Category: Family Devotionals

This challenge requires two jigsaw puzzles or you can make your own. On your primary puzzle, write a character trait from the list below on a piece. It’s okay if there are blank pieces left. Then take eight pieces from a different puzzle and write negative character traits on the back of each. Mix those pieces in with the primary puzzle. You will present your family with the combined puzzle to use.

Saturday, December 26, Day 7

Bible Reading: Luke 2:41-52

Bible Verse: “Jesus became wiser and stronger. He also became more pleasing to God and to people.” Luke 2:52

Interesting Facts:

• Jews were required to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem three times a year for feasts.
• Twelve years old was when Jewish boys in the time of Jesus started taking personal responsibility for their religious health and life.

Thoughts to Share: This is the only story we have about Jesus interacting with others when he was young. We learn two important things from this story. Jesus was already learning a lot about what was in the Bible that had been written down by then, our Old Testament. (The New Testament was written after Jesus went back to Heaven.) We also learn in the last verse, that Jesus did not just grow physically. He grew mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He had what we call good character. We learn later that Jesus never sinned. That means he had the character traits God wants His people to possess.

Family Fun Activity: You have in front of you a jigsaw puzzle. Take out all of the pieces and turn them upside down so you can’t see the picture. You will see that some pieces have words on the back of them. What you can’t see is that your puzzle box has some pieces that don’t belong in your puzzle! The pieces that belong in your puzzle have the character traits God wants His people to have or they have no writing on them at all. The pieces of the puzzle that have character traits that God doesn’t want His people to have written on them, don’t belong in your puzzle! Without looking at the picture, can you find the right pieces to your puzzle and put it together properly?!

Parenting Tips: Below, you will find a list of character traits mentioned in the Bible. Which ones do you and your kids already have? Which ones do each one of you need to practice more? Think of ways to encourage each other to have more godly character traits.

Godly Character Traits

While Christianity is ultimately about the heart, there are observable character traits that Christians should possess. In a Christian, these character traits should be an outward sign of a heart that loves and worships God. This list does not include every character trait, but is a good list to use when working with young people.

Commitment – Luke 9:62 – Being dedicated to God

Contentment – Philippians 4:11-12 – A state of satisfaction

Courage – Psalm 27:14 – Strength in the face of pain, fear or grief

Diligence – Proverbs 12:24 – Careful & persistent work or effort

Discernment – Hebrews 5:14 – Ability to judge well

Encouragement – Hebrews 10:25 – Giving others support, confidence or hope

Faithfulness – Romans 10:17 – Being faithful or devoted

Forgiveness – Mark 11:25 – Forgiving others

Generosity – Acts 20:35 – Giving freely without expecting anything in return

Gentleness – Titus 3:2 – Being kind and tender

Goodness – Romans 12:9 – Being morally good or virtuous

Gratefulness – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Being thankful or appreciative

Honesty – Proverbs 10:9 – Telling the truth

Hospitable – Hebrews 13:2 – Welcoming others into your home

Humility – 1 Peter 5:5 – Modest view of one’s own importance

Joyful – Proverbs 17:22 – Expressing great joy

Kindness – Ephesians 4:32 – Treating others with tenderness

Love – 1 Corinthians 13:3 – Unconditional love for others

Obedience – John 14:15 – Following God’s commands and directions

Patience – Galatians 6:9 – Accepting delays or problems without anger

Peacemaker – Matthew 5:9 – Encouraging harmony between people

Perseverance – Galatians 6:9 – Continuing to work towards goals despite problems

Purity – 1 Timothy 4:12 – Free from contamination by the world

Respectful – 1 Peter 2:17 – Showing deference or respect

Responsibility – Colossians 3:23 – Doing well what is expected, without being reminded

Self-control – Galatians 5:24-25 – Controlling negative impulses and doing what is right

Servant Heart – 1 Peter 4:10 – Willingness to love and serve others

Stewardship – 1 Peter 4:10 – Taking good care of things that have been placed under our care

Wisdom – James 1:5 – Using knowledge appropriately

If your kids received books or kits for Christmas, they would be great to use for the activity today!

Friday, December 25, Day 6

Bible Reading: Luke 2:8-40

Memory Verse: “Anna came up to Jesus’ family at that moment. She gave thanks to God. And she spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the time when Jerusalem would be set free.” Luke 2:38

Interesting Facts:

• No one knows for sure how many wisemen came to visit Jesus. There were probably more than three, as they usually travelled in larger groups.
• The gifts the wisemen gave Jesus were gifts normally given to royalty. Frankincense and myrrh were used for medicine and burying people in that time.
• New parents and parents of first born sons were required to go to the Temple to make sacrifices. The sacrifice Mary and Joseph made tells us they were poor.
• Anna was one of the women prophets named in the Bible.

Thoughts to Share: Today’s story was about a lot of people who had been waiting for Jesus, the Messiah, to come to earth. When they found out he had been born, they felt pure joy! Joy is better than happiness. Happiness is felt when everything happens like we want it to happen. Joy is a deeper contentment that comes from trusting God. We can experience joy even when things are not going well in our lives. The people in this story had some special things God wanted them to do. God wanted them to celebrate the birth of Jesus and then tell others the Messiah had arrived. God still wants us to be joyful about Jesus and tell others about him. 

Family Fun Instructions: God gives each of us at least one gift or talent that can be a way we will be especially good at telling others about Jesus. We have to find that talent and then work to become really skilled at it. Then we need to look for ways we can use our talent to serve others and teach them about Jesus. Here is a gifts quiz. There is not a grade given, but you can use your answers to help you figure out what gifts God may have given you. Each person in the family should answer the questions. Then other family members can help figure out what gifts each person may have.

You may have some books, kits or other items around your house that will help you explore possible gifts God may have given you. These will give you a chance to try or read about some things to see if you can begin to figure out what your special gift or talent from God might be. If these don’t reveal your talent, keep looking. Everyone has at least one gift from God and if you keep trying new things, you will eventually find your gift. In the meantime, you can have a lot of fun trying new things!

Parenting Tips: Here, as mentioned earlier, you will find a gift survey. Answering the questions, may give you some clues as to which gifts God gave each one of you. Once you find each person’s gift, help them find ways to learn how to do it well. Then help them find ways to use their gifts to serve God.

The next couple of days will be busy for most of you. Feel free to do these as time allows.

Thursday, December 24, Day 5

Bible Reading: Luke 1:26-45 and 2:1-7

Memory Verse: “The son of the Most High God will rule forever over his people.” Luke 1:33a

Interesting Facts:

• An engagement in New Testament times could only be broken by a divorce.
• Jesus was probably not born in a barn, but in a cave or first floor of a home where animals were kept during those times.

Thoughts to Share: Can you imagine all of the emotions Mary and Joseph must have felt over the time period covered by this story? They may have felt confused, scared, excited and a lot of other emotions. What we do know is that Mary and Joseph tried to do whatever God wanted them to do. They may not have been able to know exactly what would happen in their future, but they could decide that each time they had a choice, they would choose to do the right thing. God has a plan for each one of our lives. He does not tell us the future. If we obey God and always choose to do the next right thing, we will please God and more easily find the plans He has for us.

Family Fun Instructions: Use supplies you have around your house to make a manger scene. You can make your own pattern or use the one found here. We know that Jesus was probably born in a cave rather than the barns with which we are more familiar. We also know that it is very likely Jesus was actually born in the Spring and not on Christmas Day. December 25 was the day that some early Christians chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The important thing is not the actual date of the birth of Jesus, or the Bible would tell us the date. It’s not whether he was born in a cave or a barn. The important thing is that Jesus was born and grew up to die on the Cross for our sins. Mary and Joseph probably became more excited and perhaps even a bit impatient while waiting for Jesus to be born. You may be excited about celebrating Christmas tomorrow. After making the manager scene, use the calming workout below to relax so you can sleep well tonight. You can use this routine anytime you need to relax.

Parenting Tips: Here you will find tips for teaching your kids how to make good choices. It will take a lot of time and practice. If your kids can learn how to make good choices, they will be less likely to suffer the consequences that often come with making poor choices. As a bonus, the calming routine your kids used tonight can be used anytime they need to calm themselves. Use it regularly so they can eventually remember the routine without your help. Learning how to calm themselves before making choices will also increase the chances they will make a good choice.

Calming Workout

It can be difficult to calm yourself. Doing the following routine when anyone is anxious, afraid, worried, overly excited or upset, can help the person calm down. 

• Take three slow, deep breaths 
• Name five things you can see
• Stretch your arms to the sky, then touch your toes. Do this three times.
• Count backwards from 20 slowly.
• Name three things you can hear.
• Give someone or yourself a big hug.
• Name five things for which you are thankful
• Pretend to chew gum and blow three bubbles
• Say the books of the Bible
• Sit down and put your head between your legs for five seconds
• Lay down, close your eyes, sing your favorite church song then pray to God and ask Him to help you stay calm because you know you can trust in Him

If you’ve missed previous challenges, you can go to our website and find them. (www.parentinglikehannah.com)

Wednesday, December 23, Day 4

Bible Reading: Luke 3:1-22

Memory Verse: “John said many other things to warn the people. He also announced the good news to them.” Luke 3:18

Thoughts to Share: God sent John the Baptist to prepare the people to listen to Jesus. He reminded them of their sins and their need to repent. The people who listened well repented of their sins and were baptized in the Jordan River. They were ready to listen to Jesus when he began preaching and teaching. We have the things God wants us to know in our Bible. God wants us to listen to those words carefully and read them for ourselves when we are old enough. More importantly, God wants us to worship, obey and serve Him.

Family Fun Activity. Today, you will do an activity to see how well you listen. Someone will read the instructions below. You are each to draw exactly what the person tells you to draw. You will get points for everything you drew that followed the instructions. When you are finished, think about if you could listen more carefully than you did. If you want to try again, there is another set of instructions for a different drawing. See if you can listen carefully and follow those instructions. If you really enjoy this activity, you can take turns making up your own instructions and seeing if others can listen to them carefully and follow them well. If you have older children, you may also want to talk about the messages body language can give. You can also play Christmas Charades to show how you can use your body to communicate and how well you listen to body language.

Parenting Tips: Here, you will find tips for helping your kids be better listeners. With a lot of practice, they should be able to listen carefully. As they have more practice and get older, they will also be able to remember and follow more instructions when they hear them. Until then, help them practice with the attached tips.

Listening Games

Each person needs a sheet of paper and some crayons or markers. An adult reads each line of instructions, giving the others a few seconds to follow directions. If players struggle with listening skills, you may choose to repeat each instruction once. To make the game more difficult do not repeat each instruction.

Christmas Listening Game

• Draw Santa’s sleigh in the middle of your picture
• Draw a tree to the left of the sleigh
• Draw snowflakes
• Draw ornaments on the tree
• Draw Santa standing to the right of his sleigh
• Draw a bag of presents in the sleigh
• Draw stars and a moon in the sky
• Draw reindeer pulling the sleigh
• Draw a house with a chimney 
• Decorate the outside of the house with lights

Look at the finished drawings. How well did everyone follow instructions? Finish coloring the drawings and display them somewhere.

Bible Listening Game

• Draw rocky hills and desert sand
• Draw the Jordan River along the bottom of your drawing
• Draw John the Baptist wearing clothes made out of camel’s hair
• Draw the people listening to John the Baptist
• Draw a sun and clouds in the sky
• Draw a beehive and a locust/grasshopper/cricket to the right of John the Baptist
• Draw a camel and a donkey to the left of John the Baptist
• Draw fish in the Jordan River
• Draw birds in the sky

Look at the finished drawings. How well did everyone follow instructions? Take turns making up your own instructions for drawings and see how well everyone follows those directions. 

Today’s family fun requires mixing together some healthy snack foods. You may decide you would rather bake cookies or bread together!

Tuesday, December 22, Day 3

Bible Reading: Isaiah 9:6-7 and 52:13-53:12

Memory Verse: “…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6b

Interesting Facts:

• Although her name is never mentioned, Isaiah’s wife was one of the women prophets mentioned in the Bible.
• There are at least fourteen prophecies about Jesus in the book of Isaiah. The other prophecies about Jesus are scattered throughout the Old Testament, with most of the rest found in Genesis and Psalms.

Thoughts to Share: Even though God had a plan to send Jesus to die on the Cross for our sins, it didn’t happen right away. In fact, it was thousands of years, before Jesus was born. A lot of things happened during that time. Some things were good and some were bad. Throughout it all, God kept reminding His people that Jesus Christ, the Messiah would come. 

Several authors in the Old Testament were inspired by God to write reminders to the people not only about the Messiah who was to come, but exact details so they would recognize him when he arrived. The details are found in several books, but some of the best known prophecies about Jesus are found in the book of Isaiah. It is important to know that Isaiah wrote this book more than seven hundred years before Jesus was born, yet the details are so accurate no one could have guessed them by accident. Only God could give Isaiah that many accurate details. 

Family Fun Project: How hard do you think it might have been for the people in Old Testament times to wait for Jesus Christ, the Messiah to come to Earth? Waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled can be hard. We all want to go to Heaven, but we must wait patiently for Jesus to return. Tonight you are going to do three  things. First, your family will work together to create your own snack mix. You will have to be patient and eat it when your adult tells you it is okay. There are some conversation ideas here you can talk about while you are eating.Then you will do a fun patience workout routine. (See below.) You will learn a lot of good things to do when you are feeling impatient.

Parenting tips. Patience is a Fruit of the Spirit. Having patience makes it easier to have self control. Here you will find tips for helping your kids develop patience. It will take time and a lot of effort on your part, but patience is an important godly character trait for your kids to have.

Patience Workout

To become more patient, you have to do things that require you to be patient. Some children will be unable to finish even one of the activities below without becoming impatient. If your kids can do all five things in a row and still be patient, they are on the way to becoming patient people!

1. With a straw, blow the Pom Pom across the room.
2. Tie knots in the string and then untie them.
3. Make something out of play doh. Then pass it to the next person. No one can move or talk until every person in the room has made something from the play doh.
4. Count to three and have everyone freeze like a statue. Have everyone stay as still as possible in their statue pose for 60 seconds.
5. Sit quietly while someone reads a book.