Tag Archives: Jesus

Kids Back-to-School Devotion: Prepared as a Squirrel

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Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. 

– 1 Peter 3:15 (NIrV)

What’s the busiest animal in the woods? If it’s autumn, it has to be the squirrel. These animals know that when fall comes around, winter is right behind it, and they have to be prepared.  

Guess how many nuts a typical squirrel buries every fall. Ten? A hundred? 

Try a thousand or more! These industrious little critters pack away as many snacks as they can to keep them going all winter long. No doubt about it, when it comes to being prepared, squirrels are tough to beat.  

In the same way, God wants us to be prepared too. Not by burying nuts in the ground, but by hiding His word in our hearts. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart so that I won’t sin against you” (NIrV).

When we read the Bible, memorize it and think about it, God uses it to help us to learn to live His way. There’s no better way to prepare for a back-to-school season than storing up Bible verses in our heads and our hearts!

In 2 Timothy 3:16, a follower of Jesus named Paul said that the Bible:

  • Teaches us what’s true
  • Corrects our mistakes
  • Trains us to do what’s right

In fact, Paul said, “By using Scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing” (2 Timothy 3:17, NIrV).

One of those good things Paul is talking about is telling other people about Jesus! 

Jesus’ friend Peter said, “Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have” (1 Peter 3:15 NIrV). That means we need to learn what the Bible says about Jesus so we can share it with others. We can also tell people the difference Jesus has made in our lives. 

By learning the Bible and hiding it in our hearts, we’ll be better prepared than even the busiest squirrel in the forest. Nuts and seeds may make a tasty winter treat for animals, but when it comes to people, you can’t beat storing up God’s Word!

Memory Verse Cards

Start practicing hiding God’s Word in your heart with these Printable Acorn Memory Verse Cards. Just print them out, cut them apart and work on memorizing one a week as a family.

Prayer

God, thank You for the Bible. Please help me to learn it and live it so I can be prepared to share Your love. Amen.

Talk About It 

  1. What do squirrels do to prepare for winter? Why do you think squirrels work so hard?
  2. What are some things the Bible can prepare us to do? (love God and love people, do what’s right, tell about about Jesus) How can we store up God’s Word inside of us? (Read the Bible, memorize it, think about it)

More Back-to-School Devotions:

This is part two of a four-part series of back-to-school devotions. You can check out Part One here.  

Sign up for Jason’s True Tale Trail newsletter to catch the rest of the series.

Recommended Resources:

If you’d like more resources to help your kids think about the reasons for the hope we have in Jesus, check out the following books:  

Talking to Your Kids About Jesus by Natasha Crain

Cold Case Christianity for Kids by J. Warner Wallace

No Day at the Beach

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“The Lord will fight for you. Just be still.” – Exodus 14:14 (NIrV)

Have you ever had a bad day at the beach? Maybe you got sunburned or got sand in your eye. Maybe it rained or someone kicked over your sand castle you’d been building for hours.

Normally the beach is supposed to be a fun place, but sometimes things happen that ruin a perfectly good day.  

Take the Israelites, for instance. In Exodus 13 they were having a great day. They had spent 400 years enslaved by the Egyptian empire, but now they were free! God had answered their prayers for help and sent Moses to rescue them with God’s power. God forced Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let His people go.

: No Day at the Beach

Now, THAT was a great day! For about five minutes.

Then, Pharaoh changed his mind. He realized that without the Israelites, he wouldn’t have anyone to do all his work. So, the Egyptians chased after Moses’ people and caught up to them near a place called the Red Sea.  

That was no fun day at the beach! The Israelites were stuck. The Red Sea was in front of them. Pharaoh’s army was closing in behind. The people were terrified! What were they going to do?  

Nothing! In fact, God told them to chill out. You see, this was all part of God’s plan. 

Moses said, “The Lord will fight for you. Just be still” (Exodus 14:14). God sprang into action and protected them with a cloud and fire to keep the Egyptians away. 

Meanwhile, Moses raised his walking stick above the water, and God did something even more amazing! He split the Red Sea in half! God made a dry path that led right through the waves! 

Moses and the Israelites safely crossed over to the other side. When Pharaoh’s army tried to follow, however, they were washed away.  

Sometimes in life we may feel stuck like the Israelites. It looks like one impossible problem is in front of us and another one is right behind. We may get scared, anxious and all worked up. 

That’s when we need to remember Moses’ words, “The Lord will fight for you. Just be still.”  

No problem is too big for our God. He already solved our biggest problem when He sent Jesus to rescue us. Jesus defeated death, sin and Satan! 

The rest of our problems? They’re nothing that God can’t handle. We just need to turn to Him, trust in Him, and He will make a way through whatever challenge we face.

Prayer

God, no problem is too big for You! Please help me to remember to turn to You and trust in You no matter what. Amen.

Talk About It:

  1. Is there any problem in your life right now that makes you feel stuck or overwhelmed?  Let’s talk to God about it!
  2. Do we know anyone who’s dealing with hard stuff too? How can we encourage them, serve them and remind them that God can make a way?

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

True Tale Trail Episode 18: Jesus the Trailblazer

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Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In today’s episode of the True Tale Trail we’re going to talk about the most important trail topic ever, how to become forgiven friends of Jesus!

We’ll kick things off with a modern-day parable about a kid getting lost in the woods and then will use that to talk about how Jesus is our trailblazer who made a way for us to return home to God.

Don’t miss out on the special Path to Life Gospel Overview, and Coloring Sheet that you can use to help the kids in your life navigate the big decision to follow Jesus.

Backpack Bible Verse: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (NIrV)

Download the Episode 18 Family Discussion Guide to talk more about this episode at home.

Download the Path to Life Gospel Overview, Path to Life Coloring Sheet to walk your kids through what Jesus did for us and how we can respond and receive His gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

  1. Ask them what they see in each picture. If you’re using the coloring sheet, let them color as you walk through the good news about Jesus and how they can respond.
  2. Share with them what each picture means.
  3. Look up the Bible verse that goes with each picture and read it together.
  4. Encourage kids to ask questions and listen well to see if they might be ready to trust in Jesus, turn from sin, make Jesus their King and be baptized as they choose to follow Him.

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