Tag Archives: faith

Kids Devotion: Love Puts Others First

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Download the Others First Coloring Sheet here.

Bible Verse: “Value others more than yourselves. ” – Philippians 2:3b (NIrV)

If you have a brother or sister, you know how important the word first can be.  After all, siblings can be really competitive.  Maybe you’ve heard some of these phrases around your house or at school:

  • I want to go first.
  • I get first pick.
  • Let me have the first piece.
  • No fair!  Why is she always first?

All this wanting to be first causes fights, jealousy and hurt feelings. Worst of all, it gets in the way of loving others. 

The Bible, however, talks about someone who went first in a good way! Jesus! He loved us first before we loved Him. Now we get to give that love away.

1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he loved us first” (NIrV). 

Jesus put others first in all kinds of ways. He served others and did the jobs no one else wanted to do. He spent time with people no one else liked, and He told people the truth about God even when He knew it would get Him in trouble. 

Of course, the biggest way Jesus put others first is when He gave up His life on the cross so we could become forgiven friends of God.He loved us first, and now it’s our turn to love others by putting them first too. 

In Philippians 2:3, a Jesus follower named Paul said if you want to be like Jesus, you should, “Value others more than yourselves” (NIrV).

How do you do that? Let your brother have the first piece of cake. Let your sister pick the first toy. Let someone else go first in the board game or be first in line at school.

They may be confused why you are being so kind and loving. If they are, just point to the Bible and explain, “Jesus did it first!”

Take the You First Challenge:  For a whole week let others go first and see what happens.

Prayer: God, thank You for loving me. Please help me to love other people by putting them first even when it’s hard. Amen.

Sign up for the True Tale Trail newsletter for more family devotions, Bible podcast episodes, activity pages and more.

Check out my new picture book, Where’s God? A Psalm 139 Story.

Kids Devotion: Better Than a Groundhog

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Download the Groundhog Day Coloring Sheet.

God is our place of safety. He gives us strength. He is always there to help us in times of trouble. – Psalm 46:1 (NIrV)

Happy Groundhog Day! Groundhog Day isn’t a big holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but just a silly day people celebrate just for fun.

Here’s how it works. According to superstition, if the groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, we will have six more weeks of cold, winter weather. However, if he doesn’t see his shadow, it will mean we’re in for an early spring.  

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True Tale Trail Episode 12: Crossing the Jordan

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Listen now to the new episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music.

If you want to teach your kids to trust God for their future, the best place to start is by reminding them of how faithful God has been in the past!

In this episode of The True Tale Trail, we’ll hear how God used twelve stones as a spiritual souvenir to remind His people of one of the most amazing ways He provided for them in their journey to the Promised Land.

Today we’ll explore Joshua chapters 3 and 4, where God leads His people across the Jordan River on dry ground and gives them a powerful reminder of His goodness.

This story will teach your family that remembering God’s faithfulness in the past helps us trust Him for the future, and will point them Jesus—the one who made an even greater way for us through the cross.

This is a perfect one for families as we close out the old year and step into a new one, to help us to pause, remember God’s goodness, and learn to trust Him wherever the He leads next.

Today’s Backpack Bible Verse:
“Lord, I will remember what you did. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” – Psalm 77:11 (NIrV)

Download this week’s Family Discussion Guide to talk more about this episode together at home.

Download a bonus New Year’s Eve Family Timeline Activity to help your family look back on the past year to see where God showed up in your family to help you trust Him in the new year.

Sign up here for the True Tale Trail Newsletter to get family discussion guides sent straight to your inbox.