Week: Introduction to the Kingdom of God
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Lord Jesus, we open our minds to learn new things, so that we know more about You. We open our hearts to be filled with Your love, so that we become more like You. And we open our hands to receive all we need to live our lives for You.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Eli
Colossians 1:13
God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
Colossians 1:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Jesus had been talking about the Kingdom of God, and people were asking how they could be part of it. Today, we’re REFLECTING on the surprising reply that Jesus gave.
Read by Eli
Matthew 7:21-23
[Jesus said] ‘Not all those who say “You are our Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do what my Father in heaven wants. On the last day many people will say to me, “Lord, Lord, we spoke for you, and through you we forced out demons and did many miracles.” Then I will tell them clearly, “Get away from me… I never knew you.”’
Matthew 7:21-23, (NCV)
We’ve probably all watched a movie or a TV show, or read a story, where the heroes have to figure out a password to get through a locked door.
Jesus explains the Kingdom of God isn’t like that. To enter the Kingdom of God, we don’t need to crack a code or say any special words to enter, we simply have to give our lives to Jesus and trust that He knows what’s best for us. When we chose to follow Jesus every day – not just say we’re following Him, but actually follow Him – doing what God wants, like it says in today’s Bible passage. That’s what matters
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What movies, TV shows or stories can we think of where the heroes needed to find a password or crack a secret code?
Let’s all close our eyes and be quiet for a few moments.
Lord Jesus, we give our lives to You today. It doesn’t matter whether this is the first time we’ve prayed a prayer like this, or whether we’ve prayed this 100 times before, we choose to follow You. May Your Kingdom come in our lives.
In this week’s memory verse, it says that, ‘God has freed us from the power of darkness’. People who feel lonely or scared or like they don’t know what to do sometimes say they feel like they’re ‘in the dark’. Let’s pray for those who feel this way.
Father God, we ASK You to free those who feel like the darkness is overpowering them. May they discover that Jesus is not only the light of the whole world, but the light in their lives too.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Matthew 7:21-23
[Jesus said] “Not all those who say ‘You are our Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. The only people who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do what my Father in heaven wants. On the last day many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, we spoke for you, and through you we forced out demons and did many miracles.’ Then I will tell them clearly, ‘Get away from me… I never knew you.”’
Matthew 7:21-23, (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we say YES to seeking first God’s Kingdom in our lives, and in the world – to putting God first and living the way You show us to, especially by loving others.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Colossians 1:13
God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
Colossians 1:13 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog. She works for Bridgetown Church where she leads kids as they grow, learn, and have lots of fun. Joy loves gardening, summer camp, eating ice cream, and reading her favourite books, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Eli is 11 and lives in Melbourne, Victoria with his mum, dad and two younger sisters. He enjoys music, reading, riding his skateboard and playing soccer.
