Fruit Salad

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Galatians 5:16-26

TO CHEW ON: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22,23a



What do you like about fruit - its sweetness? Its juiciness? The way it feels in your mouth? What is your favorite kind of fruit?

If you live in a place where fruit grows, you know only certain plants produce fruit. You don’t expect to pick apples from an oak tree or find blackberries on a cedar bush. Even fruit trees can only produce one kind of fruit. Plum trees will not grow peaches, neither will cherry trees grow pineapples.

We can think of people as plants. Their fruit is the things they do. But unlike plants, people’s lives can grow many kinds of fruit - a real fruit salad.

In the letter he wrote to the church in Galatia, Paul talks about the kinds of fruit a person who has given their life to Jesus should grow. It's Holy Spirit fruit. When we give Jesus our lives and let the Holy Spirit change us to be like Him, our lives will grow this kind of fruit too.

Today’s verse lists nine Spirit fruits. There’s a piece taken out of each those fruits, below. Complete each by filling in the missing piece from the fruit salad bowl.

1. g __ __ __ leness       5. l __ __ e

2. __ __ __ ience          6. __ __ __ dness

3. g __ __ __ ness         7. f__ __ __ hfulness

4. self-c__ __ __ rol      8. __ __ y

9. __ __ __ ce

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, help me to let You grow Your good fruit from my life. Amen.

MORE: A Helping of Fruit Please
Which Spirit fruit do you think you would need in the following situations (you may need more than one)?

1. Your deaf grandmother comes for a visit.

2. You have to get up at 6:30 every morning to deliver papers.

3. You have to cancel your vacation trip because your dad has to work.

4. Your little sister keeps getting into your stuff.

5. Your best friend needs help with homework

ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jail Joy

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 16:23-34

TO CHEW ON: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." Acts 16:25

What things would fill you with joy?
1. Getting a new pet.
2. Winning a contest.
3. Being teased about being a Christian.
4. Finishing a hard job.
5. Being arrested for helping someone.

My guess is you didn’t choose 3. and 5. But Paul and Silas were joyful even after helping someone and being put in jail for it.

After the Philippi officials beat them, Paul and Silas were locked in a jail cell for helping the slave girl. But they didn’t get angry, complain, whine or grumble. Instead they prayed and sang hymns.

What happened next gave them even more reason for joy. An earthquake shook the jail. Their chains came loose. The doors flew open.

"Earthquake in the prison" - Sir James Thornhill

The jailer, afraid that everyone would escape, was ready to harm himself.

"Paul and Silas with the Jailer" - Artist unknown

But Paul and Silas didn’t run. Instead they calmed the desperate jailer and told him no one was going to escape.

Maybe Paul and Silas’s reaction to their beating made the jailor curious. Maybe the prayers they prayed and the songs they sang made him want to know their God. Because the jailer then asked them a strange question. What was it? (Acts 16:30) 1.______________________________________________

The Philippian Jailer - Artist unknown

The jailor and his family accepted Jesus that night and were baptized. Then he and his family were also filled with (Acts 16:34) 2. ______________ .

When we live for Jesus He gives us this unexplainable joy. Things around us might be falling apart. We might be in big trouble. But still, we are joyful because we know Jesus is with us. He takes care of us and gives us joy even in the middle of problems,

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You that the joy You give us is stronger than the things that go wrong in our lives. Amen.


MORE: Jails
- Find out about jails in Bible times
- Look at a picture of Philippian jail ruins which may be the prison where Paul and Silas were kept.


ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Obedience + Persecution = Joy

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 13:42-52

TO CHEW ON: "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Acts 13:52

Barnabas and Paul traveled to Perga and then to Psidian Antioch. When they preached in the church (synagogue), many people listened and believed. In fact at one meeting almost the whole town came out to listen.

"Through this man (Jesus) is preached the forgiveness of sins" - Artist unknown

But the Jewish leaders didn’t like Paul and Barnabas because they said the good news about Jesus was for non-Jews (Gentiles). When more and more people believed, the Jewish leaders got jealous. They gossiped and lied about Paul and Barnabas and turned the city’s important people against them. Soon persecution started again. Barnabas and Paul had to leave town.

"Paul stirs up Antioch" - Artist unknown

What did Paul and Barnabas do? (Acts 13:51,52)
1. They were afraid and stopped preaching.
2. They were angry and fought against those who made them leave.
3. They left, but were joyful because they had done all they could to tell people about Jesus.

How could the disciples be joyful even when they were hassled and chased out of town? It was because they knew they were doing the job God had given them to do. It wasn’t their job to make people like them, agree with them or believe what they said. Only God could do that. But it was their job to tell about Jesus. When they did that, they were joyful, even though their hearers were mean to them.

Still today we can have joy in the middle of persecution. Such joy isn’t based on outward success but the satisfaction of knowing we are obeying and pleasing God.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be joyful in persecution. Amen.

MORE: Joyful Times
• The Bible talks about people having joy at different times. Match each joyful occasion with its Bible reference. (Careful, there’s one that isn’t true! Which one is it?)

1. When they saw a star.
2. When Jesus came back to life
3. When being persecuted
4. Trusting Jesus is real, though we haven’t seen Him
5. When reaching our ambitions
6. When in God’s presence
7. When prayers are answered
8. When “eating” God’s Word

A. Psalm 16:11    B. 1 Peter 1:8  

C. Matthew 2:7-10   D. Jeremiah 15:16

E. Acts 13:50-52  F. Matthew 28:8 

G. John 16:24

• The trip goes on. Mark Paul’s mission trip route to these cities on your map:
Acts 13:13-14


ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

From Sadness to Celebration

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Esther 8:11-17

TO CHEW ON: "In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating..." Esther 8:17

Quickly things turned around in Susa. Haman was gone. When Esther told the king that Mordecai was her cousin, he gave Mordecai the job Haman had before. But the king’s law still stood. The Jews were still in danger.


Again Esther went to the king. “Please spare the life of my people,” she pleaded.

“My law from before can’t be overturned,” the king told her. “But you can write another one.”

So Mordecai called together the secretaries. They wrote a new command. It said that the Jewish people could now fight back to defend themselves from anyone who attacked them. Couriers on horses raced to the farthest parts of the land to post the new law.


When the people of Susa heard the news, there was great happiness. On the day that Haman had picked for the slaughter, Jews everywhere fought against their attackers and were successful. Now instead of that day being a day of death and weeping, it became a day of feasting and celebrating.

I’m sure Esther and Mordecai wondered, on those first grim days after Haman passed his law, if they would ever feel like smiling again. But with God’s help everything changed. Instead of tears, a big celebration ended the story.

We too may be in sad times. We may wonder if and how things will ever get better. Like Esther and Mordecai, let’s pray to God about our problems. The God of Esther and Mordecai is our God too. He can still turn sadness into a celebration!

PRAYER: Dear God, I bring my problem of __________ to You. Please change my sadness into celebration. Amen.

MORE: Purim
Every year after that the Jews celebrated the day when God saved them from their enemies through Queen Esther. They called it the Feast of Purim.

The Jewish people still celebrate the Feast of Purim today. Here are some things they do on that day:



1. They read the story of Esther from the Hegillah (the Scroll). They cheer whenever Esther’s name is mentioned, boo at Haman’s name and wave graggers or noisemakers. They also act out the story in plays.


2. They wear costumes, disguises and masks to remind them of how Esther had to hide the fact that she was Jewish.

3. They send gifts to each other and the poor. They also invite people to join them in a special Purim meal.

4. They make special food. One treat is called Hamantaschen (Haman’s Hat). It is a three-cornered pastry filled with poppy seeds or prunes.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Celebrate!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezra 3:7-12

TO CHEW ON: "With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good: his love to Israel endures forever' And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid." Ezra 3:11

Haggai’s message to put God first got everyone’s attention. Zerubbabel called the priests together. They decided to again worship God even though there was no temple in which to do it. They built an altar outside and again made the sacrifices and kept the feasts the way God had said.

Next they took a collection of money for building supplies. What a busy time followed, clearing away the rubble of the old temple and bringing in logs, cut stones and bricks for the new one.


Finally the day came when the foundation of the new temple was in place. That day they decided to celebrate. The Priests and Levites got dressed in their special clothes. They brought their trumpets and cymbals and praised God with singing and music like in the time of King David. Then all the people watching gave a shout of praise. God’s house was back!


What things do we celebrate? Certainly a new church is a good reason for a celebration. But we don’t have to wait for something so big to have a praise party. Baby dedications, baptisms, Christmas, Easter, weddings, birthdays – these are all good times to praise God and celebrate.

PRAYER: Dear God, You are so good to me. I want to include You in all my celebrations. Today I thank and praise You for __________ Amen.

MORE: Celebration Favorites
1. What events and special times do you celebrate in your home? In your church?
2. What things (like guests, decorations, foods, activities) make those celebrations special?
3. What’s the best celebration you remember?

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Leaping, Bursting, Shouting Joy!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 35:1-10

TO CHEW ON: "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for
joy." Isaiah 35:5,6

What things make you joyful - finishing homework, seeing an old friend, being greeted by your dog, getting help with a hard job?


Even the greatest joy we feel now will be small compared to the joy Isaiah talks about in today’s reading. It will be the joy people feel when God comes to reign on earth. All of creation – plants, animals and people will know joy at that time.


Why will there be so much joy? Because of who God is. He is a God who makes wrong things right. He is a God who heals – makes the weak strong, the sick well, the blind see, the dumb shout, the lame walk. His power over nature makes even deserts become gardens and wild animals tame as pets.

When will this happen? Though Jesus’ coming to earth was part of it coming true, there is more. For this is a prophecy about what is still ahead for us. It talks about a time when God comes back to reign on earth.


But we don’t have to wait for some future time to know the joy that He brings. When we put the load of our sins on Him, accept that He paid the penalty (death) that we deserved to pay, and then let Him be the boss of our lives, this kind of joy can start in our lives now.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing joy. Thank You for being joy. Amen.


MORE: Showing JoyWhen we’re full of joy, it’s hard to keep those feelings inside.
1. Read through Isaiah 35:1-10 again. Find all the words that speak of joy or show joyful actions. Make a list.

2. Add your own JOY words to the list.


ANSWERS

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Celebrate!

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles 15:25-16:3

TO CHEW ON: "So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps." 1 Chronicles 15:28

For three months the ark was in the home of Obed-Edom. In that time, everyone noticed how God was blessing him. One day David decided to try to bring the ark back to Jerusalem again.

He arrived at the house of Obed-Edom with a great crowd of people. There were Levites, priests, singers and musicians dressed in beautiful robes of fine linen. There were army commanders. And there were many ordinary people.

This time the Levites lifted the ark onto their shoulders and carried it the way God had told them. As they began their walk to Jerusalem, the priests sacrificed to God. Then the singers sang and the instruments played.

The closer they got to the city, the more people joined the happy parade. Finally a great throng of happy, singing, celebrating people entered Jerusalem. But no one celebrated harder than David. He danced and leaped and spun in joy and praise to God that the ark was finally returning to Jerusalem.

"David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem"
Original oil painting ©1993 by Darlene Slavujac Thau (used with artist's permission)

The Levites brought the ark to the tent David had made for it. After they sacrificed more offerings, David sent everyone home with loaves of bread, and cakes of dates and raisins.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to celebrate You like David did. Amen.

MORE: We celebrate
1. What is your favorite celebration of the year? What fun things do you do on that day?


2. What things do you celebrate in church? Which is your favorite of the church celebrations and what makes it special?

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

God's Parties

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Leviticus 23:1-8

TO CHEW ON: "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.' ” Leviticus 23:2

What do you do on special days? Match the holiday with an activity that may happen then:



God also gave the Israelites special days to celebrate. They were called feasts. In some ways they were a lot like our holidays. The Israelites were to take the day off work and they often ate special food.

But these feasts were also different. Most of our celebrations are only a day or a weekend long. Some of the Israelites' feasts lasted a whole week or longer. And while our celebrations are often all about us – what gifts we’ll get, what we’ll eat, how much fun we’ll have – the Israelites’ holidays helped them focus on God.

Some of them, like the Passover, helped them remember how God had helped in the past. Others, like the Feast of First fruits, were times they gave God the first things they harvested. This reminded them that they depended on God now. In fact, every one of their holidays had something to do with God and their friendship with Him.

"Songs of Joy" by James Tissot

The feasts and holidays God told the Israelites to celebrate show that God knows our need for a break. But how we use the free time is our choice - and an important one. Do we use days off, like Sunday, only for our own pleasure? Or do we think about God on such days, and spend time getting to know Him better?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the variety of holidays through the year. Help me to use these special days in a way that pleases You. Amen.


MORE: Feast List
Complete a list of the feasts or holidays God told the people to celebrate. (In the brackets is the month they would celebrate the feast on our calendar):

- Leviticus 23:3 [1.] __________________ (Once a week all year long)
- Leviticus 23:5 [2.] __________________ (March or April)
- Leviticus 23:5 [3.] __________________ (March or April)
- Leviticus 23:9-14 Feast of First Fruits (April)
- Leviticus 23:15 Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) and the Harvest Festival (June)
- Leviticus 23:23 Feast of Trumpets (September/October)
- Leviticus 23:27 [4.] _________________ (September/October)
- Leviticus 23:34 [5.] _________________ (September/October)

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS  are available too at Other Food: daily devo's. 

Tears of Joy

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 46:28-34

TO CHEW ON: "Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father, and wept for a long time." Genesis 46:29

Have you ever been separated from people you love?

Perhaps you spent a week at camp. Or your parents live apart and you get to see one of them only seldom. Or you moved far away from your grandparents.

What feelings do you have when you’re about to meet them again:

nervous, excited, like crying, like laughing, worried, impatient, scared, happy

I’m sure Joseph was having some of those feelings while he waited for his father to arrive in Egypt. Finally the day arrived. Judah went ahead of the others. He found Joseph and said, “The whole family is here. Where do we go?”

Joseph got in his chariot and rode out to meet his father. What did he do when he saw Israel?
_______________________ (Genesis 46:29).

We usually think of people crying when they are hurt or sad. But people also cry when they are happy. Getting back together with the people we love most, like family, is one time we easily cry tears of joy.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the strong love of family. Amen.

MORE: Crying and Tears

Though people have studied crying and tears a lot, scientists are still not sure exactly what happens when people cry. Here are some things they do know:

1. Babies cry when they’re hungry, uncomfortable, in pain, or for attention.

2. Children and adults cry for lots of other reasons too - like when they’re sad, stressed or happy!

3. Fake crying is called ‘crocodile tears.’ (Why? Probably because sea-water crocodiles often shed tears to remove salt water from their bodies.)

4. Our bodies make three kinds of tears:
i] tears to keep our eyes moist and guard against dust and infection.

ii] reflex tears which come when we peel onions or are in smoke.

iii] emotional tears which we cry when we’re sad or happy. These tears have more protein and hormones in them. (And so some scientists think that crying and tears are our body’s way of getting rid of substances that are caused by stress.)

Can you find more facts about crying and tears?

Answer

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reunion

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 33:1-11

TO CHEW ON: “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.” Genesis 33:10

The day Jacob had looked forward to and dreaded was here. Today, after many years, he would see Esau again.

1.What happened when the brothers met? Genesis 33:4
2. Who of the brothers had done something wrong and needed to be forgiven?
3. Who did the forgiving?

The meeting of Jacob and Esau

Seeing Esau again and knowing he was no longer angry was a big deal for Jacob. He compared getting Esau’s forgiveness to seeing the face of God.

Are there broken friendships in your life? Be like Jacob and Esau, and mend them.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me forgive the people who have hurt me, and help the people I have hurt to forgive me. Amen.

MORE: Forgiveness
What does it mean to forgive? Do you agree or disagree with the statements about forgiveness, below. Look up the reference to see what the Bible says.

1. It’s enough to say ‘I forgive you,’ even though you keep thinking mean thoughts about the person who hurt you. (Psalm 103:12)

2. You can’t forgive someone unless they say ‘sorry’ to you. (Luke 11:4)

3. You should forgive someone as soon as they hurt or offend you. (Mark 11:25)

4. If you forgive a person for something, but then he does the same thing over and over, you don’t have to forgive him because it seems he’s not really sorry. (Luke 17:4)

5. We should forgive others, just like Jesus forgave us. (Colossians 3:13)

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Promises, promises

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 21:1-7

TO CHEW ON: "Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him." Genesis 21:2

I’ll play with you after school today.

Never tell a soul– promise?

Wait till summer; then I’ll take you fishing.

We’ll go to Disneyland next year - it’s a promise!


Our lives are full of promises. Do we keep all the promises we make? Do others keep their promises to us? Probably not.

But there is Someone Who does keep every promise He makes. God promised Abraham and Sarah they would have a son. In fact He said it over and over. Now at last, when Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 years old, the baby was born.

1. What did Sarah do? (Genesis 21:6)

2. Abraham and Sarah named the baby Isaac. What does the name "Isaac" mean?

God kept His promise. What a happy time!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the joy of kept promises. Amen.

MORE: God's promises to you

The Bible is full of God's promises to you. Read the following promises and solve the crossword puzzle below.

1. Eternal life: (John 11:25) "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will (1 DOWN) even though he dies.'"

2. Rewards: (Ephesians 6:8) "Because you know that the Lord will (2 DOWN) everyone for whatever good he does whether he is slave or free."

3. Forgiveness: (1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sin he is faithful and just and will (3 ACROSS) us our sins."

4. Guidance: (Psalm 25:9) "He (4 DOWN) the humble in what is right and teaches them his way."

5. Protection: (Psalm 125:2) "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord (5 ACROSS) his people both now and forevermore.




Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.