Grapes are often a favorite fruit of children and adults. Today you can enjoy grapes and (if you are brave enough!), a fun activity with grapes. In the process, you can also teach your kids a story from the Bible and the lessons they can learn from it. Our devotional is flexible because you choose which Bible story and application principle you want your kids to learn.
So let’s get started!
Supplies: grapes, optional large bowl and ingredients to make a food containing grapes
Procedure: Choose one of the following Bible stories and its application principles to teach your kids.
- Ten Spies. Numbers 13. Okay, actually there were 12 spies. The Israelites had been traveling fairly quickly from Egypt to the Promised Land. Before they crossed the Jordan River and entered the land, Moses sent 12 spies to discover what was facing them. They returned with basically two stories. One was about the amazing blessings that awaited them. The other is the story that changed everything. The spies had seen an enemy that looked terrifying. Ten of the spies counseled that they not enter the Promised land because of the enemy they would face. Only Caleb and Joshua had confidence that God would help them conquer any obstacle. Sometimes we face things in life that scare us or seem too hard. We have to be like Joshua and Caleb and trust God to help us face anything we may have to face in life.
- Naboth’s Vineyard. 1 Kings 21. Naboth had what must have been an amazing vineyard. It was so wonderful, it caught the attention of King Ahab. Ahab offered to buy the vineyard or give Naboth another one to replace it, but Naboth refused. When Queen Jezebel learned Ahab hadn’t forced Naboth to give him the vineyard, she took over in disgust. She came up with an evil plan that got Ahab his vineyard, but also resulted in the death of Naboth. Sometimes, we can be as selfish and jealous as Ahab and Jezebel. We may not kill anyone, but we will sometimes manipulate, lie and do other ungodly things to try and get what we want. We need to be grateful for what we have. If we want something, we should make sure we are godly in how we chose to try and get it.
- Jesus and Grape Pruning. John 15. Jesus talked about grapes. He said he is the like the grape vine and we are like the branches. If we don’t bear fruit, he will cut us off. If we bear fruit, he will prune us so we can bear even more fruit. He goes on to talk about how we need to remain in him – especially if we want to bear fruit. He reminds us we can’t bear fruit without him. While this is not a story in the normal sense, it does paint a picture. God expects us to bear fruit – good works and making disciples, obedience and worship, etc. If we reject Jesus and walk away from Him, we can’t bear fruit. If we don’t bear fruit, eventually we will be cut off from access to Jesus.
Tell or read the Bible story you chose to your kids. Share with them the application principle. Discuss the meaning carefully, especially if you chose the scripture with Jesus. It is a more abstract concept and will be more difficult for young children to totally understand without help. Talk about ways you and your kids can incorporate the application principles into your lives.
As you talk, you may want to enjoy your grapes. You may choose to eat more than one variety. You can discuss how God gives each of us different gifts to serve Him. All are equally “good”, but by working together, we can be the Church God wants us to be.
You may want to try crushing the grapes in a bowl to make grape juice. Or perhaps you want to try and make a recipe with your kids that uses grapes. As you spend this additional time together enjoying the activity, continue to talk about ways to do the things God wants us to do.