from your Bible.

PRAY—And thank God for the change He can bring to people’s lives.

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OTHER OPTION

Do this activity if you don’t have the items you need for the one above:

Make some cookies or biscuits and point out the change that happens while cooking. You might even want to do a before and after taste-test. Or, pop some popcorn and compare a kernel with the end result—The taste-test on this one is recommended only for the final product! Or, get a little messy by adding water to a nicely folded pile of toilet paper. This is guaranteed to make a change. Then begin with the discussion below.

DISCUSSION

The change you just saw doesn’t even begin to compare with the change that Jesus makes when a person gives his or her life to Him.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17

SAY—When people are saved, they become brand new. No matter how bad they’ve been, all their sins are gone. They also become a child of God and are given His Holy Spirit. They are saved from a life without Christ as well as an eternity separated from God to a life that lives for Christ and an eternity in heaven. Isn’t God great!

PRAY—And thank God for the change He can bring to people’s lives.

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BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—What are three ways that you can show Jesus’ love to others today?

ASK—What is something you would change in the world if you could? (Starvation, war, hate, racism, etc.)

ASK—What do you think the world would be like if everyone knew and followed Jesus?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

You Will Need: 

• A deck of cards Dominoes or blocks
• A Bible marked at Matthew 7:24-27

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GET STARTED

Make a tower or house out of dominoes. Then make a tower or house of cards. Trying blowing them down. 

ASK—Which one fell easier? Why?

SAY—A house of cards falls easily. The smallest touch and down it comes. This is like a Christian who doesn’t keep his eyes on Jesus. He starts looking at the things of the world or tough situations or what other people say and before long, just like Peter walking on the water in Matthew 14:22-33, he starts to sink.

SAY—The tower of dominoes, though, didn’t fall so easy. This is like a believer who trusts God and keeps his heart fixed on Him. Someone who trusts Jesus and walks with Him regardless of what happens or what people say or how bad things may seem, will have a rock-solid faith that will help them do anything God wants them to do (like Peter walking on the water).

Read Matthew 7:24-27 from your Bible.

ASK—Which one is more like the house of cards: The man who built his house on sand or on the rock?

ASK—Which one is more like the tower of dominoes: The man who built his house on sand or on the rock?

KEY—The person who obeys God and trusts Him will have a rock-solid faith that is the foundation on which God wants you to build your life.

PRAY—Thank God for giving you a faith that can’t be shaken by the things of this world. Give thanks that with God all things are possible.

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BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—What do you think a person feels like when they take their eyes off Jesus? (Empty. Lonely. In trouble, etc.)

ASK—Do you know anyone going through a hard time? 

ASK—If you do, or when you do, what can you do to help them fix their eyes on Christ?

Read Galatians 6:1

You Will Need: 

• A few dirty pennies
• Some hot sauce
• A Bible turned to 1 John 1:9

If you don’t have these items: You can do the following activity to make the same point: Make a mess and clean it up. There are number of fun ways to do this—Play in the mud outside, have a shaving cream fight, have a paper-wad fight, fix a meal together or cookies (it always makes a mess in my kitchen!) or just jump in when someone accidentally spills their milk. Then begin at the DISCUSSION section below.

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STEP 1 

Set out several dirty pennies on a plate. 

STEP 2

Pour hot sauce on the tops of all but one of them. 

STEP 3

Wait about four minutes and then wipe and wash them off.

STEP 4

Compare the pennies to the one you didn’t put hot sauce on. Do you see the difference?

DISCUSSION

SAY—A person who has given his or her life to Jesus has been cleaned from their sins. Their sins are gone just like the dirtiness that we just cleaned up. But this doesn’t mean that they will be perfect. When a Christian does something wrong, even though he is already saved, he still needs to ask for forgiveness. Why? Not to go to heaven. Someone who is saved is going to heaven and nothing can change that, but to have a good relationship with God. 

SAY—Think of it this way: Let’s say one day you punch your brother (or sister) in the nose. 

ASK—Are you still part of the same family? Of course. When you give your life to Jesus, you become a part of God’s family and nothing can change that.

ASK—So if you do something wrong, are you still a part of God’s family? Of course—just like you would still be brother and sister and part of the same family, even though you did something wrong. 

ASK—But if you punched your brother (or sister) in the nose, would you be right with them? No You punched him in the nose! 

ASK—So what would you have to do to get right with each other? Say you’re sorry. When you do wrong things in life, even though you’re still going to heaven, you still need to ask for forgiveness (say you’re sorry) to clean up your relationship with God. 

Read 1 John 1:9 from the Bible.

This verse tells us what to do when we do something wrong.

PRAY—And thank God for providing a way through Jesus to take your sins away—a way for you to be forgiven.

You Will Need: 

• A piece of paper
• A book
• A piece of tape
• A Bible marked at Philippians 4:13

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GET STARTED

Try to figure this out:

How can one piece of paper hold up an entire book? 

Try this experiment to find out how:

Take one piece of regular paper. Roll it up to look like a toilet paper or paper towel tube. Then use a piece of tape to hold the roll in place. Set it on a flat surface so that it stands up tall. Then carefully place the book on top of it. 

SAY—The paper did something you might have thought was impossible at first. But just remember that with God all things are possible and the Lord will never call you to do anything that He will not also give you the strength you need to do it. 

Read Philippians 4:13 from your Bible.

PRAY—That your kids will always follow Jesus and trust Him for everything they’ll ever need in life.

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BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—If you had all power and you could do anything, what would you do? (Fly? Have a million dollars? Run faster than a bullet? Jump over tall buildings?)

ASK—If God could do anything with your life, what do you think He might do? (Use you to tell others about Him, call you to be a minister or missionary, let you go to another country to share Jesus, etc.)

KEY THOUGHT: There is no limit to the incredible things God can do through you if you follow Him and let Him work in your life in any way He wants.

Read Philippians 4:13

You Will Need: 

• Something to use as a blindfold
• A Bible marked at 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Acts 16:16-34

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GET STARTED

Take turns blindfolding each member of the family to see if they can walk from one end of the house to the other without touching anything. The second time you do this, let each person have a guide to help him. 

ASK—Which was easier—having a guide or not having a guide? 

SAY—Did you know that Christians—those who have given their lives to Jesus—become guides for those who don’t know Christ, to lead others to Him. 

Read 2 Corinthians 4:4 from your Bible.

SAY—The Bible says that those who don’t know Jesus are blind to the things of God. That’s the reason they need someone to show them the way to Christ so He can bring His light and love into their lives.

Read Acts 16:16-34 from your Bible.

ASK—How did Paul and Silas get the chance to share Jesus with the jailer?  (Through several bad things that happened, including being beaten and put in jail. God will always give you the strength to live for Him.)

KEY—God can even use the bad things that happen to you to give you the chance to show His light and love to others.

PRAY—That God will use every member of your family to be a guide to lead others to Jesus.

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BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—What can you do to make God stop loving you?  (Nothing.)

ASK—Once you’ve given your life to Jesus, what can separate you from the love of Christ?  (Nothing—not even you.)

Read Romans 8:35 and 38

You Will Need: 

• 1 Nail
• A magnet
• Some paper clips or something else that is small and metal.
• A Bible marked at Psalm 119:11 and Matthew 4:3-11

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STEP 1

Try to pick up the paper clips by touching them with the nail. It won’t work. 

STEP 2

Now hold the magnet to the head of the nail and touch the point to the paper clips. What happened? What changed?

SAY—Just like the magnet gave the nail the ability to pick up the paper clips, God gives you the ability and the strength to say no to doing wrong things. The magnet became a tool to help the nail pick up the paper clips and God has given you a tool to help you say no to temptation.

Read Psalm 119:11 from your Bible.

ASK—What tool does this verse mention that helps you keep away from doing bad things?

ASK—What other tools has God given you to help keep you away from sin? (Your parents, Sunday School teachers, Christian friends, etc.)

Read Matthew 4:3-11 from your Bible.

ASK—What tool did Jesus use when He was tempted?

PRAY—And thank God for giving you the tools to overcome temptation.

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BREAKFAST BITES

ASK—What are some temptations you see your friends facing? (Let your children respond. Some answers might include lying, cheating, disobeying parents, etc.) 

ASK—How can you help your friends say no to temptation? 

ASK—How can you help your friends to follow Jesus?

Read 1 Corinthians 10:13