Day 1
Faith Fact
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can we make sure the busyness of life doesn't get in the way of our relationship with God?
Luke 10:38–42
Because Martha was so distracted with the busyness of life, she missed sitting and listening to Jesus and spending time with Him. The Savior of the world was sitting in her house. But she was more concerned about all the preparations. She had her priorities out of order. Martha was putting doing things for Jesus in front of having a close relationship with Jesus.
God doesn’t need us to be perfect to come to Him. He simply wants to be with us. Sometimes, we think that we need to be in the right place to be with God. We don’t have to have the perfect music playing or be sitting in the perfect seat in church to talk with God. We can talk with Him when we’re in bed or getting ready for the day. We can share with Him how we feel when something happens at school that we didn’t expect. We can feel His presence with us on the soccer field or as we’re sitting around the dinner table. Putting God first means making sure that there is always space for Him in our life. It means not crowding Him out because we think we’re too busy with other things.
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear God, I want to always be sure that I’m never too busy for You. Help me to make sure that I spend time with You. Amen.
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can we make sure the busyness of life doesn't get in the way of our relationship with God?
Luke 10:38–42
Because Martha was so distracted with the busyness of life, she missed sitting and listening to Jesus and spending time with Him. The Savior of the world was sitting in her house. But she was more concerned about all the preparations. She had her priorities out of order. Martha was putting doing things for Jesus in front of having a close relationship with Jesus.
God doesn’t need us to be perfect to come to Him. He simply wants to be with us. Sometimes, we think that we need to be in the right place to be with God. We don’t have to have the perfect music playing or be sitting in the perfect seat in church to talk with God. We can talk with Him when we’re in bed or getting ready for the day. We can share with Him how we feel when something happens at school that we didn’t expect. We can feel His presence with us on the soccer field or as we’re sitting around the dinner table. Putting God first means making sure that there is always space for Him in our life. It means not crowding Him out because we think we’re too busy with other things.
Talk About It:
- Question 1. When Jesus visited the house, what was Mary doing?
Answer 1. “Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.” (Luke 10:39) - Question 2. What was Martha doing after Jesus arrived at the house?
Answer 2. “Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing.” (Luke 10:40) - Question 3. Why did Jesus say that what Mary was doing was better than what Martha was doing?
Answer 3. Because the most important “thing worth being concerned about” was spending time with Jesus" - Question 4. What are some things that distract you from spending time with God?
Answer 4. Answers will vary. - Question 5. How can we make sure the busyness of life doesn’t get in the way of our relationship with God?
Answer 5. Answers will vary.
Prayer:
Dear God, I want to always be sure that I’m never too busy for You. Help me to make sure that I spend time with You. Amen.
Day 2
Faith Fact
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
What does it mean to have a relationship every day with God?
Psalm 27:4–8
Have you ever met someone that you really wanted to be friends with? What did you have to do to be friends with them? When you have a relationship with someone, you want to spend time with them. You want to get to know them more. You share your thoughts and feelings with them, and you care about theirs. You want to spend time doing things together and creating memories. And, when you’re not with them, you miss them. That’s what a real relationship is.
God wants to have a relationship every day with us. He doesn’t want an occasional visit from us every now and then. He wants us to spend consistent time with Him, to talk with Him, and to share our thoughts and feelings with Him. He wants to be involved in every part of our life. But we must choose to put Him first and make Him a priority.
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear God, I want to spend every part of my life with You. Help me to choose You first and make You a priority in my life. Amen.
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
What does it mean to have a relationship every day with God?
Psalm 27:4–8
Have you ever met someone that you really wanted to be friends with? What did you have to do to be friends with them? When you have a relationship with someone, you want to spend time with them. You want to get to know them more. You share your thoughts and feelings with them, and you care about theirs. You want to spend time doing things together and creating memories. And, when you’re not with them, you miss them. That’s what a real relationship is.
God wants to have a relationship every day with us. He doesn’t want an occasional visit from us every now and then. He wants us to spend consistent time with Him, to talk with Him, and to share our thoughts and feelings with Him. He wants to be involved in every part of our life. But we must choose to put Him first and make Him a priority.
Talk About It:
- Question 1. According to the Bible verses we read, what is one thing the author wanted most?
Answer 1. “To live in the house of the Lord,” which means to be close to God (Psalm 27:4) - Question 2. To have a friendship with someone, what are some things we must do?
Answer 2. We must spend time with them, get to know them more, and share our thoughts and feelings with them. - Question 3. How are some of these things the same when it comes to having a relationship with God?
Answer 3. We spend time with God when we read the Bible, pray, and worship Him. We share our thoughts and feelings with Him when we pray and think about His Word. - Question 4. How does spending time with God help us grow closer to Him?
Answer 4. We get to know Him better. - Question 5. What does it mean to have a relationship every day with God?
Answer 5. It means that we live our life with Him every day, not just some days.
Prayer:
Dear God, I want to spend every part of my life with You. Help me to choose You first and make You a priority in my life. Amen.
Day 3
Faith Fact
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
Why should we make obeying Jesus most important?
Luke 6:46–49
When building a house, the very first thing that is built is the foundation. Do you know why? It’s because a strong foundation makes the rest of the house strong and stable, so it will last for years to come. It would be worthless to have builders start working on building walls and a roof without a foundation being built first. If the house is built without a strong foundation, the house will be unstable and will collapse, or it will fall apart over time.
Our life as a follower of Jesus works in a similar way. Our life is strong and stable when we obey Jesus and His Word. Doing this must be the most important part of our life. When we obey Him in every situation, we show that we want His plans for our life. It shows that we’re willing to be sure that what He wants is also what we want. As we continue to put Him first, we can trust Him to help us take care of everything else going on in our life.
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I want my life to be built on You. Help me to seek You first every day. Amen.
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
Why should we make obeying Jesus most important?
Luke 6:46–49
When building a house, the very first thing that is built is the foundation. Do you know why? It’s because a strong foundation makes the rest of the house strong and stable, so it will last for years to come. It would be worthless to have builders start working on building walls and a roof without a foundation being built first. If the house is built without a strong foundation, the house will be unstable and will collapse, or it will fall apart over time.
Our life as a follower of Jesus works in a similar way. Our life is strong and stable when we obey Jesus and His Word. Doing this must be the most important part of our life. When we obey Him in every situation, we show that we want His plans for our life. It shows that we’re willing to be sure that what He wants is also what we want. As we continue to put Him first, we can trust Him to help us take care of everything else going on in our life.
Talk About It:
- Question 1. If we want our life on a good foundation, what should we do after we hear the teachings of Jesus?
Answer 1. Follow them by obeying Him. (Luke 6:47) - Question 2. What does the Bible say will happen to someone who doesn’t obey Jesus?
Answer 2. The house of their life “will collapse into a heap of ruins.” (Luke 6:49) - Question 3. How is obeying Jesus like building the foundation of a house first?
Answer 3. Like the house, our life will only be strong and stable if we base it on a good foundation—the teachings of Jesus found in the Bible. - Question 4. What could happen in our life if we don’t obey Jesus?
Answer 4. Answers will vary. - Question 5. Why should we make obeying Jesus most important?
Answer 5. When we obey Jesus and His Word, our life will be strong and stable.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I want my life to be built on You. Help me to seek You first every day. Amen.
Day 4
Faith Fact
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can the choices we make show God that He is first in our life?
Exodus 20:3–6
In many places, people choose to worship idols—an image or statue that represents a fake god. They believe that the fake gods that the idols represent will answer them and give them the things they need. But, these idols can never give them what the one true God can.
Even when a person knows there’s only one real God, it can be tempting to make something else be an idol in their life. This happens when we choose to put other things in the place where God should be. We do this by putting other things over God. We get so busy, and we treat those things like they’ll give us what we need. But, it’s only our relationship with God that can meet any need we have. God wants to be number one in our life. When we choose to put Him first, we are saying, “God, I love You more than anything else.”
Talk About It:
Prayer:
Dear God, I’m sorry for the times that I’ve placed other things ahead of You. I want to choose You above all else and worship You with my entire life. Amen.
I will put God first!
Faith Verse
"With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever." Psalm 86:12
Read:
How can the choices we make show God that He is first in our life?
Exodus 20:3–6
In many places, people choose to worship idols—an image or statue that represents a fake god. They believe that the fake gods that the idols represent will answer them and give them the things they need. But, these idols can never give them what the one true God can.
Even when a person knows there’s only one real God, it can be tempting to make something else be an idol in their life. This happens when we choose to put other things in the place where God should be. We do this by putting other things over God. We get so busy, and we treat those things like they’ll give us what we need. But, it’s only our relationship with God that can meet any need we have. God wants to be number one in our life. When we choose to put Him first, we are saying, “God, I love You more than anything else.”
Talk About It:
- Question 1. What commands are in the verses we read?
Answer 1. We must not have other gods, make idols, or worship idols. (Exodus 20:3–4) - Question 2. What is an idol?
Answer 2. An image or statue that represents a fake god - Question 3. What are some things in your life that could be like an idol because they are more important to you than God?
Answer 3. Answers will vary. - Question 4. When we choose to put other things over our relationship with God, how can others around us be affected?
Answer 4. Answers will vary. - Question 5. What kind of person does verse 6 say will receive God’s unfailing love?
Answer 5. People who love Him and obey His commands (Exodus 20:6)
Prayer:
Dear God, I’m sorry for the times that I’ve placed other things ahead of You. I want to choose You above all else and worship You with my entire life. Amen.